Internationale fighter ontwikkelingen

[Sparkplug]

Lockheed Could Adapt F-22 Stealth Fuel Tanks for Other Aircraft Like F-35

 Aug. 4, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

DAYTON, Ohio—The low-drag, stealthy fuel tanks and pylons Lockheed Martin is developing for the F-22 are potentially applicable to other aircraft like the F-35, the head of Lockheed's Integrated Fighter Group told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Lockheed executive O.J. Sanchez and the Air Force's director of fighters and advanced aircraft also said the Air Force's hefty investments in F-22 capabilities over the next seven years will migrate to the Next Generation Air Dominance program and other platforms and won't go to waste when the F-22 retires.

.../...


Air Combat Command's Gen. Mark Kelly posted this conceptual image on Instagram of an F-22 firing the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile in 2022, offering the first official glimpse of the new weapon. USAF illustration

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/lockheed-could-f-22-stealth-fuel-tanks-f-35/

[Benji87]

AIR WARFARE, CONGRESS

In reversal, Air Force wants prototype NGAD engines from both Pratt and GE: Official



General Electric's proposal for the Adaptive Engine Transition Program, the XA100. (General Electric)

DAYTON, Ohio — The Air Force has decided to fund both Pratt & Whitney and GE Aerospace at least through the prototype phase to make an engine for the service's forthcoming Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter, reversing earlier plans to ax one of the competitors earlier.

"We still have that opportunity to do a downselect if we start seeing... a huge separation between the two. But right now with the way we're funded, we think we can carry both through prototype, and both are leaning in fully. And so then we'll let the prototype and test do the evaluation," Air Force propulsion chief John Sneden said Tuesday.

Last year at the Life Cycle Industry Days conference here, Sneden said that budget constraints by the end of 2024 would force officials to eliminate either Pratt & Whitney or GE Aerospace from the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) program, the formal name of the effort to build the NGAD fighter's engine. But now, Sneden said he's confident the Air Force's can support both vendors through the prototyping phase, which he said is critical to maintain the health of the propulsion industrial base.

"The problem with it is that there's not many companies in the world that can do this," he said. "My focus is really on just maintaining what we currently have. And that means competition wherever possible, and continuing to fund both vendors for as long as we possibly can."

Under NGAP, the service last year issued contracts to Pratt and GE — as well as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman — to ensure that propulsion offerings can fit into any airframe ultimately selected. The service plans to make an award for NGAD in 2024, and following Northop's announcement that it won't bid as a prime, Lockheed and Boeing are assumed to be competing to make the fighter itself.

When the contract was issued, "it was just to make sure that there was an interface methodology between the airframe company and the propulsion company," Sneden said.

And Congress appears poised to fully provide the service's $595 million fiscal 2024 funding request for NGAP, according to drafts of appropriators' legislation. As the prototyping phase approaches in the 2024-2025 timeframe, both companies will have to share their designs — and as of right now, Sneden expects both will be worthy of fielding as prototypes.

"I think what we need to do is, let's see where both vendors are at. And if they're both tracking basically equally, or close enough to each other — which they are right now, they're both doing great — then we would go into prototype and test," he said.

After that, "we can make a downselect from there," he added, though Sneden did not state specifically when that decision might be made. "We will let the results speak for themselves as we get to prototype and test."

AETP Funding
Air Force officials are looking to use a range of new tools to shape the design of the NGAD's engine — technology that will draw upon the Air Force's Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP), where Pratt and GE each built prototype adaptive engines tailored to the F-35.

In March, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall announced the service would seek to end funding for that engine program and instead fund an upgrade to the Pratt-made F135. Congressional appropriators seem largely in agreement: Senate appropriators provide no funding for AETP, and while House appropriators provide $150 million for the program, the chair of the House defense appropriations subcommittee previously told Breaking Defense that the committee is adamant that the incumbent F135 engine should not be swapped out.

That money, according to the House committee's legislation, is "to ensure coordinated design efforts with NGAP," emphasizing that "this increase is not intended to incentivize the Air Force, or any other Service, to create an alternative engine program for the F-35." Senate appropriators would similarly separately provide $280 million for advanced engine development efforts specifically tailored to features like advanced manufacturing techniques, stating that lawmakers are "concerned that a skilled workforce across the domestic military aircraft engine industrial base will degrade if sufficient work and the requisite funding are not available."

House authorizers, however, would seek $588 million for AETP, funding that Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee chairman Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., previously said in an interview with Breaking Defense could keep a new F-35 engine in play. Wittman's counterparts in the Senate Armed Services Committee, however, would seek no further funding for AETP.

"Everything that we're seeing right now is that NGAP will be funded, but the question is really whether or not AETP will be. And so currently, our activities are really focused on maturing the adaptive engine technology with the remaining budget that we have left for AETP," Sneden said.

Sneden said officials are working to "take all of those activities, and we'll port over the technology towards NGAP," listing off key innovations like adaptive turbofans and materials with improved thermal management properties. 

Asked about Secretary Frank Kendall's comments that continued funding for AETP could be a waste of taxpayer dollars, Sneden explained that "if the decision has been made to not put AETP technology into the F-35, if we continue to lean into that activity, then that's a waste. So why would we continue to spend money on AETP specifically as it relates to the F-35.

"What I'm offering is that some of the things that we're currently doing on [AETP]... have portability into the NGAP program," he continued. "So if we get money, I think the focus will actually be, where can we spend the money on advanced engine development activities that will help us continue to mature adaptive engine tech towards the NGAP baseline, as opposed to putting adaptive engine tech in the F-35."

https://breakingdefense.com/2023/08/in-reversal-air-force-wants-prototype-ngad-engines-from-both-pratt-and-ge-official/?amp=1

[Parera]

Duitsland investeert miljoenen in fabriek voor F-35's aan Nederlandse grens

Voor het eerst sinds de oorlog in Oekraïne pompt Duitsland geld in een fabriek voor militair materieel in eigen land. In Weeze, vlakbij Venray over de Duitse grens, hoopt wapenfabrikant Rheinmetall komende jaren de vliegtuigromp voor de Amerikaanse F-35-straaljagers te maken.

https://www.ad.nl/buitenland/duitsland-investeert-miljoenen-in-fabriek-voor-f-35s-aan-nederlandse-grens~a760811d/

[Parera]

Northrop Grumman Bails On Next Generation Fighter Competition
Northrop Grumman has decided to focus on other opportunities, among them is the Navy's own 6th generation fighter program.



https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/northrop-grumman-bails-on-next-generation-fighter-competition

[Harald]

US Navy Taps Lockheed Martin For LRASM Integration On F-35

The U.S. Navy is looking to tap Lockheed Martin Corporation's Missiles Fire Control (MFC) unit for Integrating the Long Range Anti-ship Missile (LRASM) on the F-35.



The Naval Air Systems Command released a pre-solicitation notice on July 7th, seeking sources for integrating the U.S. Navy's Long Range Anti-ship Missile (LRASM) on the F-35 platform. The notice states that NAVAIR plans to negotiate and award a sole source delivery order for a Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) to Lockheed Martin Corporation's Missiles Fire Control (MFC).

According to the notice Lockheed Martin "will support the F-35 Tactical Missile Operational Flight Program (MOFP) development. LMMFC shall develop and deliver a build of tactical MOFP that is compatible with F-35 and backward compatible with legacy aircraft platforms, including F/A-18, B-1, and P-8."

News of possible JASSM-ER and LRASM integration on the F-35 goes back to 2018 and has been known for years now, but little was known about when this would begin. During the 2021 Surface Navy Association symposium, Lockheed Martin unveiled artist impressions of an F-35 equipped with two LRASMs. Naval News contacted Lockheed Martin to ask about the unveiling and the progress of the integration if one was happening.

Lockheed Martin officials stated that they had completed initial fit checks for both JASSM-ER and LRASM at the time of the unveiling, and expected planned integration efforts to continue into the year. Congress also allocated funds for the integration effort later that year in the FY22 budget.

LRASM is currently integrated on the U.S. Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which cleared Early Operational Capability (EOC) with the missile in December 2019, and on the U.S. Air Force's B-1B Lancer, which cleared EOC with the missile in 2017. Aside from these platforms, the missile is being integrated on the P-8A Poseidon, the progress of which Naval News reported on earlier this year, and on the U.S. Air Force's B-52 Stratofortress.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/07/us-navy-lockheed-martin-lrasm-f35/

[Sparkplug]

MQ-28 Ghost bats zijn voor NLD Een must met ons lage aantal F-35's.

Als ze moeten worden bewapend, dan moet er wel iets aan het airframe van de MQ-28 gebeuren. Met de huidige grootte is het meer voor ISR.

Snap de beslissing goed van Aus, had alleen die F-18's ingeruild voor F-15GE's. F-18's zijn leuk maar enorm traag en hebben wel hun beperkingen. Helemaal als je ze niet gebruikt als carrier aircraft.

Als vervanger van de F-111C was een F-15E variant inderdaad geschikter. Helaas kozen zij voor de F/A-18F, omdat 12 van de 24 stuks zouden worden omgebouwd naar de EA-18G Growler. Uiteindelijk werd de EA-18G nieuw af fabriek geleverd.

[Huzaar1]

MQ-28 Ghost bats zijn voor NLD Een must met ons lage aantal F-35's.

Snap de beslissing goed van Aus, had alleen die F-18's ingeruild voor F-15GE's. F-18's zijn leuk maar enorm traag en hebben wel hun beperkingen. Helemaal als je ze niet gebruikt als carrier aircraft.

[Harald]

https://gagadget.com/en/weapons/281133-australia-may-not-buy-28-f-35a-aircraft-because-of-the-modernisation-of-the-fa-18-super-hornet-the-development-of/

Australia may not buy 28 F-35A aircraft because of the modernisation of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the development of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone and the emergence of sixth-generation fighters

[Harald]

Nieuwe generatie van het Praetoriaanse zelfbeschermingssysteem voor Eurofighter gepresenteerd
https://esut.de/2023/07/meldungen/43370/neue-generation-des-selbstschutzsystems-praetorian-fuer-eurofighter-vorgestellt/



(Vertaald via Google Translate)

Op de Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) in Fairford, Engeland, van 14 tot 16 juli, presenteerde Leonardo de nieuwe generatie van het Praetoriaanse zelfbeschermingssysteem voor de Eurofighter, dat bekend staat als het Defensive Aids Sub-System (DASS) in Phase 4 Enhancement (P4E) in de gevechtsvliegtuigen zal worden geïnstalleerd.

Het EuroDASS-consortium met Leonardo, de ELT Group, Indra en Hensoldt heeft Praetorian verder ontwikkeld volgens de eisen van de gebruiker en geïntegreerd in een Piper Navajo-testvliegtuig. In het consortium is Leonardo verantwoordelijk voor de integratie van de componenten en de uiteindelijke oplevering. Hensoldt leidt de ontwikkeling van de digitale ontvanger en Indra heeft de uitbreiding van de frequentieband overgenomen. De ELT Group draagt ��bij aan verbeteringen aan elektronische tegenmaatregelen en WTP-koelers.

Volgens Leonardo vergroot de nieuwste vooruitgang de overlevingskansen van het vliegtuig en legt het de basis voor de integratie van het verdedigingssysteem met de krachtige E-Scan-radars van de Eurofighter Typhoon. Dit omvat alle versies van de E-Scan-radar, dwz zowel de versies die al in gebruik zijn als de versies die momenteel worden ontwikkeld door Eurofighter-partnerlanden.

De bestaande DASS, genoemd naar de elite Romeinse bodyguard-eenheid Praetorian, beschermt de Eurofighter tegen bedreigingen zoals infrarood (IR/hitte) en radargeleide raketten, vervolgde Leonardo. De sensoren en stoorzenders die in het systeem zijn geïntegreerd, geven de piloot inzicht in de situatie en rusten het vliegtuig uit met een digitale verhulmogelijkheid die wordt bereikt door geavanceerde elektronische loktechnieken.

Leonardo schrijft dat de nieuwe mogelijkheden, die zich al in een vergevorderd stadium van ontwikkeling bevinden, een digitale ontvanger omvatten die het mogelijk zal maken om moderne en complexe doelen en hun werking beter te herkennen en de juiste tegenmaatregelen te nemen. De upgrade omvat ook een uitbreiding van de frequentieband, waardoor de Eurofighter kan opereren in de steeds complexere, drukkere en competitievere elektromagnetische gevechtsruimte van de toekomst.

Verbeterde signaalverwerkingsalgoritmen en processorcapaciteiten leiden tot aanzienlijke vooruitgang in verwerkingssnelheid, mogelijkheden en opslagruimte, beschrijft Leonardo. Hierdoor kan het Praetorian-systeem optimaal worden geïntegreerd met de E-Scan-radaropties van Eurofighters, waaronder het nieuwe ECRS dat momenteel in ontwikkeling is. De nieuwste radaropties hebben een krachtig elektronisch aanvalsvermogen en vormen een aanvulling op de ingebouwde storing van het Praetorian-systeem voor een hoge algehele impact.

Volgens de informatie zullen de eerste testvluchten van de DASS Praetorian aan boord van de Piper Navajo direct na de RIAT plaatsvinden. De suite zal vervolgens in een steiger worden gezet tot een Eurofighter-testvliegtuig voor testen tijdens de vlucht vanaf begin 2024.

Met Praetorian eVolution heeft het EuroDASS-consortium al een roadmap voorgesteld voor de toekomstige verdere ontwikkeling van het zelfbeschermingssysteem. Het doel is om het hoge beschermingsniveau van de Eurofighters de komende decennia te handhaven. Nieuwe mogelijkheden zijn onder meer platformonafhankelijke elektronische oorlogsvoering, zeer nauwkeurige targeting en geavanceerde gevechts-ID.

[Harald]

It's Official: India OKs Purchase of 26 Rafales

DAC Approves Proposals for Procurement of 26 Rafale Marine Aircraft from France to Boost Indian Navy's Operational Capabilities

India's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, today approved the purchase of 26 Rafale-M naval fighters and three additional Scorpene submarines from France, clearing the way for signature of a government to government deal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his two-day visit to Paris, where he is the guest of honor at Friday's Bastille Day military parade.

A meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), held under the chairmanship of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, approved three proposals on July 13, 2023.

The DAC granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft along with associated ancillary equipment, weapons, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training and logistic support for the Indian Navy from the French Government based on Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA). The price and other terms of purchase will be negotiated with the French Government after taking into account all relevant aspects, including comparative procurement price of similar aircraft by other countries.

Further, integration of Indian designed equipment and establishment of Maintenance, Repair & Operations (MRO) Hub for various systems will be incorporated into the contract documents after due negotiations.

https://www.defense-aerospace.com/its-official-india-oks-purchase-of-26-rafales-and-3-scorpene-subs-from-france/

[Benji87]

Dat zegt ook iets over de introductie van FCAS.

En over de keuze van NL om voor de JSF te gaan

[Sparkplug]

Dat zegt ook iets over de introductie van FCAS.

Dassault gaf een paar jaar geleden hetzelfde plan door voor de Rafale. Het is inmiddels gebruikelijk dat een type casco minimaal 30 jaar in gebruik blijft. Kijk maar naar de F-15 en F16. Onderhuids niet te vergelijken met de oorspronkelijke uitvoering, maar qua uiterlijk direct herkenbaar.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Eurofighter wil de levensduur van zijn Typhoon gevechtsvliegtuigen van de vierde generatie verlengen tot in de jaren 2060

Dat zegt ook iets over de introductie van FCAS.

[Harald]

https://gagadget.com/nl/275202-eurofighter-wil-de-levensduur-van-zijn-typhoon-gevechtsvliegtuigen-van-de-vierde-generatie-verlengen-tot-in-de-jaren-2060/

Eurofighter wil de levensduur van zijn Typhoon gevechtsvliegtuigen van de vierde generatie verlengen tot in de jaren 2060

[Lynxian]

Fabriek voor rompen F-35 komt in Weeze

Er komt een nieuwe fabriek op Weeze Airport, dat op slechts twee kilometer van de Nederlandse grens ligt. De fabriek gaat minstens 400 rompsecties produceren voor de F-35 Lightning II.




https://www.upinthesky.nl/2023/07/07/nieuwe-fabriek-op-weeze-maakt-f-35-rompen/

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