Wednesday
Bell Is building a New Demonstrator Helicopter OH-58D Kiowa Warrior
Inside Bell's Xworx advanced programmes group, a re-acquired 206B1 JetRanger is being heavily modified. First, the aircraft will be converted into the OH-58D design on which the 206B is based.
With the extra power, Bell's Xworx team hopes to show the army that the OH-58D can be upgraded to meet the army's potential demand for an aircraft that can hover out of ground effect at 6,000ft on a 35ºC (95ºF) day.
Michael Miller, executive director of Bell's military aircraft operations, believes the engine upgrade will allow the Kiowa Warrior to meet the army's target for hover at altitude. However, integrating a more powerful engine may not help the helicopter achieve the army's possible endurance goal of 2h45min.
"I don't think it will hit that" performance target, Miller says.
But Bell wants to prove that the OH-58D has the growth capacity to approach the army's emerging needs for a more powerful scout helicopter.
Integrating the HTS900-2 engine requires other major changes for the OH-58D, Miller says. For the demonstrator, Xworx is integrating the transmission from the 407 and the tail rotor from the 427 helicopters. The engine cowling for the HTS900-2 also is significantly larger.
Miller declined to provide a timeline for first flight of the demonstrator. A tour of the aircraft on the shop floor at Xworx showed that the cabin structure is nearly complete, but the engine, power system and cockpit systems have not yet been integrated.
The full-scale demonstrator - a first for Bell in several years - will join several candidates for a possible future army contract.
The army is still considering options for an armed aerial scout (AAS) helicopter that may replace the OH-58D. An analysis of alternatives is scheduled to be completed by April 2011.
The Kiowa Warrior remains in heavy demand in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, but the type's limits are showing. The OH-58D was introduced in the early 1980s as an interim scout helicopter, but two attempts to replace it with the RAH-66 Comanche and ARH-70 Arapaho have failed.
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China’s 5th generation Stealth Fighter Program
While the Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi is flight testing its T-50 PAKFA–the world is watching the tests very closely.
Analysts are surprised that China too is testing its 5th generation aircraft (which it calls 4th generation). Beijing thinks that the F-22 is a 4th generation aircraft while the West considers it a 5th generation stealth fighter. With $30 Billion China building J-xx 5th generation fighter.
Shenyang J-XX: J-12, J-13, F-XX, J-XX (or J-X or XXJ) is a name applied by Western intelligence sources to describe a programme or programmes by the People’s Republic of China to develop one or more new fourth- or fifth-generation fighter aircraft. In 2002,Jane’s Defence Weekly reported that Shenyang Aircraft Corporation had been selected to head research and development of the new fighter, a claim repeated in New Scientist the same week. However, a 2006 article in Military Technology referred to three designs; J-12 & J-14 by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and J-13 by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation.
According to the report from Jane’s, development of the subsystems, including the engine and weapon suite for the next generation fighter, has been under way for some time.
If we ignore the war of nomenclature–the fact remains that Chinese are at par with or possibly ahead of the Russian stealth race.
As for the Chinese 5th generation fighter (or 4th generation as they call it), it has always been a battle between SAC and CAC. We’ve received a lot of mixed/contradictory news over the so called J-XX in the past few years. People first speculated that it will be developed by SAC due to the model they saw in Zhuhai 2002.
By 2007, we started to receive news that CAC’s design was actually awarded the contract. At the same time, many people also certainly speculated that China was going to join this project for the longest time, but that never happened. I think that China knew what was at the stake in such a cooperation. They would likely get an offer from the Russians for ToT and some development work. Although, the Russians would freeze the design according to their needs and keep some of the trade secrets to themselves.
China Close To Test 5th Gen Fighter–usually tagged as F-XX, but some call it by the moniker J-14.
A Chinese fighter of nominally the same technology generation as the Lockheed Martin F-22 will soon enter flight testing, while a jet airlifter larger than the Airbus A400M should be unveiled by year-end.
Beijing’s fighter announcement suggests a serious failing in U.S. intelligence assessments, mocking a July 16 statement of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates that China would have no fifth-generation fighters by 2020. Industrial competition looks more remote than strategic competition, however, since China will want to fill domestic requirements before offering the aircraft abroad, even if it judges export sales to be a wise policy.
The new fighter “is currently under development,” says Gen. He Weirong, deputy air force chief. “[It] may soon undertake its first flight, quickly enter flight testing and then quickly equip the forces.
“According to the current situation, [the entry into service] may take another eight to 10 years,” he adds.
No details of the aircraft were given, but it is almost certainly designed for supersonic cruise without afterburning. In April, Adm. Wu Shengli, the navy chief, listed supercruising fighters among equipment that his service needed. Notably, all the other equipment on his wish list looked quite achievable by the end of the next decade, matching the timing that the air force now suggests for the fighter.
China classifies aircraft of the F-22’s technology level as fourth-generation fighters, although they are called fifth- generation aircraft in the West. China’s current advanced fighter, the J-10, is locally called a third-generation aircraft, which in Chinese terms means that it is comparable with the Lockheed Martin F-16.
Work on “the fourth-generation aircraft is now proceeding intensely,” He says.
Whether the upcoming fighter is really comparable with the F-22 remains to be seen. Low radar reflectivity would not be surprising, since aircraft and missiles with stealthy shapes are now popping up in many countries, including South Korea as recently as last month (AW&ST Oct. 26-Nov. 2, p. 42). But sensor performance, information fusion and maximum supercruise speed would also be assessed critically in measuring a claim to have caught up with technology levels that the U.S. did not deploy until 2005.
The existence of a Chinese fifth-generation fighter, usually tagged J-XX, has been rumored for years without official confirmation.
If the aircraft does go into service before 2020, then at that time China may well have jumped past Britain, France and other Western European countries in terms of deployed, domestically developed combat-aircraft technology. That will depend on how quickly those countries move to field combat drones to replace current strike aircraft, says Andrew Brookes of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Brookes takes seriously the Chinese objective of technology equivalent to the F-22, and he sees no reason to doubt that the F-22 would be the standard against which they would judge their design. The know-how can be imported.
“The Russians have the technology and the Chinese have the money,” he says. “If they really set that as a target, then I think they can do it.”
The aircraft may not bother Western manufacturers in export markets, Brookes suggests, simply because an equivalent of the F-22 would be a destabilizing export that China would be prefer to keep to itself.
Even if China decides that it wants to export the fighter, Lockheed Martin should by then be well entrenched with the F-35, which should be mature and reliable at that point. Other manufactures may not be so well placed, however.
Gen. He made his remarks during an interview on China Central Television as part of the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the air force of the People’s Republic of China.
China is probably working on two fifth-generation concepts, says Richard Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center. One of those concepts, appearing most commonly in bits and pieces of evidence that have turned up from time to time, would be a heavy twin-engine fighter probably of about the same size as the F-22. The other is a single-engine aircraft probably closer to the Lockheed Martin F-35.
Gen. He could be referring to either of the aircraft when predicting an entry into service during the next decade. Fisher’s bet is that he is talking about the twin-engine concept.
Like Brookes, Fisher believes China is realistically aiming at the F-22’s technology level. “One has to assume that the People’s Liberation Army is confident in its projections, as it almost never makes such comments about future military programs, especially one that has been as closely held as its next-generation fighter.
“As such, one has to be asking very hard questions: How did the U.S. intelligence community get this one wrong? And inasmuch as no one expects the F-35 to replace the F-22 in the air superiority role, is it time to acknowledge that F-22 production termination is premature and that a much higher number is needed to sustain deterrence in Asia?”
In his July 16 speech, Gates said that even in 2025 China would have but a handful of fifth-generation aircraft.
The new Chinese fighter could come from the Chengdu or Shenyang plants of Avic Defense.
Gen. He says the Chinese air force plans to emphasize development of four capabilities: reconnaissance and early warning, air strike, strategic supply, and air and missile defense.
The J-10 began large-scale service entry in 2006, state media say.
When Wu raised the prospect of a supercruising fighter, an easy answer seemed to be an advanced version of the J-10. That looks less likely now that He describes the future concept as a full generation ahead of the J-10.
“I believe the Chinese have a difficult road if their design is tied to the J-10,” says a U.S. Air Force officer involved in the development of the F-35. “Significantly reduced signature requires more than coatings. It requires an integrated design philosophy with the right shaping, the right structure and the right surface coatings.”
Fisher assumes that China is developing improved fourth-generation fighters in parallel with the fifth generation.
The existence of the airlifter has been known for several years, if only because pictures of it have appeared fleetingly in presentations by the Chinese aviation conglomerate Avic.
As expected, it turns out to be a product of Avic’s large-airplane subsidiary, Avic Aircraft and, more specifically, of the subsidiary’s core plant, Xi’an Aircraft.
Avic Aircraft General Manager Hu Xiaofeng says the airlifter is in the 200-metric-ton class and will be unveiled at the end of this year.
In fact, its design has already unveiled in pictures shown by state media. The four-engine aircraft adopts the universal high-wing, T-tail configuration. The wing is mounted on top of the circular body, rather than passing through a deep segment of it and cutting out much of the usable cross-section. In that respect it is like the A400M, Ilyushin Il-76 and Kawasaki C-X but unlike the C-17, whose embedded wing presents less frontal area.
The main gear of the Chinese aircraft is housed in very protuberant sponsons, like those of the C-17.
A photograph of the cockpit shows five electronic displays of moderate size and conventional transport-style control columns. Engines are not revealed but would presumably be imported from Russia. A wind-tunnel model shows the engines are enclosed in long nacelles, like those of the Perm PS-90 from Russia.
The PS-90 has a standard maximum thrust of 35,300 lb. in its latest version. The C-17, with a gross weight of 265 tons, is powered by four Pratt & Whitney F117 engines of 40,400 lb. thrust.
The airlifter’s fuselage appears to be of conventional metal construction. The aircraft will be significantly larger than the A400M, which has a 141-metric-ton gross weight.
Hu says it has been independently developed in China. However, his parent company, Avic, has a long history of cooperation with Ukrainian airlifter specialist Antonov.China Close To Testing Next-Gen Fighter | AVIATION WEEK
So, why did China not cooperate with the Russians. I think China realizes that it has enough aerospace technology base to be able to develop a true 5th generation fighter. At the same time, the Russians would always be the primary partner in such a project. It would be hard to imagine China wanting to act second-fiddle and be locked out of a large part of the development process and some of the advanced technologies. By working with the Russians, China would not only pay a majority of the development but also continuously pay Russians for certain parts of the frame, maintenance/repairs, extra supplies of the engine and maybe even missile/avionics cost. In the end, China has enough faith in AVIC1 to be able to develop this fighter.
On November 9, General He Weirong, deputy commander of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), confirmed long-standing speculations that the PLAAF is developing fifth-generation fighters (fourth-generation in Chinese standard), which may be in service within 8 to 10 years, and certainly by 2020. During an interview with state-owned China Central Television (CCTV) two days ahead of the 60th anniversary of the PLAAF on November 11, Deputy Commander He announced that the next-generation fighter would soon undergo its first flight, closely followed by flight trials (Xinhua News Agency, November 9). The senior military officer’s disclosure reflects the considerable progress that the PLAAF has made in force modernization, which has exceeded Western expectations in terms of the pace of development and the capabilities of its defense industrial base. While China remains several steps behind the United States in operationalizing its advanced fighter jets, the PLA’s rapid military modernization has raised concerns among U.S. allies in the region that the military balance is beginning to tilt toward China’s favor.
In an interview with Global Times, PLAAF Commander Xu Qiliang stated, “superiority in space and in air would mean, to a certain extent, superiority over the land and the oceans” (Global Times, November 2), thereby highlighting the PLAAF’s position in Chinese military planning. At an event commemorating the PLAAF’s 60th anniversary, President Hu Jintao heralded a “new chapter” in the development of the PLAAF (Global Times, November 10).
China’s fifth-generation fighters will reportedly have 4S capabilities: stealth, super cruise, super maneuverability and short take-off. According to Air Force Colonel Dai Xu, “its most striking characteristic is the capability of invisibility, which also could be called low detectability” (Global Times, November 10). The U.S. F-22 Raptor serves as the gold standard of fifth-generation fighters, which is currently the only fifth-generation fighter in service among all the world’s armed forces. According to General He’s interview, Chengdu Aircraft, the country’s leading fighter manufacturer, is reportedly developing the fighter with Shenyang Aircraft (Xinhua News Agency, November 9).
General He’s startling revelation that the next-generation fighter may be in service by 2020 stands in stark contrast to the Chinese habit of closely guarding its military capabilities, yet consistent with a recent trend that reflects the Chinese Armed Force’s growing confidence in its military strength. During an interview with the official Xinhua News Agency back in September, Defense Minister Liang Guanglie proclaimed that, “Our [China’s] capabilities in waging defensive combat under modern conditions have taken a quantum leap … It could be said that China has basically all the kinds of equipment possessed by Western countries, much of which reaches or approaches advanced world standards” (Xinhua News Agency, September 21),.
Indeed, an ongoing survey conducted by Global Times among its Chinese users revealed some telling observations about how they perceive China’s security environment and PLA airpower. The short four-question survey asks the respondents questions ranging from where they think the biggest security threat to China in the future will come from to how they rate China’s airpower and what type of air force should be developed in the future. The first question, which asks how respondents view China’s security environment, 46 percent of the 9,335 who answered said that they think the biggest security threat to China comes from the sea, while 43 percent responded that it is airborne. The second question asked respondents to rate China’s air force, and 50.8 percent rated the Chinese Air Force as average, while 44.9 percent rated it as weak. The third question asked respondents what kind of airforce China should develop, and an overwhelming majority, 75.3 percent, responded that China ought to develop a strategic air force capable of covering the entire globe. The final question asks respondents where China should place its emphasis with regard to air force development, and the majority—47.6 percent—responded that China’s air force should develop a space-based combat unit (satellites, space weapons, etc.), while 21.3 percent responded that China’s emphasis should be placed on developing large airlift platforms (strategic bombers and cargo aircraft, etc.) (Survey.huanqiu.com, November 17).
In light of China’s rapid air force modernization, Japan is increasingly concerned about Chinese regional air superiority. A Kyodo News report cited by the Global Times quoted Andrei Chang, editor-in-chief of the Canada-based Kanwa Defense Review Monthly, as saying that the PLAAF currently has 280 J-11s, whose combat performance is comparable to Japan’s Air Self Defense Forces’ 200 F-15s, and 140 J-10s, which are a match for the F-16s. According to a Japanese military source, “even though [Japan] has a disadvantage in numbers at the moment, but combined with its airborne early warning and control system Japan can win in terms of quality.” Yet, the source cautioned that, “once China deploys its AEWC [KJ-2000, which were on display at the October 1 National Day Parade] … Japan’s air superiority will gradually diminish” (China Daily, November 11; Global Times, November 12).
Recently, we’ve received two pieces of news. The first one is an enthusiastic report on WS-15. The article just got really excited about using digital design for developing WS-15, but it did not really explain how well the project really is doing. According to some online sources, the engine should be ready in the middle to later part of next decade.
The thrust performance is designed toward matching F-119, but it’s hard to think that WS-15 would be as reliable and stealthy as F-119. We also got one final confirmation from CAC that they got the main design work for the 5th generation fighter. Now, the production facility of SAC may still be used to produce a large part of the 5th generation fighter, but PLAAF clearly likes CAC’s design better. SAC will be saddled with the design for the naval fighter, future J-11 variants and UAV/UCAVs.
CAC now has the upgraded J-10, the 5th generation fighter, the global hawk-like UAV and the JF-17 projects to work on. After SAC is done with J-8IIs (hopefully soon), SAC basically only has J-11 variants and UAVs to work on. Also, what does XAC have after JH-7A? I presume bomber or fighter-bomber projects, but there really isn’t a good report verifying much of anything. Also, it’s interesting that PLAAF selected CAC’s design over SAC despite neither firm having built a prototype.
CAC will now be in charge of getting some built soon that will use 2 WS-15 engine (or maybe WS-10 series in the beginning), radar (by probably 14th institute) and integrating different avionics together. CAC is already getting a lot of experience developing a new generation of avionics on the upgraded J-10. The 5th generation plane should take that up a notch to be able to fighter in the new environment. A new generation of missiles are also being developed for future fighters. We’ve seen/heard a 5th generation SRAAM, a successor MRAAM to PL-12 and a Metor-like ramjet powered LRAAM. CAC has shown that it can integrate all of this in the J-10 project. So, I think PLAAF is making the right decision to pick it ahead of SAC for the 5th generation design work. At current time, I’ve been reading 2015 as the year that this plane will join service. I think this is kind of optimistic, because they are not expecting first flight until 2012.
Samtel to build Cockpit Displays for Sukhoi-30MKI
Multi-Function Displays (MFD), as these cockpit displays are termed, are ranged in front of the Su-30MKI pilots. They get digital signals from dozens of sensors on various aircraft systems and display these to the pilot on an easy-to-read screen. A quick glance across his MFDs tells the pilot how his aircraft is flying and fighting.
So far, a French company, Thales, has provided the Sukhoi-30’s high-tech MFDs. But Samtel has aggressively targeted this market, even choosing to go it alone rather than work through its joint venture with Thales. With Samtel’s price significantly cheaper than Thales’, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), which builds the Sukhoi-30 at its Nashik facility, has placed orders on Samtel.
Just the start
Puneet Kaura, executive director of Samtel, anticipates MFD orders for at least Rs 250 crore. So far, HAL has placed only a modest order on Samtel but Kaura says that is normal. In a programme like the Su-30, which involves building 280 fighters over a decade, the aircraft’s internal systems are ordered in small batches.
“The Su-30 MFDs are just the beginning,” says Kaura. “Samtel and HAL have set up a joint venture, Samtel HAL Display Systems (Samtel, 60 per cent; HAL, 40 per cent), to design and build MFDs for all HAL-built aircraft, including transport aircraft. With offsets applicable on all aircraft sales to India, Samtel will be offering them the capability to indigenously build MFDs for their aircraft.”
Samtel’s success with Su-30 MFDs seems likely to bring in another set of orders. When Samtel HAL Display Systems had offered to supply cockpit displays for the HAL-built Sitara Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), at a price significantly cheaper than the current foreign suppliers, HAL had responded with Yes, if your MFDs for the Su-30MKI pass the test.
Down the line
Samtel is also eyeing a major role in developing advanced cockpit displays for the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), which India and Russia are building collaboratively. Cockpit systems and avionics, which can amount to 30-35 per cent of the cost of a modern fighter, fall within India’s work share in the FGFA’s Preliminary Design Contract, likely to be signed during Russian President Medvedev’s visit later this year.
Meanwhile, Samtel has partnered the Defence research and Development Organisation laboratory, Defence Avionics Research Establishment, and the IAF, in developing ‘Smart MFDs’, a new generation of cockpit displays for the IAF’s Jaguar fighters. In these, embedded software cards allow the display to do its own symbology, doing away with the need for a separate display processor. Puneet Kaura says Samtel Display Systems will produce a fully indigenous engineering prototype of the Smart MFD by March 2011.
Unsurprisingly, all six aerospace giants competing in the IAF’s tender for 126 medium multi-role fighters have signed memoranda of understanding with Samtel Display Systems for manufacturing cockpit displays in case their fighter is selected. While these are pure ‘Build to Print’ arrangements, aimed at meeting offset obligations, those foreign vendors, too, would consider designing in India and sourcing globally from here, provided offset benefits are clea
HAL To Co-Design & Co-develop And Manufacture 200-250 FGFA Fighters
HAL would be joining Russia's Sukhoi Corporation to co-design, co-develop, and manufacture 200-250 FGFA; each separately for its respective air force. Joint development and production by HAL for the Indian Air Force are estimated to cost Rs 135,000 crore ($30 billion) or around Rs 500 crore each.
HAL's Chairman, Mr Ashok Nayak, told Business Line that the requirements for the Indian version were known but the work packages, that is, HAL's share in the design and development, were to be specified. “We would like to do as much as we can of the design aspect,” he said.
Although the Russian side was testing a single-seater FGFA prototype for its air force, he explained that the Indian version would demand lot of work in new design as well as changes for what could be a two-seater for the IAF.
Mr Nayak said he could not say how long it would take to build the prototypes and reach them to flight certification.
Reports say a preliminary design agreement is to be signed in December when the Russian President, Mr Dmitry Medvedev, comes to India.
Meanwhile, the defence public sector unit is creating a special team from existing and fresh engineers at its design bureau — the Aircraft Research and Design Centre — according to a person familiar with the programme, but who did not wish to be named. It would start with 30-50 engineers, and gradually take it to around 300 people.
HAL would also have to create some of the large infrastructure required for the FGFA, and the lead centre could be Nashik, which has a ready Sukhoi platform. Other divisions would chip in.
At the prototype development stage, HAL would primarily involve the many defence and scientific labs such as National Aerospace Laboratories in Bangalore.
A highly placed HAL official conceded that the FGFA design is extremely complex, and no country will trade the technology; you have to be an investing partner.
Stealth — the feature that makes it undetectable by enemy radars — is the main element of this futuristic aerial killer. For this it has to have a radar-eluding shape and configuration. Its supersonic cruising speed, advanced fire power and manoeuvring, modern avionics, and a 360-degree view set it apart from the fighter products of the 1990s.
The first versions have to make a few thousand flights before they are certified for operation. “Even after 25 years, the LCA (light combat aircraft) is still to be certified for operations,” the official observed.
Design alone takes 30-50 per cent of the cost of an aircraft. Building prototypes could be at least 10 per cent of the cost. The two partners are to equally share the costs from this stage onwards. The HAL version will also be jointly marketed to other countries, but may be made by either partner.
The Chief of Air Staff recently said FGFAs would be inducted by 2018, and would be the main part of a four-brand future air fleet. It includes the MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft, currently being evaluated for purchase); the home-made LCA and the Sukhoi-30MkI that is already in use.
In January this year, Russia flew the first single-seater prototype (PAK FA) that its own air force will use. India joined the Russian programme (Sukhoi PAK/FA) in 2007 after a long consideration, while Sukhoi has been at it for at least five years.
Only two other FGFA dreams have taken off: US major Lockheed Martin is leading a pack of European nations in the Joint Strike Fighter (F-35); Lockheed Martin and Boeing are developing the F-22 Raptor. Japan and China are also said to be opening their separate fifth-generation accounts.
The Sukhoi/HAL FGFA will be far superior to the most advanced ones available today: among them the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet; Lockheed Martin F-16; the Dassault's Rafale that is still being developed; Russian MiG-35; Eurofighter Typhoon, or Sweden's Saab 39 Gripen; interestingly, all these are in the race for the IAF's Rs 40,000-crore purchase tender for 126 MMRCAs.
Although the Russian side was testing a single-seater FGFA prototype for its air force, he explained that the Indian version would demand lot of work in new design as well as changes for what could be a two-seater for the IAF.
Mr Nayak said he could not say how long it would take to build the prototypes and reach them to flight certification.
Reports say a preliminary design agreement is to be signed in December when the Russian President, Mr Dmitry Medvedev, comes to India.
Meanwhile, the defence public sector unit is creating a special team from existing and fresh engineers at its design bureau — the Aircraft Research and Design Centre — according to a person familiar with the programme, but who did not wish to be named. It would start with 30-50 engineers, and gradually take it to around 300 people.
HAL would also have to create some of the large infrastructure required for the FGFA, and the lead centre could be Nashik, which has a ready Sukhoi platform. Other divisions would chip in.
At the prototype development stage, HAL would primarily involve the many defence and scientific labs such as National Aerospace Laboratories in Bangalore.
A highly placed HAL official conceded that the FGFA design is extremely complex, and no country will trade the technology; you have to be an investing partner.
Stealth — the feature that makes it undetectable by enemy radars — is the main element of this futuristic aerial killer. For this it has to have a radar-eluding shape and configuration. Its supersonic cruising speed, advanced fire power and manoeuvring, modern avionics, and a 360-degree view set it apart from the fighter products of the 1990s.
The first versions have to make a few thousand flights before they are certified for operation. “Even after 25 years, the LCA (light combat aircraft) is still to be certified for operations,” the official observed.
Design alone takes 30-50 per cent of the cost of an aircraft. Building prototypes could be at least 10 per cent of the cost. The two partners are to equally share the costs from this stage onwards. The HAL version will also be jointly marketed to other countries, but may be made by either partner.
The Chief of Air Staff recently said FGFAs would be inducted by 2018, and would be the main part of a four-brand future air fleet. It includes the MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft, currently being evaluated for purchase); the home-made LCA and the Sukhoi-30MkI that is already in use.
In January this year, Russia flew the first single-seater prototype (PAK FA) that its own air force will use. India joined the Russian programme (Sukhoi PAK/FA) in 2007 after a long consideration, while Sukhoi has been at it for at least five years.
Only two other FGFA dreams have taken off: US major Lockheed Martin is leading a pack of European nations in the Joint Strike Fighter (F-35); Lockheed Martin and Boeing are developing the F-22 Raptor. Japan and China are also said to be opening their separate fifth-generation accounts.
The Sukhoi/HAL FGFA will be far superior to the most advanced ones available today: among them the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet; Lockheed Martin F-16; the Dassault's Rafale that is still being developed; Russian MiG-35; Eurofighter Typhoon, or Sweden's Saab 39 Gripen; interestingly, all these are in the race for the IAF's Rs 40,000-crore purchase tender for 126 MMRCAs.
Pakistan Eyes Acquisition of Chinese Training Aircraft
The need for the aircraft has arisen despite the operation of the Air Force's current basic/advanced jet trainer, the Sino-Pakistani K-8 Karakorum, which is a highly capable aircraft that has won numerous export orders. Experts dispute whether the L-15, manufactured by Hongdu, is a good fit for Pakistan's needs.
Kaiser Tufail, Pakistani defense analyst and former Air Force air commodore, said, "the L-15 makes sense only if K-8 is used solely for basic flying training and L-15 for fighter conversion. In such a case, the [older] T-37 [trainer] would be redundant.
"Considering the extensive [and expensive] structural life enhancement program that theT-37s have undergone, their useful life has been extended by at least 10 more years. The only solution to the dilemma would be to look for a buyer for the T-37s and recover some much-needed foreign exchange."
Tufail added, "Other than this training stream, the L-15 doesn't quite fit if the K-8 is to perform the role of fighter conversion."
However, defense analyst Usman Shabbir of the Pakistan Military Consortium believes the interest in the L-15 is understandable.
The K-8 had been examined by the Air Force as a possible replacement for the current FT-5, a Chinese-made twin-seat MiG-17 Fresco, in the fighter conversion role when it first entered service in the early 1990s, he said. Pakistan also uses a small number of FT-6 trainers, a Chinese-made two-seat Mig-19 Farmer.
However, the Air Force "most likely felt that a dedicated aircraft purpose-built would be a better option," he said. The 1990s were also a time of considerable financial hardship for Pakistan, so the FT-5 therefore continued in service.
Shabbir further stated, "Now that the availability of an affordable and dedicated aircraft from China is assured, it probably led to the decision to go for the type in preparation for the future high-tech jets such as FC-20 andF-16C/D training requirements."
No official word from the Air Force, or the China Aviation Technology Import-Export Corp., was forthcoming. Officials' refusal to confirm the deal may stem from the fact that negotiations have not reached the final stages.
However, the Air Force has conducted detailed examinations of the aircraft, which included a visit of a single L-15 to Pakistan in December as it transited on its way to the Dubai Airshow. Negotiations are now being undertaken on technical aspects and pricing. The time frame for the conclusion of a deal is unknown.
Limited Combat Role
Like the K-8, the L-15 is also useful in the counterinsurgency role as it can carry a light warload of rockets and bombs, plus air-to-air missiles. There is no indication the aircraft is expected to be tasked with this role, but the capability is a point of interest for Pakistan.The L-15 competed for orders from the People's Liberation Army Air Force and Naval Air Force against the cheaper and less capable JL-9. The JL-9 is heavily based on the F-7 series of fighters and looks set to be the final evolutionary stage of the MiG-21 Fishbed design.
The F-7 also makes up the backbone of Pakistan's Air Force and therefore the JL-9 could bring cost savings due to commonality, but that advantage appears to have been discounted.
This selling point for the JL-9 may have counted against it in the minds of the service's planners, Shabbir said. The L-15 was probably chosen "precisely because it is the more advanced design," and the "JL-9 most likely is not considered a good enough platform due to its F-7 lineage and airframe design, with its associated future growth limitations."
With the Pakistani F-7 variants expected to be retired this decade, the added cost savings associated with selecting the JL-9 would be unlikely to materialize. Also, the L-15 would allow Pakistan to reap economies of scale because of China's extensive modernization program.
Pakistan's interest in the L-15 may therefore have wider implications. Officially, at least, the L-15 has not fully entered service with the Chinese Air Force, but Pakistan's interest may indicate the Chinese are looking at the L-15 in a more favorable light.
Netherland Sells OFF F-16 Fighter Jets To Chile
Five F-16 fighters from the Netherlands are on their way to Chile as the government continues to cut expenditures.
The planes, which departed Monday from Volkel Air Base, are part of a 2009 sales agreement between the two countries.
The Dutch Ministry of Defense said the first two batches of F-16s -- totaling 12 aircraft in all -- were delivered in November 2010 and in April of this year.
Six F-16s, manufactured by General Dynamics of the United States, were to have departed for Chile Monday, but one could not leave on time and will follow later this week.
The 18 fighter planes sold to Chile are one result of the defense policy measures decided in 2007 to free up additional money for defense in the form of proceeds from the sale of defense equipment.
In addition to aircraft, the Netherlands is also selling some of its artillery pieces and combat tanks.
With these sales, the number of combat aircraft in the Air Force's fleet decreased from 105 to 87 with 14 aircraft used for training.
In 2006, Chile had already purchased 18 F-16s following Dutch military cuts stemming from the government's 2003 Budget Letter.
The Defense Ministry said another 18 F-16s, which are to be retired under the latest round of defense cuts, will also be divested.
The Netherlands, like most West European nations, is struggling to maintain economic health in the face of the world economic crisis.
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Bob Gates, prior to his departure from the post earlier this year, chastised NATO member states for not investing enough in defense.
Few NATO members, he said, were meeting the alliance's requirement of spending 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense.
The result was that few members had the wherewithal to fully participate in NATO missions.
"In almost all European states, as in the United States, the defense budget is being used as a convenient quarry for saving money, exactly because the adverse effects of cutting defense are (hopefully) long-term and quite abstract--and therefore also hidden," the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank, wrote in a later report. "As a consequence, many European states are on the verge of losing even basic defense capabilities, despite painful reform efforts to make their militaries more efficient.
"Unfortunately, this is happening at a time in global politics when the traditional guarantor of European security, the United States, is struggling with its own budget crisis and problems of military overstretch, and it is therefore urging Europeans to take on a greater share of the burden of their own defense."
According to the Stockholm Peace International Peace Research Institute, the Netherlands spent about 1.5 percent of its GDP in 2009 on defense.
Although it is divesting itself of F-16s, the Netherlands still plans on purchasing Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters once they are in production.
Meanwhile, Britain's Ministry of Defense -- also struggling with ways to save pounds and pence -- said it wrote off more than $180 million last year, including about $16.7 million notated as "fruitless payments."
The 2010-2011 write-offs include a nearly $2.8 million out-of-court settlement with a furniture company at the end of a contract. A crash involving a warhead at the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, Calif., cost more than $1.6 million.
The gifting of fiberglass helmets and body armor to the Ugandan government carried a price tag of nearly $2.8 million.
Just over $93 million was written off as "constructive losses" -- mainly canceled projects.
"As we acknowledged in our response to the NAO's (National Audit Office) report in June, the Ministry of Defense has not managed its resources well for many years," a ministry spokeswoman said. "That said, the NAO has now rightly acknowledged that improvements have been made to the MOD's inventory processes.
"We take the issue of write-offs seriously and while it is not possible to plan for every eventuality, a full investigation is carried out whenever write-off action is taken to ensure relevant lessons are identified and learned."
The planes, which departed Monday from Volkel Air Base, are part of a 2009 sales agreement between the two countries.
The Dutch Ministry of Defense said the first two batches of F-16s -- totaling 12 aircraft in all -- were delivered in November 2010 and in April of this year.
Six F-16s, manufactured by General Dynamics of the United States, were to have departed for Chile Monday, but one could not leave on time and will follow later this week.
The 18 fighter planes sold to Chile are one result of the defense policy measures decided in 2007 to free up additional money for defense in the form of proceeds from the sale of defense equipment.
In addition to aircraft, the Netherlands is also selling some of its artillery pieces and combat tanks.
With these sales, the number of combat aircraft in the Air Force's fleet decreased from 105 to 87 with 14 aircraft used for training.
In 2006, Chile had already purchased 18 F-16s following Dutch military cuts stemming from the government's 2003 Budget Letter.
The Defense Ministry said another 18 F-16s, which are to be retired under the latest round of defense cuts, will also be divested.
The Netherlands, like most West European nations, is struggling to maintain economic health in the face of the world economic crisis.
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Bob Gates, prior to his departure from the post earlier this year, chastised NATO member states for not investing enough in defense.
Few NATO members, he said, were meeting the alliance's requirement of spending 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense.
The result was that few members had the wherewithal to fully participate in NATO missions.
"In almost all European states, as in the United States, the defense budget is being used as a convenient quarry for saving money, exactly because the adverse effects of cutting defense are (hopefully) long-term and quite abstract--and therefore also hidden," the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank, wrote in a later report. "As a consequence, many European states are on the verge of losing even basic defense capabilities, despite painful reform efforts to make their militaries more efficient.
"Unfortunately, this is happening at a time in global politics when the traditional guarantor of European security, the United States, is struggling with its own budget crisis and problems of military overstretch, and it is therefore urging Europeans to take on a greater share of the burden of their own defense."
According to the Stockholm Peace International Peace Research Institute, the Netherlands spent about 1.5 percent of its GDP in 2009 on defense.
Although it is divesting itself of F-16s, the Netherlands still plans on purchasing Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters once they are in production.
Meanwhile, Britain's Ministry of Defense -- also struggling with ways to save pounds and pence -- said it wrote off more than $180 million last year, including about $16.7 million notated as "fruitless payments."
The 2010-2011 write-offs include a nearly $2.8 million out-of-court settlement with a furniture company at the end of a contract. A crash involving a warhead at the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, Calif., cost more than $1.6 million.
The gifting of fiberglass helmets and body armor to the Ugandan government carried a price tag of nearly $2.8 million.
Just over $93 million was written off as "constructive losses" -- mainly canceled projects.
"As we acknowledged in our response to the NAO's (National Audit Office) report in June, the Ministry of Defense has not managed its resources well for many years," a ministry spokeswoman said. "That said, the NAO has now rightly acknowledged that improvements have been made to the MOD's inventory processes.
"We take the issue of write-offs seriously and while it is not possible to plan for every eventuality, a full investigation is carried out whenever write-off action is taken to ensure relevant lessons are identified and learned."
Pakistani Official Had No Knowledge OF Osama says Robert Grenier
WASHINGTON: Former station chief of the CIA in Islamabad, Robert Grenier has said that the US must realise immediate threats being faced by Pakistan and try to be on the same page with Islamabad. He also said that he did not believe any one in the Pakistani leadership knew bin Laden was hiding in Abbottabad.
Speaking to Express 24/7 correspondent, Huma Imtiaz, Grenier said that he believed no one in Pakistan knew about Osama bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad, except his close confidants.
Gernier, who had headed the CIA Station in Islamabad in 2001, said that though national interests of Pakistan and the United States were divergent, Washington must put itself in Islamabad’s shoes.
Garnier said Pakistan faced some immediate threats it considers far more important to tackle first.
Referring to Osama bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad, Grenier says what US intelligence was thinking at the most was that the al Qaeda leader might be hiding in some small apartment in Karachi.
He says he does not believe that any Pakistani official knew about Osama’s presence there.
Grenier added that tonnes of information secured from Bin Laden’s Abbottabad residence provided no such hint.
Speaking to Express 24/7 correspondent, Huma Imtiaz, Grenier said that he believed no one in Pakistan knew about Osama bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad, except his close confidants.
Gernier, who had headed the CIA Station in Islamabad in 2001, said that though national interests of Pakistan and the United States were divergent, Washington must put itself in Islamabad’s shoes.
Garnier said Pakistan faced some immediate threats it considers far more important to tackle first.
Referring to Osama bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad, Grenier says what US intelligence was thinking at the most was that the al Qaeda leader might be hiding in some small apartment in Karachi.
He says he does not believe that any Pakistani official knew about Osama’s presence there.
Grenier added that tonnes of information secured from Bin Laden’s Abbottabad residence provided no such hint.
India Army To Order For 37 Crores Arjun Mark-II MBT Version
Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has cleared the proposal for placement of indent for 124 Nos. of MBT Arjun Mark-II on Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF), Avadi, Chennai. Placement of indent by the Army on Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) is being further processed.
The likely estimated cost of each MBT Arjun Mark-II with ail major/minor improvements will be approximately Rs.37 crore. The first batch of MBT Arjun Mark-II is likely to be productionised by 2015.
www.defenseworld.net
Russian Military Rejects MiG-29K For Admiral Kuznetsov
At the MAKS-2011 August 16 revealed that the Defense Ministry refused to buy from the RAC "MiG" 24 aircraft for the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov". Not only that the machine gives the characteristics of a heavy Su-33, so still it turned out that she has a problem with the onboard electronics. In addition, it is still unclear why the plane crashed two months ago on trial in Akhtubinsk - literally fell apart in the air during a complex maneuver.
Electronics ship "MiG" was originally created to supply to India. This country, in 2004 we bought the cruiser "Admiral Gorshkov" aircraft and 29. The fulfillment of this contract has not yet been completed.
Western avionics of the native "guts" of the aircraft are incompatible with Russian hardware. Therefore, for the Ministry of Defence RAC "MiG" Russian Aircraft retrofitted devices - and their quality did not suit the customer.
The military also talk about an inflated price of aircraft.
At the RAC "MiG" is calculated by year's end to finalize the on-board electronics and sign the contract. "Otherwise, the company faces closure after the Indian contract", - the deputy director of the Institute of Military Studies, Alexander Khramchikhin.
The only possible alternative to the "MiGs" is the Su-33 company "Sukhoi". His fighting ability was confirmed by August 17 at the exercises in the Barents Sea, during which two dozen Su-33 successfully boarded by being on the high seas cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov" and returned to base. This machine is also interested in China, which has not yet created such a machine for its aircraft carriers.
- MiG-29 is physically newer, as the Su-33 was produced in 1990, and everything else is second - recognizes Khramchikhin.
The problem is that the Su-33 for four years is not performed.
- To restore its production at Komsomolsk-on-Amur, or in another plant will need two or three years - said the representative of the United Aircraft Company, which consists of all Russian aircraft factories and design offices.
Defense talks with the RAC "MiG" continuing, but they are hampered another challenge. Two months ago, crashed during testing of the MiG-29K in dvuhpilotnom version ("SPARK"). Test pilots Kruzhalin Alexander and Oleg Match died.
Cause of the accident is still unknown. According to preliminary reports, the plane dropped off down the wing, may not withstand the stresses.
IAF faces shortage of 400 pilots
The Indian Air Force is facing shortage of about 400 pilots in various categories and plans to fill the vacancies within the next two years, Chief of Air Staff P V Naik said on Tuesday.
"There is shortage of about 300 to 400 pilots. We have upped our intake rate. It will take a year or two to fill up the posts," Air Chief Marshal Naik said at a joint press conference with his British counterpart Stephen Dalton on the final day of the 15-day India-UK joint air exercise 'Indradhanush' at at Kalaikunda air base in West Bengal's West Midnapur district.
While Mirage-2000, Sukhoi 30 and MiG-27 from the Indian side participated in the exercise, the Royal Air Force showcased its Eurofighters, Typhoons and airborne warning and control system. An IAF AWACS aircraft also participated in the exercise for the first time.
Pointing out that the Air Force had more than 32 squadrons Naik said that there was a need to increase their number. "We also need more satellites, so that we become a networked air force."
With India planning to acquire 126 Medium-weight multi role combat aircraft a cost of $ 12 bn (about Rs 5,300 crore), the air force has submitted the test reports of MMRCAs like the F-16, F-18, Typhoon, Gripen and MiG 35 to the government on July 31.
"The MMRCAs will help us tremendously. I have no reservation on any of them. Although our present capability is sufficient to complete our mission of protecting the country from any threat from air or space," Naik said.
In reply to a question, Naik said he was not aware of the government further short-listing two out of the six models of MMRCAs it had chosen.
Naik said that the Mach-I version of the indigenous light combat aircraft would be ready around the middle of next year and it would take another three years to complete the Mach-II version. The initial LCA squadrons would be located at Surut in south India.
