Internationale fighter ontwikkelingen

[Sparkplug]

Swiss Receive Five Bids for Next-Gen Fighter, Evaluation to Follow

On 25 January 2019, five candidates submitted to armasuisse their offers for the next fighter jets, as required by the procedure published on March 23, 2018 by the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport. The bids are for the following aircraft: Eurofighter (Airbus, Germany), F / A-18 Super Hornet (Boeing, USA), Rafale (Dassault, France), F-35A (Lockheed-Martin, USA) and Gripen E (Saab, Sweden).

.../...

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/199422/swiss-receive-five-bids-for-next_gen-fighter%2C-evaluation-to-follow.html

Op een of andere manier lijkt voor mij de F-35A voor Zwitserland een outsider, maar wat als deze de competitie weet te winnen en wordt gekozen?

[Harald]

BAE Systems to undertake 'Project Heisenberg' of upgraded F-35 EW suite

The programme office for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will award BAE Systems a sole-source contract to conduct flights trials of the aircraft's future electronic warfare (EW) and countermeasures suite.

The US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) disclosed on 25 January that BAE Systems will conduct tests of a modified version of its AN/ASQ-239A suite aboard the CATBird surrogate test aircraft. This demonstration of elements of the EW/countermeasures suite on the modified Boeing 737 airliner known as the Cooperative Avionics Test Bed (CATBird) is referred to as Project Heisenberg.

"This effort provides risk reduction and early assessment of C2D2 [Continuous Capability Development and Delivery]/Block 4 EW capabilities, along with evaluation of the associated mission data files," NAVAIR said, adding, "The scope of work required for this effort consists of proposing, developing, integrating, deploying, and operating a modified AN/ASQ-239A suite in a receive-only flight-test/demonstration configuration."

This contract supports the multiple variants of the F-35, with an award anticipated for the third quarter of fiscal year 2019 (FY 2019).

As noted by BAE Systems, the AN/ASQ-239 system protects the F-35 against current and emerging threats. "Equipped with offensive and defensive electronic warfare options for the pilot and aircraft, the suite provides fully integrated radar warning, targeting support, and self-protection, to detect and defeat surface and airborne threats."

The company added, "The system provides the pilot with maximum situational awareness, helping to identify, monitor, analyse, and respond to potential threats. Advanced avionics and sensors provide a real-time, 360° view of the battlespace, helping to maximise detection ranges and provide the pilot with options to evade, engage, counter, or jam threats.

"Always active, AN/ASQ-239 provides all-aspect, broadband protection, allowing the F-35 to reach well-defended targets and suppress enemy radars.

https://www.janes.com/article/85990/bae-systems-to-undertake-project-heisenberg-of-upgraded-f-35-ew-suite

[Harald]

US Air Force wants a new prototype fighter to replace F-22 Raptors and F-35s in dogfights

https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/us-air-force-wants-a-new-prototype-fighter-to-replace-f22-raptors-and-f35s-in-dogfights/news-story/c5314f0d2aa36713aa4140f88188f38b

[Harald]

Saab Offers Gripen E to Switzerland

Saab and the four other companies competing for the Swiss Air Force's Air 2030 program to buy a new fighter aircraft submitted their bids on Jan. 25; Saab is offering the Gripen E, which has also been ordered by Brazil.

.../...

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/199418/saab-submits-offer-for-gripen-e-to-switzerland.html

[Harald]

France to Develop Hypersonic Missile Demonstrator

France to Flight-Test Hypersonic Demonstrator by 2021

France has awarded ArianeGroup a contract to develop a hypersonic glider technology demonstrator that is due to make its first flight by the end of 2021, Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly announced Jan. 21.

"We have decided to award a contract for a hypersonic glider demonstrator," able to reach a speed of over Mach 5 (over 6,000 km/h)," Parly said during her New Year's address to the armed forces.

France is already conducting studies on hypersonic propulsion as part of the modernization of its nuclear deterrent, but such a glider, initially propelled by a rocket or a missile, is attractive for military missions because its unpredictable trajectory allows it to escape interception.

The French hypersonic demonstrator is designated V-Max, for Véhicule Manoeuvrant Expérimental. It will be about 2 meters long, a "hyperfast system capable of hypermaneuvrability," a source told the Paris daily L'Opinion

"We could not wait anymore"

"A hypersonic glider is something that can be steered, and which can reach speeds of over five times the speed of sound; the goal is high-speed maneuverability, which s much different from a ballistic trajectory," a source; in the Directorate-General of Armaments told the newsweekly L'Express. "Once the initial velocity has been reached, we will trade off speed against altitude to climb, dive, turn right or left, along a flight path which is much more difficult to intercept. And, if engaged by anti-missile defenses, we can maneuver to avoid them."

"Many nations are procuring such weapons, and we have all the necessary skills to develop one: we could not wait," Parly said. Indeed, three of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are already engaging in a new arms race for this kind of weapon: Chine, Russia and the United States.

In December, Moscow boasted that the capabilities of its new hypersonic weapons make them "practically" impossible to shoot down, after a test in which a hypersonic missile called "Avangard" reached a speed of over Mach 20 to hit its target at a distance of 3,700 km.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/199420/france-to-develop-hypersonic-missile-demonstrator.html

[Harald]

Swiss Receive Five Bids for Next-Gen Fighter, Evaluation to Follow

On 25 January 2019, five candidates submitted to armasuisse their offers for the next fighter jets, as required by the procedure published on March 23, 2018 by the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport. The bids are for the following aircraft: Eurofighter (Airbus, Germany), F / A-18 Super Hornet (Boeing, USA), Rafale (Dassault, France), F-35A (Lockheed-Martin, USA) and Gripen E (Saab, Sweden).

Kick-off of the analysis and testing phase

The submission of these initial offers marks the beginning of the analysis and testing phase. From February to March 2019, specialists from armasuisse and the Swiss Air Force will test the aircraft in the corresponding simulators. These activities will take place at the candidates' facilities, and will run in parallel to the product support audits.

During these audits, the air forces of the manufacturing countries will present the operation and maintenance procedures for each aircraft and their training course.

The audits will be followed by the analysis of the answers to the questionnaire that the manufacturers had to fill in their initial offers. At the same time, between April and July 2019, combat aircraft will be subjected to flight and ground tests at Payerne.

Interested persons can visit the airplanes in Payerne: visiting days for the media and aircraft spotters will be provided upon registration for each aircraft model. All information concerning visiting days will be available at the beginning of April 2019 on the DDPS website.

Next steps of the project Next combat aircraft

Armasuisse, in cooperation with the Defence Staff, the Air Force, the Defence Logistics Base and the Command Support Base, will produce expert reports on the information gathered during the analysis and testing of each candidate aircraft. These reports will form the basis of the systematic and comprehensive comparison between the candidates, which will be carried out during the second half of 2020. They will also serve to determine the size of the required fleet for each model of aircraft.

On this basis, the current timetable calls for armasuisse to prepare a second request for proposals tenders that will be sent to the five candidates. Based on the knowledge gained from the second offer, armasuisse will then compare the candidates with each other on the basis of the expert reports, and determine the overall usefulness of each candidate.

The evaluation report comparing overall utility with acquisition costs and operating costs for a period of 30 years will then be developed.

The Federal Council will then select the preferred model.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/199422/swiss-receive-five-bids-for-next_gen-fighter%2C-evaluation-to-follow.html

[Sparkplug]

F-35 Demo Team pilot practices new maneuvers

https://www.aetc.af.mil/News/Article/1739104/f-35-demo-team-pilot-practices-new-maneuvers/

[Sparkplug]

'Lethal' F-35A heading to Red Flag 19-1

https://www.acc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1740800/lethal-f-35a-heading-to-red-flag-19-1/

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

If the money is there, new and improved F-15s could be coming soon to the Air Force

https://www.defensenews.com/newsletters/2019/01/26/if-the-money-is-there-new-and-improved-f-15s-could-be-coming-soon-to-the-air-force/#.XEyuAIqq_rg.twitter

[Sparkplug]

Canada to keep paying for F-35 development as fighter-jet competition ramps up

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-canada-to-keep-paying-for-f-35-development-as-fighter-jet-competition/

[Sparkplug]

End of an era: Navy's legacy Hornets to fly off into the sunset

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2019/01/24/end-of-an-era-navys-legacy-hornets-to-fly-off-into-the-sunset/

[Sparkplug]

US Air Force concerned about breaking minimum amount of fighter aircraft

https://www.janes.com/article/85832/us-air-force-concerned-about-breaking-minimum-amount-of-fighter-aircraft

[Parera]

Pentagon considers an ICBM-killing weapon for the F-35, but is it affordable?

WASHINGTON — Over the next six months, the Defense Department will weigh whether to develop a new weapon for the F-35 fighter jet that will enable it to strike down an intercontinental ballistic missile in the early stages of flight.

And it's the Pentagon's lead official for developmental technologies who is bullish on the prospect, telling reporters Jan. 17 that a new weapon could be both operationally effective and low cost.

"For certain regional geographies — North Korea comes to mind — we actually think it's entirely possible and cost-effective to deploy what I will loosely call air-to-air interceptors, although possibly of new design, on advanced aircraft [and] using the aircraft as either sensor or weapons platforms to affect a missile intercept," said Mike Griffin, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering.

"We will, as the report implies, be studying that again, but I've seen recently any number of assessments, several assessments, which indicate that this is something we should be looking at."

[Source: defensenews.com ]

Het complete artikel : https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/01/17/pentagon-considering-an-icbm-killing-weapon-for-the-f-35-but-can-it-afford-it/

[Robert2]

Ik zie iedereen het maar hebben over shelters, maar dat is niet meer dan een stuk beton met een grote deur d'r in. Die kan je overal wel neer plempen naast een stuk asfalt van +/- 2000 meter. Bovendien hoeft ie daar niet eens in te staan, het is meer dat wij ervoor kiezen om dat te doen. Het gaat veel meer om de rest van de hebben en houwen dat erbij komt kijken wat ervoor zorgt dat je niet zomaar even een heel squadron permanent ergens kan parkeren.

Zit achter een gratis muur:
https://www.lc.nl/friesland/Hoe-de-Leeuwarder-vliegbasis-voor-miljoenen-wordt-klaargemaakt-voor-de-F-35-24083224.html

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Past de F35 wel in de bestaande shelters?

Ja.