BUFF

Australia cancels contract to buy 11 navy Seasprite helicopters from US The Associated PressPublished: March 5, 2008 CANBERRA, Australia: Australia has canceled a 1.3 billion Australian dollar (US$1.2 billion; €792 million) contract to buy 11 navy Seasprite helicopters from U.S.-based Kaman Corp., the government announced Wednesday. The cancellation came amid a review of defense contracts ordered since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's new government came to power in elections last November. The contract was due to be completed by 2002 but has been plagued by problems. Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon announced the cancellation in a statement. He did not say how much breaking the contract would cost the government, as legal and financial arrangements have yet to be negotiated with Kaman, a manufacturer based in Bloomfield in the U.S. state of Connecticut. "The government will announce the details of arrangements with the contractor once mutual agreement on these matters has been reached, subject to any confidentiality issues," Fitzgibbon said in the statement. Fitzgibbon later told reporters the helicopter is unsafe. "The project had to be canceled on safety grounds alone," he said. "The airworthiness and crash worthiness of the aircraft was not up to 21st century standards and it was pretty clear the capability was not likely to be delivered in full." Australia has already invested A$1.3 billion (US$1.2 billion; €792 million) in the deal, he said without elaborating. Australia had already provisionally accepted nine of the 11 helicopters, the Defense Department's Web site said. Officials said the craft were unable to perform as promised, however. What happens to the nine helicopters already in Australia's possession will be a matter for negotiation, said Defense Ministry spokesman Christian Taubenschlag. Kaman's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Neal Keating said in a statement that his company would try to negotiate a mutually agreeable conclusion to the contract. "Although we have created a highly capable aircraft for the Royal Australian Navy and continue to fulfill our obligations to the Commonwealth under our contract, we appreciate the thoughtful approach and time invested by the current Government in addressing our program and we will work with them toward arriving at a satisfactory arrangement," Keating said in a statement. Neil James, executive director of the Australian Defense Association independent think tank, said navy air crews were "not comfortable flying it in all conditions" and would be relieved the helicopter was scrapped. One of its flaws was the difficulty in integrating modern technology with its 1960s-era airframe, James said. Opposition defense spokesman Nick Minchin agreed with the government's decision to scrap the contract, but questioned how much the cancellation would cost and how the naval air capability would be replaced. Minchin said his government had considered abandoning the contract months before the election last year, but had decided to give Kaman a final chance. The new government has also been critical of its predecessor's decision a year ago to sign a A$6 billion (US$4.6 billion; €3.5 billion) contract to buy 24 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters from Boeing in the United States. Fitzgibbon has said he will also cancel that contract if a review next month reports that the jet is not the best for Australia's needs.

Amid mounting tensions between Colombia and Venezuela, Colombian defense minister announces the purchase of 24 Israeli fighter jets. Colombia's Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos made the announcement after meeting with Israeli War Minister, Ehud Barak. "There is an agreement to buy 24 renovated Kfir fighter planes from Israel, whose construction has already started. And the planes will be delivered at the start of next year," Santos said. In his visit to Israel the Colombian minister also held meetings with senior military officials as well as Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert.

I'm running the latest ... There are pros (e.g. direction sensitive rotaries, Vista support) & negatives (e.g. no 3D model) but if you are happy with your current version that's all that matters. I would say that the X52 Pro is an improvement over the X52 mechanically but also has functionality (& cost) in the MFD that not everyone needs/can use as few games can output the necessary data. Shame as it's potentially a killer feature if more games supported data output.

Colombia Fighter Deal With Israel Includes Tanker By barbara opall-rome Published: 4 Mar 17:58 EST (12:58 GMT) Print | Email TEL AVIV, Israel - The December deal that will send 24 upgraded Kfir multirole fighters from Israel to Colombia has a second, secret part: an aerial refueling tanker to support the jets, according to defense and diplomatic sources here. The $200 million deal to upgrade the Kfirs' avionics and structures was confirmed during an early February visit here by Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos. Related Topics Americas Middle East & Africa Air Warfare But neither Israeli nor Colombian officials agreed to speak publicly on the estimated $60 million sale of a Boeing 767 to be converted by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The sources said Bogota aims to boost its aerial strike capabilities and strategic standing in a region increasingly dominated by Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez and allied leftist leaders in Bolivia, Ecuador and Cuba. Santos told reporters in February that work on the planes - taken from IAF excess inventory - had already begun, and that Colombia expected first deliveries to begin early next year. But no one would talk on the record about the tanker purchase, which will greatly extend the reach of the Colombian Air Force, nor even about burgeoning bilateral defense trade, which last year exceeded $300 million in new orders. Talk of Colombian-Israeli military ties, always sensitive, grew particularly quiet after the Colombian Air Force hit an insurgent camp across the border in Ecuador on March 2. More than a dozen rebels from the FARC terrorist organization were killed in the strike, which used Israeli precision missiles and targeting gear. In response, Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa recalled his ambassador in Bogota. An outraged Chavez shut down his country's embassy in the Colombian capital and deployed tanks and troops along his western border. Alternately denouncing Colombia as a vassal state in the U.S. empire and "the Israel of Latin America," Chavez stopped short of declaring war on Bogota. "We don't want war, but we aren't going to permit the U.S. empire, which is the master [of Colombia]... to come divide us," Chavez was quoted by the Associated Press as saying in his weekly broadcast from Caracas. U.S. Export Approval Contracts for the Kfirs and the airborne tanker required Washington to grant export licenses for the American J79 turbojet engine powering the Kfir and the U.S.-built 767 airframe housing the aerial refueling system. "Everything was done by the book, with full coordination and authorization by the U.S. authorities," an Israeli official said. According to government and industry sources here, both contracts were signed at the end of 2007, involve participation of multiple Israeli defense firms, and will be managed by prime contractor IAI. IAI's Lahav Division will lead work on the Kfir upgrade program while the firm's Bedek Division will be responsible for converting the Boeing passenger jet into an airborne tanker. Sources here said the estimated $60 million sole-source tanker contract will be implemented under a government-to-government agreement that holds Tel Aviv responsible for all work provided by IAI. Colombia already operates IAI-upgraded Kfir fighter bombers equipped with Python air-to-air missile and other Israeli-developed subsystems delivered in the late 1980s as part of an estimated $200 million, 14-aircraft modernization package. Similarly, its older-model Mirage aircraft have been upgraded with Kfir-related technologies, including fire-control radars, navigation and targeting systems, weaponry and in-flight refueling capabilities.

Mar 4, 2008, 14:12 GMT Taipei - A Taiwan Air Force F-16 warplane lost contact with the radar while on a training mission on Tuesday and may have crashed into the sea, the air force said in a statement. The single-seat F-16 took off from the Hualien Airbase at 6:50 pm Tuesday, and lost radio contact with the base at about 7:18 pm. The air force sent two S-70C search and rescue helicopters, one C- 130 military transport plane and two warships on a search mission. The air force ordered 60 F-16A/Bs from the United States in the 1990s to boost defences against China. Over the years, several of its F-16s have crashed after developing mechanical trouble.

F-16A Block 20. 6706. 12th FS, 401st FW, ROCAF, based at Hua Lien AFB. 19:18, during night intercept training, missing and presumed crashed into sea, 42 NM southeast of Hua Lien. Hua Lien TACAN: 124 degrees. One pilot MIA. Major TING Shih Pao. 18:50, took off for training, at Hua Lien AFB. 19:00, completed training item, and last communicated with control tower. 6706 delivered for duty on 17 August 1999. 1,075.5 flight hours. No maintenance problem in last three months. (Some articles claimed it was a photo-recon F-16.) Ting had 1,234.5 flight hours. 383 hours in F-16. Assigned to Hua Lien AFB for four years. Flew F-CK-1 and F-16. Recently qualified as two-aircraft element leader. He was 34. Married, with one son (one year old in March). Parents already passed away. Second of four sons.

Mine doesn't but I admit that it's a long time since I've played LOMAC. LOMAC is known to have issues with the aux or mode switch on Saitek HOTAS (can't remember exactly which) in that it keeps detecting button 33/34 - the way around that is to use a profile in SST.

Mar. 3, 2008 A CF-188 Hornet from 425 Squadron, 3 Wing Bagotville, obtains visual identification of a Russian Bear aircraft. by Maj Paul Doyle and Capt William Mitchell This winter, under the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), a bi-national deployment was exercised between the U.S. and Canada. Canadian CF-18 Hornets were deployed from 3 Wing Bagotville, Que., and were charged with the mission of aerospace warning and control for the Alaskan NORAD Region. An aerospace warning and control mission for the Alaska region is no small job. The deployment is equivalent to sending an aircraft from Bagotville to Europe, and in this case, the task couldn't have been completed without the support of the United States Air Force's air-to-air refuelling aircraft, which helped out on short notice. Upon arrival in Alaska, the Canadian fighter jets were stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base. Morale among aircraft maintenance technicians and pilots was high. From Alaska, members of 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron from 3 Wing would be exercising primary duty of sovereignty operations along the Northwest Coast of North America. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the Canadians had the unparalleled support from the U.S.'s 3 Fighter Wing and 611 Air Operations personnel. During their time there, members of 425 Squadron conducted several Sovereignty Patrol missions in CF-18s, with successful visual identifications of Russian strategic bombers (Tu-95 Bear H). The Russian aircraft never entered Canadian or American sovereign airspace and were continuously escorted and monitored while in the Canadian and Alaskan air defence identification zones. The coordination of these escorts and the assets needed to carry out these missions successfully, demonstrated a seamless interoperability between Canadians and Americans. The NORAD operations 425 Squadron conducted in Alaska is an achievement the squadron can be proud of, and 3 Wing demonstrated that it was up to the challenge of sending aircraft long distances away from home on very short notice to fulfill the mission. The mission stands out in the minds of both Canadians and Americans as an extreme success that speaks highly of the operational focus of 3 Wing.

By Farkhad Sharip Tuesday, March 4, 2008 On the morning of February 12, a MiG-29 fighter jet from the Kazakh Air Force crashed while landing at a military airfield in Almaty region. Just seconds before the plane hit the ground, crew members ejected from the cockpit, but because of the low altitude, their parachutes did not have enough time to deploy. The plane broke into pieces six kilometers (3.7 miles) short of the airfield, near densely populated Zhetygen. Alexander Kovyazin, an experienced pilot familiar with various types of Russian-made military aircraft, died on impact. Vitaly Dilmukhamedov, who miraculously survived the crash, was hospitalized with multiple injuries. Kazakh Air Force officers, who arrived at the scene immediately after the crash, conducted a meticulous inspection and concluded that the accident could not have been caused by human error, as Dilmukhamedov, like Kovyazin, was a well-trained pilot who had logged 890 flying hours. Experts from MiG Corporation, one of Russia’s largest aircraft manufacturers, admitted that the crash was due to the failure of the on-board electrical power supply unit. MiG Corp. executives hastened to assure Kazakh military authorities that they would address the technical flaws of the jets delivered to Kazakhstan and make the necessary modifications to the aircraft power supply system (Komsomolskaya pravda Kazakhstan, March 1). Kazakh military authorities began to question the technical reliability of the obsolete Russian military aircraft after a similar crash of a MiG-31 interceptor jet in Qaraghandy region, Central Kazakhstan, during a training flight just four days after the Almaty crash. Two pilots died in that incident. But the Kazakh military elite, largely dependent on Russian arms to modernize its armed forces, hushed up the crash. Russian MiG-31 interceptor jets, which constitute the bulk of the Kazakh Air Force, are 25 years old. The jet is designed to carry air-to-air long-range missiles and intercept and destroy low-altitude winged missiles undetectable for enemy radars, and it was a formidable weapon in the Cold War. But dilapidated MiGs have lost most of their luster for Kazakh military leaders, who find the technical maintenance of these machines to be an endless, unrewarding task. Russian arms manufacturers seem to be in an awkward position. On the one hand they see Central Asia as an enormous market in which to dump their obsolete weapons, while simultaneously limiting their neighbors’ access to cutting edge military hardware. On the other hand, Russian arms manufacturers are desperately short of qualified workers to modernize the outdated military aircraft currently in service in Commonwealth of Independent States countries. At least two years ago 2006 Russian aircraft manufacturing plants told a military delegation from Kazakhstan that they lacked a qualified workforce to update and repair more than four SU-27 and two MiG-31 jets for the Kazakh Air Force (Delovaya gazeta, December 12, 2006). Despite all these drawbacks, Kazakhstan remains one of the largest buyers of Russian arms. Last year the Kazakh Air Force had 40 MiG-31 fighter jets and 14 SU-27 aircraft. In order to get military supremacy over its neighbors, Kazakhstan has to constantly increase its military spending. This year roughly 60% of its military budget is earmarked for the purchase of sophisticated equipment. But Kazakhstan’s military ambition cannot be satisfied in the foreseeable future. Experts estimate that it would cost $200 million to modernize all fighter jets now in service with Kazakhstan’s air force. Accidents involving Russian-made aircraft have become so frequent over the last two years that even the most pro-Moscow media have begun to raise doubts about their safety. The latest tragedy occurred on February 27 in Kyzylorda region, South Kazakhstan, when an Mi8 helicopter carrying the governor of the region, Mukhtar Kul Mukhamet, top officials from the Emergency Ministry, and journalists suddenly fell from the sky. Three people were instantly killed and 15 others were rushed to the hospital with severe injuries. Vladimir Bozhko, the newly appointed Kazakh minister of emergencies, summoned his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, to Astana to air his grievances. Shoigu only reluctantly admitted that the crash was due a malfunctioning fuel-injection unit (Express K, March 1). For Russia, Central Asia is more than just an arms purchaser. Moscow would like to see relatively well-equipped military forces in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to serve as deterrents to potential threats from militant Islamists. Russia has effectively monopolized the arms trade in the region, forestalling Western arms manufacturers who have little, if any, interest in militarizing the already explosive region. At the same time, Russia’s reluctance to update its planes operated by the Kazakh Air Force is forcing Kazakhstan to look for partners with no political agenda attached. Last November the defense ministries of Belarus and Kazakhstan signed a contract to modernize 10 Russian-made SU-27 planes manufactured in the late 1970s. Observers warn that if Russia continues to insist that political loyalty is part of its dealings with Kazakhstan, Moscow may lose that market. Never before these pessimistic notes sounded truer.

By Kimberly Johnson - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Mar 4, 2008 12:13:24 EST Combat deployments are stretching Marine air resources thin as the Corps prepares to ship more than two-thirds of its squadrons off to war at once and use those aircraft at more than twice the planned rate. Rigorous combat deployment tempos for aircraft, pilots and crews have prompted the Corps to seek innovations in maintenance and training scheduling, while busy flight crews go without shipboard training and other routine practice, officials said. The Corps will have about 70 percent of its aircraft assets deployed between its current Iraq operations and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Afghanistan, Maj. Eric Dent, spokesman for Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, wrote in an e-mail. That operational tempo is up significantly from pre-Iraq rates, when only about half of the Corps’ aviation assets were typically deployed with MEUs, through unit deployment programs, forward deployments and tactical air integration with the Navy aboard carriers, he said. With the increase in deployments comes a corresponding spike in operations. For example, the Corps’ fleet of AH-1W Super Cobras flew an average of 39.3 hours each in December 2007, more than twice the 16 hours planned. EA-6B Prowlers flew an average of 147.7 hours each that month, almost six times the planned rate of 25.3 hours. The Prowler rates are striking, said Robert Work, of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. “You’re just wearing that thing out,” Work said. “The figures are quite sobering. It just gives you a sense of just how hard it’s been to sustain these operations.” The longer the tempo is sustained, the more maintenance becomes a burden and training starts to slide, he explained. “At some point, the fear is that this would really start to cause long-term problems in the force,” Work said. “It’s already for certain that all these aircraft are wearing out much faster than anticipated.” The Corps will either have to spend money for service life extension programs or speed up replacements, he said. Moving the bulk of air operations to the war zone has meant plenty of deployments for air traffic control crews, as well. In 2006, the Corps reported 337,882 flights in Iraq, with 157,486 alone occurring at Al Asad Air Base in Anbar province. By 2007, that number had grown by more than 10 percent, to more than 375,000 across Iraq with nearly 175,000 of those occurring at Al Asad, Dent said. These operational demands are shortening time at home for aviation units, in some cases making the situation worse for aircrews than ground-pounders. Of all Marine aviation assets, unmanned aerial vehicle squadrons are seeing the tightest turnaround time, averaging about 8.3 months home for every 10 months deployed from 2004 to 2007, about two fewer months stateside than most ground units enjoyed. Marine aerial refueler transport squadrons sit at the other end of the spectrum, however, averaging 28 months home for every 10 months deployed, Dent said. Getting the Corps to a 1-to-2 deployment cycle — seven months deployed for every 14 months home — has been a top goal for Commandant Gen. James Conway since he assumed his post in late 2006. “Our deployment cycles must not only support training for irregular warfare, they must also provide sufficient time for recovery and maintenance as well as training for other contingency missions,” Conway said in his Commandant’s Planning Guidance. Seven of the Corps’ 10 deployed squadrons — not including the MV-22 Osprey squadron that deployed in 2007 — remain below the 1-to-2 deployment-to-dwell ratio, Dent pointed out. “Things are getting better, but changes like [202,000] end-strength increases take time to have an impact,” he said. Aviation officials know the tempo only can go on so long. “As you get below that 1-to-2 threshold, you’re certainly surging. So where’s that red line?” said Lt. Col. Vance Cryer, aviation operations officer for Marine Corps Plans. Maintain what you’ve got Maintaining aircraft in the combat zone helps keeps the breaking point at bay, Corps officials said. “We’re flying aircraft at twice the normal rate,” said Col. Pierre Garant, director of the Marine Corps’ aviation reset program, who acknowledged in a phone interview that the tempo pace and operating environment have created maintenance challenges. Desert heat and fine, dustlike sand can cause friction and break down seals on hydraulic components, said Marine Corps aircraft maintenance officer Lt. Col. Charles Brown. Phased maintenance is done on the squadron level and dictated by the requirements unique to each aircraft model, Garant said. For example, F/A-18 Hornets flew about 107.1 hours in December, up from their planned 26.4 hours. Phased maintenance on the aircraft is scheduled every 200 hours, making maintenance requirements normally conducted every eight months necessary every two months, Brown said. Those maintenance pressures have prompted the Corps to push depot-level capabilities into the combat zone, he added. Depot-level maintenance includes thorough on-site inspections of the aircraft and all its components, as well as preventative maintenance. It’s a move that has required investment. The Corps spent $34.25 million in aviation combat sustainment in fiscal 2007 for aircraft inspections and contractor field teams to keep aircraft flying in Iraq, Dent said. “We’re taking what we’ve learned across aviation [deployments in Iraq] as a whole,” Garant said, adding that the Corps is using the lessons learned to fine-tune maintenance schedules that are based on flight hours. “It’s all about readiness and mitigating the stress of the war. We need to take care of what we’ve got.” Less training Waning time at home between deployments is affecting training cycles, one official said. Just as infantry battalions have been forced to pick and choose which nonessential training missions to complete during their precious few months back home, aviation units have also cut back on training that’s not vital to the war effort. One such casualty has been deck qualifications for shipboard operations, said Maj. Scott Clifton, aviation planner at Marine Corps headquarters. “[Deploying squadrons are] supporting all the intelligence-gathering missions that they need to, but they’re not [currently] qualified to land on the boat,” he said. With such a high operational tempo, the Corps is also likely not practicing air-to-air combat missions, Work said. The question then becomes: What type of long-term problems are being built into the force? If, for example, a conflict erupted on the Korean Peninsula, that “type of operations would require Marine air operations from the sea,” perhaps air-to-air combat, he said. “The risk is, as long as something doesn’t pop up, planning on resetting after we draw down [in Iraq] is perfectly acceptable,” Work said. Relief for the flight line Relief is on the horizon with expansion of three communities — unmanned aerial vehicles, light-attack Cobra helicopters and heavy-lift CH-53K Super Stallions, Dent said. The next CH-53K unit will stand up later this year, and two Cobra squadrons will emerge by 2009 as the Marine Corps grows the fleet with 202,000 in mind, he said. The Corps’ five-year aviation plan, laid out last year, also called for the creation of two new UAV units — one active and one reserve — which will help that community improve dwell ratios, Dent said. Tapping into Reserve aviation squadrons has provided some relief, but there are limits with that strategy as the units cannot, by law, deploy as often as active units, he added. “Also, as the Marine Corps is now using the Shadow [unmanned aircraft systems] in Iraq, we may see some relief there as the equipment is new and requires a few less Marines to perform the same mission coverage,” he said. “Over the course of executing the 2007 plan, there may be updates along the way to reflect challenges, but this plan offers our aviation planners a road map to keep Marine aviation and aviation support in the fight and postured to support the [Marine Air-Ground Task Force] and joint force commander of the future,” Dent said.

Software company Beca Applied Technologies said today they have signed a five year contract with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) to maintain software on six Orion aircraft. The new agreement with Beca is the first long term high technology consultancy and services contract signed by the RNZAF. "This contract will see the Orions using technology that is cutting edge and that will be more adaptable to the ongoing needs of the Air Force and Government," said Air Force chief Air Vice-Marshal Graham Lintott. The services will be provided to the RNZAF's Integrated Mission Support Squadron (IMSS), which is tasked with providing mission support to all RNZAF platforms. As part of the contract, Beca's specialist software services team will be based at the IMSS's base in Whenuapai. Beca's Dr Thomas Hyde said his company had a good understanding of the RNZAF's Orion software and systems.

The number of aircraft permanently assigned to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at NAS Fallon will increase from 42 to 46 when the first of four new aircraft, an E-2C Hawkeye that features a massive radar dome attached to its upper fuselage, arrives here Wednesday. A second Hawkeye will arrive in several weeks to be followed by an F/A-18E/F Super-Hornet and an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, according to NSAWC spokesman Chief Jeff Wells. The permanent stationing of the four aircraft at NSAWC is part of an ongoing plan to upgrade training at the warfare center and populate its flightline with more current and updated aviation platforms, Wells said. In the past, Hawkeyes have been temporarily stationed at NSAWC to serve as training platforms when Carrier Air Groups were present. With the arrival Wednesday of the first Hawkeye and the subsequent arrival of the second Hawkeye, both airplanes will become "valuable, full-time, permanent assets at NSAWC that will enable pilots and aircrews to utilize them on an uninterrupted, daily basis," Wells added. The E-2 Hawkeye is the Navy's all-weather, carrier-based, tactical battle management airborne early warning command and control aircraft. A twin-engine turboprop aircraft that has a crew of five and is easily recognized by the 24-foot diameter radar rotodome attached to its fuselage, the Hawkeye also is used for search and rescue coordination and communications, surface surveillance coordination and close air support. The planes cost $80 million each, have a maximum speed of 350 knots and a range of 1,500 nautical miles. The Hawkeye also is used by U.S. law enforcement agencies for drug interdiction operations and is in the inventories of the militaries of China, France, Greece, Israel, Japan, Egypt and Singapore. The Hawkeye arriving here Wednesday will come from Patuxent River, Md., where it has been used as a test aircraft for VX-20. The second Hawkeye will come from Norfolk, Va., where it has been assigned to VAW-120, Wells said. The F/A-18 Superhornet and MH-60S helicopter are expected to arrive in the fall, he added. The four new airplanes will be utilized by the TOPGUN school, the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Weapons School and other pilot training programs that compose the NSAWC curriculum. The aircraft will be used particularly in tactics development and the assessment of new war-fighting technologies, according to Cmdr. Richard Weathers, department head at Carrier Airborne Early Warning Weapons School.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/...nt-testing.html

MOSCOW, March 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has delivered four Su-MKM fighter planes to Malaysia under a contract signed in 2003, a spokesman for the Sukhoi aircraft manufacturer said on Monday. The Southeast Asian country will receive a total of 18 Su-30MKM fighters under a $900-million contract by the end of 2008. The first six aircraft were delivered in 2007. "After final assembly, the Malaysian pilots will be able to conduct the first flights in the new planes," the spokesman said. The contract also stipulates the construction of a service center for Su-30MKM fighters in Malaysia, and Russia's assistance with the country's national space exploration program. The Su-30MKM is a multi-role Flanker version based on the Su-30MKI model and features a customized avionics package built to Malaysian specifications. The jets are being manufactured at Sukhoi's Irkutsk aircraft manufacturing plant in Siberia. Malaysia currently operates a mixed fighter fleet with the Russian MiG-29N Fulcrum and the U.S.-made F/A-18D Hornet and F-5 Tiger in service. According to some sources, the Malaysian Royal Air Force is considering a new Su-30MKM contract. Su-family fighters constitute the bulk of Russia's arms exports. Last year, Sukhoi exported 50 of these aircraft, accounting for 50% of Rosoboronexport's export revenue.

, DPA, Taipei Tuesday, Mar 04, 2008, Page 1 The US has dropped plans to allow eight of the 12 P-3C anti-submarine aircraft the nation plans to buy from the US be assembled in Taiwan, local media reported yesterday. The Chinese language United Daily News, quoting an unnamed military source, said the US, taking advantage of the scrapping of Taiwan Goal -- an arms firm that would have been in charge of the P-3C deal -- had withdrawn its promise to let eight of the 12 aircraft be assembled in Taiwan. The source said that under an industrial cooperation agreement signed in December, the US agreed that four of the 12 P-3Cs would be made in the US, while the remaining eight and a flight simulator, would be manufactured in Taiwan. Other industrial cooperation items included the construction of a P-3C maintenance center in Taiwan and transferring maintenance technology. But after Taiwan announced the decision to disband the arms firm, the US said that all 12 P-3Cs would be made in the US and that only maintenance technology would be transferred. The government secretly set up Taiwan Goal in January to conduct arms purchases with foreign countries, but decided to scrap it after the opposition accused members of the Democratic Progressive Party of seeking to make personal gains from the firm. It was not clear if the government would accept the US change to the industrial cooperation agreement, which leaves the nation short-changed because the US is not lowering the price of the P-3Cs. The nation is seeking to buy 12 P-3Cs from Lockheed Martin as part of an arms deal approved by US President George W. Bush in 2004. The deal also includes the sale of eight conventional submarines and six batteries of the PAC-3 anti-missile defense system. In related news, the Ministry of National Defense yesterday appeared unconcerned that a French company was preparing to sell crucial missile and radar technology to Pakistan, a move that could compromise the nation's defense capabilities. The Associated Press reported last week that the French state arms export agency was preparing to sell MICA air-to-air missiles and Thales RC400 radars to Pakistan for use on its JF-17 fighter jets, a plane being jointly developed with China. In a letter to the Taipei Times printed today, a defense correspondent with Jane's Information Group, Reuben Johnson, alleges that the technology could fall into Chinese hands and render Taiwan's Mirage 2000 aircraft useless. Ministry spokeswoman Chih Yu-lan (池玉蘭) told the Taipei Times that France signed a confidential contract with Taiwan when it sold Mirage fighters to the country in 1992. She said that Taiwan's Mirage 2000 fighters would retain their effectiveness because while France might help other countries develop military technology, the confidential technology used in the Mirage 2000 systems would be not be leaked under the contract. Wendell Minnick, Asia bureau chief for Defense News magazine, said the news was just "another example of China gaining access to technology through the backdoor." Additional reporting by Rich Chang and staff writer

Most pilots avoid bad weather but NASA is fashioning a team and a jet to do just the opposite. And on of its first missions is to fly into hazardous weather to study a phenomenon that has caused more than 100 commercial aircraft engines to fail, stall or temporarily lose power, NASA said. The space agency has snapped up a Navy S-3B Viking jet and outfitted it with commercial satellite communications, global positioning navigation and weather radar systems. Engineers from NASA's Glenn Research Center, Boeing and the Navy have combined forces to transform the S-3B into a state-of-the-art NASA research aircraft installed research equipment racks in what was once the plane's bomb bay. And they gave it a shiny blue-and-white NASA paint job, the agency said. With these new features, NASA's S-3B Viking is equipped to conduct science and aeronautics missions, such as environmental monitoring, satellite communications testing and aviation safety research. It can fly up to 40,000 feet high and reach speeds faster than 500 miles per hour, which makes it perfect for studying commercial airline safety issues, the agency said. The S-3B Viking was built from the ground up to handle the Navy's rugged requirement to take off and land on aircraft carrier ships. The Viking was the Navy's primary sub-hunting aircraft and was also touted as an all-weather, highly stable airplane. However it is currently being decommissioned by the Navy in favor of other newer aircraft. "We were able to capitalize on the decommissioning by acquiring the aircraft directly from the Navy," explained Dr. Rickey Shyne, director of Glenn's Facilities and Test Directorate. "This saved taxpayers millions of dollars compared to the cost of a new aircraft." As for NASA's S-3B, the agency said this fall it will take off from Puerto Rico to study icing conditions in convective storms, ranging from isolated thunderstorms to tropical storms. In conditions like these, ice crystals have been ingested into aircraft engines causing problems, NASA said.During the flight, research equipment will collect data, such as the size of ice and liquid cloud particles, water content in the clouds, temperature and humidity. Glenn researchers will use this data to develop an engineering standard to test engines. Glenn has been studying aircraft icing, the leading natural cause of airplane accidents, for 25 years using its Icing Research Tunnel and its Twin Otter research aircraft. Engineers at the center have helped the aviation industry to understand how ice forms in flight and how it affects aircraft performance. They have evaluated de-icing systems and developed new remote-sensing devices that warn pilots before flying into icy conditions. This mission is part of NASA's Aviation Safety Program, which partners with the Federal Aviation Administration, airlines and the Department of Defense, to reduce the rate of aircraft fatalities. NASA and its partners plan to build test facilities and computer codes that propulsion engineers can use when designing engines, the agency said. NASA isn't the only government agency looking into weather-related research involving aircraft and dangerous missions. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last month announced a $3 million, three-year program that to test the use of unmanned aircraft to measure hurricanes, arctic and Antarctic ice changes and other environmental tasks. The agency said the drone aircraft would be outfitted with special sensors and technology to help NOAA scientists better predict a hurricane's intensity and track, how fast Arctic summer ice will melt, and whether soggy Pacific storms will flood West Coast cities.

Global Hawk Unmanned Aircraft Reaches 10 Years of Flight, 20,000 Flight Hours SAN DIEGO, Feb. 29, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial system (UAS), built by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), celebrated the 10th anniversary of its first flight on Feb. 28, 2008. On that date in 1998 the Global Hawk made history when it flew for one hour over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and climbed to an altitude of 32,000 feet. "Today, this high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) system has logged more than 20,000 total program flight hours, of which more than 15,000 hours were flown in support of the global war on terrorism (GWOT)," said Jerry Madigan, Northrop Grumman vice president of HALE systems. "Its range, endurance and multi-sensor technology capabilities make it an ideal system to support homeland security objectives." As the world's first fully autonomous HALE UAS providing persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to warfighters, the Global Hawk can fly up to 65,000 feet for more than 35 hours and see through any inclement weather at any time. "The 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9RW) flies the RQ-4A in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Global Hawk continues to prove its versatility and persistence by providing critical intelligence to Airmen, Marines and soldiers on the ground in the GWOT," said Brig. Gen. H. D. Polumbo Jr., commander of the 9RW at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., the Global Hawk's main operating base. "It is a combat-proven, strategic capability with the tactical flexibility to survey large geographic areas, whether supporting overseas military operations or domestic civil missions like last year's wildfires in Southern California. Beale Airmen are in the fight everyday using transformational remote split operations." The Global Hawk industry team is comprised of world-class companies: Aurora Flight Sciences, Bridgeport, West Va. (V-tail assembly and other composite structures); L-3 Communications, Salt Lake City (communication system); Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, El Segundo, Calif. (integrated sensor suite); Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems, Falls Church, Va. (ground station); Rolls-Royce Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind. (engine); and Vought Aircraft Industries, Dallas (wing). Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $32 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.

DATE:03/03/08 SOURCE:Flightglobal.com Tucano upgrade on offer as UK nears Military Flying Training System contract award By Craig Hoyle With a partnering contract for the UK Military Flying Training System (MFTS) within weeks of being signed amid a deepening defence budget crisis, the manufacturers of two of the UK's in-service types have outlined upgrade proposals which, they claim, would significantly reduce short-term programme costs. Industry sources expect the Ministry of Defence to sign a deal with the Lockheed Martin UK-led Ascent consortium in early April, with this to combine almost 120 subcontracts. This will enable the partners to advance efforts to select a simulator provider for the BAE Systems Hawk 128 advanced jet trainer, acquire new aircraft to support Royal Navy observer training, and seek a replacement basic trainer fleet. The latter requirement could draw offers based on new types, including the Alenia Aermacchi M-311, Hawker Beechcraft T-6B and Pilatus PC-21. But with cost a major consideration, a team comprising Marshall Aerospace and airframe manufacturer Shorts says it will offer an extensive upgrade to the Royal Air Force's current Tucano T1 fleet, which the companies claim could enable operations to continue for more than 20 years. A CMC-sourced glass cockpit and mission computers would provide the core element of the proposed modernisation project, which would also provide 10% more engine power and aerodynamic improvements, says Richard Howman, Marshall's senior business development manager. Revealing details of the proposal at IQPC's 27-28 February Military Flight Training conference in London, Howman said upgraded Tucanos could be provided for 10-15% of the cost of fielding a new aircraft type, with remaining development and test work requiring about 18 months from the contract award. The current UK aircraft have an average of 60% of their planned airframe lives to use, he says, which represents about 8,000 flight hours each. As well as offering the Tucano upgrade as a bridging measure for the UK, the Marshall/Shorts team could also be interested in acquiring surplus examples for potential international buyers. Fifteen aircraft are currently being offered for sale via the UK Disposal Services Agency, with 40 more held in long-term storage. Meanwhile, Grob Aerospace is eyeing a potential glass cockpit and propulsion system upgrade to the UK's G115E screening aircraft. VT Aerospace-managed operations of the type are currently set to conclude in 2012.

DATE:03/03/08 SOURCE:Flightglobal.com UK nears Saudi Eurofighter Typhoon local assembly deal By Craig Hoyle Plans for in-country assembly of 48 of the Royal Saudi Air Force's 72 Eurofighter Typhoons could be finalised within the next two months, with an industry official warning that time is running out to establish a new line and deliver the first locally completed aircraft as planned in 2011. "We have a two-year window - if we have to build a facility, we can barely make that," says Mohammed Fallatah, chief executive of Riyadh-headquartered Alsalam Aircraft, which has been selected to conduct the work in partnership with BAE Systems. "We are at the stage of details, but there is no firm contract yet." Factors such as local manufacturing content, site location, workforce issues and long-term support have yet to be finalised, says Fallatah. "We want to transfer real technology here. But any deal must make economic sense for me, my partners and the RSAF," he adds. BAE says: "We have a commitment to develop in-Kingdom industrialisation and create jobs for Saudi nationals. We are working with the customer to develop plans to establish a production facility with Alsalam Aircraft." Late last year, the Saudi and UK governments finalised an initial £4.4 billion ($8.7 billion) contract for the Project Salam deal, with BAE to deliver Riyadh's first 24 UK-built Typhoons from its Warton site in Lancashire from mid-2009.

More than a dozen pilots with the 188th Fighter Wing flew to Fort Hood, Texas, on Sunday to train in conditions simulated to reflect the battlegrounds of Iraq and Afghanistan. “This is a big deal for the Wing, a monumental day,” said Lt. Col. Clark Walker, commander of the 184th Fighter Squadron of the 188th Fighter Wing. “It’s the first training deployment with our new planes.” The 188th received the first four of a fleet of A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft in April 2007. The A-10s, regarded as suitable for the type of close air support needed in the current ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, replaced the F-16 Fighting Falcons flown for years by the 188th. Pilots with the 188th have been training with the A-10s, also referred to as the A-10 Warthogs, in anticipation of possibly being deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan in the coming years, according to Capt. Heath Allen, public affairs officer for the 188th. “We have to be qualified on a lot of things with a new aircraft to be mission deployable,” Allen said. “We won’t be fully operational to deploy in a wartime situation until spring 2010. This is part of the training to get spun up for that.” A total of 14 pilots and 60 members of maintenance personnel with the 188th began training at Fort Hood in Kileen, Texas, upon arrival Sunday. The pilots will fly several practice missions throughout the week until training concludes Friday. The 188th will train alongside the 4th Infantry Division and 21st Cavalry, an attack helicopter squadron, the 9th and 11th Air Force Air Support Operations squadrons and a Danish Army unit deployed to Fort Hood to practice flying Apache helicopters in weather conditions far less frigid than that of their homeland, Walker said. Training in cooperation with various military machinery, such as Army Apache helicopters and tanks, lends toward preparing for Middle East combat conditions, Walker said. “We don’t have the ability on our range to work with tanks,” Walker said. The Fort Hood training grounds will also allow for the 188th to practice simulated bombing missions against moving targets, a feature also unavailable at the 188th’s practice range, according to Walker. Although the 188th previously trained at Fort Hood from the seats of F-16s, it is once again exciting to train at the historic base, Walker said. The commander of the 184th Fighter Squadron described Ford Hood as the home of the “first cavalry division that goes back to World War II.”

By Erik Holmes - Staff writer Posted : Friday Feb 29, 2008 7:16:12 EST The Air Force’s F-15 fleet will require about $50 million worth of repairs to replace faulty structural components, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said Wednesday. Testifying about the service’s fiscal 2009 budget proposal before the House Armed Services Committee, Wynne said the money will be used for depot maintenance to replace longerons, the metal support beams inside the jets’ forward fuselage that support the cockpit assembly and reinforce the cockpit. Wynne did not say how many aircraft would require the repairs, and he said he is not yet sure whether the repairs will require trips to the F-15 depot at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., or if they could be done between flights by “depot SWAT teams.” Lawmakers on the panel said they are concerned that seven F-15s have crashed in the past nine months, including the Nov. 2 crash of a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C that resulted in nearly the entire F-15 fleet being grounded for more than two months. In that incident, the longeron failed and the aircraft broke in two while on a training flight. The 2009 budget proposal includes $497 million for F-15 repairs, but Wynne did not address how the rest of that money might be spent. Air Force leaders had hoped to put the money toward long-lead items for 20 more F-22s, but the Pentagon rejected that idea after the F-15 problems surfaced.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=339...c=ASI&s=TOP

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/c...odele=jdc_inter

already a couple of threads in Military & General Aviation e.g. http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=26008&hl=

Apparently Airbus was adjudged better in 4 out of 5 categories & equal on the 5th ... The 767 has been losing out for some time on the civil market - Boeing were basically looking to the USAF to keep the line alive as no one else is buying it anymore. The Italian/Japanese 767 tanker programme (basically the test case for the USAF programme) had run into a lot of problems - in fact they only just got certified the other day, several years behind schedule. Meantime Airbus' tanker programme had progressed cleanly. Given that there is also to be a follow on aircraft down the line it's also possible that they looked at the civil market where Airbus policy of keeping cockpits/systems very similar between aircraft has made it easier/cheaper for pilots to retrain for a new one.