Saturday 30 April 2022

Corvette "Sharp" went on sea trials in Vladivostok

Corvette Aldar Tsydenzhapov / AMUR SHIPYARDS



Corvette "Sharp" built for the Pacific Fleet entered sea trials in Vladivostok

04/14/2022

© Photo: Amur Shipyard
Corvette project 20380 "Sharp". Archive photo


KHABAROVSK, April 14 - RIA Novosti. The fourth serial corvette "Sharp", built for the Pacific Fleet, went on sea trials from the delivery base of the Amur Shipbuilding Plant (ASZ) in Vladivostok, the plant's press service reports.

The multi-purpose patrol ship (corvette) of project 20380 "Sharp" was laid down on July 1, 2016, on the day of the 80th anniversary of the three-time order-bearing NEA. The corvette left the stocks on July 1 last year, and in November 2021 it was delivered by the Zeya transport dock to Vladivostok to prepare for testing and delivery to the customer.

"The fourth serial corvette, built for the Pacific Fleet, has left the commissioning base of the Amur Shipbuilding Plant in Vladivostok for sea trials. Within a few days, the shipbuilders, together with the crew, will check the operation of navigation equipment, power plants, assess the controllability and stability of the corvette. Compliance with seaworthy, maneuverability and driving performance of the previously approved documentation, and the reliability of the operation of the entire complex of equipment and mechanisms of the corvette was assessed," the plant said in a statement.

It is noted that the corvette has successfully passed mooring tests - the Amur shipbuilders have closed almost all mooring certificates. A galley is working on the ship, the corvette crew and the NEA commissioning team are located in conditions acceptable for life and work. Last week, the ship underwent electromagnetic processing and, according to the responsible deliverer of the corvette, Razhden Baratashvili, was fully prepared for the start of sea trials.

The final stage in the construction of a serial corvette will be state tests, after which shipbuilders must transfer it to the Navy.


Project 20380 Steregushchy Class Corvettes: Details

Wednesday 27 April 2022

Almaz-Antey announced the serial production of the new S-500 air defense system

© Press Service of the RF Ministry of Defense


Almaz-Antey announced the serial production of the new S-500 air defense system -

Moscow. 25th of April. Interfax-AVN - Almaz-Antey is mass-producing a new generation of S-500 air defense systems, Yan Novikov, director general of the concern, said.

      “Currently, serial production of the S-500 system has been organized using the latest achievements of domestic science and technology. The combat capabilities of this system significantly exceed the capabilities of previously created air defense systems and air defense systems. The S-500 is capable of becoming the basis of the Russian aerospace defense (aerospace defense) system. It will enter the troops within the time frame determined by the state defense order," Novikov said in an interview with the National Defense magazine.

     The S-500 Prometheus system, developed by the Almaz-Antey concern, is a new generation of long-range air defense systems that can shoot down targets in near space.

     On July 20 last year, at the MAKS-2021 air show, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov announced that serial deliveries of the S-500 to the Russian military would begin in 2022. On the same day, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the successful firing of the S-500 and for the first time published footage of the tests of this system. The Ministry of Defense then announced that after the completion of the full cycle of tests, the equipment plans provide for the delivery of the first S-500 system to the air defense-missile defense association near Moscow.

     Earlier, Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin said that the S-500 will be able to destroy satellites and hypersonic weapons of all modifications in near space.


Air Force Announces It Will Buy E-7 Wedgetails to Replace AWACS

Royal Australian Air Force / FSGT Mick Bott


Air Force Announces It Will Buy E-7 Wedgetails to Replace AWACS - Air Force Magazine

April 26, 2022 | By John A. Tirpak

An E-7A Wedgetail assigned to Royal Australian Air Force Base Williamtown, Australia, lands at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Jan. 20, 2022, for Red Flag 22-1. U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis.


The Air Force will buy some Boeing E-7A Wedgetails to replace a portion of its aging E-3 Sentry fleet, the service announced after evaluating two prototypes.

The Air Force “has decided to replace a portion” of the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) fleet with the E-7, the service said April 26, without disclosing how many it expects to procure. In its fiscal 2023 budget request, the Air Force asked Congress to let it retire 15 of its 31 Sentry aircraft, but a service spokesperson said not to assume those aircraft will be replaced on a one-for-one basis.

“That will be determined after the evaluation,” she said.

The fiscal 2023 budget proposal also included a request for $227 million in research, development, test, and evaluation for a “rapid prototype” example of the E-7, which, despite the description, will not be delivered until 2027. A second prototype will be requested in the fiscal 2024 budget, the service said—with a delivery date not disclosed. A “production decision” is to be made in fiscal 2025, well before the prototypes are even delivered.

The service said the savings obtained by divesting the E-3s will pay for acquiring their replacement.

“The E-7 system was developed by Australia for the Australian Defence Forces,” the Air Force said. “The unbreakable U.S. and Australia alliance and interoperability amongst the armed services enabled the Department of the Air Force to leverage this considerable investment and exceptional capability.”

The E-7 is “the only platform capable of meeting the requirements for the Defense Department’s tactical battle management, command and control, and moving target indication capabilities within the timeframe needed to replace the E-3,” the service said.

Air Force officials have previously said the Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye and the Saab Erieye, both turboprop-powered AWACS-type aircraft, lack the speed, altitude, and capability USAF needs for the mission.

Senior USAF leaders have expressed their interest in the E-7 for several years. Last October, Gen. Mark D. Kelly, head of Air Combat Command, said he wanted them in the inventory “two years ago.” Complimentary comments have been offered by Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. and Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach.

Due to its age, obsolete engines, and diminishing vendors, sustaining the E-3 fleet has become a “Herculean effort,” Kelly said, with mission capable rates dipping near 50 percent on “a 45-year-old airframe.”

Last October, the Air Force said it was entering a contract with Boeing to evaluate how the E-7, which was designed and optimized for the Royal Australian Air Force, could be adapted for USAF use.

Unlike the E-3, which uses an iconic rotating radome mounted ahead of its vertical tail, the Wedgetail uses an Active Electronically Scanned Array radar mounted in a blade-like structure on the back of a 737 airframe. Because it is digital, the blade antenna has a faster revisit time than the mechanical radome, which has some latency. It also requires less maintenance. The gaps at either end of the blade are filled in by sensors in an overhanging lip, called the “Top Hat.”

Australia, South Korea, Turkey, and the U.K. either have or plan to sign up to buy the E-7, but it would require different equipment and a different architecture to be compatible with USAF systems. Boeing has said it will supply an “open architecture” version of the E-7 to USAF, which would allow other companies to supply systems for the aircraft, but the existing version does not have this capability.   

Source airforcemag.com


Lockheed Martin’s (LMT) $398 Billion F-35 at Risk of Costly Fixes, GAO Says

US Air Force / Tristin English


Lockheed Martin’s (LMT) $398 Billion F-35 at Risk of Costly Fixes, GAO Says - Bloomberg
  • U.S. and allies face added expenses for potential retrofits
  • Combat simulation tests may unearth costly flaws: watchdog
ByAnthony Capaccio

April 25, 2022, 9:57 PM GMT+7

The U.S. and allies buying Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 may face millions in added costs if serious problems emerge during long-delayed combat simulation tests of the fighter jet, according to Congress’s watchdog agency.

The annual report by the Government Accountability Office is a reality check on likely add-ons to the three-year-old, $398 billion estimated cost of acquiring the planes. F-35s have received renewed attention with their deployment to Eastern Europe, Germany’s announcement of plans to to buy 35 of the planes and fresh NATO interest in its “dual capability” to carry a nuclear bomb following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Lockheed has delivered more than 750 of a potential 3,300 jets to the U.S. and partners. They are in operation in nine nations, including South Korea, the U.K. and Israel, and deliveries continue even as the final round of simulated tests against the most advanced air defenses and aircraft of adversaries remains in limbo. It most recently had been scheduled for December 2020, three years late. 

While the U.S. “is purchasing aircraft at these high rates, those that are already in the fleet are not performing as well as expected,” the GAO said.

Completion of the combat testing is legally required before full-rate production -- the point when a program should have demonstrated an acceptable level of performance and reliability and is ready for higher manufacturing rates.

“If the full-rate production decision occurs in 2023, we estimate that the program will have delivered 1,115 aircraft before finishing operational testing,” or about one-third of the total projected to be purchased by the U.S. and partner nations, and foreign military sales, which “increases risk,” the watchdog agency said.

“It means that more aircraft will need to be fixed later if more performance issues are identified, which will cost more than if those issues were resolved before those aircraft were produced,” according to the report.

Software Upgrade
Separately, the cost of the Defense Department’s program to regularly upgrade software to handle new weapons has risen by $741 million since 2020 to about $15 billion and will stretch to 2029, or three years later than planned.  That effort “is continuing to experience cost growth and schedule delays,” the GAO said in its evaluation of the upgrade, called Block 4.

The Pentagon also continues to grapple with five previously undisclosed deficiencies with the aircraft’s on-board system to prevent fuel tank fires as well as with the engines, rudder and electronic combat system, the GAO said.

The flaw in the aircraft’s system for preventing wing fuel-tank fires “increases the risk of explosion in the event of a lightning strike.” The program office “is currently identifying the root cause” and “a way to fix it,” the GAO said. 

The F-35’s total projected cost for now is $1.7 trillion, which includes $1.3 trillion in estimated operations and sustainment over 66 years. “We were unable to determine the extent to which F-35 program costs changed” because the “F-35 program office did not provide an update on total program cost more recently than as of December 2019,” the GAO said.

The report doesn’t include Defense Department responses. The program office in prior years has issued comments after the report’s release. 

Laura Siebert, a spokesperson for Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed, said in a statement that “we have not received the latest GAO report but recognize these reports are a snapshot in time. Working closely with our customers and the Joint Program Office, we have been addressing previous GAO recommendations.”

Source bloomberg.com

#####

via usni.org


Monday 25 April 2022

US Navy mulls cutting third of EA-18G Growler fleet

Dan Stijovich


US Navy mulls cutting third of EA-18G Growler fleet

CLEMENT CHARPENTREAU

The US Navy announced its plans to decommission all non-carrier-based EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft. 

The choice was revealed in the Department of the Navy budget highlights for the fiscal year 2023. The five squadrons, a total of 25 Growlers, would be sent “in long-term preservation at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG)” colloquially known as the Boneyard, located at Davis-Montham Air Force Base in the Arizona desert.  

The decommission would take place in two installments, with half the fleet retired in 2024, and the other half in 2025. The decision would liberate “approximately 1,020 associated officers” and save $807.8 million. 

A variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet, the Growler provides tactical jamming and electronic protection to help aircrews reach their target without being detected. It replaced the Vietnam-era Grumman EA-6B Prowler (based on the airframe of the A-6 Intruder) within the US Navy fleet. 

The five Expeditionary Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ-131, 132, 134, 135, and 138) are currently based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington. They were regularly deployed in Asia and Europe to support the US armed forces and their allies. In March 2022, six Growlers belonging to VAQ-134 were sent to Spangdahlem Air Base, in Germany, to bolster NATO’s air presence following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.


Tuesday 19 April 2022

Newly released PLAN promo video reveals the hypersonic AShM cold launched by 055 Destroyer







Type 055 destroyer: Details

Monday 18 April 2022

The Russian Defense Ministry announced the destruction of four warehouses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by Iskander missiles

Sputnik


Минобороны России заявило об уничтожении ракетами "Искандер" четырех складов ВСУ - Армия и ОПК - ТАСС

According to the agency, the Russian Armed Forces destroyed 16 Ukrainian military facilities with high-precision missiles.

MOSCOW, 18 April. /TASS/. The armed forces of the Russian Federation destroyed four warehouses of weapons and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as three areas of concentration of enemy manpower with Iskander missiles. This was announced on Monday by the official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov.

"The missile forces carried out strikes with high-precision ground-based Iskander missiles. Four warehouses of weapons and military equipment were destroyed, as well as three enemy manpower concentration areas near the settlements of Popasnaya, Yampol and Kramotorsk," he said.

According to Konashenkov, the Russian Armed Forces destroyed 16 Ukrainian military facilities with high-precision missiles. "High-precision air-launched missiles destroyed 16 Ukrainian military facilities during the night," he said. Gulyaipole, Kamyshevakha, Zelenoe Pole, Velikomikhaylovka and Nikolaev," Konashenkov said.

He added that Russian air defense systems shot down two Ukrainian fighters in the air. "Russian air defense systems shot down three Ukrainian combat aircraft in the air: two MiG-29 fighters in the area of ​​the Izyum settlement and one Su-25 in the Avdiivka area," Konashenkov said. According to him, 11 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were also shot down in the air in the areas of the settlements of Klimovo, Nevelskoye, Novotroitskoye, Izyum, Panteleymonovka, Sladkovodnoye, Yasnoye. Intercepted were 10 large-caliber rockets fired by Ukrainian multiple launch rocket systems at the Chernobaevka settlement.

"During the night, Russian artillery units attacked 315 objects of Ukrainian troops. 18 command posts, 22 artillery batteries, the Osa-AKM anti-aircraft missile system, as well as 275 strongholds and areas of concentration of enemy manpower, were hit," Konashenkov said. .

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the Donbass republics for help. He stressed that Moscow's plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories, the goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. As stated in the Russian Defense Ministry, the Russian military does not strike at cities, but disable only the military infrastructure, so nothing threatens the civilian population.

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Sunday 17 April 2022

The use of FAB-500 and FAB-3000 air bombs led to the destruction of large underground galleries and corridors of Azovstal, which were used by militants

Maiya Sokolova - AviaPressPhoto


Применение авиабомб ФАБ-500 и ФАБ-3000 привело к разрушению крупных подземных галерей и коридоров «Азовстали», которыми пользовались боевики

Yesterday, 09:24


Illustrative photo


The Ukrainian military and militants of the national battalions, captured in Mariupol, talk about the current situation at the Azovstal plant.

In particular, it is reported that the number of seriously injured Azov militants (*an extremist group banned in Russia) has increased on the territory of the enterprise after an attempted breakthrough that took place the day before. It is also reported that Russian aircraft destroyed several communication underground corridors and large galleries, with the help of which groups of "Azov" * were moved from one part of a large enterprise (its perimeter is more than 15 km) to another. So far, there is no data on how many militants can be under these rubble after airstrikes.

Meanwhile, reports were confirmed that Russian aviation used up to fifty large-caliber bombs against Ukrainian armed formations at Azovstal. These are dozens of FAB-500s and several units of heavy-duty FAB-3000s. At the same time, reliable information was received that there are no civilians on the territory of the plant. This makes it possible to carry out an operation against the Azov militants and the formations that joined them using a wide range of weapons.

At the same time, information is being received that representatives of the Ukrainian armed formations may be preparing new attempts to break out from the territory of Azovstal, finding themselves in a critical situation. Moreover, a search is underway for opportunities to do this with the help of underground utilities. Here it should be noted the fact that this armed formation also includes former employees of the plant who are familiar with the enterprise's communications, including underground ones. However, the total area of ​​the same underground infrastructure is such that it is impossible to know it thoroughly. Air strikes with heavy-duty munitions cause additional damage to the communications system, which the militants tried to use as shelters and objects of covert movement.




Tupolev Tu-22M/22M3/22M3M: Details

Friday 15 April 2022

The United States plans to fully upgrade the E-7 early warning aircraft to replace the overdue E-3G

Cybermac737


大手笔!美国计划全面升级E-7预警机,替代超期服役的E-3G_雷达_平台_空军

2022-04-14 16:42
   
[Military military sub-plane] Author: Rider of the Pig

According to statistics provided to the US Air Force Magazine, the E-3G early warning aircraft with an average lifespan of 40 years achieved only a 60.65% availability rate in fiscal year 2021, and the availability rate of the older E-3B was even lower. , as low as 55.78%. That means these E-3 fleets are out of mission almost half the time. The E-3 early warning aircraft is based on the ancient Boeing-707 platform. At present, no airline in the world is still using the Boeing 707. The parts and equipment for the maintenance of the Boeing 707 have been discontinued for a long time, and the parts in stock are also seriously insufficient. The last E-3 was built in 1992 and has also been equipped with NATO, France and Saudi Arabia. The RAF retired its last E-3 at the end of 2021.

▲E-3G early warning aircraft has a radar on one side and an IFF antenna on the other.

In the early 2000s, the US Air Force planned to acquire Northrop Grumman's E-10 multi-sensor command and control (MC2A) aircraft, based on the Boeing 767-400 platform. In order to reduce the difficulty of the project, the project is divided into three steps. The first step is to replace the E-8 "Joint Star" ground moving target designation aircraft, augmenting its cruise missile capability with a new radar. The second step is to increase the detection capability of air targets and become a real early warning aircraft. The third step is to add advanced electronic warfare systems to replace the RC-135 "Joint Rivet" electronic reconnaissance aircraft. The E-10 program was cut back in 2006 to become a demonstration program, and in 2007 the Air Force decided to discontinue the program entirely, delaying replacement plans for the E-8 "Joint Star" and E-3, and continuing with technical updates. The only outcome of the project was the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP), which was eventually installed on the E-7.

▲Complete E-10

The USAF's operational reliance on the E-8 "Joint Star" and E-3 also makes it a prime target for strikes. The U.S. Air Force plans to use an advanced battle management system to network all space-based and airborne sensors to prevent a single node from being shot down and losing awareness of the battlefield. However, this system is too complex, which can only be regarded as a future goal, and it is far from meeting this requirement at present. As the E-3 ages, replacement plans are on the agenda.

To address this issue, the Air Force issued a request for comments to Boeing asking Boeing to study and analyze the current E-7A configuration and what additional work is required to be compliant with Air Force standards. Although the Air Force has not indicated that it will acquire the E-7A, the move can be seen as paving the way for the acquisition. The E-7 was developed by Boeing for the export market, using the Boeing 737-700 platform, and did not use the mushroom-shaped rotating radar similar to the E-3, but a large active phased array radar with a balance beam structure. At present, it has been successfully exported to Australia, South Korea and Turkey, and Italy and the United Arab Emirates have proposed purchasing intentions. The fuel consumption of the Boeing 737-700 platform is only one-third of the Boeing 707, the maintenance cost is only 40% of the 707, and the manpower requirement is only 50% of the 707. The availability rate is about 96 percent in countries equipped with the E-7. The airline industry operates a large number of Boeing 737s, with one taking off every five seconds on average.

▲ The E-7 of the Australian Air Force

In addition to a more advanced and reliable platform, the E-7's balance beam radar also has unique advantages over the E-3. The E-3's radar only rotates once every 7 to 9 seconds, but the scanning time of the E-7's active phased array radar can be set from 3 seconds to 40 seconds. This is especially important for the detection and defense of highly maneuverable targets, which are necessary to deal with modern threats. In order to overcome the blind spot before and after the "balance beam" radar, the E-7 has 2 small radars at the front and rear ends of the radar to provide a 60° front and rear field of view, thereby achieving 360° coverage.

▲ The E-7 and F-15K of the South Korean Air Force, the South Korean Air Force has 4 E-7s

Senior Air Force leaders have said there is no viable alternative to the E-7 Wedgetail. While Northrop Grumman's E-2D is in service with the Navy, and the Navy is happy with it, the turboprop-powered E-2D doesn't have the speed and altitude required by the Air Force, as does the Swedish Aireye. In January, an Australian E-7 took part in Exercise Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and the U.S. Air Force was impressed with the E-7's long-range command and control capabilities. The E-7's greatest strength, though, is that it's still in production, and Boeing's 737NG series line runs through 2025. NATO has also considered purchasing E-7s to replace the current 14 E-3 early warning aircraft. But NATO has decided that Airbus will extend the life of NATO's NE-3A until at least 2035.

The E-7 also has a problem, that is, it is not compatible with the data link of the fifth-generation F-22 and F-35 fighter jets. Australia and Boeing are working together to make the E-7 compatible with Australia's F-35, F/A-18 and P-8 patrol aircraft. The current E-7 is not an open-architecture platform, and there will be greater difficulties in future upgrades. Boeing is developing an open mission system to meet future needs.


The State Department has made a determination approving a possible FMS to the Government of Nigeria of AH-1Z Attack Helicopter estimated cost of $997 million

Dave


Nigeria – AH-1Z Attack Helicopter Related FMS Acquisitions | Defense Security Cooperation Agency

Media/Public Contact
pm-cpa@state.gov
Transmittal No 22-24


WASHINGTON, April 14, 2022 - The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Nigeria of AH-1Z Attack Helicopter Related FMS Acquisitions and related equipment for an estimated cost of $997 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Government of Nigeria has requested to buy twelve (12) AH-1Z Attack Helicopters; twenty-eight (28) T-700 GE 401C engines (24 installed, 4 spares); and two thousand (2,000) Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) guidance sections. Also included is Night Vision Cueing Display (NVCD); commercial variant GPS with Standard Positioning Service (SPS); communication equipment; electronic warfare systems; AN/AVS-9 Aviator’s Night Vision Imaging System; M197 20mm machine gun; Target Sight System (TSS); support equipment; spare engine containers; spare and repair parts; tools and test equipment; technical data and publications; personnel training and training equipment; Mission Planning system; U.S. Government and contractor engineering; technical, and logistics support services; U.S. Government and contractor assistance and oversight of facilities construction to include the provisioning of plans, drawings and specifications; $25M of case funds will be allocated for institutional and technical assistance to the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) to continue Air Ground Integration (AGI) program, which includes developing targeting processes that are legally compliant with International Humanitarian Law and the Laws of Armed Conflict; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The total estimated program cost is $997 million.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a strategic partner in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The proposed sale will better equip Nigeria to contribute to shared security objectives, promote regional stability and build interoperability with the U.S. and other Western partners. This sale will be a major contribution to U.S. and Nigerian security goals. Nigeria will have no difficulty absorbing the equipment and services into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The principal contractors will be Bell Helicopter, Textron, Fort Worth, TX; and General Electric Company, Lynn, MA. There are no known offset agreements in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale will require the assignment of U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Nigeria for mobile training teams and contract logistics support. The case will include special training on the law of armed conflict and human rights, and air-to-ground integration to minimize civilian harm in air operations. This proposed sale will also require multiple trips by U.S. Government and contractor representatives to participate in program and technical reviews plus training and maintenance support in country, on a temporary basis, for a period of five (5) years. It will also require approximately three (3) contractor support representatives to reside in country for a period of two (2) years to support this program.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

This notice of a potential sale is required by law. The description and dollar value is for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded.

All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's Bureau of Political Military Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, pm-cpa@state.gov.

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AH-1Z Viper: Details