Internationale fighter ontwikkelingen

[Zeewier]

Fighter aircraft: Made in Asia?

http://ati.ms/GDkedm via @asiatimesonline

Ik zou eerst eens willen weten waar Zuid-Korea en Japan hun toegepaste stealth technologie vandaan halen, voordat ik hun tech demonstrators serieus neem.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Fighter aircraft: Made in Asia?

http://ati.ms/GDkedm via @asiatimesonline

[Harald]

The Air Force Now Plans To Keep The A-10 Warthog Flying Indefinitely    ( ... A-10 blijft langer door vliegen, waarschijnlijk tot 2028 )

The A-10 Thunderbolt AKA "Warthog" is a flying farm tractor. Slow, brutish, but reliable as the tide and endearingly indestructible and incredibly effective. Strategists have feared that the jet will be axed in favor of funding the F-35, but the U.S. Air Force recently confirmed that it plans to keep the A-10 flying "indefinitely."

While the Air Force is theoretically supposed to be diverting the A-10's operating expenses to feed the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the people in charge are now planning to keep the plane running.

"They have re-geared up, we've turned on the depot line, we're building it back up in capacity and supply chain," Air Force Materiel Command chief Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski told AviationWeek in a interview. "Our command, anyway, is approaching this as another airplane that we are sustaining indefinitely."

While the beancounters and product planners are trying to push the A-10 off the board, Materiel Command is going to keep on keeping the planes in peak condition, which will give the A-10 it's best chance of proving its worth over and over again.

And it seems to be working– the A-10 posted a five percent increase in its availability rate from 2014 to 2015, and the Air Force seems to keep postponing its demise.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is supposed to be a do-it-all combat aircraft that can engage other planes in the sky, make long-range bombing runs and come in low and slow to support ground troops. It hasn't gotten off to a great start, to put it lightly, and so far its effectiveness in any of those roles has yet to be truly tested in combat. That last move especially is the A-10's specialty, and a big part of the reason the plane is so beloved by servicemen and women.

To embattled soldiers on the ground, the only sound more reassuring than an A-10's engine is the BRRRT of its massive front cannon providing you with cover fire. At least that's the prevailing lore you've probably already heard about this plane already.

The F-35 on the other hand, has established a reputation of being over budget and underperforming.

"My approach from a sustainment perspective is to approach this as if we're just going to continue to keep these airplanes operating." Pawlikowski continued in her  AviationWeek interview. "We will wait as the dust settles as far as what the strategy will be; that discussion continues to go on and I think it always will as we look at the fact that our demand signal for our airplanes continues to be high."

As it stands on paper, the A-10 fleet is apparently slated to start standing down in fiscal year 2018 and parked in boneyards by 2020. But Secretary Deborah Lee James has already told AviationWeek that the service is "considering keeping the jets in inventory longer than planned."

To that end the Air Force is said to be in the process of putting new wings on its fleet of A-10s under a $2 billion contract with Boeing that was written up in 2007 and supposed to keep the planes going to 2028.

It sounds like the next big hurdles for the A-10 are the Air Force's fiscal year 2018 budget and a defense policy bill that includes a provision to keep the A-10 active. Specifically, Arizona Republican Rep. Martha McSally wants to put one last barrier between the A-10 and retirement: a jet-vs-jet flyoff against the F-35.

We'll be there with popcorn.

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-air-force-now-plans-to-keep-the-a-10-warthog-flying-1788309985

[Sparkplug]

China to unveil its J-20 stealth fighter at air show

BEIJING, Oct 28 (Reuters) - China will unveil its new generation J-20 stealth fighter jet at an air show next week, the air force said on Friday, the first public showing of a warplane China hopes will narrow the military gap with the United States.

The ability to project air power is key for China as it takes on a more assertive stance on territorial disputes with neighbours in the East China and South China seas.

The Pentagon has said the fifth generation stealth aircraft China is developing, the J-20 and the J-31, are necessary for China's air force to evolve from a mostly territorial force to one that can carry out both offensive and defensive operations.

The J-20 will give a flight demonstration at next week's China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in the southern city of Zhuhai, the People's Liberation Army Air Force said in a statement on its official microblog.

Air force spokesman Shen Jinke said the J-20's production was proceeding according to plan and would assist in the air force's mission to "safeguard sovereignty and national security".

"This is the first public appearance of China's indigenously manufactured new generation stealth fighter jet," the air force said.
In June, it said the jet would enter service "in the near future".

The new Y-20 military transport aircraft will also give a flight demonstration at the seven-day air show, which is held every two years and opens on Tuesday.

China showed off the J-31 at the last Zhuhai air show in 2014, a show of muscle that coincided with a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama for an Asia-Pacific summit.

China hopes the J-31, still in development, will compete with the U.S.-made F-35 stealth aircraft in the international market, according to China military watchers and state media reports.

Some analysts have said photographs of the J-20 suggest China may be making faster-than-expected progress in developing a rival to Lockheed Martin's radar-evading F-22 Raptor.

But others say China's defence manufacturers are still struggling to develop advanced engines that would allow its warplanes to match Western fighters in combat.

Beijing has been ramping up research into advanced new military equipment, including submarines, aircraft carriers and anti-satellite missiles, which has rattled nerves regionally and in the United States.

China says there is nothing unusual about its development of military technology, and that it is a reasonable course of action for every country that wants to defend its security. (Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Robert Birsel)

http://news.trust.org/item/20161028064658-w16k1


China has confirmed it will publicly unveil its J-20 stealth fighter at the Zhuhai air show. The aircraft, seen here in a new operational camouflage, is reportedly in low-rate initial production, and is due to enter service in "the near future." (Chinese internet photo)

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/178369/china-to-unveil-j_20-stealth-fighter-at-zhuhai-air-show.html

[Harald]

U.S. Air Force Begins Search for Leap-Ahead Fighter

The U.S. Air Combat Command (ACC) will embark on an 18-month analysis of leap-ahead air superiority fighter options next January, as eight nations move forward with development of a dozen different fifth-generation combat jets aimed at narrowing the U.S.'s lead with the Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35.

After publishing its Air Superiority 2030 Flight Plan in May, the air service is now reaching for what is known as Penetrating Counter-Air (PCA), a family of weapons designed to clear the skies of enemy threats 4 years from now. PCA will not be a "sixth-gen" fighter in the traditional sense, but it will be a successor or supplement to the Boeing F-15 Eagle and F-22 Raptor.

PCA does include a new low-observable aircraft powered by an adaptive-cycle engine, armed with an internally carried successor to the Raytheon AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile and AGM-88-series High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile.

Col. Thomas Coglitore, chief of ACC's ‎air superiority core function and next-generation air dominance working groups, tells Aviation Week that PCA is "the air domain piece of a family of capabilities for the future in the counter-air mission." From about January 2017 to June 2018, his team will determine the key requirements and present a range of hardware options to senior leaders for entry into an acquisition program.

Coglitore says the current and projected capability gaps are already well-known and the range of technologies available have been identified through initiatives with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, DARPA, the Defense Science Board, Air Force Research Laboratory and various think tanks.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/178263/usaf-begins-search-for-follow_on-combat-aircraft-for-2030s.html

[Poleme]

Next generation planes will either by large or they will use new engines that switch between performance and fuel efficiency

http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/10/next-generation-planes-will-either-by.html

De F-22A Raptor begon zijn leven in het Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) programma.  Tot 1985 hoefde deze ATF ook nauwelijks steels te zijn, zo had een ATF voorstel van  Rockwell International veel gelijkenissen met een Sukhoi-27.  Boeing kwam met een voorstel dat leek op een Concorde, maar dan met 2 motoren onder de vleugels en qua afmetingen vergelijkbaar met de Chinese J-20.
Het Militair Industriele Complex begon echter een lobby om de ATF steels te maken, want dat zou volgens hen een grotere omzet betekenen.
In 1985 werd plotseling van het ATF geëist dat deze wel steels moest zijn.   Nogal zeer uitdagend, want er is ook een harde eis, dat het ATF supersonisch moet kunnen kruisen (supercruise).    Er kwamen romp en vleugel constructies, die vloekten met de aërodynamica.  Sommige ATF ontwerpen hadden canards, maar dat zijn goede radar reflectors, dus die verdwenen.  En door Radar Absorberende Materialen werd het ATF flink zwaarder / te zwaar.
Dus werden de ontwerpers gedwongen om het ATF een slag kleiner te maken en de US Air Force moest de supercruise specificaties wat terugschroeven.
Deze steelse ATF heeft echter een relatief kort bereik.

De J-20 heeft een zeer lange en ruime romp, dus veel ruimte voor een groot centraal wapenruim en veel peut.  De ontwerpers hebben wel Stealth technologie toegepast, maar zijn daarin minder ver gegaan dan de Amerikanen.  De J-20 heeft wel canards voor een zo groot mogelijke wendbaarheid en het romp achterstuk en staart hebben weinig steelse vormen, dus goedkoper te bouwen en te onderhouden.

De F-22A Raptor, J-20, Su-35 en PAK-FA, het zijn mastodonten van jachtvliegtuigen.
De Dinosauriers werden ook groter en groter ... uitgestorven.
Een volgende generatie jachtvliegtuigen zou wel eens veel lichter en kleiner kunnen zijn dan de huidige generaties jachtvliegtuigen.  Denk aan het formaat van een F-5E of F-16A.
En de motor zou in plaats van een complexe "variable cycle" engine, wel eens van een veel eenvoudiger ontwerp kunnen zijn dan die in de F-16 en F-22.

Wie van jullie rijdt er nog dagelijks en vaak lange afstanden rond in een VW Golf uit 1979 of een Opel Rekord uit 1974 ?  Waarbij het oude analoge dashboard vervangen is door een digitaal instrumentarium met TomTom en entertainment systeem en de originele motor nu zijn werk doet met een 20 jaar geleden ingebouwde digitaal motor management ?
Waarom 44 jaar met een jachtvliegtuig rond vliegen ?   Zijn er dan nog wel ingenieurs die ervaring hebben met het ontwerpen daarvan ?
Zijn er wel structureel voldoende onderhouden-, en reparatie mensen beschikbaar om die steeds ingewikkelder jachtvliegtuigen vliegend en vooral voldoende inzetbaar te houden?  Nee.
Zijn er überhaupt voldoende muntjes beschikbaar om die steeds complexere kisten te ontwikkelen en te bouwen ?  Nee.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Next generation planes will either by large or they will use new engines that switch between performance and fuel efficiency

http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/10/next-generation-planes-will-either-by.html

[Sparkplug]

Lockheed Proposes Stealth Fighter Project with Mitsubishi Heavy (excerpt)

(Source: Nikkei Asian Review; published Oct 15, 2016)

By Sam Nussey

TOKYO -- Lockheed Martin has proposed developing a new Japanese stealth fighter with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the U.S. defense giant's president told The Nikkei.

"We did respond with our partner MHI to the request for information in August," Lockheed Martin President Marillyn Hewson said in an interview at the Japan Aerospace 2016 trade show.

Lockheed Martin's proposal was made in response to a call from Japan's Ministry of Defense, which is weighing options to boost Japan's defensive capabilities in the face of rising regional tensions.

Japan is looking to replace its aging fleet of around 90 F-2 fighters and is mulling three possibilities. The first would be for Japan to develop a new jet domestically. The second would be co-development with foreign defense contractors, such as Lockheed Martin. The third would be to buy more existing aircraft -- say, Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth jet.

The Japanese ministry's deliberations are ongoing, with a second round of information requests to be made by the end of next March. "We will definitely respond [to this request], we will be a part of that process," Hewson said. A final decision is expected in fiscal 2018.

Lockheed Martin rival Boeing has also proposed working with MHI on a replacement for the F-2. Alternatively, the Japanese contractor could opt to go it alone with its experimental stealth fighter, which made its maiden flight in April.

Japan has already purchased 42 F-35s from Lockheed Martin to replace its F-4 fleet. The F-35 was originally developed by the U.S. and eight other countries, including the U.K. and Italy, in what has been described as the world's largest weapons program. (end of excerpt)

Click here for the full story, on Nikkei Asian Review website.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/177989/lockheed-proposes-stealth-fighter-project-with-mitsubishi-heavy.html

[Harald]

Taurus KEPD 350K to South Korea

The first batch of Taurus KEPD 350K stand-off missiles has been delivered to the Korean air force, and two are seen here on a Boeing F-15K Strike Eagle. The missile's integration onto the aircraft is in its final stages.

TAURUS weapon system will provide RoKAF with the most advanced stand-off and deep strike capability currently available on the world market.

Taurus KEPD 350K is an enhanced and upgraded version of the Taurus KEPD 350 missile, which has been in service with the German Air Force since 2005 and with the Spanish Air Force since 2009.

The Taurus KEPD 350K is a modular stand-off missile system for precision strikes. The KEPD 350K missile has been designed and developed to fly through dense air defenses at a very low terrain-following level and for the engagement of high-value targets.

The missile contains a highly effective dual stage warhead system, which combines excellent penetration capabilities for hard and deeply buried targets with blast-and-fragmentation capabilities against point and area targets.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/177941/first-taurus-kepd-stand_off-missiles-handed-over-to-korea.html

[Harald]

Wat als Boeing weer de eenzitter inclusief CFT's kon maken?


F-15C 80-0038 from the 57th FIS at Keflavik, Iceland, seen at Boscombe Down in 1992.

nice !  ..

2-zitters voor NL, zou mijn voorkeur hebben. dus met "wisso"  WSO (Weapons System Officer)

[Harald]

I would love it  ...

[Sparkplug]

  Hadden wij als NL ook wel nieuwe F15SE kunnen aanschaffen ....    .. dan hadden we daar nu al in kunnen vliegen..

Wat als Boeing weer de eenzitter inclusief CFT's kon maken?


F-15C 80-0038 from the 57th FIS at Keflavik, Iceland, seen at Boscombe Down in 1992.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

  Hadden wij als NL ook wel nieuwe F15SE kunnen aanschaffen ....    .. dan hadden we daar nu al in kunnen vliegen..

in een één op één van minimaal 60 exemplaren... helaas.

[Harald]

Kun je je toch eigenlijk niet voorstellen om een jachtvliegtuigtype ongeveer 70 jaar in operationeel gebruik te houden.

idd, was in de regel ondenkbaar, maar denk dat zo-wie-zo de type F-15, F-16, F-18 langer zullen rondvliegen dan hun voorgangers en denk ook hun opvolgers.

Zoals de plannen nu liggen bij de USAF zullen de F-15 nog zeker 20-25 jaar blijven !

  Hadden wij als NL ook wel nieuwe F15SE kunnen aanschaffen ....    .. dan hadden we daar nu al in kunnen vliegen.. 

[Sparkplug]

USAF lays out F-15C/D re-winging plans   (.... F-15 nog lang niet weg te denken uit de USAF ... )

An industry day for the F-15C Service-Life Extension Program (SLEP) is being held at Robins Air Force Base (AFB) in Georgia on 13 October to consider options for the re-winging of all 235 F-15C/D aircraft in the USAF's inventory to see the type through to its projected out-of-service date of 2045.

Kun je je toch eigenlijk niet voorstellen om een jachtvliegtuigtype ongeveer 70 jaar in operationeel gebruik te houden.