General Dynamics Awarded $8M Contract for AH-1Z Gun Turrets

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HeliHub.com General Dynamics Awarded $8M Contract for AH-1Z Gun Turrets:

General Dynamics-Ordinance and Tactical Systems (OTS) Inc., Williston, Vermont, is awarded $7,500,000 for modification P00007 to a firm-fixed-price delivery order (0008) against a previously placed basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0007). This modification procures 37 A/A49E-7(V4) gun turrets for AH-1Z helicopters for the Navy (25); and the government of Bahrain (12). Work will be performed in Saco, Maine (80 percent); and Williston, Vermont (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2022. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy); and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funds in the amount of $7,500,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This order combines purchases for the Navy ($4,975,950; 66 percent); and the government of Bahrain ($2,524,050; 34 percent) under the FMS Program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc awarded $439.5 million for the production and delivery of 25 Lot 16 AH-1Z
Bell received a $510 million contract for the manufacture and delivery of 29 Lot 15 AH-1Z helicopters
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US Navy tests JAGM missile on AH-1Z

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AH-1Z Viper: Details

State Department OKs possible sale of F-16 fighters to Bulgaria

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State Department OKs possible sale of F-16 fighters to Bulgaria - Reuters: 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale of eight F-16 aircraft and related equipment to Bulgaria at an estimated cost of $1.67 billion, a Pentagon agency said on Monday.

The prime contractor will be Lockheed Martin Corp, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement.

“The proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve security of a NATO ally and a key democratic partner of the United States in ensuring peace and stability in this region,” the statement said.

Reporting by Eric Beech

Now who would believe an F-35 cost USD 100 million per jet when the F-16V sells for USD 208 per jet an F-35 is likely to cost USD 400 per jet

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F-16V Fighter: Details 

The benefits of having an indigenous fighter plane

by 阿樺樺 (flickr)

The benefits of having an indigenous fighter plane - Taipei Times: 

Tuesday last week was the 30th anniversary of the first test flight of the F-CK-1 Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF). Not only has the military spent more on the development of the fighter than on any other arms system, it is also the biggest overall investment the country has ever made in a single project.

It places Taiwan on a par with other countries that have experience developing and producing a complete jet fighter program. It is an expensive learning experience of momentous significance.

Jet fighter design, development, testing, production and feedback require a huge amount of funding, are very time consuming and sometimes even have to be changed.

This has happened in other countries — one example is India’s Tejas jet fighter — where widely used new technologies and production innovations are often used for piecemeal upgrades of secondary weapons systems.

The Hsiang Chan Project several years ago focused on the threat posed by growing hostilities, searching for commercial sources for replacement parts and strengthening air-to-land strike capabilities, which could be integrated with the domestically produced Wanjian guided missile.

This would not only add 20 years of service life to the IDF fleet, it would also turn the airplane, originally designed purely for defense purposes and air superiority, into a multirole jet fighter.

NEW AIRCRAFT

A new domestically produced training aircraft based on the IDF is to be revealed in September. It is to replace the domestically produced AIDC AT-3 Ziqiang training aircraft and F-5E/F Tiger jet fighter.

This would simplify training for fighter pilots, reduce air and ground personnel training costs, and prevent the aerospace industry’s technical research and development, production, quality control and flight trial capabilities from disappearing.

LEARNING ON THE JOB

The US ignored the Aug. 17, 1982, US-China joint communique and sold technology and equipment vital to the IDF project, but also placed limitations on important functionality so that the most had to be made of the space inside the aircraft, and its weight and center of gravity had to be carefully calculated.

The members of Taiwan’s technical team, who had to learn while doing as they entered the field of supersonic flight for the first time, faced a difficult challenge.

AN ASSET

The IDF has been criticized by observers for having little air time, but that is not fair.

The fighter is not perfect, and that is the reason why a program to extend its service life and upgrade its capabilities is needed to gradually improve the aircraft and address its shortcomings by taking advantage of developments in the aerospace industry.

When purchasing jet fighters from another country, it is next to impossible to improve them and upgrade their fighting capabilities without first receiving permission from the manufacturer.

Only the IDF, with its relatively independent technology and integrated system software and hardware, can easily be integrated with a domestically produced arms system, while creating a healthy division of labor at the Corporate Synergy Development Center and kick-starting an industrial upgrade of the private sector.

As the saying goes, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, so it is safer to stick to something the nation has control over.

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AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo (IDF): Details

Indonesia expects Su-35 supplies to start by yearend

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TASS: World - Indonesia expects Su-35 supplies to start by yearend: Earlier the republic’s Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu told that Jakarta would not cancel the contract on jet supplies despite the US sanctions against Russia


SINGAPORE, June 2. /TASS/. Indonesia expects the supplies of Russian Su-35 fighter jets to start by the end of 2019, the republic’s Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu told TASS on Sunday.

"I think that the issue will be solved this year," he said.

According to the minister, "certain challenges (in finalizing the contract) are due to the fact that three departments of the republic are involved in the process." "The Defense Ministry has signed all documents, whereas the Trade Ministry and Finance Ministry are still in the process of approval," which is connected with the fact that "there will be different forms of payment," he explained, adding that though discussions are still underway "fundamentally the issue has been solved."

Earlier the minister told TASS that Jakarta "would not cancel the contract on jet supplies despite the US sanctions against Russia." The signing of the contract with Indonesia to supply 11 Su-35 fighter jets was announced at the beginning of last year.

Indonesia became the second country after China to buy Su-35 aircraft from Russia. The Su-35S generation 4++ supersonic fighter jet performed its debut flight on February 19, 2008. The fighter jet is a derivative of the Su-27 plane. The Su-35S weighs 19 tonnes, has a service ceiling of 20,000 meters, can develop a maximum speed of 2,500 km/h and has a crew of one pilot. The fighter jet’s armament includes a 30mm aircraft gun, up to 8 tonnes of the weapon payload (missiles and bombs of various types) on 12 underwing hardpoints.


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Sukhoi Su-35: Details

Upgraded Ka-52 helicopter to get more capabilities against targets in the air and on the ground

KHMedia

Upgraded Ka-52 helicopter to get more capabilities against targets in the air and on the ground - News - Russian Aviation - RUAVIATION.COM


The upgraded Ka-52M ‘Alligator’ combat helicopter will get more capabilities for using weapons against targets in the air and on the ground, the press office of Russian Helicopters rotorcraft maker said in a press release circulated on Tuesday. This reported by TASS.

"Work is underway to further increase the range of detecting and identifying targets and, correspondingly, to boost the capabilities of employing weapons against both ground and air targets," the press office quoted Russian Helicopters CEO Andrei Boginsky as saying in a comment on improvements in the upgraded version.

On the instruction from Russia’s defense minister, work has been carried out to modernize electro-optical systems for the Ka-52M helicopter and it has already proven its worth, Boginsky said.

"Also, in cooperation with other enterprises, we are working on the issue of increasing the helicopter’s armored protection and renewing its power supply system. The second task is to standardize air-launched weapons with our other helicopters of the Mi family," the chief executive said.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko said earlier on Tuesday that Russia’s top brass planned to sign a contract in 2020 on purchasing 114 upgraded Ka-52M attack helicopters, The Russian defense official made this statement as he visited the Progress Aviation Enterprise in the Primorye Region, the producer of Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ attack helicopters.

"We expect to sign a new contract already next year on 114 modernized Ka-52M helicopters," the deputy defense minister said.

As the defense official specified, the upgraded version of the Ka-52 attack helicopter, the Ka-52M, would be created by 2022. The experimental design work on the upgraded helicopter will take into account Russia’s combat experience in Syria, he added.

The Ka-52M will get new power supply and target acquisition systems. Also, following the requirements of Russia’s Defense Ministry, the helicopter’s protection will be enhanced considerably, Krivoruchko said.

The Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ reconnaissance/attack helicopter is designed to destroy tanks, armored and non-armored vehicles, manpower, rotorcraft and other enemy aircraft on the frontline and in the tactical depth, in any weather conditions and at any time.

The ‘Alligator’ is furnished with modern avionics while its coaxial rotor system and enhanced longitudinal control enable it to effectively maneuver and perform complex aerobatic operations.

Besides, the Ka-52 features the radio-electronic protection system and low signature devices that reduce, dissipate and distort the engines’ thermal trace. It also has active countermeasures capabilities.

The Ka-52 helicopters will get upgraded

Ka-52 helicopter gunship to get longer range weapons

Ka-52 helicopter to be armed with new defense system

4th Army Air Regiment and air defense of the southern military district received two new helicopters Ka-52 "alligator"
Tests of the Ka-52K helicopter will be completed before the end of 2019

Ka-52 Alligator: Details

Hungary May Buy the U.S. F-35 Stealth Fighter

US Air Force

Hungary May Buy the U.S. F-35 Stealth Fighter | The National Interest: 


The interesting question is why.

Hungary may buy the U.S. F-35 stealth fighter.

Not because it loves the F-35, but because the Hungarian government is mad at Sweden.

Swedish and Hungarian media are reporting that Hungary may give up its leased fleet of Swedish-made Jas 39 Gripen fighters in favor of the F-35. The populist government of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has drawn criticism from other European nations who accuse him of undermining Hungarian democracy. Critics says Orban is neutering the Hungarian judiciary and fanning anti-Semitism and racism toward refugees.

Not surprisingly, those policies don’t play well in liberal Sweden. “Sweden's Social Democratic Social Affairs Minister Annika Strandhäll wrote on Twitter that Prime Minister Viktor Orban's seven-point family planning policy ‘reeks of the 1930s’ and that "what is happening in Hungary is alarming,’” according to Swedish newspaper The Local.

“Now Orban wants to have more ‘real’ Hungarian children,” Strandhäll said. “This kind of policy will harm the autonomy for which women have struggled for decades.”

In turn, Swedish criticism infuriated Hungarian officials. ““The Swedes were digging their own grave with their many anti-Hungarian attacks,” a senior Hungarian government official told Hungarian news site Direkt36. “It is conceivable that we are buying F-35s instead.”

However, Direkt36 also pointed out that many Hungarian officials are also skeptical about an F-35 deal. “One of them claimed that the F-35s are way too advanced for the needs of the Hungarian army, which is tasked with protecting the airspace and air policing but does not perform offensive operations. According to a Hungarian defense expert, the acquisition of F-35s would be a ‘tragic decision for taxpayers. This is the typical case of a BMW 6 parking in front of a run-down Socialist block of flats.’”

One source believes the United States would be “reluctant to supply Hungary’s China and Russia-friendly government with the most advanced fighter jet technology.” Naturally, Russian media—never shy about publicizing squabbles within NATO and Europe—ran the story.

It does seem that Hungary needs to begin thinking about a new fighter. Its fleet of 14 leased Gripens—12 single-seaters plus a pair of two-seaters—were acquired around 2006, at a cost of 210 billion Hungarian florints ($720 million in today’s dollars). The lease will expire in 2026, with the Hungarian air force becoming the proud owner of 20-year old, fourth-generation aircraft.


“Current thinking is that the Gripens - while still operational for many years - will have been surpassed by the spread of fifth-generation multi-role aircraft such as the U.S. F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II,” said a Hungarian news site.

While they haven’t seen combat, Hungarian Gripens have flown NATO air policing patrols over the Baltic States. The Gripen is currently flown by only five nations: Sweden, the Czech Republic, Hungary, South Africa and Thailand (manufacturer Saab is also offering the fighter to Canada).


Sooner or later, the F-35 is coming to Eastern Europe. Poland has already asked American permission to buy 32 F-35s. But Poland has a tense relationship with Russia. Hungary, despite the Cold War Soviet occupation, has enjoyed warmer ties with Russia, and especially with the authoritarian Putin government. That suggests less of a need for an expensive fifth-generation fighter.

Indeed, Direkt36 noted that “a country with similar needs, Slovakia, is buying 14 F-16Vs, the advanced variant of the F-16 which is much cheaper than the F-35.” None of which is good news for the Gripen, which has not garnered many export orders. But nor it does mean the F-35 will appear in Hungarian colors.

Michael Peck is a contributing writer for the National Interest. He can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

F-35 Lightning II: Details

Israelis Invest In New Artillery: ATMOS Mobile Howitzer

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Israelis Invest In New Artillery: ATMOS Mobile Howitzer « Breaking Defense - Defense industry news, analysis and commentary: 


The IDF plans to replace hundreds of aging American M109s with Elbit's ATMOS, which is 50 percent made in the US.

TEL AVIV: The Israeli government just awarded the initial, $125 million contract of a planned 12-year, $280 million program to replace its tank-like M109 howitzers with Elbit’s wheeled ATMOS. About half the work will be done by Elbit’s subsidiaries and partners in the United States, a sign of how Israeli defense spending has shifted since Washington restricted its ally’s ability to spend US aid on non-US products.

The investment also shows how good old-fashioned 155 mm shells still play a vital role in a Mideast roiled by Hezbollah rockets and Iranian missile tests. Even in an age of smart weapons, when you need to bombard a target, it turns out that quantity still has a quality of its own.

“Smart rockets and missiles are an excellent way of hitting enemy targets, but when the infantry has to force the enemy to retreat from a site, it needs the firepower of the artillery — which is relatively cheap compared with the new smart weapons,” one former commander of the IDF artillery corps told Breaking Defense. “Artillery is the best way of creating a smoke curtain around an enemy stronghold and keeping the enemy in the trenches by constant fire. Using smart weapons for these missions would cost huge sums of money.”.........read entire article click above link

Atmos 2000 155mm Self-Propelled Artillery System: Details