Pakistan considers Chinese attack helicopters on back of stalled AH-1Z, T129 deals

VCG

Pakistan considers Chinese attack helicopters on back of stalled AH-1Z, T129 deals | News | Flight Global: 

By Dominic Perry 

26 February 2020

Pakistan looks set to turn to China for its attack helicopter replacement needs after US embargoes halted sales of rival Bell and Turkish Aerospace products.

Islamabad had in 2015 ordered 12 Bell AH-1Zs under the USA’s Foreign Military Sales process and then followed that in 2018 with a deal for 30 Turkish Aerospace T129s worth $1.5 billion.

But the AH-1Z sale has been on hold since US President Donald Trump cut security funding to Pakistan, and export sanctions related to the US-built LHTEC T800 engines which power the T129 has led to the suspension of that contract.

This impasse, and a pressing need to retire its fleet of 48 Bell AH-1Fs, is now pushing Islamabad to consider alternatives, Major General Syed Najeeb Ahmed, commander, army aviation, told Defence IQ’s International Military Helicopter conference in London on 26 February.

“We are looking at other options. One of them is in China in the shape of the new attack helicopter they have created called the Z-10ME,” he says. “In case the first two options do not materialise this third option will be considered.”

Pakistan had previously evaluated an earlier version of the CAIC Z-10, but Ahmed says the latest iteration has improved weapons and systems.

Ahmed is extremely doubtful that the AH-1Z deal can be resurrected, and although Turkish Aerospace is developing an indigenous replacement engine for the T129, he is not confident that this will be ready in time.

In fact, Pakistan has set a deadline of July this year for a final decision, Ahmed says.

The relative urgency is driven by India’s capability increases, as New Delhi grows its fleet of Boeing AH-64E Apaches.

“The Cobras are no match for the Apaches that the Indians are getting,” he says. “We definitely want to match that [capability].”

Z-10 Attack Helicopter: Details

Y-20 tanker and AEW&C variants in the pipeline, senior PLAAF officer confirms

Chinese Internet

Y-20 tanker and AEW&C variants in the pipeline, senior PLAAF officer confirms | Jane's 360

Andrew Tate, London - Jane's Defence Weekly

26 February 2020

An in-flight refuelling tanker variant of the Xian Aircraft Corporation (XAC) Y-20 Kunpeng strategic transport aircraft will appear in public “in the near future”, said the commander of a People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) aviation regiment in an interview with state-owned China Central Television (CCTV) broadcast on 24 February.

Variants of the Y-20 have been anticipated for some time. Satellite imagery from November 2018 of the XAC assembly facility at Xian-Yanliang airfield appeared to show a Y-20 fitted with underwing refuelling pods, and a low-resolution image that appeared in October 2019 suggested that flight testing of this variant was in progress.


Y-20A aircraft is now operational with a second PLAAF transport division

Why China's Y-20 Is a Threat to the U.S. Military

Y-20 aerial refueling variant is now under development

Video: China's Y-20 heavy transport aircraft conducts first airborne, air delivery training

Y-20 heavy transport aircraft conducts first airborne, air delivery training

Five Y-20 transporters delivered to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force in West China

Xian Y-20 Heavy Military Transport: Details

Royal Thai Air Force outlines offset requirements

Natee Sukcharoen

Royal Thai Air Force outlines offset requirements | Jane's 360

Jon Grevatt, Bangkok - Jane's Defence Weekly

26 February 2020

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has outlined a commitment to ensure that all future procurements are accompanied by offset-like requirements to ensure foreign contractors engage with RTAF technical teams and the country’s aerospace and defence industries.

In the RTAF’s new White Paper, which was published on 20 February, it states that its “purchase and development” (P&D) concept will be applied to all future acquisitions of equipment in order to support national “sustainable development”.

The RTAF said in the White Paper that the P&D concept focuses on several methods to support indigenous capability development. These include technology transfers; supporting RTAF capability to allow “further materiel development in-house”; and to support domestic industry’s involvement in development and production projects.


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Shenyang resumes production of carrier-borne J-15 fighters

AFP

Shenyang resumes production of carrier-borne J-15 fighters | Jane's 360

Andreas Rupprecht, Mainz and Juan Ju, Bonn - Jane's Defence Weekly

25 February 2020

The images, the publication of which comes about three months after the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) commissioned its second aircraft carrier, Shandong , show at least one J-15 painted in green primer - suggesting that the aircraft is part of a new batch - and technicians working on the platform at what appears to be a factory.

Although the SAC announcement does not specifically mention the J-15, the aircraft type can be identified by its shape and canards. The images also feature a short text, stating, among other things, "full resumption of production".

It is unclear, however, when the images were taken and whether the new J-15s will be different in any way from the ones currently in service with the PLAN on the service's first aircraft carrier, Liaoning .

That said, the technicians are wearing surgical masks presumably as protection against the Covid-19 coronavirus, indicating the images were taken relatively recently.

Since 2012 the J-15, which is a Sukhoi Su-33 derivative, has been the PLAN's sole fixed-wing carrier-borne aircraft. Only 24 of these aircraft had been delivered to the PLAN in two batches before production was apparently halted in mid-2017.

At least two J-15s have so far been lost and two more have been damaged, meaning that fewer than 20 of these aircraft are believed to currently be available for the PLAN's two carriers as well as for training. The additional aircraft will most likely be used to set up a second carrier-based air wing to be assigned to Shandong .


J-15s have become navy's 'iron fist'

New Flight Ops Video From China's Carrier Features Loaded Up J-15 Fighters

J-15 fighter jet a drag on carrier’s combat capabilities

Catapult version of J-15 with Wingtip pylon modified to carry PL-10 - CG

J-15 successfully landed after bird strike causing left engine fire - Video

Shenyang J-15: Details

Russia Stages First Ship-Launched ‘Tsirkon’ Hypersonic Missile Test

newsvl.ru

Russia Stages First Ship-Launched ‘Tsirkon’ Hypersonic Missile Test - The Moscow Times: 

Russia is reportedly planning more test-launches of the missile from nuclear submarines this year.


Russia has conducted the first ship-launched firing of its new hypersonic missile called Tsirkon and plans further tests from nuclear submarines, two unnamed military sources told the state-run TASS news agency Thursday.

President Vladimir Putin, who confirmed the Tsirkon’s development last year, has warned that Russia would be forced to place hypersonic nuclear missiles on submarines near U.S. waters in response to arms-control tensions. The United States dismissed Putin’s warnings as disingenuous propaganda.

“The Admiral Gorshkov [guided missile frigate] test-launched the Tsirkon missile in early January from the Barents Sea on a ground target at a military range in the northern Urals,” one source told TASS.

The news agency’s other source said that more sea launches are planned this year for the Tsirkon, which flew a distance of more than 500 kilometers.

The source said that the Tsirkon missiles will be test-launched from nuclear submarines after the Admiral Gorshkov tests are completed. 

The head of Russia’s state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation had said in December that the Tsirkon will be deployable on all advanced Russian ships currently under development, according to TASS.

The Tsirkon program began in 2011 and entered the active testing stage in 2015. Previous reporting has suggested that the Tsirkon test trials in 2012 were held on board the Tu-22M3 bomber.

Putin has said the Tsirkon ground- and sea-based hypersonic rocket can fly at nine times the speed of sound and hit underwater and ground targets more than 1,000 kilometers away.

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Russia State TV Boasts New Hypersonic ‘Zircon’ Missile Will Turn U.S. Defense ‘To Dust,’ Flies At 6,000 MPH

Moscow Prepares Tests for Hypersonic Cruise Missiles - Jamestown

Hypersonic Zircon will be tested from the Kazan submarine in 2020 » Военное обозрение
Source: Zirkon rocket will be launched from the frigate Admiral Gorshkov at the end of the year - ТАСС
Putin to U.S.: I'm ready for another Cuban Missile crisis if you want one | Reuters

TASS: Military & Defense - Russia's hypersonic missiles may reach US command centers in 5 minutes, says expert

TASS: Military & Defense - Putin: Work on advanced Tsirkon hypersonic missile proceeding on schedule

Russian hypersonic anti-ship missiles "Zircon" will be tested on ships and submarines in 2019

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Russia includes hypersonic missile deployment on Navy’s corvettes and frigates in new armament plan

Admiral Gorshkov Class Frigate: Details

3M22 Zircon: Details

Russians don't shoot down F-22 and F-35s, Russians just burn electronics

Bernie Condon (flickr)

Русские не сбивают F-35, русские просто жгут электронику - Аргументы Недели: 

Translated by google

The effectiveness of a breakthrough of any air defense frontier is, first of all, based on the thoroughness of preliminary reconnaissance. Best reconnaissance in battle. 

They launched a couple of unmanned kamikaze drones on the target and carefully scanned the ether, detailing the nature of the reaction of the anti-aircraft gunners. What has turned on there, where, when, in what ranges, with what characteristics, in what order. Where they used tracking radars, where - guidance stations, how they captured the target, how they drove, how they shot down.

Then these data form the basis of the settings of your own electronic warfare equipment and tactical methods of breaking through strike groups, as well as the choice of specific ammunition for hitting a target.

The Russian air force base in Syrian Khmeimim and the naval base in Tartus , in this sense, serves as a testing ground not only for testing Russian weapons, but is also a very attractive object of interest for "our foreign partners." There, in neutral space, the P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft and the RC-135W electronic reconnaissance aircraft from the Suda Bay air base in Crete constantly hang out.

And then the unexpected happened. As reported by the major American analytical magazine The National Interest, during the reflection of another massive raid on Hmeymim barmaleyskih drones, including in the Russian equipment EW critically injured onboard electronics, as the source said, "happened to be close to" F-35 fighters and F-22 . Pilots with great difficulty managed to return the "extremely poorly obeying control" of the car home.

The most unpleasant thing for American experts was that both aircraft belong to the class of the most technologically advanced weapons, and the REB 1RL257 Krasuha 4 station (pictured) , which was adopted by the Russian army in 2013 and was developed earlier , broke down on them . Officially, the program of its state tests ended in 2011. So, theoretically, both the F-22 and, especially, the newest F-35 should have been guaranteed to have, if not invulnerability, then in any case sufficient combat stability.

However, an oops happened. What is most fun, according to the Americans, is not even focused. According to them, the Russian radars from their position of the area of ​​barrage of American fighters could not see, and therefore could not influence them deliberately. Well, they shouldn't have. They generally dealt with the direct attack of drones .

Funnily enough, the F-22 was American, and the F-35 was from the Israeli Air Force. But it went to both. The Russians didn’t bring them down, no. Just burned high quality. And no complaints can be made.

Sources: https://alex-leshy.livejournal.com/1444682.html

kimo dial @twitter

1RL257 Krasukha-4: Details

Spanish firm to complete work on two unfinished Brazilian Navy patrol ships

Spanish firm to complete work on two unfinished Brazilian Navy patrol ships - Baird Maritime: 

By Baird Maritime - February 18, 2020

Spanish engineering company Ghenova has been awarded a contract for the completion of construction on two unfinished patrol vessels for the Brazilian Navy.

The contract for work on Maracanã and Mangaratiba, the third and fourth vessels in the Macaé-class, has an estimated total value of BRL 6.4 million (US$1.5 million).

The work will be carried out by Ghenova’s Brazilian subsidiary for an expected duration of one year. There are also options to extend the work by an additional four years if necessary.

SeaWaves

The Ghenova manager pointed out that the agreement is “a very important opportunity for the company”, since it will allow new hires with the Brazilian Navy. The expected duration of the contract is one year with the possibility of renewal for four.

“The contract is a landmark agreement, a kind of umbrella contract, which covers detailed engineering work for the construction, repairs and modernization of the naval naval assets,” said Cupello.

THE Ghenova presents a trajectory with several military vessel projects, being able to carry out all phases of the program. Source: time24.news

Macaé-Class Patrol Vessels: Details