International Aerospace Discussion

[svinayak]

http://www.popsci.com/technology/galler ... ure-drones

Gallery: The Complete UAV Field Guide
Know your Reapers from your Global Hawks

Future: Mantis
Ronen Nadir/Bluebird Aero Systems
Class: Autonomous
Habitat: Up to 40,000 feet above any battlefield, disaster site or border, relaying intelligence data back to controllers on the ground
Behavior: All a soldier will have to do to send the self-piloted Mantis on a mission is push a button. From there, it can calculate flight plans, fly around obstacles, and check in with ground controllers when it spots something interesting, like smoke or troop movement. At the end of the mission, it flies home and lands itself. Mantis’s maiden flight went off without a hitch in Australia last October, an astoundingly fast development—it didn’t even exist in 2007. BAE Systems expects it to be ready for sale within two years and hopes to use it as a proving ground for systems in its forthcoming automated stealth bomber, the Taranis.
Notable Feature: Mantis is the first in a new breed of smart drones. A craft that can hone its searches requires less bandwidth than those that constantly stream images. Mantis can also monitor itself for damage—a sputtering engine, for example—and adjust its electronics to complete a mission. It can fly up to 345 miles an hour and operate for up to 36 hours.

[vishal]

Northrop to Drop Bid for Tanker

Extract: The Northrop Grumman Corporation said on Monday that it would not bid for a $40 billion contract to build aerial refueling planes for the Air Force, leaving its rival, Boeing, as the likely winner of one of the Pentagon’s largest contracts.
::
::
And what had been the strength of the previous Northrop and EADS bid — a plane that could carry more fuel and cargo than the Air Force had sought — became a liability as the competition turned into a shootout over which bidder could offer the lower price.

Any chances of new discussions over the tanker the IAF needs? 6 tankers can't be everywhere all the time. Anything to avoid the tanker purchase mutating into an arty-like disaster!

[Airavat]

Cope Tiger 2010

Cope Tiger 2010 is a multilateral exercise in Thailand involving the U.S. Air Force, Royal Thai Air Force and Army, and Republic of Singapore Air Force. U.S. participation is led by 13th Air Force at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii, on behalf of Pacific Air Forces.

The C-17s from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, flew in a three-ship formation to conduct airdrops while under escort of A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from Osan Air Base, South Korea; F-15 Eagles from Elmendorf AFB; and Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons. C-130 Hercules from Yokota AB, Japan, also participated in the mission.

[sumshyam]

Phantom Eye Hydrogen Powered Vehicle Takes Shape

ST. LOUIS: The Boeing Company has begun to build Phantom Eye -- its first unmanned, liquid-hydrogen powered, high altitude long endurance (HALE) demonstrator aircraft.

“The essence of Phantom Eye is its propulsion system,” said Darryl Davis, Boeing Phantom Works president. “After five years of technology development, we are now deploying rapid prototyping to bring together an unmanned aerial vehicle [UAV] with a breakthrough liquid-hydrogen propulsion system that will be ready to fly early next year.”

Phantom Eye’s entire propulsion system -- including the engine, turbo chargers and engine control system -- successfully completed an 80-hour test in an altitude chamber on March 1, clearing the way for the propulsion system and UAV to be assembled.

The twin-engine Phantom Eye demonstrator will have a 150-foot wingspan and be capable of flying for more than four days at altitudes up to 65,000 feet while carrying a payload of up to 450 pounds. Phantom Eye is designed to maintain a persistent presence in the stratosphere over a specific area, while performing missions that could include intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance and communication. Boeing also is developing a largerHALE that will stay aloft for more than 10 days and carry payloads of more than 2,000 pounds, and building “Phantom Ray,” a fighter-sized UAV that will be a flying test bed for advanced technologies.

“We believe Phantom Eye and Phantom Ray represent two areas where the unmanned aerial vehicle market is heading, and rapid prototyping is the key to getting us there,” said Dave Koopersmith, Advanced Boeing Military Aircraft vice president. “These innovative demonstrators reduce technology risks and set the stage for meeting both military and commercial customers’ future needs.”

Phantom Eye evolved from Boeing’s earlier success with the piston-powered Condor that set several records for altitude and endurance in the late 1980s. Boeing, as the Phantom Eye system designer, is working closely with Ball Aerospace, Aurora Flight Sciences, Ford Motor Co. and MAHLE Powertrain to develop the demonstrator.

Phantom Ray evolved from the X-45C program. It is scheduled to make its first flight in December.

[PratikDas]

USAF: Mach 6 Cruise Missile, Ready for Prime Time?
....
If the concept works, It fits neatly with the military’s “prompt global strike” concept. The idea is to develop a new class of conventional weapon that can reach distant targets — say, a weapon of mass destruction, or an enemy command post — and hit it in a hurry. But a conventionally armed ICBM or submarine-launched ballistic missile might not be the ideal solution: You don’t want your global strike mission to be mistaken for a nuclear attack.

Testing the X-51 is a fairly complex thing. First, a B-52 has to carry the WaveRider up to 50,000 feet, and then drop it away. A solid rocket booster will then accelerate the aircraft to about Mach 4.5. After the booster drops, the scramjet is supposed to ignite, taking the WaveRider up to Mach 6.
....

[Samay]

USAF: Mach 6 Cruise Missile, Ready for Prime Time?
....
If the concept works, It fits neatly with the military’s “prompt global strike” concept. The idea is to develop a new class of conventional weapon that can reach distant targets — say, a weapon of mass destruction, or an enemy command post — and hit it in a hurry. But a conventionally armed ICBM or submarine-launched ballistic missile might not be the ideal solution: You don’t want your global strike mission to be mistaken for a nuclear attack.

Testing the X-51 is a fairly complex thing. First, a B-52 has to carry the WaveRider up to 50,000 feet, and then drop it away. A solid rocket booster will then accelerate the aircraft to about Mach 4.5. After the booster drops, the scramjet is supposed to ignite, taking the WaveRider up to Mach 6.
....

I always wondered why they didnt respond to Brahmos these years

[sumshyam]

DoD: F-35 to Breach Nunn-McCurdy Limits by 50%

The F-35 Lightning II strike fighter program will breach the Nunn-McCurdy limits with a cost growth of more than 50 percent from the original 2001 program baseline, said a top Pentagon program evaluator.

Christine Fox, director of DoD's Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, told lawmakers March 11 that the formal declaration of the breach will occur on April 1. She said the Pentagon has known of this since October. That's one month earlier than had previously been reported.

DoD's latest estimates predict that each of the jets slated to be purchased will carry a price tag of between $80 million and $95 million in 2002 dollars. That's $95 million and $113 million in 2009 dollars, respectively.

In 2001, the DoD pegged the cost per Joint Strike Fighter at $50.2 million apiece for 2,852 jets. The Pentagon updated that estimate to $69.2 million in 2007 for a planned order of 2,443 jets.

The Pentagon expects to have a final estimate on the plane's cost ready in early June, when it completes the Nunn-McCurdy re-certification package, Fox told the Senate Armed Services committee during a hearing.

Fox compared the F-35 program to earlier Pentagon aircraft that ultimately produced planes that are "valuable to DoD," such as the C-17 and the F-22. She noted that F-22 "repeatedly failed to meet key performance, schedule, and cost goals throughout its development program," yet Lockheed Martin was ultimately able to produce "a capable aircraft."

Ashton Carter, defense undersecretary for acquisition, technology, and logistics, said at the hearing that the Initial Operational Capability dates for the U.S. Air Force and Navy F-35 have been shifted to 2016, a three- and two-year delay respectively. The Marine Corps date remains 2012, he said.

The Marine aircraft will use Block 2 software, whereas the Navy and Air Force jets will use the Block 3 version.

Carter said Air Force Secretary Michael Donley would inform Congress of the breach within days.

[sumshyam]

USAF To Launch 4 'First-of' Sats in 2010

Four "first of" satellites are scheduled to be launched in 2010, said Gary Payton, deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for space programs:

■ The first Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) communications satellite.

■ The first Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) satellite.

■ The first new-generation Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite.

■ And the first Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) satellite.

"It appears that space programs have finally turned the corner," said Sen. Ben Nelson, chairman of the Senate Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee.

Well, that's one way to look at it. But the Government Accountability Office has a different perspective.

The four launches planned for this year come only after years of enormous cost increases, delivery delays, design problems and oversight and management weaknesses, the GAO reported to Nelson's subcommittee March 10.

AEHF, for example, is five years behind schedule now, the GAO says. An AEHF satellite is scheduled to be launched in September. A $5.6 billion program when it began in 2001, AEHF now will cost about twice that much and yield one less satellite, the GAO reported.

The new global positioning system satellite, GPS IIF, is 3½ years late and will cost $1.7 billion instead of the $730 million agreed upon when work on it began a decade ago, the GAO said.

SBSS has morphed from an $885 million program to a $3 billion behemoth that is three years late and one satellite short.

ORS 1, the first in a class of operationally responsive satellites that are supposed to be ready to pop promptly into space to meet current military needs, is taking 24 months to build and launch.

And those are just the four satellites the Air Force is touting as 2010 successes.

There is also the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), a group of four infrared satellites designed to warn of missile launches and perform other reconnaissance operations. This 1996 program has ballooned from about $ 2 billion to more than $13.6 billion today. A Lockheed Martin-Northrop Grumman effort, SBIRS is eight years late. Two satellites have been launched so far, but hardware defects have since been discovered on the first one, the GAO said.

And there's MUOS, the Navy's mobile user objective system, an array of five communications satellites that are intended to supply the U.S. military with cell phone-like communications capabilities around the world.

MUOS is now 21 months late, creating the possibility for communications degradation after next January, the GAO said. MUOS costs, though, have fallen slightly. They remain in the $1 billion neighborhood.

It took relatively rare action by the Defense Department to get to this relatively improved state in its satellite programs: The department killed programs that were performing even worse, said Cristina Chaplain, GAO's director of acquisition and sourcing management.

A year ago, Defense Secretary Robert Gates pulled the plug on TSAT, the transformational communications satellite. Air Force officials said the program's $26 billion price tag and technical complexity was led to its downfall. That the 6-year-old program was already four years late didn't help.

That and other cancellations "alleviated competition for funding and may have allowed the Defense Department to focus on fixing problems and implementing reforms rather than taking on new, complex and potentially higher-risk efforts," Chaplain said.

Improvements to the satellite programs have not solved all of the military's woes with space.

An emerging problem is rising launch costs. The coming retirement of U.S. space shuttles this year and the proposed cancellation of Constellation program, the shuttles' follow-on, seem certain to push launch costs up, said Sen. David Vitter, R-La.

With NASA cutting back as a buyer of solid rocket motors and other propulsion systems, the cost of those systems could double, Payton said.

Other factors are also pushing launch costs up. The supply of rockets already in inventory is being depleted, meaning that new ones will have to be bought. But fewer annual buys are pushing costs up, Payton said.

There are fewer commercial customers, which is causing the subcontractor business base to deteriorate, and that is pushing costs up.

On the other hand, President Barack Obama's proposal in the 2011 budget to rely more on commercial vendors to launch satellites and eventually astronauts into space, could spark new research and development into liquid fuel engines, said Gen. Robert Kehler, chief of the Air Force Space Command. That could be "a good opportunity" for the Air Force, he said.

[Austin]

Seems like new Targeting System is developed for Su-24 and Tu-22M3 bomber

from janes

Russian Air Force aircraft used a new generation of precision guided munitions (PGMs) during the joint Russian/Belarusian Zapad-09 military exercises, which concluded on 29 September.

Russian sources note that, for the first time, Tupolev Tu-22M3 'Backfire-C' bombers and Sukhoi Su-24M2 'Fencer-D' attack aircraft delivered weapons using the SVP-24 targeting system.

This indicates that Russia's air force is finally introducing 'JDAM-type' satellite-guided bombs, some 15 years after the first Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) were trialled by the US.

The SVP-24 (Spetsializirovannaya Vychislitelnaya Podsystema, specialised precision targeting subsystem) is part of a weapons system upgrade developed by the Russian firm Gefest IT. Based at Zhukhovsky, Gefest IT has emerged over the last 10 years as the upgrade centre for Russia's own combat aircraft.

The SVP-24 was originally developed for the Su-24 but the core system has since been applied to a number of other aircraft, including the SVP-24-22 upgrade for the Tu-22M3. The SVP-24 is specifically designed to integrate satellite-guided weapons and the manufacturer notes it can be used with either the Russian GLONASS or US GPS satellite systems.

The types of weapons delivered during Zapad-09 have not been identified, but there is only a handful of candidates. Russia has been very slow to deploy any satellite guided-munitions, mainly because its air force had few modernised aircraft that could carry them. The original SVP-24 flight test programme for upgraded Russian Air Force Su-24s dates back to the late 1990s but only now are the first operational aircraft being cleared for service

SVP-24-22 at a stand during Maks 2009 ( via keypubs )

[Gerard]

Price of Lockheed's F-35 fighter soars

The average cost of Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon's costliest arms purchase yet, will soar more than 50 percent above what was projected when its development began nine years ago, the Pentagon's top arms buyer told Congress.

[Singha]

good german docu on Tornado training in goose bay, kanada.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q03JF6oPdzk

very demanding lo-lo-lo flying...luftwaffe seems like a serious af who
doesnt cut korners.

[Craig Alpert]

Aging Aircraft: Cracks in USA’s F/A-18 fleet

F-18C CVN-76
F/A-18C to Afghanistan
(click to view full)

Earlier in October 2008, a fleet-wide inspection program and limited grounding became necessary after aileron hinge cracks are discovered in some of the US Navy’s 630 or so F/A-18 A-D Hornet fighters. In March 2010, discovery of new cracks led to a much wider grounding.

The USA’s is watching the average age of its fighter fleet rise, and will continue to do so even if all F-22s and F-35s envisioned in current Pentagon plans are purchased. “Aging Aircraft: USAF F-15 Fleet Grounded” covered the long saga of the USA’s F-15A-D fleet, which culminated in early retirement for a number of its aircraft. The A-10C re-winging program acquired added urgency with the revelation that wing cracks had been found in active aircraft. Now the US Navy’s long-serving F/A-18A-D Hornet fleet can be added to the list…..........

[Gerard]

SpaceX says Falcon 9 rocket test fire is a success

Saturday's 3.5-second 'static' firing of the Falcon's nine kerosene and liquid oxygen-burning motors took place on a refurbished oceanside launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It followed an earlier firing test aborted last week due to an improperly configured valve.

[Gerard]

Secret Military Space Plane Primed For Test Launch

A secretive military spacecraft resembling a small space shuttle orbiter is undergoing final processing in Florida for launch on April 19.

The reusable spacecraft is more famously known as the X-37B. The design is based on the orbital and re-entry demonstrator initially developed by NASA, then handed over to the Pentagon.

[Craig Alpert]

Lockheed Martin Delivers Innovative Full-Motion Video Intelligence System to USJFCOM

[kmkraoind]

Russian Firm to Bid on Air Force Tanker Program

[Sudip]

Aircraft for COIN operations

JFCOM’s Mattis Pushes Light IW Aircraft

The sought after design falls somewhere between the Vietnam era OV-10 Bronco and A-1 Skyraider. It must stay aloft for a long time for surveillance needs but also have the punch to provide precise fire support when needed; a true “over the shoulder” aircraft for small ground units doing distributed operations in remote locations.

As he diplomatically puts it: “Today’s approach of loitering multi-million dollar aircraft and using a system of systems procedure for the approval and employment of airpower is not the most effective use of aviation fires in this irregular fight,”

[sumshyam]

Eurocopter Unit Opens New Factory In Brazil

Brazil - Helibras, the Brazilian unit of EADS's Eurocopter, broke ground March 19 on a new $400 million facility in Brazil that will play a larger role in manufacturing and design.

Eurocopter president and chief executive Lutz Bertling said the expansion "increases the engineering capacity of Helibras so that it can completely make helicopters in Brazil."

The new facility would contribute to a government strategy to become more self-reliant in the defense sector, Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said.

"This is a starting point so that 10 years from now, the country will have the largest production of helicopters that is totally Brazilian," he said.

The number of jobs at the facility will double to 700 as Helibras gears up to produce the EC-725, the most recent version of the Cougar helicopter - a contract worth some $3 billion.

The first of these will be built by Eurocopter in France and delivered to Brazil later this year, the company said.

[sumshyam]

Australia Unruffled By F-35 Delays

SYDNEY - Australia's minister for defense, Sen. John Faulkner, is unruffled by the latest cost and schedule difficulties afflicting the Joint Strike Fighter program. And senior defense officials in Canberra say they believe that Australia's plans to acquire up to 100 F-35A Lightning II aircraft aren't much affected by the JSF project's cost overruns.

"As with all highly complex and cutting-edge projects, risks are to be expected," Faulkner said. "The Australian government's staged acquisition strategy for the JSF includes significant cost and schedule buffers to deal with project risks which will ensure initial operational capability in 2018 is met."

The F-35s will replace the RAAF's 24 F-111C strike aircraft, which are due to retire at the end of this year, and its 71 "classic" F/A-18 Hornet fighters.

[sumshyam]

Russian State Firm: We'll Bid for USAF Tanker

Russian state-owned aerospace group United Aircraft Corp. plans to bid for a U.S. Air Force tanker contract, teaming up with a U.S. partner, a lawyer representing UAC said March 19.

"They're going to announce Monday [March 22] a joint venture with an American company to bid on the tanker program," attorney John Kirkland said.

Kirkland said the bid would be based on the Ilyushin Il-96, a four-engine airliner.

Asked about the UAC announcement, DoD spokewoman Cheryl Irwin said, "We welcome all qualified bidders." Asked whether the Russian firm was qualified, she said, "I don't know."

Boeing is the only company that has announced it will bid for the $35 billion contract to supply the Air Force with 179 aerial refueling tankers.

EADS, the parent of Boeing's arch-rival Airbus, said it was considering a bid for the contract after the Pentagon signaled a flexible deadline to accommodate the European aerospace giant.

Just last week EADS was forced to withdraw from the bidding after its lead partner, U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman, refused to compete, alleging the requirements unfairly were skewed toward Boeing's smaller aircraft.

UAC was launched in 2006 under the administration of then-president Vladimir Putin.

The UAC move Friday coincided with talks in Moscow between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Putin, the Russian prime minister.

Putin lamented that bilateral trade had plummeted $20 billion in 2009 to $16 billion as a result of the economic crisis, although he said the economic potential of the U.S.-Russia partnership remained high.

"I appreciate you raising the economic relationship because we are committed to broadening and deepening ties between our two economies, our business leaders and investors," Clinton said.

[Austin]

^^^ Thats going to ruffle some feathers at pentagon and some lawmaker and congressmen will make big noise about this.

[Gerard]

US lift symbolic sanctions against Russian space firm

Washington has lifted sanctions against Russian space company Glavkosmos, imposed in response to missile collaboration with Iran. The sanctions were merely symbolic, since the firm did not do business in the US.

Earlier sanctions against Glavkosmos were imposed by the US in 1992 due to its supply of rocket engines to India. Those were lifted three years later.

[Craig Alpert]

Lockheed Martin F-35B JSF Succeeds in First Vertical Landing

..................

Features of F-35B:

Length: 51.3 ft

Height: 14.1 ft

Wingspan: 35.0 ft

Wing area: 460 ft

Horizontal tail span: 22 ft

Weight empty: 32,000 lb

Max Weight: 60,000 lb class

Internal fuel: 14,000 + lbs

Speed: 1.6 Mach

Range: 900 nmi

Combat Radius: 500 nmi

Engine Thrust: 40,000 lb (with after burner)

[sumshyam]

GAO Proposals on F-35 Parallel Pentagon Steps

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released March 19 examining the cost growth and schedule delays afflicting the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter agrees with the steps the Pentagon has already begun to take to get the program back on track.

The 54-page report first calls for the Defense Department to implement a top-to-bottom review of program costs - from the jet's inception throughout its operational life - so that it can accurately budget for the plane. Pentagon acquisition chief Ashton Carter announced March 11 that such a move was already underway and would be completed by June.

The GAO goes on to recommend that the Pentagon "reassess warfighter requirements and, if necessary, defer some compatibilities to future increments" of the jet. Pentagon officials agreed with the GAO's findings in the report's comments section, noting how U.S. operators of the jet are reviewing their initial operational capability (IOC) dates for the F-35.

Carter announced that the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy have indeed slipped their IOC dates for the jet to 2016, a delay of three years for the Air Force and two years for the Navy.

The report urges DoD to explain to lawmakers how it plans to mitigate future cost hikes in the program and what are the merits of using a cost-reimbursable - often known as cost-plus - contract structure versus fixed-price contracts for early buys of the jet. DoD also should explain how the Pentagon plans to transition from cost-plus contracts to a fixed-price structure, the report says.

The Defense Department responded by saying cost-reimbursable contracts for early jets "provide the best balance of cost and risk," adding that it plans to move toward "fixed-price incentive contracts as soon as possible and earlier than expected."

[sumshyam]

Taiwan Compensated For Flaws In Mirage Jets

TAIPEI - Taiwan's air force said March 21 that it had received more than $3 million worth of parts and maintenance service because of a flaw in the island's French-made Mirage fighter fleet.

The Air Force had been effectively compensated in November over cracks in the blades of several Mirage engines, which had prompted the Air Force to reduce the time of training and various flight missions for the fleet.

"Since then, the combat readiness rate of the Mirage fleet has rebounded to reach the standards targeted by the defense ministry," the air force said.

Dassault Aviation makes the jet, but it was another firm responsible for the engines that paid the costs, the Air Force said, without elaborating.

I just hope that India could also have got its claimed amount for trainer..!

[sumshyam]

Russia's UAC Denies Tanker Interest; U.S. Lawyer Hits Back at Denials

[Singha]

giant hires photo of spaceshiptwo and whitenighttwo tested yesterday. this is the model that is expected to
take paying passengers to space. around 2000 when I first heard of the idea of space tourists using pvt funds,
I was a total rotflmao, but was I wrong!

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Compo ... -1245p.jpg

[Kartik]

Canada on the verge of a fighter competition to replace its CF-18 Hornets.

Canada needs to update its aging fleet of CF-18s, but when will Ottawa get around to it?

[Kartik]

First T-129 attack helicopter prototype crashes during a test flight in Italy. Both pilots were seriously injured, but they survived and were taken to a hospital. Looks like it lost its tail rotor in flight.

There had been reports that Pakistan was evaluating this helicopter. cannot imagine what would've happened if it was the LCH.

This was the only flying prototype, though 2 more were scheduled to be assembled by this year end. That means that the development schedule will definitely be affected and be pushed back till one of the two in build prototypes is readied.

T-129 helicopter crashes in Italy

[Sudip]

Cyber Hackers Target UK

The ISC blamed the attacks on government-backed hackers from China and Russia and even said that Islamist terrorists were also behind some of the attacks.

“There is no doubt some state actors have sucked out huge amounts of intellectual copyright, designs to whole aero engines, things that have taken years and years of development.”

[sumshyam]

Gates: Veto Needed If C-17, 2nd JSF Engine Funded

"I am fully aware of the political pressure to continue building the C-17 and proceed with an alternate engine for the F-35," Gates told the panel. "So let me be very clear: I will strongly recommend that the president veto any legislation that sustains the unnecessary continuation of these two programs."

[PratikDas]

Russian bombers 'intercepted in British airspace'

London, England (CNN) -- Rare photos of Russian strategic bomber jets purportedly intercepted in British airspace show Moscow's war machine is becoming increasingly bold, analysts said Thursday as Russia denied any territorial violations.

Britain's Ministry of Defence released images it said were taken earlier this month of two Russian Tu-160 bombers -- known as Blackjacks by NATO forces -- as they entered UK airspace near the Outer Hebrides islands off Scotland's northwest coast.

...

"The Tornados shadowed the Russians as they flew south, then the Blackjacks turned north, just short of the Northern Ireland coast, and eventually left UK airspace," the statement said.

"After four hours, the Tornado crews stood down and returned to Leuchars."

...

Russian military authorities on Thursday confirmed their aircraft had been in the area, but denied any violation of British airspace.

"Our planes fly in strict accordance with the international rules government the use of airspace over neutral waters without violating the borders of foreign countries," Defense Ministry spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Vladimir Drik told CNN.

"The routine flights by the Tu-160 missile carriers took place in accordance with those conditions on March 10. They did not violate British airspace, and objective control materials confirm that."

[Kartik]

Denmark will be delaying its fighter decision due to delays and cost escalations in the F-35 program. Saab will hope that further delays occur that may allow it to re-pitch the Gripen NG to Denmark. And since Denmark is retiring 18 F-16s and upgrading 30 F-16s, I'd keep an eye out for the Pakis trying to purchase these 18 F-16s, putting them through an upgrade at US' expense and inducting them to use them for another 10-15 years or so.

Denmark delays fighter decision

Denmark Delays Fighter Purchase up to 4 Years
By JOHN REED
Published: 24 Mar 2010 19:02 Print | Email
Denmark has put off a decision on buying a replacement fighter for the nation's aging F-16 fleet until as late as 2014 following a decision to retire 18 of its current F-16 Falcons and extend the service lives of its 30 remaining F-16s past 2016, a Danish defense official said in a March 24 e-mail.

Denmark was on track to choose a new fighter to replace its 48 F-16s with F-35 Joints Strike Fighters, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets or Saab Gripens in 2009. That decision was recently pushed to 2010 as concerns mounted about delays and cost overruns in the F-35 program.

In light of the retirements however, an "updated evaluation now indicates that prolonged usage of the F-16's is possible for a limited number of years beyond 2016," reads the e-mail. "On that background, the Danish Government has deemed it appropriate to postpone the procurement of new combat aircraft for 2-4 years."

Despite this delay, Denmark will remain a JSF partner, the official said.

[Kartik]

Romania has opted to buy 24 refurbished second-hand F-16 Block 25s from the USAF for $1.3 billion alongwith training/simulators/infrastructure/3-5 years parts warranty..and then later on plans to buy 24 F-16 Block 50/52s and in the final phase plans to buy 24 F-35s..

so it looks like LM pulled off the trick it was trying to play in India..that the F-16 is the lead-in to the F-35.

not too cheap one must say for aircraft with 3000 hours left on their airframe..and to think that we thought that 12 Mirage-2000-5s and their MICA missiles from Qatar at $600 million were exhorbitant despite having nearly 70% of their service life intact.

link

Press Release
(Source: Romanian Ministry of Defence; issued March 24, 2010)
(Issued in Romanian only; unofficial translation by defense-aerospace.com)

Romania has finally opted for a mix of used and new F-16s to replace its MiG-21 Lancer fighters, and hopes to eventually move up to the F-35 JSF. (Romanian MoD photo)National Defense Minister Gabriel Oprea presented, during the meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) held on March 23, 2010, a statement on the Multirole Aircraft Program of the Romanian Air Force.

Given that Romania does not have the financial resources necessary for the acquisition of new multirole aircraft, CSAT has approved the Defence Ministry’s proposal to acquire 24 used F-16 aircraft. The proposal will be submitted for discussion and approval by the Romanian Parliament. The proposal to purchase F-16 aircraft was made by the Romanian Air Force’s General Staff, and is based on an in-depth analysis of the missions which the aircraft is required to carry out, and on the long-term strategy to integrate the fighter aircraft into this category of forces.

Minister Gabriel Oprea also presented CSAT members with information regarding the implications of the retirement, in coming years, of the MiG-21 LanceR fighter aircraft which currently equip the Romanian Air Force.

The implementation of the Multirole Aircraft Program is part of the strategic partnership between Romania and the United States of America, and the option to purchase F-16 aircraft is part of the Air Force Staff’s strategy of gradually developing operational capabilities, with the ultimate goal of acquiring the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

In this respect, the strategy set out the following steps:
- An initial stage involving the acquisition of 24 used F-16 Block 25 aircraft;
- An intermediate stage involving the acquisition of an additional 24, new-build F-16 aircraft of the Block 50-52 version;
--A final phase involving the service introduction of 24 F-35 JSF aircraft, which will replace the first batch of F-16 aircraft originally purchased....

The purchase of used F-16 aircraft will be subject to an agreement between the governments of Romania and the United States. Project value is approximately US $ 1.3 billion, broken down as follows: 24 refurbished, updated and fully equipped aircraft; technical assistance for a period of 3-5 years; and a logistic support package including flight simulators, training, transport, adaptation of ground infrastructure, ammunition, weapons and administrative costs.

Personnel training will be carried out in the United States to U.S. Air Force standards, to achieve the required operational level and the full implementation of this system’s capabilities.

The aircraft to be purchased by Romania are in service with the US Air Force, and have a remaining lifetime estimated at 10 to 15 years since (2500 to 3500 flight hours per aircraft.)

The first aircraft will arrive in Romania in 2013.

[Kartik]

First Super Hornets arrive in Australia.

link

[Austin]

Putin on Tu-160 Blackjack in 2005 , Kh-555 was launched from one of Tu-160s, flying alongside that one that Putin was flying in ( via Flateric )

[Austin]

This is fun to read

F-35 JSF: See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Do No Good

[ArmenT]

Ultimate wing-loading test
http://jalopnik.com/5504530/boeing-787- ... -load-test
Boeing 787 Dreamliner undergoing a wing load test of 150% of service load. Note that the wing tips are bent in an arc around the plane. The carbon-fiber wings underwent 25 feet of deflection without failing

[Brando]

Northrop Grumman releases X47 UCAS pic: here

[Gerard]

US test-fires Trident missile in drill with Saudis

The Trident missile launch was carried out in the kingdom, the official said, but he would not give a precise location. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.