Sunday, 3 June 2018

Turkey turning to Russia for Su-57 jets a nightmare for NATO - analysis

Airguardian YouTube
After U.S. Senate passed a defense spending bill last month, seeking to prevent Turkey from getting the 100 F-35 fighter jets it had ordered, Turkey could turn to Russia's Su-57 "stealth" jet killer in what would be a nightmare scenario for NATO, says Alex Lockie in article he penned for Business Insider.

 The U.S. bill would end the sale of F-35 jets to Turkey due to the arrest of American pastor Andrew Brunson and Turkey’s purchase of Russian S400 air defence systems. Brunson has been imprisoned in Turkey for more than 18 months charged with backing terrorist groups. 

 ‘’The US and Turkey have a number of ongoing diplomatic beefs, including Turkey claiming that the US is harboring clerics that urged a 2016 coup and detaining US citizens, and the US is claiming Turkey is a hub of illicit financing,’’ Lockie points out; however, on the military side of things, NATO-member Turkey poses another threat by buying Russia's S-400 missile defense system.

 ‘’If Turkey owned the F-35 and the S-400, it would give Russia a window into NATO's missile defense network and the F-35's next-generation capabilities,’’ Lockie says.

 However, with the future of Turkey’s F-35 jets up in the air, Turkey has been eyeing Russia's Su-57 "stealth" fighter jet.

 There are increasing reports that the NATO-member country is considering the purchase of Russian Su-57 fighter jets should Washington decide to pull the plug on the delivery of F-35 jets, which was originally scheduled to begin in June.

 Retired US Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula cites the poor reputation of Russian aircraft, its maintenance records, noting that buying Su-57s wouldn't make sense for Turkey.

 "If they bought the Su-57s and the S-400, those steps are incompatible with them buying the F-35. It's going to be either or," the article quoted Deptula as saying.

 Despite the unproven nature of Russia's new fighter jet, it does appear to be be direct competitor for US stealth jets like the F-22 and F-35, the article points out.

 Turkey’s purchase of Russian Su-57s would - for military and diplomatic reasons - be a nightmare scenario for NATO's security.

Source: ahvalnews.com

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First prototype of the modernized Tu-160M2 will appear in 2019

Tu-160 - topwar.ru


 Translated by google
The new "White Swan". The first step to the bomber of the future
MOSCOW, May 17 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots . The first prototype of the modernized strategic bomber-missile carrier Tu-160M2 will appear already in 2019. The general director of PJSC "Tupolev" Alexander Konyukhov told journalists on Wednesday. The work on the new aircraft as a whole is going according to plan, he noted. Earlier, President of the United Aircraft Corporation Yuri Slyusar said that the mass production of these machines is scheduled to start in 2021.

 In the future, the Tu-160M2 will be complemented by the already existing fleet of Tu-160 and Tu-160M1. The new aircraft will become the basis of the air component of the Russian "nuclear triad" - and it will remain at least until 2030. According to experts, the next modification of the world-famous "White Swan" in its effectiveness will surpass the previous versions at least twice. And the technological solutions tested at Tu-160M2 will be used to create a radically new bomber - PAK DA (Perspective Long-Range Aviation Complex).

 The new "filling"

 The original Tu-160 is a unique car with many titles with the prefix "most". It is considered the largest and most powerful supersonic aircraft in the history of aviation. Tu-160 has a larger maximum take-off weight than any of its competitors - about 275 tons. Finally, among all existing bombers, the Tu-160 is the fastest. It can reach speeds of up to 2,200 kilometers per hour, which is comparable to the characteristics of modern fighters.

 However, its first flight Tu-160 made in the distant 1981. And if by its flight characteristics it still meets modern standards, its on-board equipment needs to be replaced.

 "The last serial TU-160 was assembled in 2008," military expert Alexei Leonkov reminded RIA Novosti, "Since then, the element base has moved far ahead." There was more sophisticated avionics, more digital equipment, new instruments that enter the sight- navigational complex of the bomber, developed and already went into the series of new systems of airborne defense.The enemy also did not sit on the ground and actively created means of destruction that became much more "cunning" than those who were to oppose the origine and finally, the instrument panel of the pilots will change, there will be a new helmet equipment.In general, if the "White Swan" does not change in appearance, the electronic "filling" will be completely different from it. "

 As early as December 2015, the management of the Radioelectronic Technologies Concern (KRET, part of Rostek) reported that a full set of on-board radio electronic equipment (BREO) for the Tu-160M2 would be ready by 2020. As emphasized in CRET, this equipment will be installed not only on new aircraft, but also on vehicles already in service, as part of a large-scale modernization. It is separately noted that the Tu-160M2 will receive modern fuel-flow systems and new engines NK-32 series 2, which will increase the time and range of flight.

 "All these measures are aimed at making the Tu-160M2 a more accurate and modern strategic tool for our nuclear deterrence forces," concluded Alexei Leonkov. "It will have a great potential for modernization." At first, the Tu-160M2 will be armed with those already available in the troops They are air-to-surface cruise missiles X-555, X-101 and its version with a nuclear warhead X-102. "

 The X-555 is a deep upgrade of the X-55 missile, which was commissioned back in 1983. The new weapon has a more sophisticated control system, which allows the missile to make adjustments to its route literally on the fly. The X-555 is equipped with a cluster or fragmentation-explosive-incendiary warhead and is able to hit the target at ranges over 2000 kilometers. X-101 is an even more powerful weapon and can destroy an enemy object at a distance of up to 5500 kilometers. Both missiles were "baptized" in Syria: the Tu-160 and Tu-95 bombers struck at the most important and well-fortified terrorist bases. The experience gained by our pilots in this war will be taken into account when creating a new aircraft.

 Not competitors

 A number of experts, however, believe that the concentration of funds and efforts on the Tu-160M2 will seriously "shift right" the PAK DA project - a new generation bomber. Andrei Frolov, editor-in-chief of the magazine Export of Arms, told RIA Novosti that the appearance of this machine is unlikely to be expected in the framework of the forthcoming State Program of Armaments for 2018-2025. He stressed that even very rich countries can not afford to develop two strategic bombers simultaneously. At the same time, Aleksey Leonkov stressed that the Tu-160M2 is not a competitor of the PAC YES, but will play the role of an "intermediate stage".

 "We have long overdue the problem of replacing the strategic Tu-95 bombers," the expert explained. "These are good cars, but their service life is limited, and it will not be possible to prolong it forever." The role of the Tu-160M2 is to occupy a niche in a timely manner If we do not do this, the combat capabilities of our strategic aviation will be seriously taken in. Now we have 16 TU-160 and TU-160M1 bombers in service.Also, we need at least 30 new Tu-160M2s to replace the Tu- 95. This is not a fast process - the program will asschitana five to ten years at least. When the PAK DA will be brought to mind, just it is necessary to replace the earliest Tu-160 on the new machine. This process, again, gradually. "

 Nevertheless, there is already progress in creating a bomber of the future. In early May, the general designer of the United Aircraft Corporation Sergey Korotkov said that the detailed digital model of PAC YES is ready. In addition, it was reported that the company Tupolev completed the full-size bomber model. This means that at least the external appearance of the machine and its dimensions have already been approved. On the combat capabilities of the PAC YES, its BFEO and armament so far one has only to guess.

 It is assumed that the PAK DA will be carried out according to the "flying wing" scheme in the manner of American B-2 Spirit strategic bombers. In the design of the aircraft, it is planned to actively use composite and radio-absorbing materials, which will reduce its visibility for enemy radars and reduce the overall weight of the machine. It was reported that PAK DA will receive a fundamentally new engine, but it is not yet clear which one - it is still unknown whether the aircraft will be supersonic.

 Originally published by ria.ru on May 18, 2017

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 Tu-160 Blackjack: Details
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Arrowhead 140 design for UK Type 31e frigate revealed

Arrowhead 140 design. Photo: Babcock
A Babcock-led industry team has officially unveiled the Arrowhead 140 concept as their design for the UK defense ministry’s Type 31e general purpose light frigate program.

 Babcock, Thales, OMT, BMT, Harland and Wolff and Ferguson Marine are all part of the team bidding for the UK MoD’s £1.25 billion Type 31e program.

 As announced on Thirsday, the Arrowhead 140 will have a hull form based on the Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates OMT designed for the Royal Danish Navy.

 The decision to base the Arrowhead on the in-service Danish frigates is aimed at lowering program risks, the team said, adding that their Type 31e contender was engineered to minimise through-life costs.

 At almost 140m the platform will optimise operational flexibility. This ‘wide beam’ ship is easier to design, easier to build and easier to maintain due to its slightly larger size, Babcock said.

 “Arrowhead 140 will provide increased survivability, operability and capability – compared to a standard 120m design. When you consider that this ship can be delivered at no extra cost and that it will support improved radar performance, increase platform stability and facilitate better helicopter operations in bad weather, whilst enhancing crew comfort – we believe it will bring a significant edge to modern naval capability,” Craig Lockhart, Babcock’s managing director, Naval Marine said.

Arrowhead 140’s distributed build and assembly approach, comprising Babcock Appledore in North Devon, Ferguson Marine on the Clyde, Harland and Wolff in Belfast with integration at Babcock Rosyth, Fife, optimises the partners’ UK facilities, innovation and skills whilst cleverly ensuring capacity for parallel programmes remains. All of which is geared to generate a genuine resurgence in shipbuilding across the UK and when coupled with the virtual design alliance between Babcock, OMT and BMT it supports the intent of the UK National Shipbuilding Strategy.

Source: navaltoday.com

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J-20A armed with PL-10 air-to-air missile (AAM)

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Saturday, 2 June 2018

South Korea signals AESA progression



Jon Grevatt, Bangkok - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

 01 June 2018

 South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has signalled progression in its programme to develop an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system in collaboration with local industry.

 DAPA said in a statement on 31 May that its radar programme – intended to support the Korean Fighter Experimental (KFX) aircraft – has completed a two-year preliminary design phase and will now move to the critical design stage before a design review in May 2019.

 Following the design review, DAPA hopes to produce a pilot prototype in 2020, which will be installed on early prototypes of the KFX from 2022. After several years of trials, DAPA aims to start initial production of both the aircraft and its AESA radar from the mid-2020s.

 Under a KRW360 billion (USD334 million) contract awarded in mid-2016, the AESA development programme is led by Hanwha Systems, which is collaborating with the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), a DAPA subsidiary. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), as lead developer of the KFX, is also involved in the programme.

 KAI has previously outlined a target to produce about 250 twin-engine KFX fighter aircraft to replace the Republic of Korea Air Force’s (RoKAF’s) F-4E Phantom and F-5E Tiger II aircraft and, ultimately, its F-16 Fighting Falcon platforms. KAI also expects to export several hundred KFX fighters.

Source: janes.com

arronlee33
Published on May 2, 2018
Force TV - South Korea KF-X Stealth Fighter AESA Radar [1080p]


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Older F-35 face maintenance issues as increasing number of aircraft left grounded waiting for parts



Some F-35s gathering dust waiting for repair parts
GAO warned in October of "sustainment challenges"—now some are coming to roost.

 SEAN GALLAGHER - 6/2/2018, 2:25 AM

 The Marine Corps' F-35B fighters are among the oldest operating aircraft to come out of the Joint Strike Fighter program, and they're beginning to run into some maintenance issues. While many of the repairs being made to the aircraft are upgrades to bring them in line with the latest software releases and accompanying hardware upgrades, a fair share is for typical aircraft maintenance issues—and those issues are leading to an increasing number of aircraft left grounded waiting for parts.

 As Defense News' Valerie Insinna reports, that's often because the wait time for delivery on some parts is a month or longer. And according to a GAO report, the lead time for some F-35 replacement parts could be two years or longer. Between waiting for parts and time spent offline for upgrades, F-35s worldwide were unable to fly 22 percent of the time between January and August of 2017. The GAO report, published last October, warned of "sustainment challenges" faced by the F-35 program—many of them because of poor planning and delays in bringing repair parts suppliers and depots onboard.

 If anything major goes wrong with an F-35, it could spend a lot more time waiting to be repaired. "DOD does not have enough capacity to repair F-35 aircraft parts because the establishment of repair capabilities at the military depots is six years behind schedule," the GAO report stated. "Repair capabilities at the military depots were originally planned to be completed by 2016, but program officials told us that some capabilities have now been delayed until 2022."

 As a result, some maintenance crews have turned to cannibalizing some F-35s for parts to keep others operational. It's not an uncommon practice to borrow a part off one broken aircraft to fix another, especially among fighter aircraft. But that approach, without a logistics channel behind it to deliver parts in a reasonable amount of time, can snowball—as it has with the German Luftwaffe's Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, which are now down to a handful of flyable aircraft because of parts shortages.

 It doesn't help, for example, that the average life of the short take-off, vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B's landing gear tire is less than 10 landings—a problem resulting from the aircraft's heavier weight than its conventional take-off cousins. It's simply difficult to engineer a tire capable of handling both vertical low-speed and conventional high-speed landings. The F-35B has also failed some structural testing, with the first aircraft used in tests literally falling apart. And the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS)—software that combines diagnostics and repair functions with part inventory and verifies that the correct parts have been installed properly—has continued to get poor reviews.

 A maintenance sergeant at VMFAT-50, the Marine Corps' F-35B training squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, told Insinna that ALIS was slow for him, though Marines at MCAS Air Station Yuma, Arizona, reported better speeds. “We have a bunch of aircraft… And we have only so many servers,” the sergeant told Insinna. “They have less aircraft, and their servers aren’t booting up as much information.”

 But things might be looking up. A Lockheed representative told Defense News that the company is exploring 3D-printing some parts to speed up repair cycles. And some of the lead times for parts provided to repair crews end up being very conservative estimates, with parts arriving in a month instead of the year lead time given to the services.

 So, hopefully, things will get better. But the long-term cost of maintaining the F-35 fleet as it ages is still something of a wild guess at the moment. Based on some estimates, that price may be so high that the Air Force will have to eliminate a third of its planned F-35 purchase to stay on budget.

 Source: arstechnica.com

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 F-35 Lightning II: Details
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Saab-Damen Unveiled their Walrus-class Submarine Replacement Design

The submarine is a variant of Kockums' A26 (the future submarine of the Swedish Navy). Saab image
Navy Recognition

 POSTED ON FRIDAY, 01 JUNE 2018 15:19

   
In an exclusive interview with the Dutch newspaper ‘Telegraaf’ on June 1st, the foremen of Saab and Damen showed an initial sketch of the new submarine, which they intend to offer to the Netherlands Defence organisation.

 The consortium, together with a large number of Dutch companies and institutions, is one of the contenders for the replacement of the Walrus class submarine. In the article, the foreman of the Dutch employers organisation Hans de Boer pleads for the purchase of Dutch goods: “This way our naval people get the best of the best”.

 In the article in de ‘Telegraaf’ Hein van Ameijden (Damen) and Gunnar Wieslander (Saab Kockums) give a brief insight into the possibilities offered by the new submarine. “Due to the modular design of the boat, it is possible for many Dutch companies to implement their products in the submarine and to renew them easily during the life cycle. They also place the emphasis on the launcher for special forces, right next to the torpedo tubes in the nose of the boat. In the ‘Telegraaf’ we read: “Until now, sea soldiers were only able to leave the boat vertically one by one. The system on board the Dutch-Swedish boat makes it possible to swim out horizontally with eight people at the same time. Thanks to a diameter of one and a half meters, the pipe will be wide enough to launch miniature sea-going vessels, both manned and unmanned.


Kockums A26: Details
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