International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

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Shameek
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by Shameek »

Greece, France sign $2.8 billion fighter jet deal
Greece signed a 2.3 billion-euro ($2.8 billion) deal with France on Monday to purchase 18 Rafale fighter jets, as tensions remain high with neighbor Turkey.

Florence Parly, the French defense minister, signed the agreement in Athens to deliver 12 used and six new aircraft built by Dassault Aviation over two years, starting in July.
Link
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by Mollick.R »

Boeing posts $8.4 billion loss on weaker demand for planes

Boeing lost $8.4 billion in the fourth quarter _ capping a record loss for all of 2020 _ as the pandemic undercut demand for planes, and the company announced another costly delay to its new large jetliner designed for long-haul flights.

Most of Boeing's troubles over the past two years have swirled around the troubled 737 Max. However, the biggest piece of the fourth-quarter loss reported Wednesday was a pretax charge of $6.5 billion tied to a different plane, the bigger 777X.

It all added up to a record full-year loss of $11.94 billion.
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Deliveries have also plummeted, starving Boeing of much-needed cash. Boeing delivered 59 commercial planes in the fourth quarter, compared with 225 for European rival Airbus. Boeing's fourth-quarter revenue fell 15% to $15.3 billion.

Boeing's newest problem involves the 777X, a larger version of the long-range 777 that will feature new engines and composite wings that fold near the wingtips to accommodate limited space at many airport gates.

The company said Wednesday that the first 777X delivery will occur in late 2023, three years behind the original schedule and a year later than Boeing announced just six months ago. Boeing cited new, tougher standards for certifying planes _ an outgrowth of the Max crisis _ and the damage that the pandemic is doing to demand for international travel.


https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ne ... content=23
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by brar_w »

Five years to backfill a dozen aircraft sold to Greece. This highlights the tight balance that the French MOD must strike between fulfilling the needs of its Air Force and ensuring that Dassault can keep a healthy backlog and thus keep the Rafale line open till such time that the production can transition to the FCAS/SCAF which is still a decade and a half or more away.

France begins backfilling its Rafale fleet after selling some to Greece


Parly said the 12 new aircraft would be built to the latest F3R standard. She added, “We sold 18 Rafales to Greece so it is indeed 18 Rafales that Dassault will have to produce.” Speaking at the factory, the defense minister said one Rafale would come off the production line per month..

The French Air and Space Force will have its 12 new aircraft by the end of 2025. Together with the 28 Rafales that Dassault is to deliver between 2022 and 2024, this will bring the total to 129, as projected in the 2019-2025 military program law.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by NRao »

SN9 on the right
Elon Musk wrote: Starship SN9 & SN10
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added l8r:

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by Rakesh »

https://twitter.com/TheWolfpackIN/statu ... 50698?s=20 ---> Report: HAL has cleared several queries that were raised by the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) after it sent a proposal (LCA-Navy LIFT) against the Request for Information (RFI) to replace US Navy's T-45 Goshawak trainers.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by NRao »

For history and tech buffs:

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by Kartik »

So now the USAF may well order more F-16s, almost 16 years after the last F-16 was delivered to the USAF.

link
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by brar_w »

Kartik wrote:So now the USAF may well order more F-16s, almost 16 years after the last F-16 was delivered to the USAF.

link
Was discussed in the US Thread: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7088&start=2080#p2480169

There could be three reasons why this was all of a sudden brought up :

* To put pressure on Lockheed since they are simultaneously asking the company to accelerate the "$25K by 2025" O&S investments and negotiating the next hybrid-MYP contract that could include between 400-500 aircraft under one negotiated deal (that will be inked by this September)

* I've hypothesized that the USAF could do well to replace the A-10 (long term) with new build F-16's and use the money saved to buy more aircraft like the B-21 or RQ-180

* The article hints at the the 6th gen. NGAD being ready to enter production by 2026. If that is the case then that would mean they would most likely need to free us some cash in their long term budget to the buy the new system. Switching to a low TCO platform in the F-16 can provide them this margin needed to invest in NGAD.

In the end they need to get at 100 new build fighters a year in order to efficiently modernize and reduce the average airframe life of the CAF. They are still only at 70-75 range even with the F-15EX being brought into the mix. And that is probably going to be a near-medium term upper limit. The F-35 is not really going to get any cheaper now that it is nearing its peak production rate and that new electronics and capabilities are being added which negates most of any additional EOS going forward (new suppliers offering more capable systems would most definitely require higher margin on some of these items). So if they want to get to that magic (and desirable) 80-100 new fighters / year range, then they probably have to either find a pot of gold sitting around in the budget or get creative and look to diversify their acquisition portfolio a little.

In the end they would have to think long and hard at the force structure and the tactical aircraft mix. Do they really need that many new 5GFA given the type of things that are going to be useful in the Pacific (long range bombers etc)? Both Russia and China have either run into technical, budgetary issues with their 5GFA or a combination of these and as a result have reduced their 5GFA production to either a trickle (Russia) or fairly lowish numbers (China). Neither country has successfully mass produced a stealth aircraft so they have that rather difficult milestone to cross still.

So if that is the case can the USAF take a little more risk here and re-architecture its CAF while still getting 4-5 dozen F-35's BUT not scaling up beyond that? I think this is what the former acquisition official was probably hinting at. It is certainly an interesting thought. Honestly, I'd be happy to reduce the fighter fleet by 400-500 aircraft if that meant being able to buy 50 additional B-21's. That is the CHINA specific force structure that the USAF needs to go towards because there aren't really enough "survivable" basing options in the Asia Pacific to house short-medium range tactical aircraft.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by brar_w »

Finland requests final offers for HX fighter deal

Models in contention for the deal are the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-35A, and Saab Gripen E/F.

“With the request for best and final offer, each tenderer is requested to compile the information provided in the previous tenders and negotiations into a final and binding package,” it adds.

The Finnish parliament has already approved €9.4 billion ($11.4 billion) in funding to acquire replacements for the nation’s current F/A-18C/Ds.

“The HX options of each tenderer differ as to the costs of introduction into service, construction needs and integration into the defence system,” the logistics command says. “This is why each tenderer will be given a tenderer-specific price limit, and, in addition, a similar option will be included for each tenderer for later purchases and contractual changes. Therefore, the price ceiling set for each tenderer is about €9 billion.”

Helsinki says it is using four criteria to judge the candidates: military capability; security of supply; industrial participation; and costs. “Security and defence policy implications will be assessed separately outside of the actual tendering process,” it adds.

A type selection will be forwarded for government approval before year-end, with the new model due to enter service from 2025.


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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by Rakesh »

Τurmoil in Turkey: ''Greek Rafale fighter jets with Meteor missiles will crush us''
https://www.pentapostagma.gr/ethnika-th ... r-missiles
02 Feb 2021
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by NRao »

SpaceX's SN9 crashed. Looks like the 2nd Raptor (of two) did not light up during the flip

Fire up SN10
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by Rakesh »

NRao
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by NRao »

RAF Marham @RAF_Marham wrote: F-35B aircraft from @RAF_Marham conducted essential operational training with Rafale aircraft from French Navy. The training included personnel from the RN School of Fighter Controllers who controlled both sides from @RNAS Yeovilton.

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by NRao »

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command @INDOPACOM wrote: A super Hercules provides fuel to a Lightning II aircraft during exercise #CopeNorth 21.

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by NRao »

Convertible jet design backed by RAF might just have wings

Behind apid wall
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The RAF has backed a British company to develop an aircraft that can be converted from a trainer to a faster, more aggressive jet by swapping out its engines and wings.

Aeralis, based in Suffolk, has been given £200,000 by the force to develop its “revolutionary” modular plane, which it says would be the first fully developed in Britain since the Hawk was launched in 1974.

The two-seater aircraft will have at least three variants based around the same fuselage but fitted with different engine and wing configurations: a basic trainer, a speedier, more manoeuvrable fighter-style plane and a reconnaissance model with long wings and a more efficient engine.

Tristan Crawford, Aeralis chief executive, said the project could help the RAF rationalise its future fleets

...............................
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by brar_w »

Berlin and Paris in crisis talks to bring fighter jet project back on track

Germany and France are making a new effort to resolve an impasse over the development of a joint fighter jet, Europe’s biggest defence project that has led to tensions between Berlin and Paris, security and industry sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

At an estimated cost of more than 100 billion euros, the venture brings together Germany, France and Spain to forge a future weapons system that is seen as the heart of a deepening European defence cooperation.

Dassault Aviation <AVMD,PA>, Airbus and Indra are supposed to build the aircraft, which is expected to be operational from 2040 with a view to replacing France’s Rafale and Germany’s Eurofighter warplanes over time.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron kicked off the ambitious venture in 2017, when the EU was rattled by Britain’s decision to leave the bloc and deeply divided over other issues such as the migrant crisis.

But the project has run into difficulties due to mistrust and differing visions between Berlin and Paris as well as corporate infighting over work shares, security and industry sources told Reuters.

At the beginning of February, Merkel and Macron failed to settle the issue, thus leaving open when the next tranche of payments of at least 5 billion euros can be released, according to insiders.

On Wednesday, envoys of the defence ministries of Germany, France, Spain as well as from Dassault, Airbus and Indra met in Paris to try to resolve the impasse, security and industry sources told Reuters.

Part of the controversy revolves around intellectual property rights, and who should possess them in the end.

Before moving ahead with the venture, Germany is trying to gain more concessions from France on the issue, insiders said, adding that Berlin would like to be able to use technologies co-developed with Paris for its own projects.

One French source said Germany also aimed for intellectual property developed at national level in France, something a German source denied.

Disagreements run so deep that there are even considerations to build two demonstrators instead of just one, one source told Reuters.


A senior French parliamentary figure also expressed doubts about the project’s viability, citing diverging approaches and political constraints, such as Berlin’s refusal to participate in combat operations abroad.

“To be honest, it would be a lot easier for us to work with Britain because we share the same military culture,” the MP told Reuters. Britain is running its own fighter jet program, Tempest, with Italy and Sweden.

A planned update for the Franco-German Tiger combat helicopter, costing more than 5.5 billion euros, is another bone of contention.

France is keen on the modernisation, whereas Germany is digging in, with some parts of the military not wanting the upgrade at all given the low operational readiness of the Airbus helicopter, sources told Reuters.

On Thursday, the defence ministers of France and Germany, Florence Parly and Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, will have another chance to solve the row, when they are scheduled to meet virtually.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by brar_w »

A squadron each of the F-35I Adir, and the F-15 EX with the deal expected to be sealed by end of the first Quarter 2021. 4 tankers and also some munitions.

Israeli Air Force to Buy Refueling Aircraft, 25 More F-35 Fighter Jets

Within a few years, the air force will have 75 F-35s. The IDF also plans to purchase another squadron of Boeing’s F-15s
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by NRao »

Swati Mohan, of JPL, confirms touch down of Perseverance, the Mars rover, has landed!!
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by Chinmay »

Indonesia plans its own aircraft zoo
According to the meeting’s summary document, Indonesia plans to buy 36 Rafale and eight F-15EX jets, with six of the latter expected to arrive by 2022.

Along with the new additions, the air force will also modernize its existing combat aircraft this year, Prasetyo said.
They already operate F-16s, Su-27s and Su-30s. This should be a fun procurement
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by brar_w »

Indonesia can barely make the rather modest payments (to an amount and schedule the highest levels of its government agreed to) it needs to do to cover its share of the Korean KFX program, and now folks expect them to buy the Rafale and the F-15EX? Someone at their MOD seems to have a great sense of humor.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by NRao »

Steve Trimble @TheDEWLine wrote: I’m told this is what that Rafale looks like now. I figured it was a tail strike on the high-voltage line, but the pilot must have been in a steep bank maybe? That could have been a lot worse. I also wonder how the Rafale’s electronics survived the impact.

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Steve Trimble @TheDEWLine wrote: Another shot has emerged of the damaged French Rafale, which severed a high-voltage power line on a low-altitude flight on Thursday. The pilot and back-seater won the lottery. Just inches from a canopy impact by the live wire.

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

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Manish_P
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by Manish_P »

Good god above.. here i have been walking with trepidation on the internal road of my housing colony because this year we haven't been able to trim the old coconut trees and here we have a huge engine cowling and other heavy metal parts falling out the sky :shock:
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by chetonzz »

NASA releases live landing video of latest Mars rover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4czjS9h4Fpg
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by Aditya_V »

Can anyone explain Indonesian plan of acquiring 8 F15EX, why go through separate logtics and training for 8 aircraft. and 5 Su27 and 11 Su30, I guess they would need to retire these 16 aircraft then.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by Chinmay »

Aditya_V wrote:Can anyone explain Indonesian plan of acquiring 8 F15EX, why go through separate logtics and training for 8 aircraft. and 5 Su27 and 11 Su30, I guess they would need to retire these 16 aircraft then.
It makes absolutely no sense. They're planning on adding new F-15s plus Rafales, C-130s, MQ-9s and a radar system, and keeping their Flanker and Viper fleets. https://asiatimes.com/2021/02/indonesia ... hter-jets/

The CAATSA avoidance plan by not going for further Flankers is a thin excuse, but I doubt they have the funding for all this kit. Brar_w explained this earlier when I posted the news earlier. Their DefMin is certainly ambitious, but to paraphrase Top Gun, "His mouth is writing cheques his ministry cant cash"
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by LakshmanPST »

South Korea's next generation jet KF-X set to roll out, boost local defense industry

http://m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article ... Idx=304786
South Korea is set to roll out the first prototype of its indigenously developed next-generation fighter jet, widely known as the Korean Fighter eXperimental (KF-X) aircraft, late next month.

A total of six prototypes are in the final stages of assembly at the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) headquarters in Sacheon, Gyeongsang Province. Test flights will be carried out next year, following ground testing after the April roll-out.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by Kartik »

South Korean KF-X prototype is taking shape rapidly for a planned roll-out in a couple of months' time. I must say, quite a lot that is similar between the KF-X and AMCA including general configuration and engines.

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by brar_w »

Interesting that they stuck with external stores, external LDP's, and the non DSI intakes, at least for version 1 though I suspect that targeting pods etc will continue to be externally carried. Also, stock F-414 nozzles which probably also means that no other 5th gen signature suppression tech has been introduced into the F414-GE-400K (early KFX rumors were that GE had offered to bring over some F-136 tech into the propulsion offering) so this will be a challenge for KFX given how closely the propulsion, signature management, and power delivery systems are coupled on 5GFA. I suspect they will address this in subsequent iterations. A decade from now, they should have a fairly mature platform that is ready to be handed to frontline units. But propulsion, signature, and other areas will probably continue to lag behind which I suspect will manifest in slightly different employment tactics for this compared to their F-35As and Bs.

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by NRao »

Nice vid:

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by NRao »

SN10 (Camera set to click one every second):

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by chetonzz »

may be (just my uneducated opinion) they should have kept big landing legs... with greater ground clearance, stability and shock absorbers could also be added in those legs

but again spaceX knows best

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by NRao »

^^^^^

Elon tweeted (too lazy to find it to post here) that the thrust of the single Raptor was an issue and that they had never faced it before. So, in SN11 they plan on using all 3 engines and land with some combo of 2.

The legs are an issue - Elon has stated that many time. But, the flaw in the legs can be overcome by manipulating the trust - which is what he plans on doing.

Remember these are test flights that are testing the Starship AND the Raptor. Currently the Raptors are posing a problem. And, Elon has stated that he prefers (very) rapid builds + tests. He has built up to SN19 as we type (SN 12-14 will not fly because SN 9-10 provided the data they sought).
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by NRao »

A Greek web site, used Google translate:

Destroying a Fighter: Why Pakistan's JF-17 is a Failure
In 1999, Pakistan and China signed an agreement on the joint development and production of the JF-17 "Thunder" and share the development costs equally. The JF-17 was programmed to be a low-cost, lightweight, all-weather multi-role fighter with a Chinese frame, equipped with Western Aeronautics and powered by the Russian Klimov RD 93aero engine.

Pakistan specifically envisioned acquiring a fighter jet comparable to the Su-30MKI, Mig-29 and Mirage-2000. China has also said it will import the aircraft because of its superior capabilities. However, the aircraft is far from its designed capabilities, as it is a low-cost fighter developed with low-quality Chinese aircraft and weapons.

PAF found, however, that the operating and maintenance costs of JF-17 aircraft are very high compared to modern weapons systems and need to be reduced to make operations more cost-effective. China, an "all-time" friend of Pakistan, having spent a significant amount of money on the development of the fighter, probably forced Pakistan to accept Chinese electronics to offset part of its development costs.

Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra is supposed to have a 58% share in production, but this is far from reality. Kamra supplies raw materials and kits for the production of important systems from China and assembles the JF-17 at the Aircraft Manufacturing Plant, Kamra. PAC only manufactures certain sub-assemblies such as the wings, the front fuselage and the tail with material once again imported from China. While most of the systems are Chinese, South African and European, the ejection seat is by Martin Baker (UK). Therefore, it is prudent to characterize the PAC Kamra, an assembly branch that incorporates all of these components into a complete metal semi-monocoque frame, which is also mostly manufactured in CAIC, China.

Since its launch in 2009, PAF has raised more than 115 aircraft. The long-awaited training aircraft were also built and recently ceremoniously installed in December 2020. The introduction ceremony was a mere formality, as most of the training aircraft are non-operational. There are five JF-17 Operations Squadrons and one in the Combat Command School, which PAF overestimates as the Sixth Squadron. Possibly a seventh degree of training would have been formed by upgrading the version of the training aircraft. The aircraft is available in two blocks or variants. A third block, which is supposed to be more advanced with better AESA avionics and radar, is still under development.

A modern fighter requires reliable systems on board with minimal maintenance problems. The aircraft's capability is judged by the aeronautical systems, weapons and engine that equip it and the JF-17 fails to exceed the desired limit in these areas. He was spotted on February 27, 2019, during his poor performance against the Indian Air Force's Mirage-2000 and SU-30, during a retaliatory effort by the IAF against a Pakistani terrorist organization.

In air defense, the Link-17 domestic data connection is not just unreliable, but it does not have a sufficient data transfer rate and can never be integrated into the Link-16 of the F-16 fighter to provide the aircraft with real interoperability capability. "Lightning" does not even have an effective BVR or Airborne Spy radar.

While propaganda drumbeats promoted it as the next best PAF fighter after the F-16, its remarkably low strength, poor accuracy, and low carrying capacity proved widely on February 27, 2019, with all RanK Extension Kit bombs (RE ) fail to hit the target in view of the effective interference of Indian fighters. This was recently publicly acknowledged by the country's politicians, and PAF's miserable excuse was that the REK bombs were a symbolic "reaction" with no intention of inflicting casualties, a fact that was particularly hard to believe.

At the heart of the JF-17 avionics is the KLJ-7 Al radar and weapons control computer (WMMC), systems that have been marred by serious problems. The KLJ-7 radar has multiple functions, but it has degraded behavior and faces several operational and maintenance problems from the beginning of the JF-17 project.

Although the Nanjing Electronics Technology Research Institute is making recommendations for its improvement, the radar is still experiencing high failure rates. WMMC has limited capacity and a high failure rate for some of its modules, including the host module. WMMC malfunction has caused air-to-air missile launchers to shrink beyond optical range during combat exercises. Due to its unreliability, PAC is now trying to intervene in WMMCs.

The weapon load that the aircraft can carry is also not remarkable. The built-in 23mm gun initially encountered air jams, but later appeared to have further problems. In addition to the Chinese SD-10 BVR, REK and C-802AK missiles, the aircraft carries the conventional cargo of a MiG-21. Efforts to integrate the aircraft with other Chinese weapons are ongoing, but with limited success.

One of the main reasons for the poor performance of the JF-17 is because the aircraft has a single Russian RD-93 engine and is known for its repeated failures and poor reliability since its inception. The poor performance of RD-93 engines is a weak point and PAF has repeatedly expressed serious concerns in China about the quality of maintenance and the high cost of repairing engines.

Recently, China has also faced problems in supplying engine spare parts from Russia due to an embargo imposed on financial transactions. The engine may not come directly from Pakistan or be exported further from it. China, for its part, plans to replace the engine with a Chinese WS-13 under development. Therefore, future Chinese support for the RD-93 may not be immediately available, as China would like operators to replace the RD-93 with WS-13. The high rate of non-serviceability, repeated engine crashes and poor spare parts make JF-17s expensive and a less reliable platform, while overall reducing the availability of fighter jets.

PAF presented the aircraft at major air shows, however, the presentation during the Paris Air Show in 2019 was inadequate, especially in low-speed flight. Thus, as the JF-17 proved to be an indifferent construction, China, which pushed for its development, did not import a single unit of the type, preferring the more capable J-10 fighter, whose purchase is now being considered by Pakistan. Although it is cheap at the starting price of 2018 at $ 25 million per fighter, with the Pakistani rupee depreciating by almost 30% last year, it would eventually cost much higher.

In addition, with the Pakistani government failing to boost its financial situation, any new JF-17 customer would find it extremely difficult to obtain the material and back-up support that Pakistan must obtain from China. Pakistan's financial woes have led to the bankruptcy of its payments to China for the JF-17 project with a large outstanding amount of over a few hundred million dollars.

Even if China is able to supply these spare parts, it will do so at exorbitant prices that escalate every year, as it does with Pakistan. Pakistan has spent more than $ 3 billion to acquire these 3.5 generation fighters. Whether these costs were really worthwhile is a question that Pakistani taxpayers need to ask.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

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Aris Roussinos @arisroussinos wrote: The great unintended consequence of Erdogan’s sabre-rattling was Greece’s strategic leap into a web of overlapping Middle Eastern alliances: potentially the most significant innovation in Greek foreign policy and strategic thinking for a half-century, maybe a century
e-Αmyna 1821@e_amyna wrote: Six Royal Saudi Air Force F-15SA Strike Eagle fighters will be deployed to Souda Air Base on March 13 along with support staff, engineers and ground personnel and will carry out joint training with the Hellenic Armed Forces in the Eastern Mediterranean. Flag of Greece Flag of Saudi Arabia
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by Philip »

It's been some years since the "Turkey or Talisman" thread on the F-35 was last seen.This new brutal verdict on the aircraft from the Senate House Committee is worth the lesson.

https://www.defensenews.com/congress/20 ... ur-losses/

Xcpts:WASHINGTON ― The House Armed Services Committee chairman railed at the expensive F-35 Joint Strike Fighter on Friday, saying he wants to “stop throwing money down that particular rathole,” ― just days after the Air Force said it too is looking at other options.

“What does the F-35 give us? And is there a way to cut our losses? Is there a way to not keep spending that much money for such a low capability because, as you know, the sustainment costs are brutal,” Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said a Brookings event.


Though the Joint Strike Fighter was conceived as a relatively affordable fifth-generation aircraft, it’s generally acknowledged as the world’s most expensive weapons platform. Flying the F-35 currently costs $36,000 per hour, and it has a projected lifetime cost of $1.7 trillion.

As of January, the F-35 was still struggling to meet its goal mission-capable rate, which is the percentage of aircraft that can meet at least one assigned mission. Only 69 percent met the threshold, well short of the military’s longstanding 80 percent goal.


“We have wasted a spectacular amount of money on weapons systems that either haven’t worked at all or who have not lived up to their promise,” Smith said. “The failure we wind up tolerating is failure on a massive freaking scale. Think F-35.”

“In a perfect world ... a budget-unconstrained environment would have a huge number — capacity — of huge capability fifth-gen airframes for every squadron in the combat air forces. The challenge with [that] is the reality of fiscal requirements of a nation that is coming out of a pandemic and the impacts of it, and the demand signal of being really busy around the world.”
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

Post by Rakesh »

Someone is getting slapped by CAATSA :)

https://twitter.com/TheWolfpackIN/statu ... 39084?s=20 ---> Algeria orders Su-34 'Fullback' strike aircraft from Russia. Delivery begins from November 2021.
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