Internationale fighter ontwikkelingen

[Sparkplug]

The Czech Republic Joins the F-35 Lightning II Global Team

January 29, 2024

The Czech Republic government signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) today making official its intent to procure 24 Lockheed Martin 5th Generation F-35 Lightning II aircraft. Through the U.S. government Foreign Military Sale, the Czech Air Force will receive its first aircraft in 2031, which will be in the latest advanced Block 4 configuration.

"We are pleased the government of Czech Republic is now officially a part of the F-35 Lightning II program of record," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt, program executive officer, F-35 Joint Program Office. "This partnership with the Czech Ministry of Defense will deliver and sustain the F-35 aircraft for decades, while providing the Czech Air Force with unmatched interoperability and ensuring it has the capability to counter current and future threats."

In addition to the aircraft, the procurement also includes personnel training, service and logistical support, and developing other support services ensuring successful deliveries of all 24 F-35s.

"With the signing of the Letter of Offer and Acceptance between the Czech Republic and U.S. governments, the Czech Republic becomes the 18th nation to join the global F-35 program. We are honored to partner with the Czech Republic Air Force as its F-35s join other European nations in strengthening and growing interoperability, significantly increasing NATO's deterrent capability."  said Bridget Lauderdale, Lockheed Martin's vice president and general manager of the F-35 program. "The F-35 is the best solution for the Czech Republic's future fighter fleet with 5th Generation capabilities enhancing the nation's effectiveness in the 21st Century Security battlespace."

The F-35 is the European aircraft of choice for replacing legacy fighter fleets, offering unmatched interoperability with NATO and other nations to provide a key discriminator for the U.S. and its allies for decades to come. By the 2030s, more than 600 F-35s will work together from more than 10 European countries, including two full U.S. F-35 squadrons stationed at Royal Air Force Lakenheath. It is also the only fighter aircraft in production today that will create jobs for the next 40-50 years and enable strategic industrial partnerships with Czech industry.

F-35s are now operating from 32 bases worldwide. To date, Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 990 F-35s, trained more than 2,280 pilots and 15,400 maintainers, and the F-35 fleet has surpassed 773,000 cumulative flight hours. Lockheed Martin continues to work side by side with F-35 operators to ensure allies remain ahead of the evolving threat.

https://www.f35.com/f35/news-and-features/czech-republic-joins-f35-lightning-program.html

[Huzaar1]

Dan weet ik genoeg, mag op de lijst van CDLSK.

[Sparkplug]

Hebben wij iets vergelijkbaars?

Niet meer. De AGM-65 Maverick is uit het KLu F-16 arsenaal verdwenen. Nu is er Brimstone op de markt en over een paar jaar Spear 3 en ook JAGM-F (for Fixed-wing). Laatste is afgeleid van de JAGM (AH-64E).

Edit. Spear 3 en JAGM-F moeten straks onderdeel zijn van respectievelijk het Britse F-35 en het Amerikaanse F-35 wapenarsenaal.

[Huzaar1]

Hebben wij iets vergelijkbaars?

[Sparkplug]

Germany to equip Eurofighters with Brimstone

23 January 2024

by Gareth Jennings


Germany is to join Spain and the UK in integrating the Brimstone air-to-surface missile onto its Eurofighter combat aircraft. (Janes/Patrick Allen)

Germany is to equip its Eurofighter combat aircraft with the MBDA Brimstone air-to-surface missile, the government revealed on 17 January.

Revealed in Bundeswehr budgetary documents disclosed by Der Spiegel, the Luftwaffe intends to acquire 274 of the low-yield missiles to equip its Eurofighter fleet, with a contract to be awarded in the second quarter (Q2) of 2024.

No further details of the planned procurement were disclosed, but with the Brimstone requiring the Phase 2 Enhancement (P2E) capability package, the missile will be compatible with all of the Luftwaffe's 70 Tranche 2, 31 Tranche 3, and 38 Tranche 4 (Project Quadriga) jets.

Germany joins Spain and the UK in selecting the Brimstone for its Eurofighters, with the fourth partner country Italy yet to announce a decision on the missile. Export customer Qatar too selected the Brimstone for its Eurofighters, though none of the other four export countries of Austria, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia have so far opted for the missile.

Although not disclosed in the budgetary documents, the standard of Brimstone to be integrated by the Luftwaffe is likely to be the latest 3A missile that will be fitted to Spanish and UK aircraft as well. The Brimstone 3A is intended to progressively replace Brimstone 2 on the Eurofighter (currently, only the UK Royal Air Force [RAF] carries the missile on the aircraft). An MBDA spokesperson previously told Janes

.../...

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/germany-to-equip-eurofighters-with-brimstone

[Sparkplug]

F-35 To Get Meteor, SPEAR 3 Missiles "By End Of Decade"

The new weapons will provide an especially lethal combination with the F-35's stealth and forthcoming upgraded sensors.

The U.K. Ministry of Defense has confirmed that its F-35B stealth fighters will be armed with Meteor air-to-air missiles and SPEAR 3 precision-guided standoff munitions by the "end of the decade." The new weapons promise to bring a major leap in capability for the F-35B, especially when combined with the enhancements that the Block 4 upgrade will provide, especially for the aircraft's radar, which will make the Meteor even more formidable.

.../...

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/f-35-to-get-meteor-spear-3-missiles-by-end-of-decade

Het zal voor de Britten tijd worden. Hun huidige F-35B wapenarsenaal bestaat nu uit AIM-132 ASRAAM, AIM-120C/D AMRAAM en Paveway IV (500 lb. klasse).

Wat als de combinatie Meteor en Sidekick voor de F-35A mogelijk is

[Harald]

F-35 To Get Meteor, SPEAR 3 Missiles "By End Of Decade"

The new weapons will provide an especially lethal combination with the F-35's stealth and forthcoming upgraded sensors.

The U.K. Ministry of Defense has confirmed that its F-35B stealth fighters will be armed with Meteor air-to-air missiles and SPEAR 3 precision-guided standoff munitions by the "end of the decade." The new weapons promise to bring a major leap in capability for the F-35B, especially when combined with the enhancements that the Block 4 upgrade will provide, especially for the aircraft's radar, which will make the Meteor even more formidable.

In response to a written question in the U.K. parliament, James Cartlidge, a Minister of State in the Ministry of Defense, confirmed the timeline to integrate the two weapons.

.../...

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/f-35-to-get-meteor-spear-3-missiles-by-end-of-decade

[Harald]

Lockheed to integrate latest air defence suppression missile with all F-35 variants ( goed nieuws voor NL, AGM-88G intern meenemen voor SEAD ) 

The manufacturer of the advanced F-35 stealth fighter received a $97 million Pentagon contract to begin early development work on integrating the Northrop Grumman AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range with all three variants of the fifth-generation jet.

https://www.flightglobal.com/fixed-wing/lockheed-to-integrate-latest-air-defence-suppression-missile-with-all-f-35-variants/156506.article


Netherlands to Buy AGM-88G Missiles for F-35 Fighters (nieuws van juni 2023)
The Dutch defense ministry will invest up to €1 billion to buy AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range missiles to extend the reach of its Lockheed F-35A fighters. It says that the weapon, made by Northrop Grumman, is the only one available for the anti-A2/AD mission.

[Huzaar1]

Die 20 jaar is natuurlijk op het airframe, niet het type.

Daarnaast zijn de modernste F16's in niks vergelijkbaar met de eerste modellen.

Blijft knap hoor, genoeg generatiegenoten die het slechter doen. De BMW 5 serie gaat ook al sinds de jaren 70 mee.

Alsof je met de spitfire tot in de jaren 90 was doorgevlogen, geupgrade spitfires dan.

[Harald]

Uiteraard is de F-16 uit de jaren zeventig een ander beestje dan uit de jaren twintig van deze eeuw.

De vergelijking met een BMW gaat niet op. los van de nummering, een BMW 5 uit de jaren zeventig is voor velen in het heden niet meer te herkennen. De F-16 daar en tegen oogt nog steeds een F-16.

idd, aan de buitenkant is de F-16 nog steeds een F-16, het verbaasd mij eigenlijk wel dat er in al die jaren geen ge-evolutioneerd ontwerpversie gekozen is. Zoals bijvoorbeeld van de F-16XL




The Revolutionary Evolution of the F-16XL
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/1183f16xl/

F-16XL: Why America Didn't Get the Best F-16
https://www.military.com/air-force/f-16xl-why-america-didnt-get-best-f-16.html

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Die 20 jaar is natuurlijk op het airframe, niet het type.

Daarnaast zijn de modernste F16's in niks vergelijkbaar met de eerste modellen.

Blijft knap hoor, genoeg generatiegenoten die het slechter doen. De BMW 5 serie gaat ook al sinds de jaren 70 mee.

Uiteraard is de F-16 uit de jaren zeventig een ander beestje dan uit de jaren twintig van deze eeuw.

De vergelijking met een BMW gaat niet op. los van de nummering, een BMW 5 uit de jaren zeventig is voor velen in het heden niet meer te herkennen. De F-16 daar en tegen oogt nog steeds een F-16.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

First F-16 Block 70 for Bulgarian Air Force

Het heeft er alle schijn van dat F-16 minimaal 80 jaar operationeel zal rondvliegen, misschien haalt dit type zelf één eeuw.

Niet slecht voor een model wat in jaren zeventig van de vorige eeuw het levenslicht zag als lichtgewicht systeem, geconstrueerd voor 4.000 vlieguren met een levensverwachting van 20 jaar.

[Sparkplug]

First F-16 Block 70 for Bulgarian Air Force

Published: 16 January 2024    Last Updated: 16 January 2024


Credit photo: Lockheed Martin


Credit photo: Lockheed Martin

In the second week of January 2024, the Bulgarian Minister of Defence Todor Tagarev visited the F-16 production facility in Greenville (SC) where he viewed the production of the F-16 Block 70 Fighting Falcon for the Bulgarski Voenno Vzdushni Sili (BVVS, Bulgarian Air Force).

He was accompanied by the Bulgarian Ambassador Georgi Panayotov, and the Bulgarian Defence Chief Adm. Emil Eftimov. According to Lockheed Martin there are currently seven F-16s are in various stages of production, and the inaugural flight of the first fighter is planned for later this year.

In a brief official ceremony, he signed the fuselage of the first dual-seat aircraft with c/n MY-01.

In total, Bulgaria ordered sixteen F-16C and F-16D Block 70 fighter aircraft. With the first order, placed in July 2019, Bulgaria signed up for eight F-16 Block 70 fighters. It was not specified how the order was divided between single-seat and dual seat aircraft, but Scramble Magazine assesses that this order consists of six F-16C and two F-16D models. In April 2020, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Fort Worth (TX), was awarded a USD 512 million contract for the construction of eight F-16 Block 70s for the Republic of Bulgaria. This Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract included USD 4,1 million worth of pre-priced options.

In August 2021, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence requested for a second batch of eight F-16 Block 70 fighters, consisting of four F-16C Block 70 and four F-16D Block 70 fighters plus related equipment like spare engines, missiles, bombs and Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars. On 4 April 2022, the US State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Bulgaria of eight Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 Fighting Falcons and related equipment valued at USD 1,7 billion.

Next to Slovakia, Bulgaria will be the second European country to receive the F-16C/D Block 70.

https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/first-f-16-block-70-for-bulgarian-air-force

[Sparkplug]

French Air Force Tranche 5 Rafale fighter aircraft

PUBLISHED: 12 JANUARY 2024   LAST UPDATED: 12 JANUARY 2024


Credit photo: Jurgen van Toor (Scramble Archive)

On 12 January 2024, the French Ministry of Defence (MoD) officially announced that late December 2023, the Direction générale de l'armement (DGA, Defence Procurement Agency) awarded Dassault Aviation an order for 42 Rafale single seat F4 standard fighter aircraft for the Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace (AAE, French Air and Space Force).

This order, known as Tranche 5, will total the number of French Rafales to 234. Earlier orders are divided as: 13 Rafales in 1993 (Tranche 1); 48 in 1999 (Tranche 2); 59 in 2004 (Tranche 3); 60 in 2009 (Tranche 4); and 42 in 2023 (Tranche 5). In 2021, a special order was placed for 12 Rafales to replace the 12 aircraft transferred to Greece.

The first Tranche 5 aircraft will be delivered in 2027. The Rafale is a success in the export market, with seven customer countries to date. The order book, plus the new "tranche 5" contract, secure production activity for the next ten years.

Total export orders currently stand at 261 Rafales (new aircraft): 55x Egypt, 36x Qatar, 36x India, 12x Greece, 80x United Arab Emirates and 42x Indonesia (including 18 for 2024). In addition to the new built aircraft, Greece and Croatia have each acquired 12 former French Air Force Rafales.

https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/french-air-force-tranche-5-rafale-fighter-aircraft

[Huzaar1]

Er moet geld binnenkomen, en de Duitse moreel op dit gebied is fluide.