International Aerospace Discussion

sumshyam · Post by **sumshyam** » 08 Feb 2010 20:07

Venu wrote: May be its time we work with them!!

Someone seems to be flirted by a media hype....Anyhow sir/mam we are good at our feet and we atleast don't need their Baishakhi.

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 09 Feb 2010 01:48

Lockheed's order for sniper advanced targeting pods (explained!)

................
Delivering the highest resolution imagery for precision targeting and non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, the Sniper ATP plays a major role in Air Force operations in theater, providing top cover for ground forces, as well as increasing the safety of civilian populations.

Lot 9 pods will be used to support additional U.S. Air Force deployments and allow the Air Force to allocate pod resources to home-station training, enabling aircrews to train with the equipment they will use in deployed operations. Deployed in theater on U.S. Air Force and coalition partner F-15, F-16, A-10 and B-1 aircraft, the Sniper ATP is the most widely used targeting pod in combat operations.

Lot 9 Sniper pod technology will include a new data link capability, enhanced multiple moving target tracker, the capability to deliver legacy weapons and new weapon variants on moving targets, and weapon damage estimation radius displays to reduce the potential for collateral damage.

Since its first deployment in 2005, the Sniper ATP has enabled aircrews to operate well outside jet noise ranges, permitting forces to identify, track and defeat targets without detection. Its common software and hardware interface provide interoperability across aircraft fleets.

More on the Sniper ATP is on Lockheed's website here.The Sniper ATP is operational on U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard and multinational F-16, F-15, B-1, F-18, Harrier and A-10 aircraft. Platform expansion continues with the B-52, Tornado, Typhoon, unmanned aerial vehicles and additional aircraft.

The Sniper ATP’s modular design facilitates easy field upgrade to pods already in service and enables rapid flight line repair to maintain a 98 percent fully mission capable rate. The combat-proven Sniper Pod is the U.S. Air Force's advanced targeting pod (ATP). The Sniper ATP provides critical long- range, positive identification of targets and possesses a video down link (VDL) equipped with the widely used Rover ground receiver to relay high resolution streaming video to forward-deployed forces for NT-ISR and rapid target coordination. It's advanced target identification capabilities enhance the Warfighter’s ability to detect and analyse ground targets while dramatically decreasing the risks posed by enemy air defences.

The Sniper ATP also provides essential non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance using high-resolution, mid-wave FLIR and TV sensors, which operate in conjunction with a dual-mode laser, permitting eye-safe operation and precise geo-location in urban environments.

For target coordination, the Sniper pod possesses a laser spot tracker to acquire other laser spots from air and ground assets, an infrared marker visible to night vision goggles and a VDL to ground forces. Sniper ATP provides real-time targeting for J-series weapons and its state-of-the-art tracker enables employment of advanced laser-guided weapons against moving targets. The Sniper ATP is the only targeting pod fielded that incorporates meta-data in every frame of video. The date/time stamp and coordinate information further ensure accuracy throughout intelligence and command and control functions.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 09 Feb 2010 09:04

Prepare for Liftoff

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2 ... or_liftoff

In the case of space, there are jobs at stake and, more importantly, politicians' careers at stake. Obama is proposing to cancel some $25 billion in NASA programs -...

Kartik · Post by **Kartik** » 11 Feb 2010 01:10

Su-30s more expensive than expected ?

Russia will supply Vietnam with 12 SU-30MK2 fighter jets and aviation equipment worth a total of about one billion dollars, a military-diplomatic source told the Interfax news agency on Wednesday.

“Last week, a contract was signed to supply Vietnam with 12 more SU-30MK2 fighter planes. The planes will be supplied in 2011 and 2012,” the source was quoted as saying.

“The contract also calls for the supply of various aviation arms, equipment and parts,” the source said, putting the overall value of the deal at one billion dollars (727 million euros).

Vietnam is a major customer of Russia’s Sukhoi fighter jets. It previously signed a contract in early 2009 to buy eight SU-30MK2 planes, the source said.

The report came a day after industry sources in Vietnam said that Hanoi had decided to award Russia’s state atomic energy firm a coveted contract to build the southeast Asian country’s first nuclear power plant.

Kartik · Post by **Kartik** » 12 Feb 2010 01:40

the fiasco that is the A400M Military transporter continues..

EADS To Ground A400M if No Deal By Monday: Report
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 11 Feb 2010 10:30

MADRID - The European EADS aerospace group, which controls Airbus, will begin to wind down development of the A400M military transport plane if an agreement on budget overruns is not agreed with partner governments by Monday, a report said here Feb. 11.

The newspaper Cinco Dias quoted trade union sources as saying that top Airbus executive Tom Enders had made this clear Feb. 10 when he visited an Airbus site at Getafe near Madrid.

The report said Enders told union officials that European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) chief executive Louis Gallois had written to the governments concerned threatening to begin winding down development if an agreement on big development cost overruns were not found.

The partner governments backing development of the innovative A400M are Germany, France, Britain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey.

An EADS spokesman, when asked about the report, said talks among the partners were "continuing, with the urgent nature of the situation clear to everyone."

In Paris a defense ministry spokesman, Laurent Teisseire, said France had not received the communication from Gallois mentioned in the report.

He added that the last exchanges with the EADS head last week "showed that like us EADS wants to see an end [to the negotiations] as soon as possible but without reference to a particular date."

Gallois said in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 6 that he expected clarification by "next week" on government financing of the extra costs.

French Defense Minister Herve Morin has said that the seven countries had given EADS until the end of February to conclude negotiations.

The program to develop the new transport aircraft and produce 180 planes was based on a budget of 20 billion euros ($27.6 billion). But development costs have pushed up the budget by more than 5.0 billion euros and the program is running at least three years late.

The governments have already agreed to provide an extra 2.0 billion euros, and EADS 800 million euros.

If the governments agree to a French proposal to advance another 1.5 billion euros, the remaining funding gap will be about 1.0 billion euros.

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 12 Feb 2010 02:42

Vietnam Buys Russian Kilo Class Subs, SU-30 Fighters, Nuke Plant

Interfax reports the signing of a formal contract between Russia and Vietnam for 12 SU-30MKK fighters, for delivery in 2011-2012, plus associated weapons, service, and support. The deal is reportedly worth $1 billion, and is signed the day after a Russian contract to build Vietnam’s first nuclear plant.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 13 Feb 2010 02:37

Falcon 9 Ready For Final Assembly At Cape

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 13 Feb 2010 23:35

Bangladesh wants to buy fighters, helicopters and maritime patrol aircraft

Bangladesh has vowed to buy a squadron of new fighters and has resumed efforts to purchase two maritime patrol aircraft.

Planning minister A K Khandker, a former chief of air staff at the Bangladesh air force, told the country's parliament that the government plans to buy a squadron of new fighters, plus an air-defence radar system.

Khandker says the nation is also in the process of buying two maritime patrol aircraft, as well as two helicopters for peacekeeping missions. The government aims to make all the purchases during the current fiscal year, he adds.

Industry sources say Bangladesh's navy issued the maritime patrol tender in 2009, and note that this follows a previous failed attempt launched in 2004.

The move to buy new fighters is part of a wider effort to modernise the capabilities of the Bangladesh air force. The service operates relatively old Chinese and Russian-sourced equipment, including 40 Chengdu F-7, Nanchang A-5 and RSK MiG-29 fighters, says Flightglobal's MiliCAS database.

Bangladesh Looks to Order Fighters, MPAs in 2010

Flight International reports that Bangladeshi planning minister A.K. Khandker has informed Parliament that the government intends to buy “a squadron” of fighters and 2 maritime patrol aircraft, as part of its 2010 procurement plans. This would be a significant commitment for Bangladesh, whose 2008-2009 defense budget came in at around $1 billion.

Types of aircraft sought were not specified, but dedicated maritime patrol aircraft of any kind would add a new level of capability to the force. The air force’s active fighter roster currently includes Russian MiG-29s (16), and Chinese aircraft: F-7 variants of the MiG-21 (40, but declining), and A-5 attack aircraft (18).

Bangladesh’s most significant neighbor is India, which encompasses the country’s entire border. Relations had become strained over the number of Naxalite Marxist and Islamist groups using Bangladesh as a waypoint and/or base, but a recent diplomatic thaw and set of agreements have improved the relationship.

sumshyam · Post by **sumshyam** » 15 Feb 2010 08:03

U.S. MDA: Laser Plane Shoots Down Test Missile

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency's airborne laser this week achieved a record first when it shot down a ballistic missile launched off the California coast.

The MDA's Airborne Laser Testbed, a Boeing 747 with a massive chemical laser in the nose, took off from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on Feb. 11 and fired its laser at "a short-range threat-representative ballistic missile … launched from an at-sea mobile launch platform," reads a Feb. 11 MDA announcement.

The laser locked on to the missile as it was rising in its boost phase and heated it to the point of "critical structural failure," the MDA statement said.

The agency said this was the first time a laser fired from an airplane in flight has been able to destroy a ballistic missile on the rise.

"This experiment marks the first time a laser weapon has engaged and destroyed an in-flight ballistic missile, and the first time that any system has accomplished it in the missile's boost phase of flight," reads a Feb. 12 Boeing announcement. The laser is the most powerful ever installed on an aircraft, according to the company.

The Airborne Laser (ABL) plane is designed to fly just beyond the range of enemy air defenses and use its laser cannon to shoot down ballistic missiles as they are taking off, which is extremely difficult to do today due to the incredibly high speeds that missiles fly.

"Having the capability to precisely project force, in a measured way, at the speed of light, will save lives," said Michael Rinn, Boeing's ALTB program manager, of the ABL in a Feb. 12 statement.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 18 Feb 2010 20:36

Nice Video of new Su-35 in action (via Flateric )

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 19 Feb 2010 14:53

Latest UK top secret UFO files released,pertaining to late '90s sightings.Intriguing details.video clip here.

http://www.australiandefence.com.au/ind ... 5056B05D57

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 19 Feb 2010 15:55

from wiki:

The missile attains a temporary low altitude orbit only a few minutes after launch. The Guidance System for the missile is an Inertial Guidance System with an additional Star-Sighting system, which is used to correct small positional errors that have accrued during the flight. GPS has been used on some test flights but is assumed not to be available for a real mission.

Once the Star-sighting system has been completed, the missile deploys the multiple independent reentry vehicles as their individual targets come within range. The lateral area coverage of the targets remains classified.
............

The Pentagon proposed the Conventional Trident Modification program in 2006 to diversify its strategic options, as part of a broader long-term strategy to develop worldwide rapid strike capabilities, dubbed "Prompt Global Strike".

The US $503 million program would have converted existing Trident II missiles (presumably two missiles per submarine) into conventional weapons, by fitting them with modified Mk4 reentry vehicles equipped with GPS for navigation update and a reentry guidance and control (trajectory correction) segment to perform 10 m class impact accuracy. No explosive is said to be used since the reentry vehicle's mass and hypersonic impact velocity provide sufficient mechanical energy and "effect". The second conventional warhead version is a fragmentation version that would disperse thousands of tungsten rods which could obliterate an area of 3000 square feet. (appoximately 280 square meters).[6] It offered the promise of accurate conventional strikes with little warning and flight time.

The primary drawback would have been establishing sufficient warning systems so that other nuclear countries would not mistake it for a nuclear launch which could provoke a counterattack. For that reason among others, this project raised a substantial debate before US Congress for the FY07 Defense budget, but also internationally.[7] Then Russian President Vladimir Putin, among others, warned that the project would increase the danger of accidental nuclear war. "The launch of such a missile could ... provoke a full-scale counterattack using strategic nuclear forces," Putin said in May 2006

.[8]

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Feb 2010 22:10

Su-33 averting disaster during landing on Kuznetsov, Lucky Pilot Great Plane ( via keypubs )

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 24 Feb 2010 04:47

F-35 Poised to be Backbone of USAF Fighter Fleet

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 24 Feb 2010 09:06

http://www.popsci.com/technology/articl ... oogle-maps

http://www.popsci.com/content/boneyard

Airavat · Post by **Airavat** » 25 Feb 2010 10:26

Malaysia postpones MRCA deal

Defence Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid said the plan to purchase new multi-role combat aircraft had to be put on hold because of the present unfavourable economic climate. “Maybe, over the next five years, if the global economy is better, we may be able to proceed with the plan,” he added.

The MiG-29N jet fighters (which came into service in April 1995) will not be grounded but will be used for at least another five years.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 25 Feb 2010 11:36

^^^^ It is more sensible for Malaysia to upgrade the Mig-29N to Mig-29UPG standard that IAF has opted for , get the engine replaced by HAL built RD-33 Series 3 and Avionics/EW etc procured from Russia/India.

Its good if HAL proposes such a upgrade to RMAF which will help them generate revenue and provide maintenance and support to their Mig-29 fleet and convert the RMAF Mig-29N to multirole platforms.

We got some experience dealing with RMAF via Su-30MMK deal.

bijeet · Post by **bijeet** » 26 Feb 2010 06:30

Britain is facing £220m bill after pact to rescue Airbus project - Times

The A400M will become the RAF’s workhorse transporter, capable of lifting tanks, troops and even helicopters into battlezones. However, the original €20 billion development cost has blown out to more than €30 billion and the aircraft is 2½ years late.

The A400M’s competitors in the military transporter export market are the C130J Hercules, built by Lockheed Martin, and Boeing’s C17 Globemaster. The C130J is about half the size of the A400M and Airbus hopes that its larger aircraft will prove more popular.

Samar · Post by **Samar** » 26 Feb 2010 21:43

Video showing and Israeli F15 landing with just one wing. Not sure how true it is, but going by the History Channel watermark at the bottom right hand side, it should be a genuine video..

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7bc_1247149725

Samay · Post by **Samay** » 26 Feb 2010 22:10

http://en.rian.ru/video/20100203/157761355.html
Iran satellite launch
look @1:50 onwards,it seems like a scene in a courtyard of the ancient babylon
that country is still living in middle ages

Airavat · Post by **Airavat** » 27 Feb 2010 07:41

US pushing F/A-18 for Brazil's MRCA deal

Brazil's air force is seeking to buy 36 new jet fighters, and will choose between three finalists: France's Rafale, a fighter made by Dassault; the Gripen NG jet from Sweden's Saab; and the F/A-18 Super Hornet from US group Boeing. Brazilian Air Force General Juniti Saito said Tuesday that Brazil will likely designate the winner by the end of March, but did not set a date. But the air force, through leaks in the Brazilian media, has indicated it prefers Sweden's much cheaper Gripen NG jet.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 27 Feb 2010 09:11

Samay wrote:http://en.rian.ru/video/20100203/157761355.html
Iran satellite launch
look @1:50 onwards,it seems like a scene in a courtyard of the ancient babylon
that country is still living in middle ages

The first part seems to me like a single stage solid fuel sounding rocket looking at the speed that booster travels , it certainly has the potential to be converted into long range SAM.

The second one looks like 4 liquid fuel engine clustered together for a potential first stage of SLV ,this has the potential to be converted to full blown ICBM.

Ancient Babylon or not what the Iranians managed to achieve inspite of all that stringent sanctions and build a very competitive Missile and SLV industrial capability is simply amazing.

sumshyam · Post by **sumshyam** » 27 Feb 2010 17:56

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxl-ko7Vd64

Northrop Grumman's Fire Scout Vertical Unmanned Aircraft System (VUAS) demonstrated how the U.S. Army and other land forces could rely on its ability to ferry unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and other logistics items into combat zones during the Army's recent Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE) at Fort Benning, Ga.

Fire Scout demonstrated how the soldier can rely on its multifunctional capability for force protection, reconnaissance surveillance target acquisition (RSTA) and communications relay that only a VUAS of its caliber can provide.

During the AEWE, Fire Scout flew to a named area of interest, surveyed the area to ensure it was clear, and landed autonomously within its pre-planned landing point.

When Fire Scout's on-board skid sensors detected contact with the ground, a command was sent to release the unmanned ground vehicle.

Seconds later, Fire Scout ascended and then loitered at a higher altitude to observe and provide a relay for commands between the UGV and its controller.

"Use of an unmanned system to carry other unmanned systems into battle could improve the speed of operations while protecting U.S. lives," said Al Nikolaus, program manager of land-based Fire Scout at Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector.

"This demonstration provides another example of Fire Scout's maturity, reliability, flexibility, and its ability to operate successfully with currently deployed systems."

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Feb 2010 15:47

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W7p3pBP ... re=related

fanboy video on the SS-18. gotta admit their fanboys make this creepy kind of video quite well

even has CG of a shower of MIRV'ed warheads dropping down and wiping out florida.

SS-18 seems to be a no-compromise soln....wipe off half the enemy in one swoop...size of a PSLV, a
RV the size of a blr apartment....and those creepy TELs moving around in the snow carrying stages
is quite good...another russian speciality the huge MAZ tels

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Feb 2010 21:14

eurocopter makes whisper quiet helicopter blade design

http://www.popsci.com/technology/articl ... h-choppers

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 28 Feb 2010 21:40

buy out those blades for our dhruvs

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 28 Feb 2010 21:54

SaiK wrote:buy out those blades for our dhruvs

Why? Why can't India get into such designs and build them?

Kartik · Post by **Kartik** » 02 Mar 2010 01:14

I wish the IAF responded to the kind of crap articles that DDM routinely writes with this kind of a detailed response. Will make it clear that the IAF will not sit by idly while poorly researched or lifafa articles make the rounds of newpapers. And Australia, with no enemy to worry about, still is so concerned about its defence preparedness- something for us to learn.

Australia's shrinking air force

THE nation's air combat force has withered to its smallest size in a generation, with less than half of the country's fighter jets available for operations.

At times this year as many as three out of four of the RAAF's 86 fighter jets have been grounded due to maintenance, upgrades or safety concerns.

Of those warplanes that are available, only a handful can be sent into combat because they do not yet have sufficient electronic protection to survive against modern air defences.

The Weekend Australian understands that only 21 of the RAAF's 71 F/A-18 Hornets are currently available, while the 15 ageing F-111 strike bombers were only cleared to fly again last week after being grounded early this month when an in-flight emergency forced a safety review.

The parlous state of the frontline air force has added urgency to the arrival of 26 F/A-18 Super Hornets that were purchased for $6 billion by the Howard government and are due to start arriving next month.

RAAF's response:

27 February, 2010
Letter to the Editor – The Australian

The article on Air Force’s air combat aircraft by Cameron Stewart in ‘The Australian’ (Saturday 27 February) is not an accurate reflection of Air Force’s current capability and readiness.

Air Force maintains a potent air combat capability, which will be further boosted within weeks, when the first of RAAF’s next-generation Super Hornets will arrive in Australia.

For obvious reasons Defence does not publicly release availability numbers of air combat aircraft. However, Cameron Stewart’s article may be referring to the period of operational standby over Christmas, when Air Force maintains its normal level of high readiness for short notice tasks, while many of our people including maintainers are taking well earned leave with their families.
The newspaper story made only passing reference to the much publicised Hornet Upgrade (HUG) project. This project is successfully delivering state of the art fighter aircraft which will be ready to operate effectively in the threat environment of the next decade. F/A-18s involved in the upgrade are off-line for a period of time, but this is a staged process to ensure Air Force always maintains sufficient capability to fulfil Government tasking and crew training.
The F-111s are ageing aircraft which have served Australia well, but are now approaching the end of their operational life. Air Force is retiring its F-111s at the end of 2010 and is acquiring a fleet of 24 Super Hornets as an interim replacement for the F-111, before the cutting edge F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is delivered to Australia.

Air Force is experiencing some challenges with the ageing F-111s. Again, it is widely acknowledged that the F-111 is increasingly expensive and difficult to maintain and operate. Despite this, a few uninformed commentators continue to call for F-111 operations to be extended beyond 2010.

The arrival of the first group of Super Hornets next month marks a new chapter for Air Force and a major leap in air combat capability. The Super Hornet is a true multi-role aircraft that, when flown and supported by the high calibre people within Air Force, will ensure Australia’s regional air combat capability edge through to the introduction of the F-35.

Air Marshal Mark Binskin
Chief of Air Force

kmkraoind · Post by **kmkraoind** » 02 Mar 2010 19:49

Russian spacecraft successfully orbits 3 Glonass satellites

Russia currently has a total of 22 Glonass satellites in orbit, but only 16 of them are operational. The system requires 18 operational satellites for continuous navigation services covering the entire territory of Russia and at least 24 satellites to provide navigation services worldwide.

With the increased satellites in orbit, will it cover whole China and India subcontinent?

kmkraoind · Post by **kmkraoind** » 02 Mar 2010 19:52

France to pay Russia $1 billion for 14 Soyuz carrier rockets

Seems like barter, French Mistrals to Soyuz carrier rockets.

vavinash · Post by **vavinash** » 02 Mar 2010 22:23

Hmm So The soyuz costs 70 odd mil per pop. The GSLV-II should be way cheaper at 36-40 mil. Wonder whats the cost of GSLV-III?

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 03 Mar 2010 03:18

Putin: Russia to build new strategic bomber

sumshyam · Post by **sumshyam** » 03 Mar 2010 20:40

ISRO's budget is just three per cent of that of NASA: Chairman K Radhakrishnan

"The success of Chandrayaan-1 prepares the basis for many futuristic missions. Mission planning is being carried out for Chandrayaan-2, Mars orbiter and Aditya, the maiden solar mission to study solar corona," Radhakrishnan said.
According to him, with 15 consecutive successful launches, India's workhorse rocket PSLV is considered the most reliable launchers in its class in the industry.

With the development of GSLV-Mk III rocket, the launch capacity to geo-transfer orbit would be raised to four tonnes which means "an adult elephant being carried to 25,000 kms above the earth".

"The astonishing fact is -- all these were achieved on a stringent shoe-string budget. Our budget for the financial year 2009-10 which also happens to be our highest ever, is just three per cent of NASA's budget for the year 2010," Radhakrishnan said.

Kartik · Post by **Kartik** » 04 Mar 2010 06:04

I didn't see this news posted here before..Why on earth isn't the GoI trying to induce the Malaysians to come to India for servicing their Su-30MKMs or buy spares from HAL when they're almost similar to our MKIs except for the Israeli equipment ? This thing will give the PLAAF a detailed look at the MKM and is also a golden opportunity for them to build a good relationship with the RMAF..something we should have been doing instead.

RMAF Seeks China's Logistic Support For Sukhoi Fighters

"They can help us in many areas, like for parts and maintenance of the SU-30. In fact, Malaysia is also looking into some of the Chinese military products."

The RMAF has 18 Russian made SU-30 fighter jets while China also has large numbers of Russian made fighter jets including the Sukhoi SU-30

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2010 08:27

Cost ? plus Malaysia's desire to build bridges with both.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 04 Mar 2010 12:05

deleted - copyright

sumshyam · Post by **sumshyam** » 04 Mar 2010 17:46

Self-Deleted.

It was already posted in some other thread.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 05 Mar 2010 14:57

Boeing-LM Next Generation Bomber ( NGB ) Model

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 07 Mar 2010 21:03

one of better F-22 Video ( via sferrin )

Chanu · Post by **Chanu** » 08 Mar 2010 03:20

In ngb pic the teddy bear like looking doll has "world needs more c 17b"written on it