Internationale fighter ontwikkelingen, deel 5

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

PICTURES: KAI, Lockheed rollout T-X prototype

17 December, 2015   | BY: Greg Waldron

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/pictures-kai-lockheed-rollout-t-x-prototype-420149/?sfid=701w0000000uP3H&cmpid=SOC|Twitter|Flightglobal|sf17137418&CMPID=sf17137418

[Sparkplug]

F-22, Typhoon and Rafale tested in new joint combat exercise

By James Drew, Washington DC | 16 December 2015

The increasingly cluttered warzone in Syria and the recent shoot down of a Russian Su-24 fighter-bomber by Turkey underscore the need for deeper interoperability, deconfliction and coordination between coalition fighters, according to US Air Force's top general.

The USA, UK and France have assembled their premiere fighters at Langley AFB for a rare high-end training exercise, which tested interoperability between the fourth and fifth-generation jets.

USAF F-22s have been flying alongside RAF Typhoons and French Air Force Rafales against F-15E Strike Eagles in a two-week deployment that began last week.


USAF

"The same kind of deconfliction and communication process that's being used here is in place in the Middle East," explained USAF chief of the staff Gen Mark Welsh at a press conference at the base yesterday. "Our air forces there do a lot of work to try and stay in communication so there is less chance for miscommunication or confusion that leads to mistakes or bad decisions."

The inaugural Trilateral Exercise has been designed to test fighter pilots in realistic "full-spectrum" combat scenarios against advanced air and ground threats with support from combat rescue helicopters and airborne warning and control aircraft.


USAF

With relative air superiority in the most recent coalition campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan and now in Syria against the Islamic State terrorist group, air-to-air engagements remain a real possibility.

That risk was brought to the fore last month when a Turkish F-16 using a Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder destroyed a Russian Su-24 for allegedly straying into Turkish airspace.

"It's a dangerous business. Don't cross somebody's border without permission," Welsh says of the deadly incident. "Any time there are a number of forces operating in close proximity, there is the potential for errors and mistakes and bad things that happen. It's an ugly environment any time you're actually conducting combat operations, so people must coordinate and cooperate to do it properly."

American's top air superiority fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 has trouble communicating with other aircraft including the F-35, and relies on voice radios to relay battlespace information. It can receive but not transmit information via Link 16.

US Air Combat Command datalink and aerial networking requirements official Lt Col Scott Hamilton says it could take another five or six years before the F-22 is modified to join Link 16 networks. As the most common coalition datalink, Hamilton recommended more investment in Link 16 infrastructure modernisation by both American and coalition air forces.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/f-22-typhoon-and-rafale-tested-in-new-joint-combat-420130/

[Sparkplug]

Production of first Japan-built F-35A commences

By Greg Waldron, Singapore | 16 December 2015

Mitsubishi Heavy Industry has started work on the first Lockheed Martin F-35A to be assembled in Japan.

The work took place at a Mitsubishi factory in Nagoya, and saw the mating of the aircraft's wings, fuselage, and tail, says Lockheed in a statement.

The aircraft is designated AX-5, and will be the fifth F-35A produced for the Japanese air force. Japan's first four aircraft, designated AX-1-4, will be produced at the main F-35 factory in Fort Worth, Texas. Japan is to receive its first F-35, AX-1, in 2016.

In 2012 Japan selected the F-35A over the competing Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet for a 42 aircraft requirement. The deal, conducted under the US government's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, will see 38 F-35As produced at a final assembly and check-out (FACO) facility in Japan.

In 2014 the US selected the Nagoya FACO to be the F-35's main heavy MRO and upgrade facility in North Asia.

Lockheed and Mitsubishi are working to complete installation of tooling and other equipment for the Nagoya F-35 FACO.

The Nagoya FACO will be the second international F-35 production facility. The other is located at Italy's Cameri air base, which delivered its first completed F-35A to the Italian air force earlier this month.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/production-of-first-japan-built-f-35a-commences-420093/

[Harald]

Met swept-wing wordt pijlvleugel bedoeld en niet swing-wing (F-14, F-111, Tornado, enz).

idd    erg jammer

[Sparkplug]

Zouden we ook weer swept-wing concepten te zien krijgen ?
Gaan ze het in 1993 gestopte A/F-X programma weer nieuw leven inblazen en 30 jaar latere systemen/technologie toevoegen? .. F/A-XX

Met swept-wing wordt pijlvleugel bedoeld en niet swing-wing (F-14, F-111, Tornado, enz).

[Harald]

Northrop also released an image of a stealthy, laser-armed, swept-wing "sixth-generation" fighter for next-generation air dominance.

Zouden we ook weer swept-wing concepten te zien krijgen ?
Gaan ze het in 1993 gestopte A/F-X programma weer nieuw leven inblazen en 30 jaar latere systemen/technologie toevoegen? .. F/A-XX

[Sparkplug]

Boeing Phantom Works keeping T-X and F-X plans under wraps

By James Drew, Washington DC | 14 December 2015

Boeing Phantom Works president Darryl Davis is refusing to take Northrop's bait by disclosing new information about his advanced research and design unit's secretive "T-X" and future fighter projects.

In an interview with Flightglobal in Washington this week, Davis stayed tight-lipped on when the company intends to fly the clean-sheet, next-generation trainer it is developing with Saab for the air force.

The most that has been revealed about the Boeing T-X alternative is an artist's impression of the twin-seat advanced pilot trainer's long nose and forward cockpit.

More was revealed to VIPs attending the Air Warfare Symposium in September, but reporters were not granted access.

"We've publically stated that Boeing is working with Saab on clean sheet design. Beyond that, I'm not going to share any more details," he said on the sidelines of the CNAS National Security Forum.

Northrop recently assembled reporters in California where it unveiled a "slightly outdated" model of its clean-sheet T-X design, which it intends to unveil and fly early next year. Northrop also released an image of a stealthy, laser-armed, swept-wing "sixth-generation" fighter for next-generation air dominance.

Davis contends that "it's not about a pointy-ended airplane just yet".

Instead, the Phantom Works is working on a range of technologies that collectively might enable the US military to dominate the skies.

"From where I sit in Phantom Works, what are we doing to make sure those technologies are in some state of development, and are they on a path to mature?" he says. "You have sensors, you have airplanes, you have weapons, you have electronic effects, you have cyber. There's a whole kitbag of effects you can apply.

"You obviously want to defeat your enemy, but there are many ways to do defeat an enemy."

He says the US air force and navy may take different approaches for their respective F-X and F-XX requirements to follow the F/A-18 and F-22 and ensure Western air dominance into the 2030s – but there will also be plenty of commonality. It also too early to tell if it will evolve into a joint endeavour like the Lockheed Martin F-35 or separate airplanes or close derivatives, Davis adds.

One main piece of the air dominance puzzle is weapons, and whether a platform can perhaps trade speed and manoeuvrability for more agile long-range weapons.

"Wherever you move that requirement, it costs money somewhere on that kill chain, so it's about understanding where is the best leverage for that particular attribute and that cost-effective breakdown."

There is currently plenty of work on directed energy weapons, like lasers and high-power microwave beams, he says. Phantom Works is also known to be working on nearer-term weapons, like the DARPA Triple Target Terminator (T3).

Wherever Boeing stands today, it will undoubtable be at a disadvantage if can't reverse the air force's selection of Northrop to design and built the Long-Range Strike Bomber. That programme is worth upwards of $80 billion and its development will involve some of the most classified, cutting-edge aerospace technologies.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing-phantom-works-keeping-t-x-and-f-x-plans-under-420044/

[Harald]

Ik denk ook dat het goed is om de focus bij de navy te leggen op een Tomcat II. Na de uitfasering van de F-14 moest de F-18 deze overnemen. Maar de F-18 moest ook al de taken overnemen van A-6 en A-7. Daarom werd het ook multiroll. Door weer taken te splitsen krijg je straks de F-35C In combi met UCAV als aanvalstoestel/ bommenwerper en een echte fighter in de FA/XX

[Sparkplug]

Dat was de "D" versie... het is gemakkelijker van een fighter een muli-role kist te maken dan andersom.

En ook de F-14B. Dat laatste is een waarheid. Zeker als je de ontwikkeling van de Tornado ADV volgt.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Het zou niet vreemd zijn als het winnende F/A-XX ontwerp maximaal de grootte van de F-14 krijgt. En dat de nadruk al air dominance zal liggen, sluit niet uit dat het ontwerp ook goed genoeg is voor de grondaanvalstaak. De Tomcat kreeg halverwege de jaren 90 niet voor niets de bijnaam Bombcat (Grumman wist al begin jaren 70 dat de F-14 hiervoor geschikt was).

Dat was de "D" versie... het is gemakkelijker van een fighter een muli-role kist te maken dan andersom.

[Sparkplug]

Volgens mij zal de focus van de FA/XX komen te liggen op air dominance met een aanzienlijk groter bereik dan de huidige F18E en de aanstaande F35C, meer een echte vervanger van de F14A. Voor aanvalsdoeleinden zal veel meer ingezet worden op onbemande systemen met een aanzienlijk groter bereik dan dit nu het geval is.

Het zou niet vreemd zijn als het winnende F/A-XX ontwerp maximaal de grootte van de F-14 krijgt. En dat de nadruk al air dominance zal liggen, sluit niet uit dat het ontwerp ook goed genoeg is voor de grondaanvalstaak. De Tomcat kreeg halverwege de jaren 90 niet voor niets de bijnaam Bombcat (Grumman wist al begin jaren 70 dat de F-14 hiervoor geschikt was).

[JdL]

meer een echte vervanger van de F14A.

die krijgt de US navy en ook de NAVO hard nodig in de toekomst

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Als men de afbeelding bekijkt van de artist impressie van Northrop Grumman, dan lijkt het wel dat ze de UCAV X-47B vleugel samen gevoegd hebben met de romp van de YF-23, beide van Northrop.
ach  ..... een artist impressie veranderd zo weer ...

Volgens mij zal de focus van de FA/XX komen te liggen op air dominance met een aanzienlijk groter bereik dan de huidige F18E en de aanstaande F35C, meer een echte vervanger van de F14A. Voor aanvalsdoeleinden zal veel meer ingezet worden op onbemande systemen met een aanzienlijk groter bereik dan dit nu het geval is.

[Harald]

PALMDALE -- Amid signs of growing U.S. Air Force and Navy interest in a sixth-generation combat aircraft, Northrop Grumman is accelerating studies of key technologies for directed energy weapons and thermal management, which it says will be fundamental to future capability. The company, whose last venture into the air dominance arena in the 1980s, the YF-23, lost out to Lockheed Martin's F-22 in the advanced tactical fighter contest, has unveiled new  images

http://aviationweek.com/defense/northrop-grumman-studies-technologies-f-22-fa-18-replacement

Als men de afbeelding bekijkt van de artist impressie van Northrop Grumman, dan lijkt het wel dat ze de UCAV X-47B vleugel samen gevoegd hebben met de romp van de YF-23, beide van Northrop.
ach  ..... een artist impressie veranderd zo weer ...

[Elzenga]

....

Eens komt er een tijd dat een luchtmacht maar uit 1 gevechtsvliegtuig bestaat.

'Maar hoe verging het ook al weer met die grote en zware dinosauriërs ?  Ze werden vervangen door veel lichtere en doelmatiger zoogdieren.'   

Door voor de Gripen NG te kiezen hadden we die ontwikkeling binnen Europa enigszins kunnen afremmen...maar helaas...het is hem niet geworden. En dus gaan we mee in deze ontwikkeling in de Amerikaanse gevechtsvliegtuigontwikkeling. Al is de komst van de UCAV misschien wel weer een tegenbeweging...al nemen ook daar de kosten heel snel toe.