n what would mean two separate active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar efforts in country, it has now been learnt that HAL’s Strategic Electronic Research Design Centre (SLRDC) in Hyderabad is also kickstarting a programme to build an indigenous AESA radar for airborne platforms. It is already known that the DRDO’s Electronics Research and Development Establishment (LRDE) has begun attempting to develop an AESA radar.
The SLRDC division’s other planned products include Combined Interrogator and Transponder, Advanced radio Altimter, Software Defined Radio, Secure Datalink, Ku-Band SATCOM, Weather Radar, SSDVRS, Diital Audio Control System, Traffic Collision Avoidance System, INS/GPS and Synthetic Aperature Radar. While SLRDC has contributed avionics and certain cockpit equipment to the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), Su-30MKI, MiG-BIS & MiG-27, Jaguar DARIN II & III, LCA Tejas, Cheetah, Chetak, Dornier and Boeing P-8I, it is now gearing up to build avionics for new and future platforms including the LCH, LUH , HTT-40, Tejas Mk.II, FGFA, MTA , IJT and the upgraded Su-30MKI.
La direction générale de l’armement (DGA) a réalisé avec succès le premier tir de qualification du missile de croisière naval (MDCN), le 1er juillet 2013. Ce tir, effectué sur le site de Biscarrosse (Landes) du centre DGA Essais de missiles, est représentatif d’un tir à partir d’une frégate.
Le thème de tir retenu était particulièrement exigeant puisque, outre les objectifs de portée, il a contribué à valider les performances de navigation autonome et de guidage terminal par reconnaissance infrarouge. Cette réussite est le fruit d’un travail intense et coordonné de nombreux acteurs étatiques (les centres d’expertise et d’essais de la DGA, le service de la qualité de la DGA et la Marine Nationale notamment) et industriels (MBDA France).
Le MDCN équipera à terme les frégates multi-missions (FREMM) et les sous-marins Barracuda.
Doté d’une portée de plusieurs centaines de kilomètres, le MdCN est destiné à frapper des objectifs situés dans la profondeur du territoire adverse. Il est complémentaire du missile de croisière aéroporté Scalp dont il est dérivé. Embarqué sur des bâtiments de combat positionnés, de façon prolongée, à distance de sécurité dans les eaux internationales, ostensiblement (frégates) ou discrètement (sous-marins), le MdCN est adapté à des missions de destruction d’infrastructures de haute valeur stratégique.
DynAviation, la division Aviation de DynCorp International, renforce ses capacités.
D'une part, elle a annoncé la modernisation de huit hélicoptères de sa flotte (6 UH-1 et 2 Mi-17) qui ont été déployés depuis plusieurs années dans le sud de l'Afghanistan (photo ci-dessus prise à l'ouest de Kandahar). Les travaux seront réalisés à Huntsville où DynCorp dispose d'un site pour le MCO des aéronefs.
D'autre part, DynCorp et la division Integrated Mission Systems (IMS) de Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) ont annoncé un partenariat stratégique en vue de la création d'une centre conjoint à Huntsville où les deux sociétés se chargeront du MCO des avions de l'US Army. DynCorp et SNC vont aussi coopérer dans le domaine des drones.
Namibia and Germany have signed an agreement that will see continued military cooperation over the next three years, including the provision of training and equipment that can be used for peacekeeping operations.
Namibian defence minister Nahas Angula and German ambassador to Namibia Onno Huckmann signed the sixth such defence cooperation agreement on August 7. The budget under the new agreement amounts to some N$40 million – N$200 million has been budgeted since Germany and Namibia began cooperating in the field of defence in 1992, according to the German Embassy in Windhoek.
The German Federal Government's Equipment Aid Programme for foreign armed forces has been in existence for more than four decades. Responsible for the implementation of this programme are groups of seconded technical advisors of the Bundeswehr. Namibia’s fifth tranche of 4 million euros ended in December last year.
Huckmann said the latest agreement was “outstanding evidence of the close and fruitful cooperation between the armed forces of our two sister nations”. He added that Germany military assistance to the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) has been very successful.
The Equipment Aid Programme will focus on establishing a Camp Operation Logistic Unit, which Namibia will use when contributing troops to African Union and United Nations-led peacekeeping missions. The German Embassy added that medical and maintenance facilities will be constructed in order to strengthen these areas of the Namibian Defence Force.
The Namibian government finances 50% of these projects, which have included the delivery of a mobile field hospital, a vehicle mechanic training centre and other initiatives. Equipment Aid shipments from Germany have included more than 25 tons of medical equipment, 20 all-terrain ambulances, trucks, spare parts and equipment.
In addition, the German Advisory Group has trained Namibian Defence Force vehicle mechanics and storekeepers and a central workshop and training centre have been constructed. A driving school was established between 2002 and 2006 and trains all NDF drivers. In February 2012 the school was moved to the Osona base near Okahandja and was handed over on August 31.
Another joint project saw the supply and installation of an old ammunition disposal facility, which was also offered to peacekeeping missions of neighbouring countries. Ammunition disposal started in December 2002 and until its handover in 2006 was operated jointly by the NDF and German Advisory Group.
One of the largest projects between Namibia and Germany was the delivery of a mobile field hospital, which the NDF will use to deliver operational and emergency health care services during military operations and provide emergency civilian health care services for relief agencies in the event of natural disasters.
The mobile field hospital was handed over at Luiperds Vallei on February 26 this year. It can treat up to 40 outpatients per day and has an admission capacity of 20 patients at a time. Furthermore, dental treatment of up to 20 patients and four operations are possible.
Detailed logistics enables the mobile field hospital to bring all the necessary equipment with its own transport to the area it is deployed. Water purifiers, water tanks, kitchens, generators, toilet and shower containers as well as sewage and refuse disposals are part of the self-contained operation of the hospital.
The hospital can be deployed in all types of terrain as it is mounted on a 4-wheel drive overlander vehicle. It has two intensive care units, laboratories, an X-ray unit and a mobile oxygen concentrator which allows it to produce its own oxygen.
It enables the Namibian Armed Forces to support peace keeping missions of up to 1 000 soldiers within the framework of UN, AU or SADC missions.
The first production Beechcraft AT-6 light attack aircraft made a ceremonial first flight on 20 August in Wichita, Kansas.
The single-engined 1,600shp (1,190kW) Pratt & Whitney PT6 turboprop aeroplane took to the air at about 10:30 local time with test pilot Lionel Alford at the controls. "It flies great," he says.
The aircraft was loaded with a pair of 66 gal (250 litres) drop tanks, two inert GBU-58 laser-guided bombs and two LAU-131 seven-shot rocket launchers. The AT-6 was also carrying a L-3 Wescam Mx-15Di electro-optical infrared camera.
Although a production aircraft, it is a company-owned asset. Beechcraft has not secured an order for the type.
When asked why the company would fly the first flight with such a heavy load, Derek Hess, the company's senior vice-president for business development, says: "Because it's so easy."
Meanwhile, Hess says that the company is continuing to look at improvements to the AT-6. The aircraft recently demonstrated air-to-air gunnery with .50 caliber machine guns and the potential exists to employ Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinders to counter certain aerial threats.
Russ Bartlett, president of Beechcraft's defence business, says that the AT-6 could incorporate a Lockheed F-35-style large area display in the future.
Beechcraft president Bill Boisture says that while the company has not secured a customer for the AT-6 yet, he expects to sign a customer for the aircraft before the end of 2013.
Beechcraft projects that the market for a light attack aircraft could exceed 500 units over 10 years. There are 26 US allies that could use an aircraft such as the AT-6, Boisture adds. Most of these potential customers would be in Africa, South America and the Middle East.
"We're going to sell a lot of these airplanes," Boisture says.
Le premier ministre égyptien par intérim a prévenu mardi 20 août les Etats-Unis qu'ils commettraient une erreur s'ils suspendaient leur aide militaire annuelle de 1,3 milliard de dollars. "Cela affecterait l'armée pendant un certain temps, a déclaré Hazem El-Beblaoui, dans un entretien à la télévision américaine ABC News. N'oublions pas que l'Egypte a vécu avec le soutien militaire de la Russie et que nous avons survécu. Ce ne se serait donc pas la fin du monde et nous pouvons vivre dans des circonstances différentes".
Le site The Daily Beast a assuré que l'aide américaine à l'Egypte avait été "interrompue en secret" par l'administration Obama. Un collaborateur du sénateur démocrate Patrick Leahy, responsable de la sous-commission supervisant l'aide aux pays étrangers, a confirmé que le transfert de l'assistance militaire à l'Egypte avait été arrêté. "C'est une pratique actuelle, pas forcément une politique officielle, et il n'y a pas d'indices sur la durée" de cette interruption, avait indiqué ce collaborateur.
Le gouvernement américain a formellement démenti avoir suspendu cette assistance. Ce "n'est pas un robinet" que l'on peut ouvrir ou fermer, a fait valoir un porte-parole de la Maison Blanche. Elle est "fournie de façon épisodique, par tranches". Sa collègue du département d'Etat a enfoncé le clou peu après. "Toutes les informations affirmant le contraire sont tout simplement fausses", a-t-elle martelé. En plus de l'assistance militaire, l'Egypte reçoit chaque année 250 millions de dollars d'aide économique.
Two F-35B Lightning II jets (BF-01 and BF-05) touched down aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) Monday, August. 12th, kicking off a week of Development Testing II (DT-II) where Wasp Sailors and Integrated Test Force (ITF) team members are testing and further validating the F-35B.
DT-II is the second of three test phases encompassing numerous milestone events including the first night operation at sea as well as the first launch and recovery of the F-35B at sea by a U.K. test pilot. The goal of this testing is to further define F-35B operating parameters aboard amphibious ships such as Wasp.
The F-35 Lightning II is the next generation strike aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force, as well as eight international partners. The jet combines advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Wasp is testing the F-35B, which has short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) capability, enabling it to operate from a wider range of ships and in support of expeditionary operations.
"It's a significant milestone for the F-35 program," said Capt. Erik Etz, Director, Test & Evaluation F-35 Naval Variants. "We're providing an envelope that will be utilized by Marine Corps and U.K. aviators when they go out and employ the aircraft in a real environment. The ability to operate at night is critical and so certainly the testing we're doing here will provide a significant amount of data so we can clear the envelope and clear the aircraft to operate day and night, when the Marine Corps takes the F-35B to initial operating capability in 2015."
Wasp and the ITF completed a major milestone when Lt. Col. C. R. Clift launched from the flight deck and landed safely, marking the first successful night launch and recovery of the F-35B at sea.
The pilots were pleased with the progress that the first night landings at sea represent. "It all went extremely well," said Clift. "Throughout the night we conducted eight successful launches and landings, so we're on target and quickly gaining experience with F-35B night operations at sea."
Launch and recoveries filled the first, second and third days at sea creating smooth, synchronized daytime operations. Wasp flight deck crew members were trained in advance of DT-II to prepare them for F-35B operations at sea, ensuring all those involved were ready to support DT-II.
"The crew itself has spent quite a bit of time up at PatuxentRiver working with the F-35B understanding how the aircraft operates," said Capt. Brian Teets, Wasp's commanding officer. "What we've been able to bring is a consistent platform to the F-35B to support their testing. It's the same ship with the same capabilities, providing consistency and stability as a reliable test platform. Employing a consistent test platform allows the team to find ways to optimize this new aircraft in the Marine Air Combat Element."
U.K. Squadron Leader Jim Schofield, a Royal Air Force pilot became the first international pilot to conduct sea-based launch and landing in the F-35B.
"It's exciting to see the integration of this new plane with the amphibious assault ships," said Schofield. "After a year leading up to this evolution, it's awesome to get here and start. And the crew has been especially accommodating and efficient at running these tests smoothly."
The historical milestones were not lost on Wasp crew members, but for most it was "business as usual", focusing on safety and effectiveness during flight operations at sea. Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 1st Class Ashley Geary gave the signal to launch BF-05 for the first night flight operations.
"It was fun knowing we're making history," said Geary. "We worked with the test team at PatuxentRiver for a week, learning about the F-35B and its operations. They took our suggestions on flight deck procedures, ensuring we were one team working together towards a successful mission. The launch went well, without a hitch."
The F-35 Lightning II is scheduled to replace 13 different legacy aircraft in the current U.S. defense inventory. Sea trials for the Navy's F-35C aircraft carrier variant are scheduled at the end of 2014.
KARACHI: Pakistan Navy (PN) inducted two ATR-72 aircrafts in its fleet to enhance its operational flexibility and reach, a ceremony was held to at PNS Mehran with Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad Asif Sandila as chief guest. Speaking at the occasion, Sandila said that at sea we are entrusted with the added responsibilities of countering terrorism including drugs, arms and human smuggling, which has led to more focused maritime security operations. According to details provided by PN official handout, ATRs are modern and widely operated turboprop platforms equipped with state of the art Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) installed. Average ground speed of the aircraft is 250 knots with an endurance of about six hours, the document further said. Veteran Naval Aviators, Pakistan Navy Flag Officers and civilian and military dignitaries attended the ceremony.
En l'absence de détails sur la configuration détaillée de l'appareil livré au Pakistan, on pourra consulter la fiche détaillée de la flotte ATR-72 commandée par la Marine turque :
Japan and the Philippines have announced the establishment of a strategic partnership that will see Tokyo provide coast guard vessels to Manila and could lead to Japanese troops training in the country. The agreement was made during a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Philippine President Benigno Aquino in Manila on 27 July. As part of the agreement Japan will provide the Philippines with 10 coast guard patrol craft w1der its overseas development assistance CODA) programme.
Japan Self-Defence Forces air and sea units will also be invited to participate in joint exercises, as well as in drills with US and Philippine armed forces. A draft visiting forces agreement will also allow for Japanese forces to train in the Philippines. Both leaders expressed concern over increased activity by Chinese naval forces within areas they consider to be their countries' exclusive economic zones. "We will strengthen our relationship as partners who share many strategic interests,'' Abe told reporters in Manila.
Comment :
The agreement to provide 10 coast guard vessels is notable for a number of reasons. IHS Jane's reported in 2012 that the two sides were also discussing the acquisition by Manila of two Japanese vessels in the 100m class with a displacement of around 1,500 tonnes, although it seems these plans have been shelved. At the time the 10 vessels under discussion were reported to be about 40 m long with a displacement of 180 tonnes. If this Is still the case and Japan opts to provide vessels based on existing designs, a close fit would be the Mihashi/Raizan class, which are 43 m long, displace 198 tonnes (standard) and are armed with a JM-61 Vulcan Gatling -style 20mm gun. Based on inventory data sourced from IHS Jane's Fighting Ships, these would provide the Philippines with a major boost in its patrol capabilities, although it would still be outmatched in any potential face-off with Chinese paramilitary forces in the South China sea.
GEOJE ISLAND, South Korea, Aug. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Navy launched its fourth 1,800-ton Type 214 submarine in a ceremony here on Tuesday as part of efforts to boost its underwater warfare capabilities against North Korean submarines.
The ship, named after Korea's famous independence fighter Kim Jwa-jin (1889-1930), is the fourth of its kind in operation since 2010. Kim is Korea's first general of independence fighters who led the Cheongsan-ri battle to defeat 3,300 Japanese soldiers in China's northeastern region in 1920.
President Park Geun-hye, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and senior military officials attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony held at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering's shipyard in Geoje Island, close to the southern port city of Busan.
The late general's daughter Kim Eul-dong, an incumbent lawmaker of the ruling Saenuri Party, and actor Song Il-kook, his grandson, also attended the ceremony.
The ship can hit 300 targets simultaneously, and is equipped with ship-to-land missiles and torpedoes as well as an advanced sonar system for anti-submarine warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
The diesel-powered submarine is operated by Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), which extends the ship's submerged endurance compared to conventional submarines. The AIP system enables the crew to carry out underwater missions for several weeks without the need to access atmospheric oxygen.
The Navy will take delivery of the attack submarine in late 2014 and deploy it in 2015 for naval operations, officials said.
South Korea currently operates over 10 submarines, including 1,200-ton Type 209 subs and 1,800-ton Type 214 subs.
The Navy plans to acquire nine 3,000-ton level heavy-attack submarines after 2020 with significant improvements in their radar and armament systems compared to their predecessors.
North Korea is known to have about 70 submarines, one of which is suspected of having torpedoed a South Korean corvette in the tensely guarded western sea in March 2010. A total of 46 sailors were killed in the incident.
La hausse de 52% du titre depuis le début janvier suscite quelques prises de bénéfice, à la faveur d’informations, pourtant démenties par l’avionneur, de la perte d’un appel d’offres en Corée.
Le fabricant d’Airbus a démenti les informations de la presse coréenne indiquant qu’Eurofighter serait écarté de l’appel d’offres organisé par Séoul pour l’achat de soixante avions de combat. Le consortium européen qui comprend, outre EADS, BAE Systems et Finmeccanica reste donc en compétition pour cet appel d’offres d’un montant de 7,3 milliards de dollars. L’action EADS abandonnait 0,17%, lundi à mi-séance.
Par ailleurs, selon des informations non confirmées, la banque Vnesheconombank se serait délestée de sa participation de 5% dans le capital du groupe aéronautique, selon le journal russe Vedomosti. Seule certitude, une récente déclaration de franchissement de seuil à la Bourse d’Amsterdam, principal marché de cotation d’EADS, a montré que cet actionnaire russe ne détenait plus que 2,88% d’EADS. C’est en septembre 2006 que les autorités russes avaient provoqué la surprise en annonçant cette prise de participation de 5% dans EADS, alors détenue par une autre banque publique, VTB. Cet investissement, à l'époque de 763 millions d'euros, est valorisé au cours actuel d'EADS, pour 1,77 milliard d’euros.
Cette vente serait liée, selon le Financial Times, aux difficultés de l’État russe dans l’aéronautique civile qui peine à faire avancer son projet d’avion régional S100 Superjet, concurrent des appareils du brésilien Embraer et du canadien Bombardier. Le journal Vedomosti a écrit que la facture de ce projet s’élevait désormais à 2,1 milliards de dollars et que son initiateur, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, avait dû négocier avec ses créanciers pour éviter le dépôt de bilan.
Le MiG-29A, portant le numéro 89, a été remis à la 23e Base aérienne tactique de l’Armée de l’Air polonaise à Minsk Mazowiecki le 29 juillet, tandis qu’un second avions modernisé (No.38) sera transféré à l’armée de l’air en août.
Le ministère de la Défense de la Pologne avait signé un contrat le 12 août 2011 d’une valeur 39.5 millions de dollars avec Wojskowe Zaklady Lotnicze No.2 (WZL-2), en collaboration avec Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), pour la modernisation de ses MiG-29. Le contrat doit être achevé d’ici la fin de 2014, prévoyant la modernisation de 13 MiG-29A Fulcrum-A (monoplace) et trois MiG-29UB Fulcrum-B (biplace) pour la formation des pilotes aux nouveaux systèmes d’avioniques.
Les nouveaux MiG-29A Fulcrum-A polonais bénéficient d’un nouvel affichage multifonctions, d’un processeur de données avec système de planification intégrée des missions, d’un nouveau GPS embarqué, et d’un enregistreur vidéo numérique avec caméra CTVS.
La Pologne est le seul pays de l’OTAN qui opère à la fois des chasseurs de fabrication américaine (F-16C/D Block 52) et des chasseurs russes (MiG-29A/UB).
Le pays a reçu ses premiers MiG-29 en 1989, avec 12 avions livrés (neuf MiG-29A et trois MiG-29UB). Un deuxième lot de 10 appareils (neuf MiG-29A et un MiG-29UB) ont été acquis auprès de la République tchèque en 1995 en échange de 11 hélicoptères polonais PZL W-3 Sokol, tandis qu’un troisième et dernier lot de 22 appareils (18 MiG-29A/G et quatre MiG-29UB/GT) ont été achetés à l’Allemagne en 2001 et livrés entre 2003 et 2004.
Aujourd’hui, seulement 31 MiG-29A/UB polonais restent en service : 15 à la 22e Base aérienne tactique de Malbork et 16 à la 23e Base aérienne tactique à Minsk Mazowiecki. L’armée de l’air a l’intention de déployer les MiG-29 jusqu’en 2028. Tous les avions ont été remis à neuf et leur durée de vie prolongée de 40 ans soit 4000 heures de vol.
Le premier vol d’essai du chasseur monoplace MiG-29A modernisé s’est effectuée en mars 2013, tandis que le premier vol d’essai de la version biplace MiG-29UB est prévue pour la fin de l’année ou au début de 2014. Le dernier des 16 avions modernisés devraient être livré à la fin de 2014.
Le constructeur canadien de jets privés Bombardier a décidé de faire du profit sur la réduction des budgets militaires à travers le monde (source : RBC Daily).
La compagnie a l’intention de modifier ces jets pour en faire des avions destinés à un usage militaire – des avions anti-sous-marins, de reconnaissance et de sauvetage. Bombardier espère que les militaires apprécieront de faire des économies en achetant des avions déjà prêts au lieu de les concevoir de A à Z.
Bombardier a eu l’idée de transformer ses avions civils en appareils qui conviennent à un usage militaire après la première réduction des budgets militaires dans le monde en 1998. L’an dernier, cet indice s’est réduit de 0,5%, jusqu’à 1 750 milliards de dollars, selon les statistiques de l’Institut international de recherche sur la paix de Stockholm (Sipri). « Tous les gouvernements sont conscients aujourd’hui du besoin de changer d’approche en termes de dépenses. Il existe une tendance en hausse pour la recherche de produits finis déjà certifiés pour les vols commerciaux », a déclaré à Bloomberg le vice-président de Bombardier Ben Boehm.
À l’heure actuelle, les avions militarisés représentent seulement 1-2% des bénéfices du département aérospatial de Bombardier, ce qui représente 8,6 milliards de dollars de recettes l’an dernier. Par exemple, actuellement, la compagnie vend au consortium militaire Raytheon son modèle Global 5000 (photo ci-dessus) modifié ensuite par le consortium en avion de reconnaissance pour l’armée de l’air britannique, et les modèles à hélices de Bombardier sont utilisés par la sécurité côtière du Japon et de la Suède. La compagnie a l’intention de proposer aux militaires la gamme modifiée Challenger pour les opérations de recherche et de sauvetage. Bombardier a l’intention de transformer son frère cadet Learjet en avion d’interception radio, et les Q400 à hélices pourrait servir à patrouiller sur les littoraux.
Ben Boehm, qui a lui-même servi dans l’armée de l’air canadienne, espère qu’à terme, les ventes d’avions spécialisés aux militaires et aux sauveteurs augmenteront pour atteindre jusqu’à 20% de l’ensemble des recettes aérospatiales de Bombardier. Et ce, grâce aux tarifs : le P-8 Poseidon de lutte anti-sous-marine reprenant le châssis du Boeing 737 revient à la marine américaine 75 à 90 millions de dollars. Ce qui est pratiquement le double du Global 5000 de Bombardier identique au P-8, qui coûte 49 millions de dollars. De plus, Bombardier cherche à attirer les clients en leur promettant des économies grâce à l’utilisation de son large réseau de maintenance à travers le monde.
« L’idée de faire des économies sur la modification des avions civils déjà existants pourrait avoir un sens pour les militaires. Après tout, dès à présent, les ravitailleurs modernes sont construits à partir des modèles civils. Cependant, comme c’est toujours le cas avec les militaires, tout dépendra du client. La certification civile ne préoccupe pas vraiment les militaires. Bien qu’en soit, la satisfaction des normes civiles par les appareils puisse être un argument lors du choix. Dans l’ensemble, le marché est plutôt étroit, et les possibilités ne sont pas très nombreuses en termes de transformation des jets privés. Il est évidemment hors de question de proposer des jets privés pour les généraux », déclare Alexeï Sinitski, rédacteur en chef du magazine Revue des transports aériens.
Par ailleurs, le principal concurrent de Bombardier, le brésilien Embraer, connaît un certain succès sur le marché des avions spécialisés pour les militaires, rappelle l’expert. L’an dernier, ce segment lui a valu 17% de l’ensemble des ventes d’avions s’élevant à 12,2 milliards de dollars, fait remarquer Bloomberg. Les pays d’Asie et du Moyen-Orient ne voient pas non plus d’inconvénient à faire des économies en utilisant les acquis de l’aviation civile à des fins militaires. Les Emirats arabes unis, par exemple, ont été les premiers à commander l’avion d’assaut léger conçu par l’américain Air Tractor à partir d’un avion d’épandage agricole à hélice élaboré 20 ans auparavant.
Le 347th Rescue Group a reçu son second exemplaire du nouvel avion de transport de Lockheed Martin.
L’Air Force a accusé réception d’un second HC-130J Combat King II, le 14 août dernier. L’appareil sera en mesure de remplir les missions Search And Rescue (SAR) ainsi que de transport d’hommes et de fret en zone de combat.
Il vient ainsi renforcer les moyens du 347th Rescue Group, situé sur la base de Moody. L’unité avait déjà reçu son premier HC-130J le 19 juillet. Etudié pour assurer en particulier les missions SAR, l’avion de transport de Lockheed Martin est équipé de nouveaux systèmes lui permettant d’être encore plus discret pour réaliser des missions d’infiltration. Il sera en outre possible de l’utiliser pour ravitailler en vol des aéronefs ou des hélicoptères.
Au total, 6 Super Hercules doivent être livrés à cette unité au cours des cinq prochaines années.
Lockheed Martin a livré 22 nouveaux JLTV à l’US Army.
Ce sont 22 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles qui viennent officiellement d’être livrés à l’US Army et aux Marines. Une cérémonie a marqué l’évènement sur le site de Lockheed Martin à Dallas, le 14 août.
Les véhicules vont désormais être éprouvés au cours d’une phase de tests de 14 mois sur des sites de l’Army dans le Maryland et l’Arizona. Répondant à un appel d’offres datant de 2012, le JLTV doit permettre aux militaires américains en opérations de bénéficier d’un véhicule à la fois plus léger et plus résistant aux explosions, en particulier celles des IED. C’est BAE Systems qui fabrique le système de protection embarqué.
Un nouveau système de suspension Pro-TecTM offre des performances inégalées, selon Lockheed Martin, sur des terrains accidentés tout en minimisant la fatigue pour l’équipage.
Les forces armées US viennent d'émettre plusieurs appels d'offres concernant le Niger.
Le 15 août, un appel d'offres a été lancé pour l'équipement de deux DA-42 de l'armée nigérienne (achetés en 2008). Voici le détail des équipements demandés (en anglais):
Aircraft 1 One (1) SCOTTY SATCOM Computer System (SCS) or equivalent high definition (HD) beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) data link. One (1) airborne multiband tactical communication radio w/antenna. One (1) SkyTrac DSAT 300E Airborne Data/Position Communicator or equivalent, to include transceiver package, A/C & D/C , and Global Positioning System (GPS)/Iridium Combo Antenna.
Aircraft 2 One (1) WESCAM MX-15 True HDi System or equivalent with Integrated MCU to include, MX-Day/Night Spotter, Dual Day/Night Cameras behind Spotter Lens, True HD, Laser Illuminator, narrow beam divergence, Blending Daylight Visual @ night , Enhanced Local Area Processing, Auto Video Tracker, Circuit Card Assembly, GEO Package Data with built-in GPS, Moving Map to MCU Interface, Connector Kit. One (1) Downlink system capable of transmitting high definition data to include full motion video and moving map data to a fixed grown station. Two (2) ruggedized sensor operator screens. One (1) Barrett 2050 High Frequency Radio, antenna or equivalent, and installation Kit. One (1) Sentiel Kestrel Moving Target Indicator (MTI) or equivalent. One (1) Honeywell Skyforce mission system or equivalent, Moving Map/ Mission Management System. One (1) multi-band tactical communication radio & antenna. One (1) SkyTrac DSAT 300E Airborne Data/Position Communicator or equivalent, to include transceiver package, A/C & D/C charger, and GPS/Iridium Combo Antenna. One (1) Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Honeywell KTR 909 transceiver, KFS-599A UHF frequency selector, with AT-256A/ARC antenna or equivalent. Encryptor Device (Codan 3590 AES 256 or equivalent), capable of enabling interoperable communication with Harris, Codan and Barrett High Frequency systems.
Un autre appel d'offres prévoit la construction d'un "pad" de 20x40 mètres sur le site de l'ERF de Niamey (Exercise Reception Facility). Le 14 août, c'était du matériel de construction que l'armée US sollicitait (cliquer ici pour accéder au dossier). Certes, rien d'exceptionnel; mais l'ensemble dénote une volonté de renforcement des capacités locales.
If India goes to war today, it will have just seven to eight aging conventional submarines to deploy against enemy forces. This deeply blunts the country’s underwater combat edge against Pakistan, which already has five relatively new conventional submarines and is angling to get six more advanced vessels from China. Beijing, of course, is leagues ahead with 47 diesel-electric submarines and eight nuclear-powered ones.
The INS Sindhurakshak disaster last week, which blew a big hole in the Indian Navy’s operational capabilities, has further compounded the problems. Defence minister A K Antony admitted in Parliament on Monday that “extensive checks on weapon-related safety systems and audit of standard operating procedures (SOPs) on all operational submarines have been ordered”.
The minister also confirmed the “explosion” on board INS Sindhurakshak was due to the “possible ignition of armament” in the vessel’s forward section. TOI had last week reported that “inadvertent mishandling of ammunition” on the submarine, which was all set to leave on an extended patrol with a full weapons load of 18 cruise missiles and torpedoes, had emerged as the most probable reason behind the sinking of the over 2,500-tonne submarine.
“The cause of ignition is, however, yet to be established. Visual and forensic examination would throw more light on the possible cause of ignition. This will be possible only after the submarine is afloat and de-watered,” said Antony.
The minister, however, did not dwell upon the fact that the Navy is left with only 13 aging diesel-electric submarines – 11 of them over 20 years old — due to political and bureaucratic apathy in pushing long-delayed submarine construction projects under his watch.
Four of the 13 submarines – nine Kilo-class of Russian origin and four HDW of German-origin — are undergoing “a long refit” to extend their operational lives. “Two kilo-class or Sindhugosh series submarines are at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd at Visakhapatnam, while two HDW or Shishumar-class vessels are at the Mumbai naval dockyard for the long refits,” said a source.
The Navy does have one nuclear-powered submarine INS Chakra, taken on a 10-year lease from Russia last year, but it’s not armed with nuclear-tipped missiles due to international treaties. INS Chakra can serve as a deadly `hunter-killer’ of enemy submarines and warships with its 300-km range Klub-S land-attack cruise missiles as well as other missiles and advanced torpedoes.
Pakistan Navy, incidentally, is the first force in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to have submarines equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP) in the shape of three FrenchAgosta-90B vessels.
Conventional submarines have to surface every few days to get oxygen to recharge their batteries. Bu those fitted with AIP can stay submerged for much longer periods to significantly boost their stealth and combat capabilities, somewhat narrowing the gap with nuclear-powered submarines.
India, however, has even dithered in taking a decision to fit AIP in the last two of the six French Scorpene submarines being constructed for over Rs 23,000 crore at Mazagon Docks under “Project-75”, which is already running four years behind the original 2012-17 induction schedule. The first Scorpene will be delivered only by November 2016.
Similarly, the new programme, “Project-75India”, to construct six advanced stealth submarines, armed with both land-attack missile capabilities and AIP, is yet to even take off despite being granted “acceptance of necessity” way back in November 2007. It will take over a decade for the first submarine to roll out under this project worth well over Rs 50,000 crore.
Beechcraft is offering a new intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) variant of the G58 Baron twin-engined piston aircraft, says a company official.
Beechcraft has already sold one such aircraft to Puerto Rico's police force, says Justin Ladner, Beechcraft's vice-president for special mission aircraft sales. Further, there has been a lot of interest from a number of government and police organisations, he says.
The aircraft is configured very similarly to previous Beechcraft King Air-based ISR platforms. However, the aircraft, powered by a piston engine rather than a turboprop, is much cheaper - although its piston engine makes it somewhat less capable than its larger cousins.
Beechcraft will offer the G58 ISR platform with a choice of sensors - the FLIR Systems HD230, the L-3 Wescam Mx-10 or the FLIR Systems HD380. The last camera will be available later, Ladner says, but it will have a low profile and result in less drag.
Indian MoD has decided to expand the number of aircraft requested under its medium-range maritime reconnaissance (MRMR) requirement as well as mandating Indian-sourced content on the contract. New Delhi released the long-awaited request for proposals (RFP) for the patrol aircraft on 8 August. Originally anticipated in mid-2012, the reasons for the delay are unclear. Additionally, the original solicitation to manufacturers called for six aircraft, which has since increased to nine.
The MRMR aircraft will be operated by the Indian navy. Aside from the aircraft, says a source familiar with the requirement, the RFP calls for weapons, defense countermeasures, spares, test equipment, ground support equipment, and training. Although the aircraft will not be required to perform anti-submarine warfare (ASW) tasks, New Delhi appears to be placing a significant emphasis on the platform's electronic warfare capabilities. India is also asking for several locally-produced mission systems to be integrated.According to Indian media reports, the RFP was sent to eight contractors: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Airbus Military, Dassault, Saab, Bombardier, Embraer and ATR.
At TADTE 2013, the Chung-Shan institute of science and technology of the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defence unveiled a new short-range automated defense weapon system for naval use called XTR-101.
The new naval turret is armed with one T-75 20mm gun and includes day/night sight mounted on right side of the system.
This short-range automated defense weapon system features precision, maneuverability and fire power. The whole system includes optical imagery identification, target tracking, fire control, fire concentration and accurate servo motors to ensure the system ability of providing “fast, fierce, aggressive precision" fire power and the efficiency of decreasing casualty.
The XTR-101 turret can rotated on 360 ° at a maximum speed of 60 ° per second with an elevation from -15° to 85°.
The Navy’s MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter wrapped up its Afghanistan mission earlier this month after more than 5,000 flight hours, the program’s top officer said Tuesday at an unmanned-vehicle symposium.
The three MQ-8Bs have been “packed up and shipped out of [Regional Command-North] on their way home,” said Fire Scout program manager Capt. Patrick Smith, in remarks during the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s Unmanned Systems 2013 conference. It was the first land-based deployment for the aircraft in U.S. Central Command, and it spanned 28 months.
While deployed, the unmanned helicopters supplied real-time video to ground-based units, assisted in efforts to root out improvised explosive devices and offered other surveillance services to U.S. and coalition forces, according to a news release from its manufacturer, Northrop Grumman. Northrop contractors deployed with the system, providing maintenance and serving as operators, Smith said.
Next up for the Fire Scout:
■ Continued deployments aboard frigates similar to the one ongoing aboard the Samuel B. Roberts — where four MQ-8Bs recently set a new benchmark with 333 flight hours in a month. The Navy announced the news Aug. 6, while the frigate was in the Mediterranean Sea.
■ Improvements to the aircraft’s radar capability with a Telephonics AN/ZPY-4 radar system — a lightweight design that will expand “area of surveillance capability,” Smith said, helping operators “put eyes on targets faster, and also to determine which targets they’d like to see presented first.” Twelve of the systems, including three spares, reportedly will be delivered by December 2014.
■ More time on littoral combat ships of both types. It’ll go out to sea with the Fort Worth, a Freedom-class variant, in November, Smith said, and will be on the Freedom as part of “integration with additional ships” in 2014. He said he’s also “tracking to get onboard LCS 2 [Independence] or LCS 4 [Coronado] in 2014.”
Of the 30 MQ-8Bs ordered, including those for testing, Smith said he expects 24 to be used in support of LCS operations.
Bigger brother
Smith also addressed the development of the MQ-8C, which is 10 feet longer than the B variant’s 31.7 feet, can fly 30 knots faster (140 vs. 110) and has a 400-pound edge in internal payload (1,000 vs. 600).
It can also stay in the air 14 hours — three more than the B variant. That will allow 24 hours of coverage, what Smith called a “full orbit.” The B variant completed 17-to-18-hour “fly days” during recent action aboard the frigate Bradley, Smith said.
Tests are ongoing with the fleet’s lone MQ-8C at Point Mugu, Calif., Smith said. Flights could begin in October, with initial at-sea test aboard the destroyer Jason Dunham in 2014, he said.
Between the variants, Smith said, the Navy plans to buy 96 Fire Scouts.
The U.S. Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a $617 million contract for five full-rate production Lot 1 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. "Moving from low-rate production into full-rate production is a significant milestone for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program," said Bart LaGrone, vice president, E-2/C-2 programs, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "We look forward to manufacturing and delivering a mature and effective airborne early warning, battle management, command and control system."
"Attaining E-2D full-rate production is the culmination of years of hard work," said Capt. John S. Lemmon, program manager, E-2/C-2 Airborne Tactical Data System Program Office (PMA-231). "The E-2D team continues to work together with one vision and goal – deliver a solid product to the fleet." On Aug. 3, 2007, the first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye took to the skies over St. Augustine, Fla. Since then, Northrop Grumman has delivered 10 new production E-2Ds to the U.S. Navy, on cost and on schedule. An additional 10 aircraft are in various stages of manufacturing and predelivery flight testing at the company's St. Augustine Aircraft Integration Center. Initial operational capability with the Navy remains on track for 2015.
The E-2D program continues to find ways to reduce costs and provide best value to the customer through improving aircraft delivery processes, standardizing repair methods and looking for opportunities to improve spares timing to increase the overall program affordability. "We've got the right people and processes in place to make a seamless transition into full-rate production," LaGrone said. "With the Navy's E-2D program of record at 75 aircraft, full-rate production enables the production of the remaining 55 aircraft over the next 10 years and provides the opportunity for a cost-effective, multiyear procurement."
Boeing's (BA.N) bid in the 8.3 trillion won ($7.4 billion) tender to supply South Korea with 60 fighter aircraft was the only one below the price ceiling set by the country's arms procurement agency, sources close to the process said on Monday.
A final decision was not expected until mid-September, the sources said, but the price submitted by the U.S. company appears to be a significant step toward winning the contract.
Boeing is pitching the latest variant of its F-15 fighter, dubbed the F-15 Silent Eagle, against the Eurofighter consortium's Typhoon and Lockheed Martin's (LMT.N) F-35 stealth jet.
South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), which led the assessment of the fighters, said on Friday that at least one bid, which it did not identify, came within its overall budget.
The decision on one of the world's most closely watched military tenders will be made by a committee chaired by South Korea's defense minister after DAPA submits its final evaluation of the three fighters next month.
DAPA will score the bids on a fixed set of criteria, although Korean law prevents the government from signing a contract that exceeds the allotted budget.
"We will conduct a comprehensive evaluation on all three models," DAPA spokesman Baek Youn-hyeong said. "But ... only parties with under-budget bids will be subject for final selection."
RIVALS DEFIANT
A Seoul-based Boeing spokesman declined to comment, but on Sunday a spokesman in the United States said: "We believe our F-15 proposal can affordably meet the Republic of Korea's requirements. We await their decision and stand ready to deliver on our commitments."
DAPA said on Sunday that an unnamed bidder submitted a price that fell within budget "by arbitrarily changing conditions that were previously agreed upon" on the last of the 13 rounds of bidding August 13-16. This bid will be considered as having "exceeded the budget," it added.
The sources close to the process said this was the bid submitted by the Eurofighter consortium, in which EADS (EAD.PA) is an investor.
EADS maintains that the Eurofighter remains in the race.
"We are open for any constructive discussion with DAPA," Christian Scherer, head of sales and international operations at EADS Cassidian, said in a statement on Monday.
The sources also said that the Lockheed Martin bid was over-budget, though the company responded on Sunday by saying that it had not received any official notification regarding the latest bidding results.
Lockheed said reports that it had been eliminated from the competition were not accurate, and it continued to work with the U.S. government on its offer of the F-35 fighter for South Korea. It said the South Korean competition had multiple phases.
One industry source said that the capabilities of the new fighters, rather than cost, would be a key factor in Seoul's decision.
"It's not going to be decided on cost alone," said the source, who is not authorized to speak publicly, adding that the cost of the aircraft represents only 15 percent of the decision-making process.
(Additional reporting by Ju-min Park in Seoul, Andrea Shalal-Esa in Washington and Julien Ponthus in Paris; Editing by Siva Govindasamy, David Goodman and Maureen Bavdek)
Un avion bombardier B-1B de l’US Air Force s’est écrasé au cours d’une mission d’entraînement de routine dans le sud est du Montana, aux Etats-Unis. L’appareil appartenait au 28th Bomb Wing, basé à Ellsworth dans le Dakota du Sud.
Pour une raison encore indéterminée, l’avion bombardier s’est écrasé juste après que les quatre membres d’équipage, deux pilotes et deux officiers de systèmes d’armes, aient pu s’éjecter. « Ils sont légèrement blessés », a commenté le colonel Kévin Kennedy, commandant l’unité touchée par cet incident rarissime aux Etats-Unis.
Le B-1 est un bombardier à long rayon d’action, plus de 10 000 km, évoluant en mission au-delà de 15 000 mètres d’altitude. Il a été engagé dans les opérations de bombardement en Irak et en Afghanistan. En 2008, un appareil du même type avait pris feu au sol au Qatar. En décembre 2001, un autre B-1B s’était écrasé au-dessus de l’océan indien à proximité de Diego Garcia. L’équipage avait également pu être récupéré sain et sauf.
Du 29 juillet au 11 août, l’armée américaine teste des contre-mesures pour se protéger des véhicules aériens sans pilote (UAV) au Naval Air Station Point Mugu, en Californie.
Baptisé « Dart Black » et initié en 2010, cet exercice vise à évaluer les systèmes de contre-mesures contre des attaques de drones dans les environnements côtiers et maritimes.
L’industrie de la défense a commencé à développer une variété de contre-mesures pour vaincre les drones, tels que les systèmes qui peuvent bloquer le signal radio utilisé pour contrôler l’avion, ainsi que des lasers qui pourraient l’abattre.
La société Semco participe cette année à « Black Dart » pour faire la démonstration de leur VDU-100MR qui permet la transmission de vidéo de surveillance sur les réseaux sans fil et filaires.
Semco a déclaré que le VDU-100MR fonctionnera également avec le système de bouclier laser de Northrop Grumman qui crée une bulle protectrice autour des infrastructures en repoussant les menaces à l’énergie laser. La vidéo provenant de ces systèmes sera envoyée par le VDU-100MR pour l’observation, l’analyse et l’enregistrement, selon un communiqué Semco.
Les drones se multiplient à l’échelle mondiale, et les États-Unis savent qu’ils ne vont pas garder le monopole des drones de combat pour longtemps. En 2011, un homme de 26 ans a été arrêté car il préparait l’attaque du Pentagone avec un petit drone. Le Hezbollah a utilisé systématiquement des petits drones tactiques pour espionner le nord d’Israël, et en 2012, les Forces de défense israéliennes (FDI) ont admis pour la première fois avoir abattu un drone tactique dans leur espace aérien par un chasseur F-16. L’exercice « Dart Black » est donc une anticipation sur la menace aérienne des drones armés.
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