Aviation News (English-copied)
What a Poor, F-22 Again Grounded?
(source: defencetalk.com)
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has ordered the Air Force to restrict flights of its most advanced fighter jet, the F-22, after some pilots complained of dizzy spells and blackouts, officials said Tuesday.
Since 2008, officials say at least a dozen F-22 pilots have reported suffering a lack oxygen but engineers have yet to figure out how to fix the problem.
Under Panetta’s decision the F-22 Raptor will no longer be conducting longer-range flights and would instead stay within reach of runways to ensure a pilot could land in an emergency, Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters.
He said that “effective immediately, all F-22 flights will remain within the proximity of potential landing locations, to enable quick recovery and landing should a pilot encounter unanticipated physiological conditions during flight.”
The move meant that “long-duration airspace control flights” out of Alaska would be carried out by other aircraft, Little said, without offering more details.
Panetta also called on the Air Force to “expedite” the installation of a back-up oxygen system in the F-22 planes and to provide a monthly progress report on efforts to get to the bottom of the undiagnosed technical problem. The first back-up systems would be installed by December, officials said.
The announcement on the radar-evading F-22 marks the latest setback for the aircraft, the most expensive in the US fleet at $143 million per plane.
Touted as the most sophisticated fighter in the world, the F-22 has yet to be deployed in combat, and its cost overruns became a long-running political controversy until the program was curtailed.
Panetta’s decision followed a CBS “60 minutes” television report on May 6 in which two F-22 pilots said they had refused to keep flying the warplane because of safety fears. The two pilots have sought “whistleblower” legal protections through a Republican lawmaker.
Little denied the television interviews triggered Panetta’s announcement but pilots’ concerns “figured into his decision to direct these actions today.”
RUSSIA BEGAN DEVELOPING LASER SYSTEM
(SOURCE: DEFENCETALK.COM)
Russia Defence Laser System in progress….
According to CEO of Russia’s Almaz-Antei advanced arms makers Dr Vladislav Menshikov, his company continues work, started decades ago in the Soviet Union, to develop powerful airborne lasers capable of shooting down hostile aircraft and incoming missiles. Sources say a weapon of this kind can destroy targets travelling at altitudes of up to 40 kilometers.
Chief Editor of the Natsionalnaya Oborona (National Defence) journal Dr Igor Korothcenko is ‘moderately skeptical’:
“Laser weapons will catch on, but not before 30 to 40 years from now. The problem is that developing them is exorbitantly costly. In the near future, guided missiles will be doing the air defence job. In the meantime, Russia has made considerable progress in laser weapon development. Its work in this field is focused on powerful airborne laser guns.”
Laser weapon R and D in the US is on hold, but is likely to be reactivated, as the Americans build missile defence systems and consider plans to take weapons to orbit. Russia is doing everything in its power to avert a costly arms race in space.
Chinese Air Force Modernizes On Dual Tracks
(source: aviationweek.com)
| By Richard D. Fisher, Jr. Washington |
 As China starts to put together a modern, integrated air force, which could reach 1,000 fighters by 2020, it is developing the components of a future force of stealthier combat aircraft, new bombers and unmanned, hypersonic and possibly space-based combat platforms. These could emerge as soon as the early 2020s.This dual track was illustrated in late 2010 by two events. One was the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (Plaaf) first foreign demonstration of its modern capabilities: a combined-force mission of Xian Aircraft Co. H-6 bombers supported by Chengdu Aircraft Co. J-10 multi-role fighters, KJ-2000 airborne early warning and control aircraft. and H-6U tankers for an exercise in Kazakhstan. The other was the unveiling four months later of the Chengdu stealth fighter prototype, widely known as the J-20, followed in early 2011 by its first official flight.The modernization drive relies on a comprehensive aerospace technology development program that started in the early 1990s. The first underlying doctrine was guided by “access denial” strategies that gelled in the late 1990s and focused on conflict over Taiwan. They were followed after 2005 by “New Historic Mission” strategies, propelling the PLA to dominate at greater distances and to build new, farther-reaching expeditionary capabilities.To speed development of new weapons, the PLA has encouraged defense- sector competition since major logistics reforms in 1998, at the price of subsidizing greater redundancy. Though less prevalent in aerospace than in other defense fields, there is significant redundancy in combat aircraft, unmanned aircraft, electronics and weapons development and production.Chengdu and the Shenyang Aircraft Co., China’s main fighter concerns, manage both stealthy and conventional fighter programs. China purchased 176 Sukhoi Su-27SK/UBK/Su-30MKK/MK2 twin-engine fighters, and co-produced over 100 more as the J-11 under license from Russia. In 2008, Shenyang started delivering the unlicensed J-11B with indigenous engines, radar and weapons, and today it is China’s most capable domestic production fighter. More than 120 J-11B and twin-seat J-11BSs serve in the air force, and are expected to be upgraded with better engines and an active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar as they become available. A dedicated attack version of the J-11BS dubbed the “J-16” may also include these upgrades. Though it lost to Chengdu for the heavy stealth-fighter program, there is a persistent buzz that Shenyang is self-funding a medium-weight stealth warplane, perhaps called “J-60.”Shenyang’s J-15, a near-facsimile of the Sukhoi Su-33 carrier-based fighter, is leading a new era of growth for the PLA navy’s air force. Having undergone land-based testing over the last year with the short-takeoff but arrested-recovery (Stobar) system to be used by China’s first aircraft carrier, the refurbished Russian Varyag, the J-15 could begin carrier-based testing later this year and when fully developed could prove as potent as the Boeing F/A-18E/F. An initial carrier air wing will include Changhe Z-8 airborne early warning and control helicopters with airborne early warning radar, and perhaps Russian Kamov Ka-32 anti-submarine and Ka-31 AEW helicopters.A twin-turboprop E-2 class airborne early warning/antisubmarine warfare (AEW/ASW) aircraft is under development, perhaps for conventional-takeoff-and-landing (CTOL) on two nuclear carriers that may follow two more non-nuclear Stobar carriers. In November 2011, images emerged of a long-awaited ASW version of the Shaanxi Y-8 “New High” medium transport, which will finally give the navy an oceanic ASW and maritime surveillance platform.Since 2003, more than 200 of Chengdu’s “low end” canard-configuration single-engine J-10A and twin-seat J-10S fighters have entered service—forming the low end of a high-low mix with the larger J-11B. Production may soon switch to the upgraded J-10B equipped with an AESA radar, infrared search and track sensor, radar cross-section reduction measures and improved electronic warfare system. One J-10B prototype has been tested with a version of the Shenyang-Liming WS-10A turbofan. This fighter may be the basis for the “FC-20” version expected to be purchased by Pakistan.Just before the service’s 60th anniversary in October 2009, a Chinese air force general stated that their next-generation fighter would enter service between 2017 and 2019, though a late- 2010 report of PLA interest in purchasing the Russian AL-41 turbofan for this fighter might accelerate that timeline. Since its emergence on the Internet in late 2010, Chengdu’s stealthy twin-engine canard J-20 has been photographed and videoed extensively undergoing testing at Chengdu. Expected to be fitted with 15-ton-class thrust-vectored turbofans in its production form, this aircraft is expected to be capable of supercruise and extreme post-stall maneuvering, and will be equipped with an AESA radar and distributed infrared warning sensors.In 2005 a Chinese official said that an “F-35”-class program was being considered by Chengdu. China also has long been interested in short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing (Stovl) fighters, and long-standing Russian and Chinese reports point to a possible Chengdu program based on technology from the Yakovlev Yak-141, a supersonic Stovl prototype tested in the late 1980s.A potential development of medium-weight stealth fighters by 2020 would cap an expected decade of more intensive export offerings. While the export effort is led by Chengdu’s FC-1/JF‑17 cooperative program with Pakistan (which could acquire up to 300 fighters) and the fighter could yet be purchased by the air force, greater international appeal may follow its being equipped with a Chinese engine—a likely near-term prospect.But China is already laying the foundation for sales of the FC-1, and perhaps the J-10B and J-11B, by aggressively marketing low-cost trainers like the Hongdu K-8 and the supersonic L-15, with generous financing credits and production technology transfers. This “food chain” strategy has worked in Pakistan, and could be repeated in Egypt and as far away as Latin America. Venezuela and Bolivia are customers for light attack versions of the K-8 and Venezuelan officials reportedly visited the Chengdu factory in late 2011.The Chinese air force and navy have taken delivery of about 170 of the twin-engine Xian JH-7/JH-7A strike fighters, with indications that Xian may be developing a reduced-signature variant. Approaching the longevity and mission evolution of the Boeing B-52, Xian’s latest version H-6K bomber entered low-rate production in 2010, equipped with more powerful and efficient Progress D-30KP turbofans and a redesigned nose with modern radar and optics. The bomber is armed with more than six land-attack cruise missiles. Little is known about Xian’s follow-on bomber program, except that it could emerge this decade. In late 2009 an “official” model of a large, stealthy delta-wing bomber was revealed, though its provenance is unknown. In early 2010 Chinese academics from the prestigious Institute of Mechanics, a leading hypersonics research center, produced a paper on an apparent large aircraft with a Mach 3 cruise speed, with illustrations and wind tunnel models indicating it could be an optionally manned platform.This year or next, Xian is expected to unveil a new 50-60-ton payload Y-20 four-engine strategic transport. While the Comac C919 twin-turbofan regional airliner is an established, well-known program, Chinese officials are far more reticent about a Boeing 767-sized widebody four-turbofan airliner program at Xian. Though its business case may be unclear, this platform could serve multiple military missions.To power its aerospace transformation, China has purchased about 1,000 Russian Saturn AL-31 turbofans for its Su-27/J-11 and J-10A fleets, which are receiving Chinese-developed service-life extensions. But after 25 years of intensive investments, new Chinese fighter and large high-bypass turbofan engines are emerging. In 2008 the Shenyang-Liming WS-10A was good enough to enter service with the J-11B, perhaps slightly below thrust goals at 12.7 tons, but it now powers the J-11BS and prototypes of the J-15 and J-10B. Shenyang-Liming may also be working toward a 15-ton variant of this engine. The Gas Turbine Research Institute has put a new 8-9.5-ton-thrust turbofan on one FC-1 and has advanced the development of a 15-ton engine for J-20. Shenyang-Liming, Xian and the Avic Commercial Aircraft Engine Co. have 13+-ton-thrust high-bypass turbofan engine programs to power military and commercial transports, and perhaps a new bomber.Prototypes of the J-10B use China’s first fighter-sized AESA radar by the Nanjing Research Institute of Engineering Technology (NRIET) and future versions of the J-11 and J-15 fighters are expected to have AESA. NRIET’s mechanically scanned array radar on the J-10A and FC-1 can manage two simultaneous air-to-air missile (AAM) engagements at over 100 km (62 mi.). The Luoyang PL-12 actively guided AAM may have a range of 100 km, while the helmet-sighted PL-8 and PL-9 short-range AAMs may be replaced with a helmet-display sighted PL-10. Two companies produce families of satellite and laser-guided munitions, down to 50-kg (110-lb.) weapons for unmanned combat air vehicles.China has developed a plethora of AEW platforms. The Plaaf itself uses the “high end” KJ-2000, based on the Beriev A-50, and the smaller KJ-2000 based on the Xian Y-8 turboprop transport, with a “balance beam” AESA antenna like that of the Saab Erieye. China has also exported the Y-8-based ZDK-03 with a “saucer” radar array to Pakistan. These will be joined soon by the Chengdu/Guizhou Soar Dragon box-wing strategic UAV.Leadership for space warfare is being sought by the air force, and its leaders clearly enunciated new strategies calling for space warfare capabilities in late 2009. But today China’s manned and unmanned space program is controlled by the General Armaments Department of the Central Military Commission. The air force’s case, however, could be advanced by Chengdu’s small Shenlong spaceplane—which may have undertaken initial sub-orbital tests by late 2010—and could be developed into an X-37B-like craft. In 2006, engineers from the China Academy of Space Launch Technology outlined plans to build a 100-ton+ space shuttle-like spaceplane, perhaps by 2020, or a more efficient sub-orbital hypersonic vehicle that would launch attached payloads. “Flying” platforms could fall under air force control, while “dual use” missions of PLA-controlled satellites and manned space platforms could remain under GAD control.But a clash could also occur over the future ballistic missile defense mission, which Asian military sources suggest could be realized by the mid-2020s. The successful warhead interception of January 2010 was likely a GAD program, but the air force’s expected development of very-long-range anti-aircraft missiles with anti-ballistic missile capabilities might also justify its potential claim on mission leadership.Photo Credit: Chinese InternetPhoto: Chinese Internet |
ST Kinetics Clarifies Media Reports on the Debarment by Indian MoD
Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (ST Engineering)’s land systems arm, Singapore Technologies Kinetics Ltd (ST Kinetics), refers to various media reports on the debarment by Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) from business dealings with the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).
While the Indian media has since 2009 reported that Indian authorities have blacklisted seven companies including ST Kinetics in a corruption investigation (alleged blacklisting), there were no official statements or notifications from the Indian authorities to ST Kinetics on the alleged blacklisting.
Since 2009, we have offered the authorities full cooperation and assistance as appropriate to clear our name. We had even offered on several occasions to open our account books for inspection by the Indian authorities but these offers were never taken up by them. Following the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation’s investigation report (First Information Report) made in May 2009 on its corruption investigations, charges were pressed against several companies and individuals for alleged wrongdoings. However, to-date no formal charges have been made by any Indian authorities against ST Kinetics or any of its employees in relation to the alleged blacklisting.
To seek clarification on the alleged blacklisting and to protest against the arbitrary suspension of ST Kinetics’ defence business activities, we have filed three petitions with the Delhi High Court. The petitions were accepted by the Delhi High Court in March 2011. In all the court hearings and its affidavits filed, the MoD repeatedly stated that ST Kinetics is not blacklisted, and that the “putting on hold” of ST Kinetics’ defence business activities is but an interim arrangement only.
With this latest ruling by the MoD, we will seek legal advice and we intend to vigorously take appropriate actions to clear our name and defend our reputation.
We stress that we have not won any defence contracts in India, now nor in the past, through OFB or the MoD. This development has no impact on ST Kinetics’ defence business as India has not been a market for its defence export sales.
As a responsible public listed company, we abide by all laws and regulations stipulated by the local government and we engage fully in good corporate governance practices.
ST Kinetics (Singapore Technologies Kinetics Ltd) is the land systems and specialty vehicles arm of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd. It delivers integrated land systems, specialty vehicles and their related through life support for defence, homeland security and commercial applications.
Kuwait Requests AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder Missiles
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress Feb. 24 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Kuwait of 80 AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder Block II All-Up-Round Missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $105 million.
The Government of Kuwait has requested a possible sale of 80 AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder Block II All-Up-Round Missiles, 26 CATM-9X-2 Captive Air Training Missiles, 2 CATM-9X-2 Block II Missile Guidance Units, 8 AIM-9X-2 Block II Tactical Guidance Units, 2 Dummy Air Training Missiles, containers, missile support and test equipment, provisioning, spare and repair parts, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical data, U.S. Government and contractor technical assistance and other related logistics support. The estimated cost is $105 million.
This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.
The Kuwait Air Force is modernizing its fighter aircraft to better support its own air defense needs. The proposed sale of AIM-9X-2 missiles will enhance Kuwait’s interoperability with the U.S. and among other Central Command nations, making it a more valuable partner in an increasingly important area of the world. The proposed sale of this weapon system will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
The prime contractor will be Raytheon Missile Systems Company in Tucson, Arizona. There are no known offset agreements in connection with this potential sale.
Implementation of this proposed sale will require travel of U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Kuwait on a temporary basis for program technical support and management oversight.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.
This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.
France’s Dassault says sales fell 21% in 2011
Rafale Omnirole
France’s Dassault Aviation, maker of the Falcon private jet and Rafale fighter plane, said on Tuesday that sales in 2011 fell by 21 percent from the level in 2010, in line with forecasts.
Sales for the year reached 3.3 billion euros ($4.4 billion), down from 4.18 billion euros a year earlier, the firm said in a brief statement.
Dassault warned last year that sales would decline significantly in 2011.
The company said sales improved in the fourth quarter, falling only four percent from a year earlier compared to a 43 percent falloff in the second quarter and 18 percent in the third quarter.
Dassault is in exclusive talks with India for a massive order for 126 Rafale fighters worth $12 billion.
The Rafale, Dassault’s state-of-the-art jet designed to replace the Mirage, has so far only been sold to the French military.
Dassault will announce earnings for 2011 on March 22.
Japan Upgrades Air-to-Air
Feb 28, 2012
| by Bradley Perrett Tokyo |
| Japan already has bought Raytheon AIM-120 Amraams, so why is it spending ¥36 billion ($468 million) to upgrade about 60 F-2 fighters with the Mitsubishi Electric Corp. AAM-4B missile?Although the benefits to Japanese industry are obvious, details of the upgrade and the missile itself suggest that the program is giving an enormous boost to the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries fighter’s ability to counter enemy aircraft. The weapon has at least one advanced feature that other such missiles lack: a seeker with an active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.The program will move into high gear in the financial year that begins April 1. The work is progressing in two parallel programs: integration of the AAM-4B missile, and upgrade of the J/APG-1 radar to a more powerful standard called J/APG-2. The improved radar, needed to exploit the new missile, will incidentally raise the capabilities of the aircraft by offering greater detection ranges.Both systems have been developed by the Japanese defense ministry’s Technical Research and Development Institute with considerable help from contractors, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the missile integration and Mitsubishi Electric for the radar. The same companies are contracted to do the installation work. Ministry officials tell Aviation Week that development went smoothly and is now complete.Early in the development program, in 2001, the ministry gave rough indications of the AAM-4B’s capabilities. It could be launched at a 20% greater range than could the then-current AAM-4 and at least as far as an “AIM-120B+,” a standard that was expected to appear around 2004. The crucial claim was that the AAM-4B could switch to autonomous guidance at a 40% greater range than either of the other two missiles and would similarly outperform what was expected to be the 2009 standard of the Russian R-77 (AA-12 Adder). In a 2010 paper, the ministry attributed the seeker’s greater performance to the higher transmitting power available from the AESA.The implication is that an F-2 firing AAM-4Bs can stop tracking the target for missile guidance much sooner than an unmodified F-2 can—and officials tell Aviation Week that the key aim of the project is indeed to increase the range at which an F-2 can turn away.Referring to this detail, a former high-ranking U.S. Air Force officer says: “In the air-to-air realm, a 40% increase in range is very significant and would provide the [Japan Air Self-Defense Force] a very capable missile.” The same person, highly familiar with the electronic technology of air warfare, does not regard the advances claimed for the upgraded F-2 as improbable; they are to be expected, he says.The ministry also says that the AESA seeker will have a better capability against a crossing target—one that reflects a radio signal with the same frequency as the ground. Fighter pilots can dive and turn at right angles to a threat to create that complication for enemy radars and missiles.The number of F-2s that are already able to use the AAM-4B is undisclosed, but a budget allocation to do most of the radar upgrades in fiscal 2012 shows that the bulk of the installation program is only now getting underway. The missile integration, centered on an upgrade of the fire-control system, will be applied to 16 aircraft in that fiscal year, at a cost of ¥340 million per aircraft, while 40 will get the new radar, for ¥260 million each. Future budgets will determine when the planned 60 upgrades, enough to equip three squadrons, are completed. The work is being done in conjunction with heavy maintenance on each fighter.
Research and development of the F-2’s fire-control upgrade began in 2004. The installation was mentioned in the fiscal 2010 budget, but little has been known about it. The ministry is always secretive about its air-to-air missiles. The AAM-4, which has also been integrated in some of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s (JASDF) Boeing F-15Js since 2007, has an active radar seeker and a data link. Like the Amraam, it can be launched at a range at which it could not detect the target. Instead, the fighter guides it toward the interception, making adjustments as necessary, with the missile seeker switching on partway through the flight—at which point the firing aircraft is free to evade, unlike one that must point at and illuminate the target for a semi-active missile. Scant details released by the ministry show that the AAM-4 is larger than the Amraam, with the 200 mm (8 in.) diameter of the old, semi-active Raytheon AIM-7 Sparrow. It must have a correspondingly large antenna. And in fitting an AESA antenna to the current production version, the AAM-4B, Japan appears to have made a notable advance. Made up of separate transmitter-receiver modules, such antennas are increasingly common in fighters but not, so far as is known, in air-to-air missiles. Among the advantages of the technology is greater detection range for a given antenna size. There are no official hints as to how the AAM-4B would compare with a current-production AIM-120 version. An engineer from a Western missile company points out that its performance will also depend on guidance and control technology that he doubts would match the level of Raytheon’s exportable AIM-120C-7. Development of the AAM-4 was undertaken from the 1980s, with one aim being to advance Japan’s indigenous missile technology. There seems to be no sign that the initial AAM-4 entered service, nor is it clear that the Amraam, which Tokyo bought as early as the late 1990s, has entered Japanese service in large numbers. The AAM-4B seems to be mainly replacing the vastly less-capable AIM-7M, which Mitsubishi Electric was still making as late as 2010. Yet the ministry cites no specific urgency in the F-2 upgrade program. Rather, it is presented as just a natural enhancement of a type that will serve for 30-40 years. The F-2 became operational in 2000. Japanese officials confirm that the upgraded F-2 will be able to handle several missiles in the air and several targets at once; in neither case is the exact number disclosed. The defense ministry has said that each upgraded F-2 can carry four AAM-4s. The F-2’s radar, before and after the upgrade, itself has an AESA. In other aircraft with AESA technology, messages are sent from the aircraft to the missile by the radar, but upgraded F-2s are fitted with a separate data link transmitter, the J/ARG-1. This is done because the guidance system was already developed for the F-15J, which has a mechanically scanned radar, and the ministry did not want to pay to adapt the system for the F-2. The rest of the modification to the F-2 guidance system includes changes to the radar specifically for fire-control purposes, not as part of its separate upgrade to the J/APG-2 standard. The ministry says the J/APG-2 is needed to exploit the capabilities of the AAM-4—specifically, to detect targets at ranges that match the kinetic performance of the missile, and to create sufficiently precise tracks at such ranges. For the missile to have any chance of hitting its target, the seeker must find the target in a limited volume of sky ahead of it. The J/APG-2 is installed by upgrading, not swapping out, the J/APG-1. In its new form, the radar has greater radiating power and a new and faster signal processor that runs new algorithms. The original antenna is retained with undisclosed modifications. Officials declined to discuss specific performance and said they had no way of comparing the J/APG-2’s capabilities with those of foreign radars. It was, however, the best radar that could be achieved with the technology at Japan’s disposal, they said. A key limit on radar performance is the cooling system, but the ministry will not say whether it has been upgraded. The J/APG-1 was the first AESA radar to go into service on a fighter, so program officials regard Japanese engineers as quite adept in the technology and say it was only natural that development of the J/APG-2 should present no great challenges. Be that as it may, the J/APG-1 has a reputation for poor performance, and it is not good enough to fully exploit the AAM-4B. There is a hint that the J/APG-2 is comparable to Raytheon’s APG-79 on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet: That U.S. radar is supposed to make full use of the Amraam, whose kinetic performance, according to the Japanese ministry, is comparable to the AAM-4B’s. The J/APG-1 is an X-band radar; the frequency band of the communications channel is not disclosed. Beyond the missile-guidance and radar upgrade, the next step for the F-2 will probably be replacement of the mission computer, taking advantage of faster computer processors to support later upgrades, officials say. Research is underway and should be completed around 2018. No engine or cockpit enhancements are contemplated, nor has the ministry looked at fitting a stealthy weapons pod to the F-2. The aircraft is not presenting any particular challenges as a base for upgrades, partly because it was designed with later modification in mind. Developers are finding it straightforward to rearrange and shrink components. Maintenance, too, is presenting no big surprises, say officials, noting that its derivation from the F-16 has helped. Support arrangements are being gradually improved, in the Japanese spirit of kaizen, but no radical changes to them have been made and none is planned. With Robert Wall in Singapore. |
USAF Cancels Super Tucanos; Investigates
Feb 28, 2012
| By Graham Warwick graham_warwick@aviationweek.com Washington |
| Citing concerns with the procurement process, the U.S. Air Force has canceled Sierra Nevada Corp.’s (SNC) $355 million contract to supply 20 Embraer AT-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft for operation by the Afghan air force.The decision to set aside the contract is a victory for Hawker Beechcraft (HBC), which took the Air Force to court after its offer of the AT-6 aircraft was disqualified, leaving SNC as the only bidder for the Light Air Support (LAS) program.“While we pursue perfection, we sometimes fall short, and when we do we will take corrective action,” says Air Force Secretary Michael Donley in a statement. Citing the ongoing litigation, he adds, “I can only say Air Force Senior Acquisition Executive David Van Buren is not satisfied with the quality of the documentation supporting the award decision.”Gen. Donald J. Hoffman at Air Force Materiel Command has initiated an investigation into the procurement, with the first report due March 12. “In the meantime, [Van Buren] will take specific near-term action to ensure these issues aren’t occurring in current, ongoing source selections,” says Donley.Wichita-based HBC protested to the Government Accountability Office after being disqualified from the LAS competition in November, but its case was rejected in late December, clearing the way for award of the LAS contract to SNC.HBC filed suit against the Air Force in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on Dec. 27, forcing the service to issue a stop-work order to SNC and Embraer on Jan. 4. The case was due to be heard on March 6, but both sides have received extensions.(news in Indonesia can read it on 29.02.2012 at the first page here) |
Eurofighter Typhoon Ready for Japan
(source: defencetalk)
BAE Systems, with the full support of the UK Government, the Eurofighter partner companies and nations together with the Sumitomo Corporation, has today submitted a response to Japan’s requirement for a new fighter aircraft to the Japanese Ministry of Defence in Tokyo.
Nigel Whitehead, BAE Systems Group Managing Director – Programmes and Support said: “This cost effective proposal offers Eurofighter Typhoon, the world’s most advanced multi-role combat aircraft, as Japan’s best option to meet the requirement for its F-X programme and the most capable deterrent to regional threats. The aircraft already has operationally proven multi-role capabilities and through our ability to offer licensed production, maintenance and technology transfer, Japan can have sovereign control of manufacture, support and upgrade of Typhoon aircraft in Japan by Japanese industry. We are also able to offer software source codes and other data, giving Japan the ability to develop the aircraft itself to meet its own unique needs, now and in the future”.
The UK Ambassador to Japan David Warren also commented: “I am delighted that BAE Systems has been able to submit such a compelling solution to Japan’s F-X requirement. Typhoon will deliver world-class capability for many years to come. It also offers our two nations an opportunity to significantly strengthen our defence and security relationship and an opportunity for ground breaking industrial cooperation which will contribute substantially to Japan’s defence and aerospace industries future. The Proposal has HM Government’s fullest support”
Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH manages the Typhoon programme on behalf of the Eurofighter Partner Companies: Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems and Cassidian in Spain and Germany, Europe’s foremost aerospace companies.
Over 290 aircraft have been delivered to the air forces of the four partner nations and to customers, with 115,000 flying hours achieved between them.
In the UK, the Royal Air Force working with BAE Systems’ support, ensures Typhoon is available for full operational duty, protecting and defending the national air space 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The role of the aircraft includes air defence and air interception.
The Royal Air Force operate Typhoon from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, RAF Leuchars in Scotland, and Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands and most recently have been performing operational tasks in Libya.
Eurofighter Typhoon is the world’s most advanced new generation real multi-role/swing-role combat aircraft available on the market and has been ordered by six nations (Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Austria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). With 707 aircraft under contract, it is Europe’s largest military collaborative programme and delivers leading-edge technology, strengthening Europe’s aerospace industry in the global competition.
More than 100,000 jobs in 400 companies are secured by the programme. Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH manages the programme on behalf of the Eurofighter Partner Companies: Alenia Aeronautica/Finmeccanica, BAE Systems, EADS CASA and EADS Deutschland, Europe’s foremost aerospace companies with a total turnover of approx. EUR 120 billion (2010).
Boeing F-15E Radar Modernization Program to Enter Production
Boeing today announced that the U.S. Air Force has granted the F-15E Radar Modernization Program (RMP) approval to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the APG-82(V)1 radar system.
Boeing and radar supplier Raytheon also performed extensive flight tests to validate the design and development of the system. The RMP leverages prior radar development programs on F-15C and F/A-18E/F aircraft to significantly reduce cost and integration risk for this new radar.
“This is a great day for the F-15E and for the U.S. Air Force,” said Maj. Brian Hartt, U.S. Air Force RMP program manager. “The F-15E RMP couples new technology with improved system reliability to position the F-15E for many more years of service to the warfighter.”
The RMP development effort is undergoing an aggressive 14-month, 110-sortie flight test program at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. Boeing and Raytheon will perform data reduction analysis throughout the test phase to verify that the system performance meets the rigorous specifications that make the APG-82(V)1 radar state-of-the-art.
“The RMP is the latest modification under way for the F-15E fleet that the Air Force has identified in its Modernization Sustainment Plan,” said Karen Butler, RMP program manager for Boeing. “It will ensure the F-15E has the capability and performance the U.S. Air Force requires to achieve total air-to-air and air-to-ground dominance in the future. Achieving LRIP on schedule and on cost is a major milestone for the program and puts us a step closer to putting the system into the hands of the warfighter.”
Production of the first LRIP lot of six units is scheduled to begin in October, followed by production of 10 units in LRIP 2 and 17 units in LRIP 3.
The RMP APG-82(V)1 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar will replace the F-15E strike fighter’s current APG-70 mechanically scanned array radar. The AESA provides improved radar reliability, maintainability and performance, as well as reduced support costs. When integrated into the F-15E weapons system, the AESA radar will significantly improve detection and tracking of enemy targets.
Other RMP elements include a wideband radome, modified environment control system, and modified radio frequency tunable filters, which allow the radar and electronic warfare system to operate simultaneously.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $32 billion business with 64,000 employees worldwide.
Iraq makes first payment for 18 F-16s
(source : defencetalk)
The Iraqi government has transferred its first payment for 18 F-16C Fighting Falcons, bringing Iraq closer to independently securing its airspace, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said Sept 27.
“These aircraft will help provide air sovereignty for Iraq to protect its own territory and deter or counter regional threats,” Little said.
The fighter aircraft, he said, “are also a symbol of the commitment to a long-term strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq.”
The fighters are the block 50/52 variant of the aircraft — the current production version of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The sale is valued at about $3 billion, Little said.
The United States conducts foreign military sales with Iraq, he added, “and fully supports Iraq’s efforts to purchase military equipment in line with its domestic spending priorities and in accordance with its budget laws and procedures.”
Such foreign military sales will be a cornerstone of future cooperation and support the development of a long-term cooperative security relationship with Iraq, Little said.
“Foreign military sales around the world, such as this purchase of F-16 aircraft,” the press secretary said, “strengthen our diplomatic and military relationships with our allies and supports American industry and jobs at home.”
Swiss Approve Army Budget and Jets
(Source: defencetalk)
Parliament has approved an annual budget of SFr5 billion ($5.6 billion) for Switzerland’s armed forces, including the purchase of fighter jets.
The Senate on Wednesday followed the House of Representatives in agreeing to pay for the new aircraft, despite opposition by the centre-left which is concerned about costs in other areas. Critics also pointed out that the bill could not be challenged to a referendum.
The armed forces will be reduced from 200,000 troops to a minimum of 100,000.
The government, which had proposed 80,000 troops and an annual budget of SFr4.4 billion, wanted to delay the purchase of the aircraft.
The pacifist group Switzerland Without an Army said it was considering launching an initiative next May to let voters have the final say on new combat aircraft.
SH-2G Helicopters for Ecuador
(source: defencetalk)
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress today of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Ecuador of refurbishment of 2 SH-2G helicopters and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $60 million.
The Government of Ecuador has requested a possible sale for the refurbishment of two SH-2G Helicopters being provided as grant Excess Defense Articles (EDA) to be modified for operational use. The two EDA aircraft will also be modified to include the following: HELRAS Helicopter Dipping SONAR, AAQ-22 Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR), AN/APS-143C (V) 3 RADAR, ARC-210 UHF Radio, APX-72 Transponder, AN/ARN-147 VOR/ILS, AN/ARN-149 Receiver (ADF), HF-9000 HF Radio, ASN-150 Tactical Navigation Set, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistical and program support. The estimated cost is $60 million.
This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of Ecuador which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in South America. This proposed sale will also improve the interoperability between the naval forces of the United States and Ecuador.
The proposed sale will improve Ecuador’s capability to meet current and future anti-ship threats. The helicopters will perform antisubmarine warfare (ASW), antisurface warfare, search and rescue (SAR), and logistics support missions for the Ecuadorian Navy. They will improve Ecuador’s ability to participate in the Maritime Multinational Operations with the U.S. Navy, will enhance Ecuador’s control of its territorial sea and exclusive economic zone, and will increase the Ecuadorian Navy’s SAR capabilities, further reducing Ecuador’s dependency on the United States in case of emergencies.
Additionally, these specialized ASW Helicopters would constitute a highly effective system to search, track, and destroy the mini-submarines used for illegal drug trafficking. Similar items have not previously been provided to Ecuador.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
The prime contractor will be Kaman Corporation of Bloomfield, CT. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Ecuador.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.
This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.
AVX Wins JMR Helo Study Contract
(source : aviationweek)
AVX Aircraft, a small Texas company staffed largely by former Bell engineers, has won a U.S. Army contract to study a potential replacement for the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopter.
AVX joins Bell Boeing, Boeing and Sikorsky in conducting 18-month configuration analysis and trade studies for the Joint Multi Role (JMR) program, which aims to fly two competing rotorcraft demonstrators in 2017.
No further awards are anticipated, says the Army’s Aviation Applied Technology Directorate, which is managing the JMR technology demonstration program.
Under its contract, the Forth Worth-based company will identify technologies and develop concepts for both a demonstrator and an objective medium-utility rotorcraft that could enter service in the 2025-30 time frame.
AVX’s design will feature a coaxial rotor and ducted fans for propulsion and control — a similar configuration to that being proposed by the company to upgrade the Army’s Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior to meet its Armed Aerial Scout requirement.
Bell Boeing is studying a tiltrotor, Boeing is looking at a range of configurations and Sikorsky is evaluating an advanced helicopter, tiltrotor and a compound helicopter using its X2 high-speed coaxial-rotor configuration.
The study contracts are each worth around $4 million, with the major manufacturers matching the government funding for a total of $8 million. “We will be close to that,” with funds from the company and nine industry partners, says Ian Brown, AVX director of program management.
AVX also is talking to industry partners and private investors about funding a demonstrator for the OH-58D upgrade. This would take a commercial Bell 206L and fit it with coaxial rotors, ducted fans and new transmissions.
The demonstrator could be flying within 18 months of go-ahead, Brown says, and would be flown for about a year to validate the configuration being offered to the Army. A 206-based design also could find application in the commercial market, he says.
AVX Aircraft Concept
BAE reveals dramatic cut to Typhoon production rate
source: flightinternational
EF-2000 flight in formation
The Eurofighter programme’s annual production rate is to be slashed dramatically as partner nations Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK battle economic difficulties.
Details of the reduction emerged as BAE Systems announced plans to axe about 3,000 jobs at several of its sites around the UK, including its Eurofighter Typhoon final assembly site at Warton in Lancashire.
“The four partner nations in the Typhoon programme have agreed to slow production rates to help ease their budget pressures,” said BAE chief executive Ian King.
Four final assembly sites around Europe had been configured to deliver up to a combined 60 Typhoons a year, with 53 planned in 2011, but BAE has confirmed that this rate is to be progressively cut to only 35. This decision has contributed to a plan to axe 843 staff at Warton and in Preston, Lancashire, the company said.
A BAE source noted that the decision to extend the production schedule will enable the Eurofighter consortium to keep its final assembly lines active while it pursues several international sales opportunities.
Eurofighter said the multinational agreement will see production fall to a rate of 43 a year by late 2012, before later being reduced further to 35. This is expected to extend Tranche 3A production of the type by at least two years until late 2017.
The move will also buy more time for industry partners Alenia Aeronautica, BAE and EADS to secure a planned Tranche 3B production order. Negotiations had been hoped to resume in late 2011, but sources suggest this can also now be deferred by up to two years.
India is expected to open bids for its medium multi-role combat aircraft requirement from mid-October, with the Typhoon facing up to Dassault’s Rafale for the initially 126-unit deal.
Also on 26 September, BAE responded to Japan’s request for proposals for a McDonnell Douglas/Mitsubishi Heavy Industries F-4 replacement, with the Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet Block II and Lockheed Martin F-35 also in contention for the F-X deal.
Sources suggest a proposed government-to-government sale between the UK and Oman continues to progress, but a Typhoon contract signature is unlikely to emerge before 2012.
BAE also announced that 899 jobs are expected to go at its Military Air & Information site at Brough in Yorkshire, with the bulk of these linked to its Hawk advanced jet trainer programme.
Further manufacturing linked to the platform will be performed at its nearby Samlesbury site in Lancashire, although about 565 positions are also expected to be cut at this facility.
Some of these are linked to the slower-than-anticipated increase in the production rate for the Lockheed F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the company said.
The remaining cutting of about 700 jobs will be implemented at 10 other BAE sites in the UK, including around 78 at its Farnborough headquarters in Hampshire. More than 100 will also go at UK locations including Royal Air Force bases, with this development linked to the early retirement of the Harrier GR7/9 and a fleet-size reduction to the service’s Panavia Tornado GR4 force.
“Our customers are facing huge pressures on their defence budgets, and affordability has become an increasing priority. Our business needs to rise to this challenge to maintain its competitiveness and ensure its long-term future,” said King.
“To ensure we remain competitive, both in the UK and internationally, we need to reduce the overall costs of our businesses in line with our reduced workload.”
Australia offers five Sea Kings for sale
Australia plans to sell five Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Westland Sea King helicopters, with the aircraft to be withdrawn from service in December 2011.
The package includes five complete helicopters, three airframes, a simulator as well as equipment and parts, said minister for defence materiel Jason Clare.
“They’ve been the workhorse of the navy, having flown in excess of 60,000h in operations in Australia and overseas,” said Clare. “The latest example of their work was the disaster relief and search and rescue missions they conducted during the Queensland floods.”
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© Commonwealth of Australia |
A sixth Sea King, Shark 07, will not be sold. It will be preserved at the navy’s Fleet Air Arm Museum in Nowra, which lies south of Sydney on Australia’s eastern seaboard.
Clare said the aircraft will be marketed globally, including defence expos in the UK and Canada in September. Tender submissions will close on 1 November.
“This is a really versatile helicopter and a proven capability. The Sea Kings could be used for a range of things like fire fighting, disaster relief, search and rescue, by another navy or commercially,” said Clare.
The NH Industries MRH90 transport helicopter is replacing the RAN’s Sea Kings and the army’s Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks.
Australia’s Sea King 50s were delivered between 1975 and 1983, as recorded in Flightglobal’s HeliCAS database.
Who will purchase this old choppers? 
Aviation Development
Japan may invest Y7.9bn in ATD-X project
Japan plans to allocate around yen (Y) 7.9 billion ($103 million) in the current fiscal year for research linked to the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) ATD-X experimental aircraft programme.
The contract will cover research to develop the aircraft as well as one flying airframe, said Japan’s defence ministry, while adding that the Y7.9 billion figure “is yet to be determined.”
The defence ministry also confirmed that the experimental aircraft will be powered by two Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries XF5-1 engines. It also reiterated its target of 2014 for a first flight, which will be conducted by MHI. The manufacturer will hand the aircraft to the ministry’s Technical Research and Development Institute in the fiscal year ending 31 March 2017.
“The airframe will be designed and manufactured for the purpose of making the flight test on the high-manoeuvrability and stealth technologies, which are the aim of this research project,” the defence ministry said.
In keeping with the project’s experimental nature, the aircraft will have no advanced sensors or weapons. “The aircraft will not be a fighter plane but an experimental one intended for flight tests.”
However, the findings and experience from the ATD-X programme could be used in the future to develop an indigenous stealth aircraft for the Japan Air Self-Defence Force.
Separately, bids for Japan’s F-X fighter requirement are due this month. Aircraft in the running include the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Eurofighter Typhoon and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
Taiwan looks to develop advanced unmanned systems
source : flightglobal
date : 12/08/11
Taiwan appears to be developing two advanced unmanned aerial system concepts, as it looks to bolster its defence capabilities in the light of other countries’ reluctance to sell it advanced combat aircraft for fear of angering China.
Taiwan’s Chun-Shan Institute of Science and Technology – part of the country’s Ministry of National Defense – displayed two concepts at last week’s Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition.
They closely resemble current American designs. One is nearly identical to the General Atomics MQ-9 Predator A. The other is similar to developmental delta-winged unmanned combat aerial vehicles such as the Boeing X-45 and Northrop Grumman X-47B.
© Northrop GrummanSome of Taiwan’s designs closely resemble the delta-winged Northrop Grumman X-47B unmanned combat aerial vehicle |
Taiwan has the technology to create a UAV with capabilities equivalent to the MQ-9 today, said the institute, which researches and develops advanced aeronautical technologies and capabilities for the military.
The delta-winged unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) is still in the research stage, but could be deployed within ten years.
In a video displayed at the show, the MQ-9-style UAV patrolled above the Taiwan Strait, controlled by ground stations on the western coast of the country. A missile barrage from the mainland destroys several stations, but full communications are quickly restored.
Then, the MQ-9 vectors a Taiwan air force Lockheed Martin F-16 to attack and destroy a warship. Later, it provides guidance for a UCAV to destroy a Chinese Sukhoi Su-27 fighter with a missile. The UCAVs also strike land targets on the Chinese mainland.
Great uncertainty clouds the future of Taiwan’s fighter aircraft fleet, with the US still to decide whether to sell Taiwan 66 F-16C/Ds on 1 October.
In the face of foreign foot-dragging, indigenous aircraft development, though expensive, is often the least unattractive option for Taipei.
MiG and Sukhoi to join forces on Russian UCAV
source: flightglobal
date : 11/08/11
RSK MiG will work together with Sukhoi on a future unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), using experience gained on its Skat programme.
The Skat design was demonstrated to a small group of Russian media at the MAKS air show in Moscow in 2007, and until recently was thought to have been shelved.
Newly appointed MiG general director Sergey Korotkov said at a recent media briefing that the two companies would collaborate in the future.
Vladimir Barkovsky, chief of MiG’s engineering centre, said he cannot foresee whether a next-generation MiG would be a manned or unmanned aircraft.
his depends on maturity of technologies available to us when the decision is made to launch [a new programme],” he said.
The Skat programme has given the airframer invaluable experience in the UCAV sector, Barkovsky added.
“This helped us create a technology base for the next phase of our studies, which we continue to carry out,” he added.
Extensive wind tunnel testing on various Skat configurations was performed at Russia’s Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, TsAGI, during which MiG tried to find an optimal balance between size for a specified payload and combat efficiency.
China Aircraft Carrier
What Carrier Means In China Military Plans
source: aviationweek
date: Aug 12, 2011
The Chinese military is either confident that it can already win a battle in the Taiwan Strait, or it is confident that it can keep winning the budget battles back in Beijing.
With the ex-Soviet carrier Varyag now mobile near the northern port of Dalian, China has joined the aircraft carrier club. And in completing the ship, with its limited use in narrow waters, the country has left behind one of the guiding principles of its defense acquisitions—that the first priority after nuclear deterrence is subjugating Taiwan.
Partly for that reason, the long-awaited appearance of the 67,500-ton vessel, symbolic of the country’s rising economic and military strength, has stoked anxieties across Asia as far as India. Beijing’s response: Other countries should just get used to the fact that China is developing carrier aviation.
As if to underline the doubtful value of an aircraft carrier in an attempt to force Taiwanese reunification with the mainland, a Hsiung Feng III missile was promoted as a “carrier killer” at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition just as the Varyag headed to sea for the first time (see p. 26).
The ship, which will soon get a Chinese name and is officially earmarked for training pilots and deck crews, left Dalian on Aug. 10 for its sea trials, in which the builder will show that the ship meets specifications.
The investment in Varyag shows that the Chinese military is moving beyond its decades-old obsession with seizing Taiwan, says security researcher Ashley Townshend of the Lowy Institute in Sydney. “An aircraft carrier does not seem to be necessary for that,” he says, noting the land-based firepower that China can bring to bear on the island. “This means there is less focus,” he says.
So the carrier program could mean that China thinks it already has the pieces in place to secure the strait and bring Taiwan to heel. The alternative, which seems more likely, is that while the armed forces reckon much more military power is needed to force Taiwanese reunification—and to persuade the U.S. to keep out of the fight—they expect that future funding will be enough to do that and more.
Completing Varyag is unlikely to be just a one-time divergence from the focus on Taiwan, since three carriers will probably be needed to ensure that one is always available, Townshend argues. Reports of China building carriers from scratch have appeared from time to time over the years. The Washington Times cited unnamed U.S. defense officials this month as saying that construction of a Varyag-like carrier had begun.
Varyag’s long-awaited appearance raises two questions that have been asked repeatedly since China towed the hull to the shipyard at Dalian in 2002 with the evident intent of using it, somehow, to introduce fixed-wing aviation at sea. When will China have an operational carrier, usable as a fighting ship, and not just as a training ship? And why does China want carrier aviation anyway?
“When the ship will be operational is anyone’s guess,” says Townshend. It depends a lot on what level of competence the Chinese will demand before regarding the ship as deployable, he points out.
Taking a stab, analyst Richard Bitzinger of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University says: “It will probably be at least five years before there’s an operational capability.”
There is a strong clue that the Chinese navy does not expect to take too long in learning the notoriously difficult and dangerous business of efficiently operating fixed-wing aircraft at sea. For many years while Varyag was in dockyard hands, it was unclear how much effort would be spent on the ship, and how far it would be transformed from the empty hull that Chinese businessmen bought from Ukraine in 1998. It was conceivable, for example, that Varyag might have been made only structurally fit for service as a moored hull that pilots and deck crews could practice on. Or it might have been cheaply fitted with a modest powerplant and not much else, confining it to training excursions.
But as the ship runs its trials, it is evident that the navy has gone for the whole box and dice. Varyag has been fitted for combat—with self-defense surface-to-air missile launchers, a profusion of domes that must cover antennas for communications systems and sensors and, most notably, a phased-array radar. To integrate those systems, a capable command system must be installed deep in the hull. It seems unlikely that a navy that expected to take, say, 10 years to prepare the ship for combat would spend so heavily now on such costly equipment, especially since better systems would be available later.
It is also clear that China has not skimped on propulsion. Thick exhaust from the funnel during engine tests indicates that Varyag is not fitted with the gas turbines that Western and Japanese navies now routinely use for fast ships—and yet the exhaust color is too light for diesel propulsion, a heavy but inexpensive and efficient choice commonly made for ships of moderate speed. Diesels were an alternative that Chinese builders, expert in merchant ship construction, could easily have executed had the navy not wanted much speed, says U.S. Naval War College Prof. Andrew Erickson.
So the installation—reportedly built with Ukrainian help—is evidently a powerful steam-turbine plant, matched to the high-speed lines of the hull. Varyag’s sister ship, the Russian Kuznetsov, has a 147,000-kw (197,000-hp) steam-turbine plant that propels the ship at about 30 kt., compared with the 25-plus kt. officially stated for the two otherwise comparable ships that Britain is building. U.S. carriers are capable of more than 30 kt.
Erickson stresses the value of speed to a ship that, like Varyag, has a deck configuration requiring aircraft to use the mode of operation known as short takeoff but arrested recovery (Stobar). “Given the limitations of Stobar on aircraft weight, the more wind over the deck the better,” he says.
The Stobar configuration uses a ski jump instead of catapults. One of many British inventions that have made aircraft carriers workable, the ski jump effectively extends the flight deck into the air ahead of the ship. As aircraft hurtle off the ramp, they are not fast enough to fly, but their upward trajectory gives them time to accelerate before hitting the water. The energy from a catapult, however, allows greater weight—and therefore payload-radius.
The combat aircraft that will eventually appear on the Varyag will be the J-15, a Flanker version similar to, and maybe reverse engineered from, the Russian Su-33 naval fighter. Adapted for ski-jump takeoffs, it features canard wings and complex trailing-edge surfaces (AW&ST May 9, p. 35).
Like Kuznetsov, the operational Varyag may carry 40 or so aircraft, compared with more than 60 on U.S. carriers. The flight decks of the 102,000-ton U.S. Nimitz class ships measure 333 X 77 meters (1,092 X 252 ft.), compared with Kuznetsov’s 305 X 70 meters.
Limited payload-radius and other shortcomings would put Varyag at a disadvantage in action against a U.S. carrier, but such a battle must be the last thing on the mind of the Chinese navy. It seems likely that China expects to deploy its carriers in much the same way that the U.S. Navy, whatever its hot-war plans, has actually deployed its flat-tops during the past 60 years: as power-projection tools against enemies that could not hope to sink the huge ships, surrounded as they are by anti-air and anti-submarine escorts.
While Varyag and follow-on carriers would be helpful in intimidating rivals to China’s claims on the South China Sea, analysts Erickson, Bitzinger and Townshend agree that the most likely reason for China to build aircraft carriers is probably not far from the vague justification that the country is offering: Lots of other nations have them.
Aircraft carriers have proven useful to other countries. Moreover, China is a rising power, with a long view of history. It will want carrier aviation eventually, so it might as well start working on it. The reasoning is that “a rich nation should have strong armed forces,” says Bitzinger, who also thinks the ships would have some role against Taiwan.
Aircraft Carrier could have dispute role: China website
Source: defencetalk
date: Thursday, August 11th, 2011
A news website run by China’s defence ministry said Thursday the nation’s aircraft carrier should handle territorial disputes, despite government assurances the vessel posed no threat to its neighbors.
The comments came a day after the 300-metre (990-foot) vessel embarked on its maiden sea trial, prompting a worried United States to demand China explain why it needs an aircraft carrier, amid concerns over Beijing’s military aims.
China has repeatedly insisted the carrier — an old Soviet ship that is being refitted in the northeast of the country — will be used mainly for training and research, and does not change Beijing’s defensive military policy.
But in a comment piece published on jz.chinamil.com.cn, Guo Jianyue, a senior reporter at the top state-run military newspaper PLA Daily, said the carrier should be brought out for disputes. The website is an offshoot of the main PLA Daily site.
“Why did we build it if we don’t have the courage and willingness to use the aircraft carrier to handle territorial disputes?” he asked in the article.
“It is reasonable to use the aircraft carrier or other warships to handle disputes if there is any need.
“The reason why we built a carrier is to safeguard China’s maritime rights and interests more efficiently. We will be more confident and have more determination to defend our territorial integrity after we have carriers.”
China’s state-run newspapers and websites are carefully edited, which indicates the comment piece received approval at a higher level, although it may not necessarily reflect the general consensus.
On Wednesday, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Washington “would welcome any kind of explanation that China would like to give for this kind of equipment.”
“This is part of our larger concern that China is not as transparent as other countries. It’s not as transparent as the United States about its military acquisitions, about its military budget,” she said.
Other countries have in the past also voiced similar concerns, as China’s military expands and the Asian nation grows more assertive about its territorial claims, notably in the East China Sea and South China Sea.
China’s People’s Liberation Army — the largest armed force in the world — is extremely secretive about its defence programmes, which benefit from a huge and expanding military budget boosted by the nation’s runaway economic growth.
Chinese Government Comments Aircraft Carrier Seal Trials
Source: defencetalk.com
Date: Friday, August 12th, 2011
China’s first aircraft carrier set out on a low-profile sea trial Wednesday, its first journey under the Chinese flag. The vessel was swaddled in mist as it departed the port of Dalian, which had narrowly escaped tropical storm Muifa Monday.
Military sources said that the trial is in line with the carrier’s refitting schedule and will not take a long time. Refitting work will continue after the vessel has returned to the port.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy behemoth is a former Soviet Navy aircraft carrier, which has been totally refitted for its new role as a platform for research and training.
“Anyhow, it’s an object of pride,” said a shipbuilding worker who identified his surname as Zhang, who worked on the ship’s hull, stayed up all night to watch the carrier begin its first sea trial.
The carrier departed from the Dalian shipyard where workers have been refurbishing the ship. Dalian is some 80 nautical miles north of the sea battlefield where 117 years ago the first modern Chinese navy fleet was ferociously bombarded and later vanquished by the Japanese navy.
It is still unknown where or for how long the carrier’s first sea trial will last.
The Liaoning Provincial Maritime Safety Administration publicized a notice restricting navigation in waters off the Dalian coast, saying that vessels are forbidden from traveling through an area of sea 13.25 nautical miles wide and 22 nautical miles long in the northern Yellow Sea and Liaodong Bay from Aug. 10 to 14.
The ship, formerly named Varyag, is an Admiral Kuznetsov Class aircraft carrier that is 304.5 meters long and 37 meters wide, with a displacement of 58,500 metric tons. Construction on the vessel was started by the Soviet Union in 1985. It was completed in 1992 except for its electronic components.
After the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, Ukraine took over the ship. In 1998, the vessel was bought by a Macao casino company in open bidding. Since March 2002, it has quietly berthed in the port of Dalian with its hull and deck painted PLA Navy grey. After arriving in Dalian, images of the ship were spread across the Internet.
China’s aircraft carrier ‘to pressure neighbors’
China’s first aircraft carrier will allow Beijing to further pressure nations with rival territorial claims, analysts said Wednesday as the vessel embarked on its inaugural sea trial.
China has for years been revamping a 300-metre (990-foot), former Soviet carrier in the northeastern port of Dalian, after buying the vessel — once called the Varyag — from Ukraine in 1998.
Experts said the carrier’s maiden trip, announced in a brief statement on the defence ministry’s website, would deal a psychological blow to neighboring countries at a time of heightened regional tensions.
Rick Fisher, a US expert on the Chinese military, said Beijing was allowing reports and scant online images of the vessel to “propel anxieties” while saying very little about its aircraft carrier project and naval ambitions.
“This ‘psywar’ campaign has everything to do with China’s multiple ongoing maritime territory disputes,” said Fisher, of the US-based International Assessment and Strategy Center.
“China clearly wants to bully its neighbors into making concessions without having to engineer a shooting “incident” that might unite these same neighbors against it.”
Jonathan Holslag, of the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies said the new aircraft carrier will be perceived as another indication of China’s growing military ambitions.
“It will prompt neighboring countries to shore up their own capabilities,” Holslag wrote in a commentary published shortly before Wednesday’s sea trial.
Beijing has consistently tried to allay fears about the aircraft carrier, saying it will mainly be used for training and “research”, and that it poses no threat to other countries.
Fisher said the carrier was “practically ready to support combat missions”, although other analysts say it will not be operational as part of a wider naval battle group for several years at least.
But for the secretive People’s Liberation Army — the largest armed force in the world — the carrier is first and foremost an issue of prestige, as even Thailand, a much smaller country than China, has one.
In a comment piece published Wednesday, the official Xinhua news agency pointed out that China was the only permanent member state of the UN Security Council that did not own an aircraft carrier, adding India also has one.
“The Chinese can point proudly to the Varyag, or any other piece of new equipment, and feel like they have entered the ranks of advanced militaries,” said Dennis Blasko, an expert on China’s military.
The carrier is also important from a strategic standpoint. China’s interests now stretch out all over the world, and it needs to intervene far from home, particularly on maritime routes crucial to its oil imports.
Independent experts are convinced that far from just having one, renovated vessel, China’s defence ministry has also launched a programme to build one to two brand new, indigenous aircraft carriers.
“I consider it plausible that by the late 2020s, China could have up to six carriers, three non-nuclear for regional missions and three nuclear-powered carriers that will be advancing China’s interests well beyond the Asian region,” said Fisher.
But the PLA — which operates China’s navy — is hugely secretive about its defence programmes, which benefit from a big and expanding military budget boosted by the nation’s runaway economic growth.
Beijing has provided scant details about the carrier, even when it finally officially acknowledged the vessel’s existence in June, and analysts say this could be a strategic move.
“China needs time to learn to operate an aircraft carrier and carrier group (a carrier and its escort ships), and deliberately takes a low-key posture,” said Arthur Ding, a Taiwan-based expert on the PLA.
But Beijing’s relative silence could also be an effort by the government to allay regional worries about its military expansion, and avoid undermining its claim that China’s army is purely defensive in nature.
Last week, Japan voiced concern over China’s growing assertiveness and widening naval reach, and over what it called the “opaqueness” of Beijing’s military budget.
China is nevertheless rapidly upgrading its army’s capabilities, developing advanced weaponry such as its first stealth fighter jet, revealed in January.
It is also working on a ballistic missile that can hit warships thousands of kilometres away.
Anti Terrorism Exercise
Russia and NORAD conduct Exercise Vigilant Eagle 2011
Source: defencetalk
date : Thursday, August 11th, 2011
Within minutes after takeoff, the first fighter aircraft are visible off the left wing and Exercise Vigilant Eagle 2011 is well underway.
The Russian Federation Air Force and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) conducted their second Vigilant Eagle cooperative exercise Aug 5-9, further strengthening the communication channels between Russia and NORAD in the event of a hijacked aircraft transiting across the Bering Sea.
“This exercise provides the opportunity for Russia, Canada and the United States to enhance our coordination and partnership to cooperatively identify, intercept and follow a suspect aircraft as it proceeds across international boundaries, thus reducing the threat of air terrorism,” said Canadian Air Force Col. Todd Balfe, Deputy Commander, Alaskan NORAD Region. “Vigilant Eagle 2011 builds upon the remarkable success of last year’s exercise, when we conducted the first live-flying event between Russia and the United States since the Second World War.”
The exercise simulated a U.S. flagged carrier, under the call sign of Fencing 1220, on an international flight which had been seized by terrorists. The aircraft did not respond to communications and the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Agency notified NORAD, who diverted Airborne Warning and Control and fighter aircraft to monitor and intercept Fencing 1220.
As the aircraft continued east, the FAA notified the Russian Federal Air Navigational Service, and the Russian Federation Air Force launched an Airborne Warning and Control aircraft and fighters to intercept as well.
A key component of the exercise was the communication link between the U.S. E-3 AWACS and the Russian A-50 Mainstay, as well as between the air operation centers at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (Alaskan NORAD Region) and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatski. As in the previous exercise, Russia and NORAD exchanged controllers and liaison officers to facilitate the exercise.
“The ability for the tactical and operational units to effectively communicate in this time sensitive scenario ensures the cooperative hand-off of Fencing 1220,” said Colonel Balfe. “This is critical to passing warning indications between our countries so the other side can posture their forces and close any gaps or vulnerabilities air terrorists may try to exploit.”
“This exercise clearly allowed us to refine the processes and procedures to use in the event of a real-world, cross-border air terrorism scenario,” he added.
With the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks from Sept. 11, 2001, a little more than a month away, the significance of this exercise cannot be overlooked. Since Sept. 11, 2001, NORAD has responded to more than 3,400 possible air threats in the United States and has flown more than 59,000 sorties with the support of Airborne Warning and Control System and air-to-air-refueling aircraft. However, air terrorism is not bound to North America airspace and the Russian Federation is also prepared to counter any threats to their homeland.
“This combined exercise continues to moves us forward in the development of cooperation between our countries in mitigating the threat of air terrorism. It is a relevant issue in the defense of U.S. and Russian citizens from possible threats of air terrorism,” said Russian Air Force Col. Alexander Tikhonov, Chief of Department (Coverage of Military Readiness and MWR of Troops) – member of the editorial team of “Krasnaya Zvezda” newspaper.
Onboard Fencing 1220, the exercise observers captured a view not seen by many. F-15C Eagles, based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, diverted from a training mission to respond to Fencing 1220.
“It’s a little exhilarating,” said Brian Morris, a pilot with Global Aviation. “As a civilian to fly ‘in formation’ with F-15s and four Russian SU-27s was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
ACCIDENT
B-2 Crashes on Takeoff From Guam
source : aviationweek
Feb 23, 2008
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The US Air Force has launched an investigation following the first loss involving its’ more than $1.1 billion Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. The aircraft – one of four deployed to the Pacific island from Whiteman AFB, Missouri – crashed shortly after take-off on 22 February. Both crew members ejected and are in “good condition”, according to a statement released by the US Pacific Air Forces command.
The 509th Bomb Wing B-2 detachment was in the process of being replaced by six Boeing B-52 bombers as part of a scheduled rotation in support of the US-led global war on terrorism, and the PACAF confirms that “No munitions were on board at the time of the accident.”
Now reduced to an active inventory of 19 aircraft, the USAF’s B-2 fleet achieved initial operating capability in April 1997, and has since supported US and coalition combat operations in countries including Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo. The aircraft could potentially receive the service’s developmental Boeing Massive Ordnance Penetrator: a 13,600kg (30,000lb) bunker-busting weapon as part of a future upgrade.
B-2 crash revives memory of 1990 scandal
How many other advanced aircraft designs have avoided a single non-combat related accident after two decades in service? (Nope, I can’t think of one either.)
But the crash offers a good excuse to remember one of the B-2′s little-known mechanical problems that briefly caused a public scandal for the manufacturer almost 18 years ago, and remains a problem for the bomber fleet even today.
This problem may or may not have played a role in the accident in Guam, but I’m sure it will be checked out by the US Air Force’s crash investigators.
The flawed part — called the actuator remote terminal (ART) — came to light in 1990. Northrop revealed in its annual report that year that the company was under investigation by the Department of Justice because of the flawed part. A report by The Los Angeles Times, dated April 3, 1990, said:
“The system is called the Actuator Remote Terminal, a device that the Air Force was forced to upgrade while the B-2 has been grounded for modifications since late last year. The ART system has been plagued by severe technical problems, according to an informed source, though the Air Force has denied that the system is not working properly.
The ART plays a critical role in keeping the B-2 stable in flight. It takes commands from the bomber’s flight control computer, relays them to flight control surfaces and then provides feedback information to the computer. The B-2, which has an unconventional all-wing design, relies on its computers to maintain stability and without the computers would be unstable.”
A year later, USAF officials declared the problem solved. Here’s a report from Aerospace Daily in July 1991:
“Maj. Gen. Stephen B. Croker, interviewed by The DAILY in his Pentagon office, said two problems were found in the design of the B-2′s fly-by- wire flight control hardware, called the Actuator Remote Terminal System (ARTS), in “the 1987 timeframe,” but neither endangered flight crews or renders the B-2 unsafe to fly. Both charges were made in an ABC television program aired Thursday night.
The first problem concerned the fact that “the cooling wasn’t adequate in the area of ARTS,” and that, presumably, the system would overheat and fail. This was solved by “a redesign…adding cooling vents” to the B-2 airframe in the area of the ARTS, Croker said.
The second problem, more serious, involved the design of a circuit board, which was laid out such that all four redundant ARTS computers relied on a single resistor. A “single point” or “one-path failure” in this part might have had “a cascading effect,” disabling the flight controls on one side of the plane and making it unflyable, Croker said. The cascading effect was considered “highly improbable,” he added.”
Although the problem was “solved” in 1991, the same part was linked to B-2 reliability problems in combat operations nearly eight years. A USAF press release reported on June 11, 1999:
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (AFPN) — The System Engineering Branch of the B-2 System Program Management Division here has solved a major problem affecting the B-2′s mission effectiveness during Operation Allied Force.
In addition, the Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., division cut the flow days from a contracted 45-day turnaround to a two-day turnaround.
The actuator remote terminal, or ART, works the various control surfaces on the B-2. Without it, the wing cannot fly. Because of an airflow-cooling problem, the ART was one of the high-failure items on the B-2 bomber.
“Unlike other aircraft, the B-2 is a fly-by-wire system — no mechanical interconnects to the flight controls,” said Bob Cotton, avionics armament team lead for Oklahoma City B-2 System Program Office. “We send electrical signals from the pilot stick to the actuator remote terminal to the hydraulic actuator, which makes the aircraft perform its various flight maneuvers.”
The wing reached a critical point when there was a lack of supply assets for the actuator remote terminal. Rather than cause aborts of combat missions, the B-2 System Program Management Division set out to solve the problem.
“The vendor we were using had a limited capacity for repair,” said Cotton. “He was meeting a 23- to 24-day turn around in some instances, but with the increased flying schedule, he was unable to surge his capacity to the point that he could take care of requirements.”
Don Ward, flight control avionics equipment specialist, initiated an investigation into how best to repair the actuator remote terminal line replacement units.
A team of engineers from Tinker traveled to Whiteman AFB, Mo., to provide on-the-spot training of ART repair.
The team worked on a compacted schedule around operational mission requirements to accomplish a solution. The sensitive actuator remote terminal has to be set down on a solid granite surface for repairs to ensure leveling. (Courtesy of Air Force Materiel Command News Service)
COMMON NEWS
South African Air Force To Receive First Gripen Soon
Mar 8, 2008Ten years after a contentious selection process, the South African Air Force will formally receive the first of its 26 Saab Gripens next month. These aircraft will form the core of the service’s defensive and offensive capability for the coming decades.
The fighter purchase constitutes the single largest procurement item within the 1998 Strategic Defense Package, and its significance extends beyond the purely military sphere. That’s because the choices made in the package were driven not only by a desire to revamp the South African military’s weapons inventory, but also by aspirations to reshape the country’s defense-industrial base and to support the broader national economy.
The end of the apartheid regime allowed the country’s armed forces to reenter the international arms market to revamp their inventory. The acquisition decisions made in late 1998 – born out of the government’s 1996 defense white paper and the following defense review – were intended to modernize the armed services, replacing quantity with quality.
The Strategic Defense Package also contained a clear industrial imperative to draw in both direct technology transfer and indirect business. Besides revamping the military, it aimed to help recast the country’s defense industry. At its peak, the sector accounted for 9% of those employed in manufacturing, according to the government’s 1999 white paper on South Africa’s defense-related industries. The change in government and in the country’s military posture saw the defense budget decline by over 50% during the 1990s, with acquisition funding falling even further, according to the report. The defense industry – and Denel, in particular – continues to wrestle with these developments.
The defense package procurements covered combat aircraft, advanced jet trainers, light utility helicopters, submarines and maritime helicopters. The combat aircraft and the jet trainers alone would total $2.2 billion.
Fiercely contested, the process and the decisions remain controversial. Today’s leader of the African National Congress, Jacob Zuma, is under scrutiny over corruption allegations related to some of the acquisitions. For a country struggling with serious poverty and the need to provide basic amenities to many, defense acquisition expenditures appeared to be a luxury it could ill afford.
However, South Africa’s geostrategic significance coupled with the region’s volatility militates toward the retention of capable armed forces.
The acquisitions were to be the catalyst for transforming not only the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) but also the defense industrial sector. Until this point, the development of both had been closely intertwined with the apartheid regime. The military was structured to deal with the border conflicts and the insurgency that sprang out of the regime’s racist ideology, with actors on both sides of the conflict also proxies in the Cold War.
For the last two decades of apartheid, the country was unable to openly buy Western military equipment – the result of the 1977 United Nations embargo. It had forged close links with Israel as a defense-industrial partner. This relationship was to wither following the end of apartheid and the emergence of a multiracial government in 1994.
The 1996 white paper set out the country’s need for “a balanced, modern, affordable and technologically advanced military force.” It also said: “The primary role of the SANDF shall be to defend South Africa against external military aggression. Deployment in an internal policing capacity shall be limited to exceptional circumstances and subject to parliamentary approval and safeguards.”
The Gripen was selected – in preference to the Dassault Mirage 2000-5 and the then-Deutsche Aerospace Mako – to meet the South African Air Force’s requirement for a combat aircraft to eventually fill the roles of its Mirage F1 and Cheetah C aircraft. The BAE Systems Hawk was chosen as the successor to the Aermacchi MB326, known in the SAAF as the Impala Mk. 1. In numerical terms, the programs were far from a one-for-one replacement.
Hawk deliveries started in 2006, with all 24 to be delivered to the air force by the end of 2008. As of January, 20 had already been delivered to AFB Makhado. Delivery of the Gripen will also begin this year, with all of the aircraft handed over by 2012. The nine D two-seat aircraft will be delivered first, to be followed by the 17 single-seat C models. The SAAF’s No. 2 squadron, which currently operates the Cheetah C from Makhado, in the country’s north, will reequip with the Gripen. The first six Cheetah C pilots will start type conversion at the air base in September, supported by two Swedish instructors.
Alongside manufacturing structures work on the Gripen as a part of the offset-related defense industrial package (DIP), there was also a commitment to flight testing in South Africa, says Johan Rydin, Saab’s Gripen in-country director.
A 2004 memorandum of understanding between Saab and Denel set out the timescale for the program to be carried out at South Africa’s Gripen Flight Test Center. The facility is at AFB Overberg on the country’s southeastern coast, conveniently colocated with the Denel-run Overberg Test Range (known as OTB).
The MOU “set a first-flight target date of Aug. 15, 2006,” says Rydin. “We did it four days before on the 11th.” The plan was to carry out 100-150 flights, concluding at the end of October 2007. They finished on Nov. 1, he adds.
The Gripen eventually flew 199 sorties totaling 178 hr. It averaged 17 flights per month, he says, “five more than we thought we could achieve.” The proximity to the OTB was a clear benefit, with the weapons range providing the ability to rapidly conduct multiple sorties. On one occasion, four free-fall bomb-trial flights were carried out during a 5-hr. period.
Aircraft reliability was also high. “The aircraft had only three snags in 18 months,” he notes.
One of these, however, was particularly dicey. During a low-altitude flight test, possible fuel contamination was a worry due to a problem with the center-line drop tank. The aircraft had to be grounded temporarily in January while the issue was resolved. The other two problems were related to the environmental control system. Magnus Lewis-Olsson, Saab’s flight test operations manager, says the aircraft has been used for a variety of trials, including examining the performance of “various software loads of increasing capabilities.” He adds that flight testing has covered the navigation and communications suites, as well as night flying and initial free-fall bomb clearance and utilization. The latter included areas such as weapon-aiming symbology and asymmetric weapon-release characteristics. These trials used Mk. 81 and Mk. 82 bombs.
The OTB range also provided radar emitters for tests of the aircraft’s electronic warfare suite, while chaff and flare dispersion tests have also been done. The flight test program culminated in 10 sorties that included mock air-to-air engagements with a Cheetah C.
The air force has yet to publicly identify its weapons integration priorities for the Gripen, although a choice of precision-guided bomb is pending. Trials also will begin in the second quarter using the Rafael Litening II laser designator pod with the aircraft.
While the air force has selected the Denel Dynamics A-Darter imaging-infrared guided missile as the short-range weapon for its Gripens, it may procure an interim weapon pending the completion of A-Darter development. The program is funded jointly by South Africa and Brazil. The integration costs of the missile were one of several changes to the overall program that resulted in the number of C-standard aircraft being reduced to 17 from 19 in 2006.
The test center will be transferred to Denel and the SAAF around the fourth quarter of this year, while Saab will continue to provide support into 2009. The Swedish company also is considering using the center to support its own product development. This could include further Gripen variants, as well as UAV and unmanned combat air vehicle research. Were any of these to come to fruition within the next four years, the value of the work could be included as part of the DIP.
“The industrial participation approach was intended to leverage industrial value for the country, to provide economic and social benefits,” says Jonathan Walton, BAE’s executive vice president for South Africa. The government’s aim was to secure work worth up to “400% of the contract value,” he notes. “Several bidders were offering this level of industrial participation.”
Given the size of the requirement, Walton says, “there was quite a lot of cynicism about the IP package.” The target is defined as the delivery of $8.7 billion worth of economic benefit through the provision of work packages, subcontracts and financial investment.
The importance of the participation program is underscored by President Thabo Mbeki’s request to then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair that his government “ensure BAE would deliver,” according to Walton.
The South African government set out the overall framework for offset in 1996 when it established the National Industrial Participation (NIP) program. This covers all state purchases over a certain value. In addition, military procurement is covered by the requirement for a DIP for offset directly related to the acquisition.
The defense industrial package amounts to 17% of the total obligation. Flexibility has been required in delivering part of the offset, since some of the originally projected business did not materialize. Walton points to optimistic expectations for the total of BAE Hawk exports as an example. Direct offset includes Gripen and Hawk aerostructures work as well as Hawk final assembly. Indirect structural work includes packages on the Euroýýfighter Typhoon.
BAE’s expansion into the land systems sector has proved a distinct benefit in the South African offset context. Its 2004 purchase of Alvis also brought with it South African subsidiary OMC. Walton says the company had to make the case for this to be considered as IP-investment by the government since, “in South Africa, aerospace is seen as strategic and not land. It was very challenging.” Land Systems South Africa, as the company is known, is owned by BAE Systems and the government’s Black Economic Empowerment Group. BAE is the majority shareholder, with 75%. The land systems business also provided offset credits once the order intake exceeded an agreed “pre-investment baseline.”
The broader “national industrial” package covers the remaining 83% of the total offset requirement, says Walton. To fulfill this, BAE and Saab set up the South Africa National Industrial Participation organization. “The government encouraged us to invest in green-field companies,” says Walton. So far, 42 projects – including automotive, agro-processing, information technology, ship repair, biotech and medicine – have been established.
With regard to the DIP, Walton says industry faces several challenges. “We are extremely dependent upon the ability of the projects to deliver,” he notes. A comparatively strong rand has also “hindered the export performance” of some of the projects.
While there have been challenges associated with direct offset, Walton says fulfilling the NIP is proving to be more difficult. Most of the problems and some poor performances have been in the national participation projects – but “this is probably what the NIP program is all about,” he adds. The national participation program is geared to investing in businesses and projects that likely would not have otherwise received financial support.
BAE and Saab report every six months in a formal meeting with the government on the state of the NIP.
Walton says there’s still a need for more DIP on Gripen. A “major project” is being discussed, though he declines to provide further detail. This may well be related to the future variant of the Gripen, for which a demonstrator is now being built. “We’re not in panic mode.”
By 2011 – when the offset packages are due to be fulfilled – Walton sees BAE’s presence beyond this as “predominantly in the land systems.”
At one point BAE Systems had been selected by the government as the strategic partner in Denel. The company was expected to take an initial 20% stake in Denel.
Shaun Liebenberg, Denel’s CEO, says there were “attempts to sell Denel on the international market to BAE or EADS, but there were too many issues.”
Liebenberg was appointed as Denel CEO in 2005 with a mandate to restructure the ailing group and return it to profitability. One of his aims was to conclude a series of equity partnerships covering the eight main areas of the group’s business.
The latest – and likely his last, since he will leave his post in May – was the sale of a majority stake in Denel Munitions to Germany’s Rheinmetall Group at the beginning of February. (Liebenberg is joining Rheinmetall.) The move resulted in considerable comment in the South African press.
Liebenberg also has been pushing Saab to increase its stake in Denel Saab Aerostructures. Saab currently has 20%, with options to increase first to 51% and potentially to 70%.
The initial deal with Saab was driven by the need to gain “competency,” suggests Liebenberg. The company’s aerostructures business has run into difficulties on some contracts – including its work on the A400M, where it is responsible for the wing-fuselage fairing. BAE’s Walton notes that Aerostructures was “faced with the loss of the A400M work.” This outcome, he suggests, would have been a major setback for the company.
The Denel CEO says the issues on the A400M arose partly because the company had “never done anything like this before.” As for Airbus, there was a “lack of clarity” regarding the design, he asserts. As of January, there were still design changes related to the weight-reduction effort.
Irrespective of the A400M teething troubles, Liebenberg sees the aerostructures business as offering considerable promise. “The marketplace is competitive but there’s a huge undersupply,” he notes. Denel has held discussions with Embraer on becoming a risk-sharing partner in the latter’s proposed C-390 airlifter, building on its experience on the A400M.
Denel is also looking to forge closer ties with AgustaWestland based on its final assembly of the A109 light utility helicopter, which is part of the Strategic Defense Package.
Liebenberg wants the Defense Ministry “to focus on long-term contracts.” He advocates increasing the amount of maintenance and support carried out by industry instead of by the military. This constitutes a controversial approach in the South African context, so it’s unclear how his departure will affect the proposal and, indeed, the broader outlook for Denel.
China’s J-10 fighter leads Taiwan air threat, says USA SOURCE :FLIGHTGLOBAL
07/03/08
Spearheaded by new indigenously developed or improved fighters and bombers, such as the Chengdu J-10, China is building up its capability to use force against Taiwan while maming it harder for the USA to come to the defence of the island nation.
That is a conclusion of the US Department of Defense’s latest analysis of Chinese military power, submitted to Congress at the beginning of March. The report highlights the increasing capability of Beijing’s air and air defence forces
A growing percentage of the 490 combat aircraft based within unrefueled range of Taiwan are newer, more advanced types, claims the Pentagon.
These include the indigenously developed F-16-class J-10, which is to be joined by the more-capable Shenyang J-11B, a Chinese-developed upgrade of the Sukhoi Su-27SK.
The report also highlights the modernised Xi’an JH-7A fighter-bomber, whcih can carry precision weapons including the YJ-91 anti-radiation missile as well as TV-guided missiles and laser-guided bombs.
China is also upgrading its Xi’an H-6 bomber fleet with a new variant, the H-6K, featuring new engines, a glass cockpit and six underwing pylons for what the DoD says is a new long-range cruise missile.
The Pentagon claims China is increasing the capability of its air force with Russian-supplied Ilyushin Il-78 aerial refueling tankers as well as developing several types of airborne early warning and control aircraft, including the Xi’an KJ-2000 based on the Russian Beriev A-50 and the indigenous Shaanxi KJ-200 based on the Y-8 transport.
Beijing is also equipping its armed forces with new air-launched and surface-launched missiles, long-range unmanned air vehicles and unmanned combat air vehicles, the Pentagon report says.
General: We Will Find A Way To Buy 380 F-22s
Feb 13, 2008
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| U.S. Air Force Gen. Bruce Carlson, chief of Air Force Materiel Command, told a group of reporters Wednesday that the Air Force will figure out a way to buy 380 F-22s, despite the fact that the Pentagon – through the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) – has capped the number of Raptors to be procured at 183.”We think that [183] is the wrong number,” Carlson said. Even 380, a number he joked is a “compromise” from the 381 the Air Force originally asked for, still leaves too much room for risk. That risk could even include a future conflict with China, he said. “Most people say in the future there will be a Chinese element to whatever we do,” he added. |
“We’re committed to funding 380,” Carlson said Feb. 13 after speaking at Aviation Week’s Defense Technology and Requirements conference in Washing
ton. “We’re building a program right now to do that. It’s going to be incredibly difficult on the Air Force, but we’ve done this before.” He added there are only three places from which to draw funds to accomplish the Air Force’s goal: operations and maintenance, research and development and procurement. “We don’t have a [money] printing machine,” he said. “We have to pay for it.”
OSD and the Air Force have long disputed how many Raptors to buy, with the Air Force maintaining that it needs 380-plus, especially as the rest of its fleet ages. OSD has tried to cap F-22s in light of planned future Joint Strike Fighters, which also are made by a Lockheed Martin-led team, as well as burgeoning defense investments elsewhere like shipbuilding and ground vehicles.
Airbus took an important step in its evaluation of alternative fuels last week when it flew an A380 test aircraft with one of its engines powered by a synthetic fuel processed from gas.The Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered A380 (MSN004) completed the 3h demonstration flight with the gas-to-liquid (GTL) kerosene blended with standard jet fuel between Airbus’s Filton and Toulouse plants on 1 February. It comes just ahead of Boeing’s biofuel demonstration 747 flight in conjunction with Virgin Atlantic and General Electric between London and Amsterdam later this month.
The A380 took off with an 11t synthetic fuel uplift in a 40% blend of GTL jet fuel provided by Shell International Petroleum. Airbus invited journalists and partners to Filton to witness the departure.
Airbus revealed its GTL project at last year’s Dubai air show in conjunction with a team that includes Qatar Airways, Qatar Petroleum, Rolls-Royce and Shell. The path towards the A380 demonstration started in September last year, says Sébastien Remy, head of alternative fuels research programme. “By October we confirmed that flight test aircraft and the GTL were available, and by November a detailed roadmap for the GTL flight was defined,” he adds.
The synthetic fuel was supplied for the trial from the GTL pilot plant in Bintulu, Malaysia. GTL will be available in large volumes by 2011 once the Pearl plant in Qatar comes fully on line.
Remy says that GTL’s benefits are “attractive for local air quality” , that it should be equivalent to current jet fuel in life-cycle CO2 terms and should have the same characteristics as future biomass to liquid (BTL) synthetic jet fuel. “GTL is therefore a good precursor to BTL. We can cash in on benefits as early as possible and prepare for the emergence of a wider slate of synthetic fuels.”
Airbus and its partners will review the flight test data with results expected in a couple of months. Remy says that this is the first step in the creation of a European led industry platform, with Airbus planning to make its first test flight with biofuel next year.
Airbus aims to have a 50% blend GTL fuel approved by next year, with 100% blend approval by 2013. Qatar Airways revenue services with GTL are planned for 2009.
Remy says alternative non-food feedstocks that are renewable and sustainable, such as algae, are expected to reach maturity by around 2015 with aircraft approved to fly with advanced biofuels as early as 2020. “We believe 25% of jet fuel could be alternative fuel by 2025 and 30% could be biofuel by 2030,” he says.
According to Robert Nuttall, R-R vice-president market and environmental strategy, the demonstration was flown with production Trent 900 engines which were operated to maximum power on take off with no restriction.
During the flight, checks were made of engine parameters at different flight levels and in holding conditions, of fuel system indications, of engine transients at maximum altitude and descent, and of relight characteristics, he adds.
With South-East Asian air forces looking to update their fleets across the board, some fascinating manufacturer tussles are afoot (flight international)
South-East Asia is developing into a very open and competitive market for military aircraft, with regional air forces looking to renew fleets which have some aircraft that have been in service for more than 40 years.
Almost all major defence contractors have a chance of selling to the region. Singapore has ordered US fighters and is choosing between South Korean, Italian and UK advanced jet trainers. Indonesia and Malaysia have gone for Russian Sukhoi fighters in recent years, while Thailand warmed Swedish hearts with an order for the Saab Gripen multi-role combat aircraft.
Not just fighters
All four are likely to order more aircraft in the next few years, and Vietnam could begin a major fighter replacement exercise early next decade. And it is not just fighters that are required – maritime patrol aircraft, airborne early warning capability, attack, utility and transport helicopters, and trainers are all on the region’s shopping list.
“This is not a classic arms race as there is no real animosity among the players,” says Richard Bitzinger, a senior fellow at Singapore’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies. “Most of the purchases are needed to replace old inventory and prevent a drop in relative capability. But there is also an element of ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ – tit-for-tat, non-aggressive procurement rivalries.”
One official at a major Western defence contractor points out that although North-East Asia and India grab most of the headlines, South-East Asia is a key market. “Singapore, for example, has a big budget and its decisions are often taken very seriously elsewhere,” he says. “Its order of the [Boeing] F-15, for example, was seen as a vote of confidence in the aircraft. Its decision in the advanced trainer competition will also be closely monitored.”
Tough market
Boeing says the region will remain a tough, open market. “Competition is intense, and always will be. We believe customers will make their decisions based on technology access, low risk, proven capability and value for money.”
Leading the way is Singapore, with tactical fighters, advanced trainers and maritime patrol aircraft all on the horizon. The South-East’s biggest operator of Lockheed Martin F-16s has ordered 24 F-15SGs, and is looking to increase its “strategic depth” in the next decade, says air force chief Maj Gen Ng Chee Khern.
Buyers’ requirements and possible suppliers
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Singapore aligned itself with the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme in 2002 at the “security co-operation participant” level, the lowest rung of the four-tier international teaming set-up. Delays in the fighter’s development have kept the country waiting for the final configuration, but that information should be delivered this year. Singapore will then have to choose between a second batch of F-15s and going ahead with the F-35.Hawk viability
Advanced jet trainers are also on Singapore’s wish-list. It is evaluating the AermacchiM-346, BAE Systems Hawk 128, and Korea Aerospace Industries T-50. The Hawk has been the standard for more than 30 years, but its viability has come into question after it was eliminated from an United Arab Emirates contest, where it faced the same rivals.
Singapore’s choices could have an impact on those of its neighbour. Bitzinger points out that when Singapore ordered F-16s, Malaysia bought 18 Sukhoi Su-30MKMs to complement its fleet of 18 MiG-29s, eight Boeing F/A-18Ds and 13 Northrop F-5E/Fs. Its first all-Sukhoi squadron should be combat ready in the first quarter of 2009.
Kuala Lumpur is keen to buy more fighters and is likely to choose between a second batch of Su-30s and possibly F/A-18E/Fs for delivery from 2011. A contract must be awarded in 2009 if funding is to be secured in time for the country’s 2011-15 five-year plan. Both internal and external politics will play a role in its decision.
“General elections are expected this year and the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition should win again,” says a Kuala Lumpur-based observer. “Some factions favour the Russians and others favour the Americans, and we must see who gains the upper hand. Russia has been a reliable supplier, but the MiGs have faced technical problems. But if Malaysia buys American fighters, it must induct aircraft that are very different from what it already has. It may make sense to stick to one type.”
Malaysia’s priorities are maritime patrol aircraft and utility helicopters, however, says the observer. “Malaysia must live up to its commitment to monitor its waters. It also needs new utility helicopters to replace its ageing ‘Nuris’ [Sikorsky S-61] after recent high-profile crashes.”
Financial considerations may lead to upgrades of the F/A-18s and MiG-29s, which have six years’ life left without modification, instead of new fighters, he adds.
Neighbouring Indonesia, the region’s most populous and largest country, also needs to upgrade its aircraft. A fleet of 12 F-16A/Bs, 10 F-5s and 11 A-4 Skyhawks are a testament to the country’s historical close relationship with Washington. But much of the fleet was grounded after a US arms embargo, imposed in the late 1990s after the Indonesian government’s bloody crackdown on separatist forces in East Timor, cut off the supply of spare parts.
Cancelled orders
Jakarta turned to Russia and ordered 12 Su-30s in 1997, but cancelled that order in 1998 after the Asian financial crisis. In 2003, former Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri unexpectedly confirmed an order for two Sukhoi Su-27s and two Su-30s during a visit to Moscow. Eventually, Indonesia plans to buy 48 new aircraft to replace its front-line fighters. It is also looking to replace its ageing Rockwell OV-10 Broncos and BAE Systems Hawk 53s, and is considering the Aero Vodochody L-159, Hongdu K-8 and KAI KO-1B turboprop.
The USA lifted its embargo on Indonesia in 2007, which should lead to the availability of spare parts, possibly upgrades to existing fighters, and maybe even an order for newF-16s. But many in Jakarta are still unhappy. “How can we be sure the USA won’t impose another embargo?” says an Indonesian defence ministry official. “The Russians seem to be more reliable, especially during difficult times for our country.”
search and rescue
Indonesia also has a requirement for utility and search and rescue helicopters, a shortfall that was highlighted by the army’s difficulty in reaching victims of the December 2004 tsunami. Jakarta has already been in talks with Russia to buy four Mil Mi-35 attack helicopters and five cargo helicopters of an unspecificed type.
A tight budget could halt those ambitions, however. “Indonesia says it wants 48 fighters by 2010, but I doubt it can afford half of that, even if the Russians give a good discount,” says one defence contractor. “And while new fighters will bring bragging rights, the priority has to be helicopters. The government can’t be seen to spend too much on defence procurements as well. Poverty alleviation remains a big goal.”
Like Indonesia, Thailand postponed plans for new F/A-18s and F-16C/Ds after the 1998 economic crisis and stuck to its 60 F-16A/Bs and 35 F-5E/Fs. Last year, however, the air force said it would spend $1 billion on new helicopters and aircraft over the next five years. The first phase began in December last year with an order for six Saab Gripens and an option for six more to replace the F-5s. The deal includes two Saab Erieye airborne early warning aircraft, with the first likely to be delivered in 2010.
Thailand’s choice of Sweden’s Gripen over its traditional source, the USA, has raised eyebrows. “Talks have been ongoing for several years and the Swedes have developed a very good relationship with the Thais,” says a Singapore-based observer. “Saab is also keen to get export sales and it must have made a very good offer.”
The observer says he expects Bangkok to exercise its options for Gripens around late 2009, forming a proper squadron of the type. Thailand will then need to decide on a follow-up order between the F-16, F/A-18 and the Gripen. “The Thai-US relationship stretches back to the Vietnam war. Things were a little rocky during the 2006 military coup, but both countries will continue to be good friends. Gripen gave Thailand a very good deal this time around, but I doubt it can continue doing that,” says the observer.
Swedish success
All the major contractors will also be eyeing Vietnam, which will require new fighters early in the next decade. Hanoi has about 220 combat-capable aircraft, mostly 1970s and 1980s-era fighters such as the MiG-21 and Su-22. It tried to modernise in the 1990s, buying Su-27s and Su-30s from Russia and reconditioning Su-22s and L-39s. But plans to buy Dassault Mirage fighters from France fell through under pressure from the USA and it did not go ahead with upgrades for the MiG-21s.
Defence contractors say Vietnam’s growing economy has boosted state coffers, possibly paving the way for a competition. Dislodging the Russians could be tough, given the close relations between the countries, but Vietnam’s growing economic ties with the USA and Europe could help defence contractors from those two regions.
But there is no such optimism about the Philippines, which is short of money and has a track record of corruption tainting tenders. Its air force has Aermacchi SF-260 and S-211 aircraft, many of which are not operational, and a helicopter fleet mainly comprising Vietnam War-era Bell UH-1H Hueys and MD Helicopters MG520s. But Manila desperately needs to renew its fleet, especially to help its army cope with separatist rebels.
Last year, after a delay of several years, Philippines president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo set aside a budget of about 1 billion pesos ($30 million) to buy attack helicopters. But this month the defence department overturned a decision to buy MD Helicopters MG530F helicopters following irregularities in the selection process and ordered a fresh tender. The government has also said it would set aside7 billion pesos for 20 attack and utility helicopters over the next few years.
Contractors are not rushing in to show off their wares, however. “We don’t know if the money will come in, and the best equipment might not win anyway due to the corruption,” says one official. “The best thing to do when it comes to the Philippines is to roll your eyes, offer your products with a shrug, and not expect anything to happen.”
Countries such as Laos and Cambodia are in a similar position, with a shortage of cash and the taint of corruption putting off defence contractors. Oil-rich Brunei may have the money, but has dithered for years on a deal for light combat aircraft.
Myanmar, on the other hand, has been shunned by most contractors following an arms embargo imposed on its ruling military junta for its brutal crackdown on pro-democracy activists. The country bought 10 second-hand MiG-29s from Russia in 2001, but its main supplier is China. Beijing has sold it about 60 Chengdu F-7Ms, derived from the MiG-21, 42 Nanchang A-5s, which are modified MiG-19s, and 12 K-8 primary trainers that can be used for light ground attack.
China is seen as a potential alternative supplier of relatively cheap weapons to the region. It has offered to sell eight Harbin Aircraft Z-9, a licensed copy of Eurocopter’s AS365N Dauphin, to the Philippines for its utility helicopter requirement and has reportedly held talks with Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Indonesia. Its new Chengdu J-10 and Chengdu/PAC JF-17 fighters could be an alternative to Russian and US aircraft.
Beijing may need to improve the quality of its exports, however. Myanmar has had problems with the performance and reliability of many of its Chinese aircraft, and has reportedly lost several F-7s through accidents. It has also had trouble obtaining spare parts. China may find it tough to convince a market weaned on Western weapons that it offers viable alternatives.
Still, South-East Asia has an annual arms budget of around $2 billion, so the likes of China will not stop trying. And defence contractors will keep flocking to events such as the Singapore Air Show to display their offerings and talk to prospective customers.
“Look at China and India – they mainly buy Russian,” says Bitzinger. “Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are all good customers of the USA. In South-East Asia, almost everyone has a fair chance of winning something. This is one of the most open and competitive markets around, and it will continue to be so for some time.”
2/20/2008
The F-15E Eagle program, which seemed to be on its last legs only a few years ago
, could yet gain orders for a further 110 aircraft in Asia.
That doesn’t count a contract for 20 Eagles that South Korea will probably sign in March or April, says program director Steve Winkler.
South Korea has already ordered 40 F-15Es (called F-15K in that country’s sub-v
ariant) in the first part of its three-stage FX program for 120 fighters. The next batch, which Korean media say will include a 21st aircraft to replace one that crashed, will be the second stage, FX-2.
That leaves an outstanding South Korean requirement for 60 under FX-3.
Japan, meanwhile, probably wants 50 aircraft to replace two squadrons of McDonnell Douglas F-4EJ Phantoms, says Winkler. The F-15E is a contender, possbily in an upgraded form, along with the F/A-18E and F Super Hornet and the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Beyond that, Boeing is hoping for top-up orders from Israel and Saudi Arabia for their sub-variants of the F-15E, the F-15I and F-15S, respectively.
And the company, having now taken orders for 24 F-15SGs from Singapore, will be well placed if that country also needs a few more.
(FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 21/02/08)
Korea Aerospace Industries is expecting to receive the go-ahead to develop the F/A-50 fighter around mid-2008, paving the way for government funding for the programme.
The aircraft, a light combat version of KAI’s T-50 advanced jet trainer, has been mooted for several years as a possible replacement for the air force’s Northrop F-5s. South Korea has already committed to 50 T-50s and 22 A-50s, a weaponised version of the aircraft.
The company is finalising design and production details, and getting permission from the USA government due to the T-50′s use of some sensitive equipment derived from the Lockheed Martin F-16. It will then submit a long-delayed proposal to the South Korean government, says a company source. A development contract could soon follow, with the company expecting the government to commit to at least 60 aircraft.
The company has said that the government would take care of development costs and KAI would become the prime contractor. While a cost estimate has not been revealed, the company anticipates that it would be cheaper than other alternatives as the platform has already been developed for the T-50.
A request for proposals has been issued for equipment such as radar warning receivers, precision-guided bombs, countermeasures dispensers, datalinks and weapons management systems. The company hopes to fly the first prototype by early 2010. The programme will sustain the company’s T-50 line beyond late 2012, when the last of the air force’s A-50s is delivered.
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