Monday 31 August 2020

Israel F35 Showdown May Be Stealth Campaign For New U.S. Weapons

IAF

Israel F35 Showdown May Be Stealth Campaign For New U.S. Weapons | Investor's Business Daily


The first Israeli F-35 was delivered in December 2016. (Andreas Zeitler/shutterstock.com)

GILLIAN RICH04:28 PM ET 08/26/2020

The Israeli F-35 is a key weapon in maintaining its military superiority in the Middle East region, and a proposal to sell it to the United Arab Emirates has set off a diplomatic row between the two U.S. allies.

But analysts say Israel's strong opposition to the UAE obtaining Lockheed Martin's (LMT) stealth fighter could be a ploy to get additional U.S. weapons ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

The dispute arose after Israel and the UAE agreed to establish diplomatic ties earlier this month. The deal reportedly included an implicit understanding that the UAE would get the F-35, which the country has long sought.

President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have said that the U.S. is reviewing the sale.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew a hard line publicly against a sale and claimed the resumption of diplomatic ties with the UAE didn't include any mention of weapons sales........read rest of article



F-15E / Advanced F-15 (2040c) Eagle: Details

8th Y-20A with the serial number 20048 assigned to the 13th Transport Division 37th Air Regiment at Kaifeng

Colin Cooke

@Rupprecht_A on Twitter: "With the serial number 20048 the 8th Y-20A assigned to the 13th Transport Division, 37th Air Regiment at Kaifeng has been spotted. (Image by KTLJ via Huitong's CMA-Blog) https://t.co/IYwhgpbElm" / Twitter



The Yun-20 refueling machine was photographed

Armenian authorities reported on negotiations with Russia on the purchase of Su-30SM fighters

Oleg Pavlov

Armenian authorities reported on negotiations with Russia on the purchase of Su-30SM fighters - Gazeta.Ru | news

Translated by google

Armenian authorities reported on negotiations with Russia on the purchase of Su-30SM fighters

Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan announced that the republic is negotiating the purchase of Russian Su-30SM fighters, Interfax reports . He reported this to the Armenian service of Radio Liberty .

According to him, Yerevan plans to purchase a new batch of these aircraft from Russia.

“Negotiations are underway now,” Tonoyan said.

In 2019, the Armenian side bought four Russian Su-30SM fighters.


Media: Israeli radars could not catch the Su-57

Jonathan Haylock

СМИ: израильские радары не смогли поймать Су-57

Translated by google

Stealth protection of Russian aircraft surpassed Tel Aviv's long-range air defense

Egor MALKOV, August 31, 2020

The newest Russian Su-57 fighter was able to deceive Israeli long-range radars, passing at high altitude past the IDF air defense unnoticed.

According to the source, Tel Aviv decided to deploy its air defense with a range of 350 to 450 km to detect enemy targets in the air in the Mediterranean Sea. This measure was adopted by Israel to control due to possible attacks from the Lebanese side. Towards the north, Tel Aviv is closely monitoring for a long period of time.

As noted by the expert, whose name is not indicated, if the Israeli air defense system found the Russian Su-57 fighter, the corresponding information would appear on the Web. However, given that the multifunctional aircraft appeared at the Khmeimim airbase in Syria at least three times, it should be admitted that "stealth protection is doing its job," reports Avia.pro

Now, the newspaper notes, the Russian army can use the Su-57 in Syria on a regular basis, and the covered hangars will help hide their presence from satellites tracking.

Earlier, military expert Yakov Kedmi said that the Russian multifunctional Su-57 fighter has advantages over the American F-35 aircraft that are part of the Arab air forces.


Glazing of the Su-57 will protect the pilot from the light of a nuclear explosion

Airbus unveils B-model Lakota helos to enter US Army fleet next year

H145M - LaKi-photography

Airbus unveils B-model Lakota helos to enter US Army fleet next year

By: Jen Judson   

A concept rendering of the newest Lakota helicopter variant, the UH-72B, expected to enter the U.S. Army fleet in 2021. (Courtesy of Airbus)

WASHINGTON — The newest version of the UH-72B Lakota light utility helicopter will enter the U.S. Army fleet in 2021, aircraft manufacturer Airbus announced Aug. 28 at the National Guard Association of the United States virtual trade show.

Beginning with the newest orders placed in 2020, Airbus will deliver 17 UH-72Bs next year after supplying 460 UH-72As across the Army, Navy and National Guard. In September, the last UH-72A (the 463rd) will roll off the production line in Columbus, Missouri, according to the statement.

The “B” model will look distinctly different from the “A” variant. The aircraft is based off the Airbus H145 and will feature a Fenestron tail rotor, which the current A model does not have, according to Airbus. The B model will also have more powerful engine technology, “enhanced” controls and the Airbus Helionix avionics suite, the company said.

The new helicopter variant will go to the Army National Guard.

“Since we first began operations with the UH-72 Lakota some 15 years ago, this helicopter has been the workhorse of the Army and National Guard, saving lives, assisting in disaster relief, training thousands of pilots, and, more importantly, helping to protect our communities and our country,” Col. Calvin Lane, the Army’s project manager for utility helicopters, said in the statement. “Procuring the UH-72B Lakota provides tremendous value with no research and development costs for the Army.”

Since the program’s inception in 2006, the Army and National Guard have logged nearly 800,000 flight hours, serving as the initial entry rotary-wing training aircraft for the Army at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and has flown search and rescue, medical evacuation and disaster relief missions as well counter-drug operations at the Southwest border.

The Army chose to make the Lakota the primary training helicopter and retire its TH-67 aircraft when it restructured its entire aviation fleet in 2013. The decision met some resistance. Several companies like Bell Helicopter and AgustaWestland were hoping at the time to sell military training helicopters to several armed services, including the Army.

AgustaWestland, a Leonardo subsidiary, filed a lawsuit four years ago in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims over the Army’s plan to buy 16 of the aircraft for the training fleet. The court ruled in favor of AgustaWestland, and the Army was barred from buying the Lakotas. But the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the lower court’s decision in early 2018, allowing the service to move forward in procuring Lakotas.

The current Army acquisition objective for the Lakota is 478 aircraft, according to the Army’s fiscal 2021 budget request.


U.S. Army orders $122 million worth of Airbus UH-72 training helicopters
H145M: Details

Taiwan unveils F-16 maintenance hub as China tensions build

RoCAF Lockheed Martin / AIDC F-16V (upgraded F-16A) 6626 on approach at Chiayi Air Base - Jeroen Bos

Taiwan unveils F-16 maintenance hub as China tensions build - Reuters

Yimou Lee

TAICHUNG, Taiwan (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen vowed on Friday to defend the island with a “solid” air force as she launched a U.S.-backed maintenance centre for the island’s fleet of upgraded F-16 fighters amid rising tensions between Taipei and Beijing.

Frequent Chinese and U.S. military exercises in the region are raising fears of conflict touched off by a crisis over Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory.

“It takes solid defence capability, not bowing and cringing, to defend the sovereignty of the Republic of China and maintain regional peace and stability,” Tsai told a ceremony unveiling the island’s first maintenance hub in the central city of Taichung for its most advanced F-16s.

The Republic of China is Taiwan’s formal name.

Tsai said the hub marks a milestone in her years-long drive to build up Taiwan’s defence industry.

“The time needed for jet maintenance will be greatly shortened and availability will be boosted significantly, ensuring the Air Force’s combat power at the front line,” she said.

Tsai has complained of increased Chinese military drills and on Thursday warned of the risk of accidental conflict.

The hub, led by U.S. weapons maker Lockheed Martin Corp and Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC), is latest example of military cooperation between Washington and Taipei.

The United States last year approved an $8 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, a deal that would take the island’s F-16 fleet to more than 200 jets, the largest in Asia.

AIDC’s president, Ma Wan-june, said that the hub would service jets for Taiwan’s air force and that the company plans to expand it as a maintenance hub for F-16s in the region. He declined to elaborate.

The United States has no official diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is the island’s main international backer and arms supplier.

China said last month it would sanction Lockheed Martin for involvement in arms sales to Taiwan.

Reporting By Yimou Lee. Editing by Gerry Doyle

#####

阿樺樺

Taiwan finalizes $62bn purchase of F-16 jets from Lockheed Martinas US health chief visits Taiwan
Taiwan's new F-16s to be equipped with advanced electronic warfare system

Sunday 30 August 2020

Saab Reveals New Decoy Missile for Gripen

Saab

Saab Reveals New Decoy Missile for Gripen


PRESS RELEASE

28 August 2020

Saab’s offering to Finland includes advanced Electronic Warfare systems, comprising of a newly developed Electronic Attack Jammer Pod and a decoy missile system.

Saab’s offering to Finland for the HX fighter procurement includes both the fighter jet Gripen E/F and the GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning and Control System.

As part of Gripen’s E/F Electronic Warfare capability, Saab now reveals the development of a new decoy missile system, the Lightweight Air-launched Decoy Missile. The decoy missile and the new Electronic Attack Jammer Pod, which Saab started flight testing in 2019, will ensure that Finnish pilots will be protected from enemy radars and missiles.

The new decoy missile will be a highly capable stand-in jammer for the most demanding missions. It will act as a force multiplier as it reduces the number of missiles and aircraft required to complete a mission. The decoy missile can jam or create false targets for acquisition, tracking, fire control and airborne radars.

“Our offering to Finland, combining Gripen E/F and GlobalEye as force multipliers, will protect Finland’s people and borders, by delivering both comprehensive situational awareness and a true deterrence effect.

“The decoy missile, that we present today, will constitute a strong addition to Gripen E/F’s built-in electronic attack capabilities.The payload of the new decoy missile is to a large extent developed in Finland and this will strengthen our offer to Finland even further,” says Jonas Hjelm, Senior Vice President and Head of Saab Business Area Aeronautics. 

The development of the new decoy missile means that Saab will expand its Saab Technology Centre in Tampere, Finland with more highly skilled employees. Saab has already established a deep technical partnership with Aalto University, where more than 10 research projects are ongoing within the areas of advanced sensors and artificial intelligence.

#####

Saab via key.aero

Saturday 29 August 2020

Turkish jets in mock dogfight with Greek F-16s as Ankara extends East Med military drills

Alkiviadis Paraskevopoulos

Turkish jets in mock dogfight with Greek F-16s as Ankara extends East Med military drills | Ahval

Aug 29 2020 12:46 Gmt+3


Last Updated On: Aug 29 2020 12:50 Gmt+3


The Turkish air force intercepted six Greek F-16 jets headed towards Cyprus and warded them off with its own F-16s, Turkey’s Defence Ministry announced on Friday.

The warplanes were later determined to have taken off from Crete. The Turkish jets intercepted them “to achieve visual identification for the military traffic approaching the area subject to a NAVTEX and to push them away from the area,” a ministry statement said. The incident occurred on Thursday, according to the statement.

Turkey had issued a new NAVTEX alert on Thursday for an extension to the exploration efforts for seismic ship Oruç Reis in the eastern Mediterranean, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Meanwhile on Friday, the Turkish navy issued another NAVTEX alert for military exercises off the coast of its southern Anamur town between Aug. 29 and Sept. 11.

Cyprus in response issued a NAVTEX, saying Turkey’s announcement was “illegal and constitutes a violation of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, the international law and maritime safety procedures.”

The term “Cyprus” as used in the message “is not the original partnership state established in 1960,” another Turkish NAVTEX message in response said, calling Cyprus’s assessment “illegal,” and the NAVTEX “null and neither was nor will be accepted by Turkey”.

Tensions have been running high in eastern Mediterranean as Cyprus and Greece come head to head with Turkey regarding sovereignty, rights to territorial waters and to underwater resources – mainly natural gas.

#####


Pascal Reinders

F-16C/D: Details

H-20 strategic bomber: estimated range of 12,000 kilometers, maximum bomb load of 25 tons

Weibo

H-20 strategic bomber: estimated range of 12,000 kilometers, maximum bomb load of 25 tons_Capability

Translated by google

2020-08-28 

Former Air Force Commander Ma Xiaotian attended the Air Force Aviation Opening Event in Changchun. In response to questions from the on-site media, he said: China’s current long-range strike capability has been greatly improved than in the past. It is now developing a new generation of long-range bombers. Will see.

The author of this article searched the Internet and immediately said the above remarks in early September 2016. It has been four years since the Chinese Air Force’s new bombers have still not appeared. Whenever there are very important festivals, such as the first At the 12th Zhuhai Air Show and the 70th National Day military parade, military fans expected the new bomber to be born, but they still did not see the appearance of the new bomber.



On May 8, 2018, in the TV series "Great Powers Take Off" released by the Aviation Industry Corporation to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Xi’an Airlines, before the end, the outline of a large mysterious aircraft covered in cloth appeared, which was recognized as our air force. The H-20 long-range strategic bomber with a new flying wing layout.

In recent years, with the rapid advancement of our aviation industry, new technologies including flight control performance, composite materials, stealth performance, and aero engines have been greatly improved. Designing a stealth bomber with a flying wing layout is no longer a dream. It's a reality at your fingertips.



As the J-20 and Yun-20 models with a large number of high-tech components have been successfully developed, high-level information fusion and processing capabilities, complete communication command methods, and powerful electronic countermeasures capabilities will all be used in the new bombing airframe.

Due to the use of a flying wing layout, its tail is two W-shaped, which can accommodate a larger control surface, which may enable the new bomber to have an ultra-low altitude penetration capability, and its maximum range should and be able to reach 12,000 kilometers or more. Judging from the voyage, it is a proper strategic bomber.



Since the H-20 body has enough space, two weapon bomb bays can be set up side by side to ensure that each bomb bay has at least 8 large land attack cruise missiles. It is estimated that the bomb bay is about 7.5 meters long and wide. At about 2.5 meters, the H-20 can accommodate large-scale ground-attack cruise missiles such as the Changjian-20 currently in service, and it can also mount a new stealth ground-attack cruise missile with a slightly enlarged diameter.

While the military industry is developing the H-20, it is also developing new stealth ground-attack cruise missiles. In addition to cruise missiles, the H-20 can also carry various anti-ship missiles, as well as precision guided bombs, low-resistance bombs, and short-range self-defense attacks. Missiles and so on.



When the H-20 performs a combat mission with a round-trip range of 10,000 kilometers, then based on 1.5 tons of each cruise missile, the load of 16 cruise missiles is 24 tons, just from the air-launched ground attack cruise missile capability. , A H-20 bomber is equivalent to two H-6K/N bombers, which are dispatched to attack 16 important high-value targets at a time. Therefore, its ground strike capability is very powerful.

In addition, if the H-20 is equipped with a 250 kg low-resistance aerial bomb, it can carry up to 80; if it carries a 1,000 kg satellite-guided bomb, it can carry 16, 80 250 kg bombs, and the bomb capacity is 20 tons. Based on this, it is judged that the maximum ammunition carried by the H-20 is between 24-25 tons.



As mentioned earlier, the H-20 has low-altitude penetration capabilities, but it will still be detected by the opponent’s fighters. Therefore, the practical ceiling of the H-20 is very likely to be set at an altitude of 20,000 meters. Today, most fighters fly. Less than this height, so as to achieve visual invisibility performance, improve the battlefield survivability of the H-20 in wartime.

In summary, the H-20 is much better than the H-6K/N in terms of range, maximum ammunition load, and stealth performance. The improvement in technical and tactical performance makes the upcoming H-20 stealth bomber The future of the country’s important weapon will give our air force a strategic strike capability, which will further strengthen the cornerstone of our country’s strategic security and make up for the last shortcoming of the lack of strategic bombers in land-based, sea-based, and air-based nuclear strikes.


The Pakistani navy 054A is equipped with phased array radar and has regional air defense capabilities!

HUANGGANG 577 - A Christy

The Pakistani navy is about to usher in the strongest battleship: 054A is equipped with phased array radar and has regional air defense capabilities! _Ship

Translated by google


The Pakistan Navy is about to usher in the strongest warship

The Pakistani Navy has always had the tradition of equipping Chinese-made ships. At present, the main surface ship of the Pakistani Navy, the F-22P guided missile frigate, is the export version of our country's 053H3 guided missile frigate. The four F-22P guided missile frigates are the core force of the current Pakistani navy's surface ships. The F-22P is equipped with two 4-unit anti-ship missile launchers, which can carry 8 C-802 anti-ship missiles. In addition, the F-22P missile frigate is equipped with a set of 8-unit Haihongqi-7NB short-range in the bow position. Anti-aircraft missiles.


Pakistan Navy F-22P frigate

In recent years, the Pakistani navy has continuously strengthened its naval capabilities. In addition to the introduction of eight S-20 conventional attack submarines that my country has improved on the basis of Yuan-class submarines, it has also introduced four 054AP frigates in almost the same period. Recently, the first 054AP frigate built for the Pakistani navy was launched. Considering the maturity and reliability of the 054A frigate, the entire sea trial process of this foreign trade frigate developed on the basis of the 054A may be very short. It will be as soon as next year. It can be delivered to the Pakistan Navy.


Launch of the first 054AP frigate

The 054AP guided missile frigate performs well
Compared with the self-use version of the 054A frigate, the 054AP has been enhanced in two aspects, one is the anti-ship capability, and the other is the air defense capability. The 054A frigate is equipped with 8 Eagle Strike-83 anti-ship missiles, and 054AP replaced it with 8 Eagle Strike-12 anti-ship missiles, the export version of the CM-302 supersonic anti-ship missile. The Eagle Strike 12 has a maximum range of up to 400 kilometers, and has an end attack speed of Mach 4. Although the export version of CM-302 has a range of less than 300 kilometers, its overall performance still exceeds that of the C-802 equipped by the F-22P frigate.


The improved Shenzhen ship is also equipped with the Eagle Strike 12 anti-ship missile

Another improvement of the 054AP is to replace the 054A Seahawk S/C air-warning roof radar with the SR2410C single-array active phased array radar. SR2410C is an S-band multifunctional phased array three-coordinate radar. , It can complete various tasks such as air/sea alert, weapon guidance and guidance. Compared with the Seahawk S/C top-plate radar, the overall performance of the SR2410C is better. Although the SR2410C has no obvious improvement in the detection range, its information processing capabilities and multi-target tracking capabilities have been enhanced.


SR2410C Phased Array Radar

The 054AP frigate is of great significance to the Pakistani navy
The anti-ship and air defense capabilities of the 054AP frigate are unprecedented for the Pakistani navy. The CM-302 anti-ship missile prototype Eagle Strike 12 is currently widely equipped with our navy’s latest surface ships. The terminal 4 Mach penetration speed and strong anti-jamming capability make it difficult to intercept. In particular, the SR2410C phased array radar equipped with 054AP and the LY-80 air defense missile (export version of HHQ16) will enable the Pakistani navy to have a certain area air defense capability for the first time, which is of great significance!


054AP frigate imagination map

So why not use the Eagle Strike 12 and SR2410C phased array radars with the performance of the Eagle Strike 83 and Seahawk S/C top plate radars that exceed 054A? This is still determined by the positioning of the ship. The positioning of the Type 054A frigate in the navy is a small and medium-sized ship with balanced performance, low cost and simple maintenance, suitable for a large number of construction equipment. It is mainly used for defense missions in the middle and near seas, and large ships such as 052D and 055 are responsible for the far seas.


The 0564AP frigate will greatly improve the offensive and defensive capabilities of the Pakistani navy

Judging from my country’s current naval manufacturing capabilities, it’s no problem to turn the 4000-ton 054A into a multifunctional frigate with strong anti-ship and air defense capabilities, but this conflicts with the performance of 052D and 055, and there are already This is not necessary in the case of a large number of 052D and 055. For the Pakistani navy, the four 054AP frigates are its most advanced surface warships. They are to be used as capital ships. Therefore, the overall performance of these four frigates needs to be strengthened.