Internationale fighter ontwikkelingen

[Sparkplug]

Italy's Salvini defends F-35 orders as necessary for country

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-defense-f35/italys-salvini-defends-f-35-orders-as-necessary-for-country-idUSKCN1QV27K?il=0

[Harald]

New F-15 Buy for Air Force Fills F-35 Capacity and Capability Shortfall   
(F-15EX aankoop : iets goedkoper dan de F35 en onderhoudskosten 50% goedkoper dan de F-35... )

The Pentagon's decision to add new F-15EXs to its budget request for the Air Force, a move not requested by the service itself, was based on a lack of capability and capacity of the current fleet and the presumptive cheaper cost of the Eagles, the military's top uniformed officer told lawmakers on Thursday.

The Pentagon's fiscal 2020 budget request includes about $1 billion for eight F-15EX "advanced Eagles," a decision that stemmed from former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford told the Senate Armed Services Committee the "framework" of the decision came from a study of the future needs of the military's tactical aircraft fleet, which showed the Air Force had a shortage in its number of aircraft and the amount of ordnance those aircraft could carry.

"Then they had the F-15C, which was aging out in the 2027-2028 period," he said "So, within the next five or 10 years the best solution was to go to the F-15, called the EX, platform to backfill the F-15. Eventually we'll get to an all F-35 program, but from both a cost perspective and a capability perspective, this particular mix of aircraft for the near term was determined to be the right mix of aircraft."

The F-15EX initially would only be "slightly" cheaper to buy than a new F-35, it will be more than 50 percent cheaper than the Joint Strike Fighter to operate over its life. Additionally, it has "twice as many hours" in terms of how long it lasts.

The Air Force's five-year Future Years Defense Plan calls for buying 80 of the F-15EXs, though the ultimate buy could be as many as 144. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said before the budget was released the F-15s were inserted into the budget by entities outside the Air Force, and the service instead preferred to buy more F-35s.

"The primary aircraft of the future for the Air Force is the F-35, and they're not walking back off that program," Dunford said.

http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2019/March%202019/Dunford-New-F-15-Buy-for-Air-Force-Fills-F-35-Capacity-and-Capability-Shortfall.aspx

[Sparkplug]

Norwegian F-35 successfully completed first AMRAAM missile tests

https://defence-blog.com/news/norwegian-f-35-successfully-completed-first-amraam-missile-tests.html

[Sparkplug]

Strategic Planner: F-15EX Could Be Hypersonics Platform

http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2019/March%202019/Strategic-Planner-F-15s-Save-Downtime-for-Readiness-Could-Be-Hypersonics-Platform.aspx

[Sparkplug]

US Air Force sees F-15EX as cheap and quick fix

The US Air Force (USAF) is requesting funds from Congress for eight Boeing F-15EX fighters instead of more of its favoured aircraft, the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter, in a move aimed at cutting costs.

.../...

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/us-air-force-sees-f-15ex-as-cheap-and-quick-fix-456480/

Dacht dat de F-15X een eenzitter was, maar de genoemde F-15EX is een tweezitter (verre nazaat van de F-15E Strike Eagle). Een tweezitter ter vervanging van de F-15C komt op mij vreemd over.

[Harald]

US Air Force sees F-15EX as cheap and quick fix

The US Air Force (USAF) is requesting funds from Congress for eight Boeing F-15EX fighters instead of more of its favoured aircraft, the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter, in a move aimed at cutting costs.

.../...

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/us-air-force-sees-f-15ex-as-cheap-and-quick-fix-456480/

[Sparkplug]

VS koopt 8 stuks F35 minder, maar koopt daarvoor 8 stuks F-15X

Air Force's Fiscal 2020 Budget Focuses On Modernization, Readiness, Confronting Global Threats

After months of rumors and contradictory reports, Boeing's F-15X Eagle has finally been confirmed as the USAF is cutting eight F-35As from its FY2020 budget request and will instead buy eight single-seat F-15X at a similar unit cost.

.../...

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/200809/usaf-budget-requests-increases-%2410bn-to-%24165bn-for-fy-2020.html

Maar eens zien wat er straks uiteindelijk wordt afgeleverd. Afgelopen jaren kregen ze het voor elkaar om wat meer F-35's te kopen dan wat in het budget request stond.

[Harald]

VS koopt 8 stuks F35 minder, maar koopt daarvoor 8 stuks F-15X

Air Force's Fiscal 2020 Budget Focuses On Modernization, Readiness, Confronting Global Threats

After months of rumors and contradictory reports, Boeing's F-15X Eagle has finally been confirmed as the USAF is cutting eight F-35As from its FY2020 budget request and will instead buy eight single-seat F-15X at a similar unit cost.

.../...

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/200809/usaf-budget-requests-increases-%2410bn-to-%24165bn-for-fy-2020.html

[Parera]

F-16 sustainment hub to be established in Norway

Lockheed Martin announced on 12 March that it had signed an agreement with AIM Norway to establish a licensed maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) hub for the F-16 Fighting Falcon in Kjeller, Norway.

The agreement will involve the establishment of a "Falcon Depot" centre, expanding on the existing MRO capabilities offered by AIM Norway at the site in north-east of Oslo. The centre will support the Royal Norwegian Air Force's (RNoAF's) fleet of F-16A and F-16B aircraft, as well as those operated by other European air forces.

Susan Ouzts, vice-president of Lockheed Martin's F-16 Program, said, "this first-of-its-kind Falcon Depot Centre reflects the strong global demand for F-16 sustainment services, which is poised to grow as we continue to produce new F-16s and upgrade existing aircraft."

The RNoAF operates 45 F-16A and 10 F-16B aircraft from bases at Bodø and Ørland, with the aircraft entering service in the early 1980s. The aircraft have been receiving significant structural overhauls, including new wings, to enable their service life to be extended to 2023. An undisclosed number of aircraft were found to have cracks between 2014 and 2016, adding impetus to the overhaul programme.

[Source: Janes.com ]

[Parera]

Noorse defensie betaalt flinke compensatie voor lawaai F-35

https://nos.nl/l/t/2275564 via @NOS

Dat is precies wat er ook in Nederland gaat gebeuren, iedereen nu snel een woning kopen bij Leeuwarden of Volkel en uit laten kopen door defensie over enkele jaren 

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Noorse defensie betaalt flinke compensatie voor lawaai F-35

https://nos.nl/l/t/2275564 via @NOS

[Sparkplug]

Rafale F4 to get upgraded SPECTRA fire control radar avoidance system

https://www.janes.com/article/87101/rafale-f4-to-get-upgraded-spectra-fire-control-radar-avoidance-system

[Sparkplug]

AARGM-ER cleared for EMD

http://alert5.com/2019/03/08/aargm-er-cleared-for-emd/

[Harald]

Service of Marine Corps' Prowler comes to a close with deactivation of last squadron (definitieve einde tijdperk Prowler)

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/service-of-marine-corps-prowler-comes-to-a-close-with-deactivation-of-last-squadron-1.571517

Jammer.. nostalgie

[Sparkplug]

Service of Marine Corps' Prowler comes to a close with deactivation of last squadron (definitieve einde tijdperk Prowler)

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/service-of-marine-corps-prowler-comes-to-a-close-with-deactivation-of-last-squadron-1.571517