July 2012 Archives

Could this be the beginning of a "wonderful friendship" in defence relations between Italy and Israel?

Italy has not been a major client of the Israeli aerospace and defe‫ nce industries, but that may change‬.

After the Israeli air force (IAF) selected the Aermacchi M-346 as its advanced trainer, the second part of the agreement - the Italian one - was signed recently.

According to this agreement Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will manufacture and supply the Italian air force with two G-550 conformal airborne early warning and control systems, ground support systems and a logistical support package totaling $750 million.

Under an additional agreement with Italy's Telespazio, IAI will develop, manufacture and supply an observation satellite to the Italian company, worth $182 million.

These contracts are part of the M-346 package, but, as almost always, such business could lead to a larger scale.

Israeli sources say that unmanned air systems and different fighter aircraft-carried systems may interest the Italians, who have recently trained with the Israeli air force in southern Israel.

During that joint drill at the IAF Uvda base in southern Israel, the Italian pilots were exposed to some Israeli-developed systems, and that may accelerate some acquisitions.

It was meant to kill two birds with one stone. The White House has invited the press to cover the beginning of a legislation process that, among other things, will enable Israel to buy KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft.

The timing was carefully selected - the eve of a visit by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to Israel, and when the pressure on Israel not to attack the Iranian nuclear facilities reaches a new peak.

The legislation, known as the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012, will allow Israel to purchase American KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft. Up until now, the Bush and Obama administrations refused to sell planes of this kind to Israel, primarily in order to bar it from launching a massive aerial strike on Iran.

It must be remembered that the road between the ratification of the legislation and an actual deal to buy or lease such planes is still long.

And even after final approval, it could be years before Israel gets the aerial tankers.

The only fact that was omitted from all reports about the agreement is that the Israeli air force (IAF) does not need the KC-135 to perform long-range strikes.

I am sure that the KC-135 or its successor are "nice to have" items on the IAF shopping list, but they are not something that may change Israel's plans to attack, if they exist.

The upgraded 707s used by the IAF for aerial refueling are performing their task very well.

And another thing - the IAF buys American-made systems with the US foreign military financing (FMF) funds granted to Israel each year. This budget is stretched to its limit, especially after the IAF wanted and got a first batch of 20 very expensive F-35s.

So, you always have to look from a different angle to understand where things stem from, especially in an election year. You always have to look what is behind the nice words used in signing ceremonies between countries.

Operational "swarms" of mini- or micro-unmanned air systems are expected to be operational five years from now.

This may be considered a whim of scientists or a real breakthrough. Only time will tell which is the right one, but in any case this development ignites the imagination of many involved in developing new methods of combat.

"The main problem is not the technology, but to develop the trust of the potential clients that this concept can work," Arik Yavnai, one Israel's leading experts in unmanned "swarms", told Flightglobal.

Work on developing UAS swarm technology is being performed mainly in the US and Israel.

Last year, Boeing performed autonomous communication and operations of a swarm of small UAS over eastern Oregon.

This test involved two ScanEagles made by Boeing/Insitu and one Procerus, developed by the John Hopkins University.

The basis of the swarm technology is to imitate the way insects communicate and perform tasks as an group.

The UAS that participated in the Boeing tests worked together to search the test area through self-generating waypoints and terrain mapping, while simultaneously sending information to teams on the ground.

Yavnai said the hurdles that delay the deployment of UAS swarms are mainly related to the trust of the operators that such a method will work.

"A swarm will be comprised either by UAS that each will perform part of the mission or by platforms that each will perform part of a comprehensive mission," he said.

Yavnai assessed that a swarm will consist of 5-7 platforms. Most of the work being done in Israel on UAS swarms is considered highly classified. However, it can be assessed that some of the very advanced designs recently revealed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will be used in the implementation of the technology.

One such platform is the Butterfly UAS. This miniature UAS imitates the motions of a butterfly's wings.

It is 20cm long and weighs 12g. It flies by flapping its four wings.

The prototype is part of an overall effort to develop covert miniature UAS for special forces and was test flown with a camera that weighs less than 1g.

IAI plans to offer a line of miniature UAS equipped with different payloads.
The Israeli leading developer of UAS has also unveiled its Ghost vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAS.

The double-rotor VTOL system is aimed specifically at the covert missions of special forces.

The Ghost weighs 4kg, has an endurance of 30min and can carry a 500g payload.

Other designs are in different stages of development - but they are classified.

Some good fuel hedging agreements may result in a small profit for El Al at the end of this year, but this will not change the Israeli airline's core problem - about 1,000 redundant employees.

 

The 6,000+ employees of El Al are the heavy weight that is worsening the airline's situation to a point where it will have to act, but will not be able to do so because it is bound in iron chains, namely strong workers' unions and archaic contracts.

 

Redundant employees. Bonuses that some of the top management got last year (some of the money was returned and put in funds for the employees after the decision outraged the staff). All this, and a lack of trust between the president and the pilots, have pushed El Al into a corner.

 

The solution is not simple but steps can be made to start the long path to recovery. The experts cannot understand why El Al does not initiate a deal to merge with one of the two other Israeli airlines, Arkia and Israir.

 

This seems the most logical thing to do. If it happens, it will actually create two types of operations - the El Al widebodies (777, 747-400) will operate the long hauls to the USA and Asia, while the combined narrowbody aircraft of the two airlines that merge will operate the short and medium routes (737, A320 and E-195).

 

Such an operation may improve the situation of the two airlines as it will be a more logical arrangement than the one that exists today.

 

But when emotions and ego are ruling, common sense is pushed aside, and this results in a situation that casts a doubt on El Al's capability to keep operating.

 

In the past, the Israeli anti-trust commissioner has expressed fierce opposition to any proposed merger between two of the Israeli airlines. This has changed.

 

The fact that three Israeli airlines operate in such a small market, which is served by some 50 scheduled and charter airlines, has created some absurd situations.

 

The "winner" on that front is El Al's decision to operate domestic flights from Ben Gurion international airport to Eilat, the resort on the Red Sea.

 

This can be compared with a decision by a major airline to operate agricultural spraying flights. The expertise in marketing these flights is not there and the equipment does not fit.

 

So, many redundant employees, wrong decisions, and above all, ego, are hampering any real recovery.

Bankers Capital Transportation Leasing Group plans to purchase dozens of narrowbody (NB) and widebody TaxiBot aircraft towing systems from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), to be operated in North America.

A letter of intent regarding the $97 million deal was signed a few days ago.

This was a sign of recognition - and the moment the developers had been waiting for.

It will enable the operational introduction of the system, which is aimed at making the taxing of aircraft at airports much more efficient - and not just by saving fuel.

Bankers Capital is the launch customer for providing the TaxiBot services to airlines and airports.

Delivery of the TaxiBots is planned to begin in the last quarter of 2013 and continue until 2015.

Bankers Capital and IAI are planning to establish an operational testing site for the NB TaxiBot in North America by the end of 2013, based on discussions with some leading US airlines.

The TaxiBot proof-of-concept was demonstrated during testing last year on the Airbus A340-600 and Boeing 747-400, under the auspices of Airbus and Lufthansa.

TaxiBot is the first successful hybrid diesel electric vehicle which enables an airplane to taxi from the gate to the runway without its engines running.

This letter of intent is a big push forward to an innovative system that is designed to completely change the way aircraft are pushed and pulled around at airports.

Traffic congestion over Syria. This is the only way to describe the situation involved in monitoring the fast-developing situation in Syria, and who is in control of the country's stockpile of chemical weapons.

 

US, Israeli and other sensors, of all types, are looking into Syria and focusing on the areas where, according to intelligence data, the sealed containers of at least four types of chemical weapons are stored.

 

This effort was not worth mentioning as it not been unique in its intensity and the technology used. It can only be said that the best available aerial sensors are mostly looking down on the secret Syrian bases, where the country has accumulated an enormous stockpile of these deadly substances.

 

The White House said at the weekend that the USA is very concerned about the future of chemical weapons in the control of the shaky Syrian regime.

 

"We believe Syria's chemical weapons stockpile remains under Syrian government control," a White House spokesman said. "Given the escalation of violence in Syria and the regime's increasing attacks on their people, we remain very concerned about these weapons."

 

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said on 23 July that Israel will not allow the Syrian chemical weapons to fall into other hands.

 

The mission is now to be able to act in the very short window that may be opened between "alien" forces seizing the deadly containers and when they disappear somewhere in Lebanon.

 

To achieve this, Israel will have to act swiftly, and I mean in minutes. So the sensors are up there and that will ensure the "shooter" to eliminate the threat detected by the sensors.

 

A very complicated cat and mouse game is currently being "played" over Syria. The cat is very sophisticated and determined. The mouse is sneaky and deadly.

Before the "Arab Spring" was even conceived, the Israeli air force (IAF) decided to make its Nevatim facility in southern Israel a major base for combat and transport squadrons.

The Lockheed Martin F-35s the IAF plans to receive in 2017 will be based at Nevatim. This base will also receive the Lockheed Martin C-130Js that have been included in a contract signed last year.

The IAF has decided to increase the aircraft inventory at the base due to infrastructure, training space and the Israeli defence forces' (IDF) plans to move significant resources into southern Israel.

The base has a 3.9km runway - the longest in the Middle East.

The Arab Spring changed the situation in the Middle East - and gave these changes even greater importance.

Building very advanced infrastructure in the southern part of Israel allows the IAF to operate at a base that is far from any big city, which would undoubtedly be the target of all the missile attacks on Israel in any future war.

The location of the base is also an important factor when you watch the developments in Egypt and Syria closely.

This air base will be very busy in the coming years, assisting in keeping an eye on all "areas of interest" - and enabling fast reaction when needed.

The minute people bought their first digital camera or smartphone, they became exposed to the planned new generation of these two gadgets waiting around the corner.

 

Even if the purchased electronic devices worked perfectly, blogs have been full of information about the next versions, which will "give you a better experience".

 

This trend now rules the market for aerial reconnaissance systems. The ones currently used are performing very well, but the operators are getting new demands from the pilots.

 

They know the technology is available, so they want the next-generation system.

A recent example is the market for the upgrade of Rafael's RecceLite real-time intelligence and reconnaissance system.

 

The Israeli company is already upgrading the system used by three of eight international clients, and more contracts are around the corner. The upgrade is based on the fourth generation of the system.

 

The RecceLite is a self-contained, self-cooled, multi-sensor, tactical reconnaissance system.

 

RecceLite simultaneously collects Infra-Red (IR), Visual (VIS) and near IR digital images of large areas.

 

The images and the data are recorded on a solid state recorder and transmitted to the ground exploitation station via the RecceLite data link.

  

The RecceLite pod is a derivative of Rafael's Litening navigation and targeting pod, which is in use by the Israeli air force and some other air forces worldwide.

  

Amiram Ash, director of Rafael's electro optics division, said that the RecceLite is a modular system and can therefore be easily upgraded to answer the operational needs of each client. "We are negotiating with more operators of the system that want it to be upgraded."

 

This modular design will allow Rafael to offer more upgrades as the technology gallops ahead - and it does.

 

When you visit the electro optic laboratories of the Israeli company, you get a feeling of what is in the future in this field - and there is a lot.

It was expected but the pace is surprising. In parallel with the growing use of unmanned air systems (UAS) in the world, clients need someone to show them how to best use the systems, and that is good business.

 

First there were simulators that allowed basic training. However, this is not enough anymore. The greater the sophistication of the UAS, the greater is the demand for "state-of-the-art" training.

 

In the race for this business in Israel, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a "superpower" in the UAS world, has taken the lead.

 

The company has established a UAS academy that will train and certify UAS operators and technicians.

 

The UAS academy is based on IAI's vast knowledge and experience of four decades in designing, manufacturing and operating UAS, as well as training UAS technicians and operators.

 

In addition to providing a variety of training services to IAI customers within IAI premises and at other planned locations, the UAS academy redefines the training concept.

 

It provides solutions to the growing need for trained and skilled UAS operation, maintenance and mission crews in various military, paramilitary and civilian facilities.

 

The academy places special emphasis on the operational mission training experience and offers generic and "cross platform" training services in new facilities.

 

Basic and advanced courses are provided, as well as recurrent training courses and workshops, special payloads operation courses, seminars for mission commanders and instructors, and qualification maintenance programmes.

 

UAS academy addresses all UAS personnel - internal pilots, external pilots, payload operators of all types, technicians, mission commanders and instructors.

  

The missions currently performed by UAS of all sizes are becoming more versatile and complicated.

 

The UAS in most cases do not work "solo", but in conjunction with other platforms, manned or unmanned.

 

This creates a very hectic environment that needs very qualified people to oversee the manned platforms, with their great degree of autonomy.

The Israeli government may take action if El Al's financial state threatens its ability to continue its operations.

 

While El Al is a public company, it is still considered the "flag carrier". This is not only because the government has a "golden share" in the airline, but also because it has a strategic value in any state of emergency Israel may encounter.

 

Most foreign airlines quit flying to Ben Gurion airport when the first missiles hit central Israel in 1991. The Scud missiles that were launched from Iraq left El Al almost alone in the market.

 

So, it is only natural that the airline's current situation of losses, and unrest in management-employee relations, worries the relevant ministries.

 

As I wrote here previously, El Al sees the upcoming Common Aviation Area agreement between Israel and Europe in apocalyptic terms. The Israeli airline in recent years has become a "serial complainer".

 

First it was the fact that it is not accepted in any of the aviation alliances, and now it is the agreement with Europe.

 

Instead of trying to change the bad situation of flying only five-and-a-half days a week, El Al chose to try and survive in this harsh environment.

 

This historic restriction was born many years ago, when El Al was still state owned. The weight of the religious parties in the government coalition created that strange situation in which El Al does not fly on the Jewish Shabbat.

 

The problem is that after El Al was privatised, it did not make any effort to change the situation.

 

The Israeli transport minister has delayed until now the signing of the common aviation agreement with Europe, but that alone did not help.

 

The financial situation and the deterioration of relations between the management and the employees, especially the pilots, have brought El Al to a critical juncture.

 

This is the background for the preparation made by the government for if the "worst comes to the worst". In that case, sources say the government may make an unprecedented move and actually "nationalise" the airline.

 

This of course will be a last resort, but the fact that it is being considered shows that the situation has turned on big red lights.

The FAA has recently published its final performance assessment report on the FODetect system. The report follows an interim performance assessment.

Results show that the hybrid sensor solution, consisting of integrated radar and electro-optical sensors, meets or exceeds the highest level of performance in every parameter required by FAA regulation.

This did not surprise the developers and current users, but it may urge more airports to consider the installation of the Israeli-developed FODetect sensor for the detection of foreign object debris (FOD) on runways. The system was developed by XSight.

The tests were carried out on the hybrid sensor solution installed at Boston Logan airport, and were conducted by the FAA's Williams J. Hughes Technical Center aviation research division, airport technology branch and the Center of Excellence for Airport Technology, along with the department of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

The final report stated that the FODetect system was able to detect objects of various shapes, sizes and materials on runway surfaces and perform satisfactorily at night, in daytime, in sun, rain, mist, fog and snow conditions, as required by FAA advisory circular 150/5220-24.

So, the FAA's report should affect sales of the system. The question is how many airports will choose to install it, rather than continue using a team of FOD-spotters driving a car that patrols the runways between takeoffs and landings.

Technology solves problems, but this will not always create the budget to purchase and install it.

Anyhow, the FOD problem in airports now has a technological solution. The airports will have to weigh the advantages against the current situation based on the human eye.
 

The press release seemed like the many that are distributed during air shows. But the one released yesterday by Boeing and Elbit Systems is not only different, it is really an earthquake.

 

A leading manufacturer of unmanned air systems (UAS) teams up with an aerospace superpower. Such an event will have many consequences. The most dramatic one - it changes the situation in the bitter "war" between Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) as far as UAS are concerned.

 

This "war" has, with the years, fallen into a somewhat known pattern. Yesterday, this pattern was shattered.

 

The joint press release stated that Boeing and Elbit Systems had signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on the marketing and sale of Elbit's Hermes 450 and 900 UAS product lines in the USA and "select international countries".

 

A multi-role, high-performance tactical UAS and the primary platform of the Israeli Defence Forces in counter-terror operations, the Hermes 450 is a combat-proven UAS with more than 400,000 operational flight hours.

 

The Hermes 900 features over-the-horizon, persistent multi-mission, multi-payload capabilities and can perform missions for area dominance and for persistent intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR).

 

What is behind the collaboration? Boeing has been slow in developing UAS. But even if this situation was different, the export of UAS would still be controlled by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), a set of US government regulations that controls the export of defence-related products.

 

With this collaboration, Boeing will not be bound by the ITAR regulations. Boeing will be able to offer Israeli-made UAS as part of big contracts. This will open many markets, as UAS are in growing demand.

 

And there is another aspect - the US Army has stated clearly that it needs unmanned platforms for resupply missions in combat zones.

 

There is no doubt that the vast experience of Elbit Systems in many variations of UAS will serve Boeing's intention to grasp big chunks of that future market.

 

IAI was caught unprepared. While trying to keep its cool, citing some cooperation agreements with mostly European companies on UAS, it is clear that the state-owned company will have to reorganise its marketing strategies in which UAS are in focus.

 

As the international market for UAS develops rapidly, it is only natural that aerospace companies will join forces to be capable of becoming major players. Such a move was made yesterday.

When giants make small movements they can send shockwaves that will be detected at very long distances. China is one such giant, and it has recently made small movements that are still being investigated.

One thing is already clear - the international arms market is going to change, or rather be transformed. In Israel all sensors are on full power.

The Chinese have technology, they know how to "adopt" technology and they have cheap labor. For example, if an unmanned air system currently has a $5 million price tag, what will happen when a Chinese company offers a similar system for $2 million or less?

This is going to happen. You have only to follow the small movements and you have a clear picture. Recently such a movement was made with a high profile - the Argentinian defence minister visited China and signed military agreements.

Defence minister Arturo Puricelli said that cooperation agreements he signed with Chinese defense minister Liang Guanglie will strengthen ties between the Asian giant and Argentina.

The Argentinian minister also visited Chinese defence contractors, examining helicopters at one and guided weapon systems and anti-aircraft artillery at another.

Chinese state-run media in Beijing reported the visit and said China wants to expand military cooperation with Argentina.

Latin America has been a good market for Israeli defence and aerospace industries. It yielded some very profitable contracts, and more are being negotiated.

The potential clients are aware that Israeli systems are based on an unparalleled operational experience, but when prices are being cut like a last-minute Christmas sale, decisions that have looked natural may go astray.

Upgrades of combat aircraft have come a long way. It began with strengthening the fuselage, then went through adding systems.

The next stage is turning the cockpit into something that will give the pilot the tools to operate all the systems that have been put on the airframe in earlier upgrades.

This stage in the evolution of upgrades is normal and expected, but the technology enables a change in the "working environment" of the combat pilot.

Elbit Systems has performed upgrades of fixed-wing and rotorcraft combat aircraft around the world.

It is only natural that this Israeli company is now offering its new concept of a fighter pilot's cockpit.

The company has unveiled the advanced version of its CockpitNG - a next generation cockpit for fighter aircraft, helicopters, trainers and airlifters.

The new and upgraded version of CockpitNG is comprised of a large area display (LAD), a low-profile head-up display and Elbit Systems' TARGO helmet-mounted avionics system.

Elbit says that new applications are projected on all elements of the CockpitNG, displaying all relevant data while hiding irrelevant information to prevent overload.

The Israeli company adds that in the new enhanced version, the high quality LAD touch screen offers a unique concept of operation, enabling pilots to personalise their displays, applications and information with a sweep of a finger, according to specific mission requirements.

 

The threat evolves and so does the system that is designed to foil it.

 

It is obvious that not many airliners will be equipped in the foreseeable future with countermeasures against shoulder-launched missiles.

 

The state of the international aviation industry does not provide the atmosphere in which you can expect airlines to stay in line to purchase these systems.

 

However at the same time there is another market, not big like the one that is still dormant, but one with potential.

 

To that market, Elbit Systems is aiming at a dedicated version of its unique countermeasures system.

 

The Elop division of Elbit Systems has unveiled the J-MUSIC advanced directed infrared counter measures (DIRCM), designed and optimised to protect medium to large aircraft.

 

Elbit says that the new version is based on the same proven technologies of the C-MUSIC system, selected by the Israeli government to protect Israeli passenger aircraft. Installation of this system on the Israeli aircraft will begin soon.

 

According to the Israeli company, J-MUSIC is an advanced multi-spectral infrared fibre-laser based DIRCM system, which rapidly acquires and tracks incoming man-portable missiles (MANPADS) and deflects them from the target using a very powerful laser beam.

 

J-MUSIC is a distributed system, meaning that the LRUs can be installed in various locations on board the aircraft, enabling an optimised installation solution for protection of the aircraft and a cost-effective solution.

 

Elbit Systems says that the new system is specially designed to protect medium to large jets such as transporters, tankers, special mission platforms, business jets and others.

 

Relatively small numbers of aircraft, those that fly VIPs and those that perform critical missions, may create a market for the new version.

 

The technology is here. The market is currently relatively small.

Unmanned air systems (UAS) are the subject of many stories, most of which cannot be verified. This is especially true in the Middle East, where Israeli-made UAS are operated every day in many types of combat scenario.
For years, the Palestinians in Gaza have been claiming the Israeli airforce's (IAF) UAS have been attacking members of terror organisations there that have attacked, or were planning atrocities against, Israel.
Recently, the UAS Halo in the region became more impressive, when the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV network claimed an Israeli UAS destroyed a sophisticated listening device planted in southern Lebanon by Israel.
According to this report, the device was uncovered by Hezbollah and was destroyed minutes later by an IAF UAS. It was not clear from this unconfirmed report whether the UAS bombed the device or activated a self-destruct charge that was part of it.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon said its preliminary probe into two explosions in the south showed they had been caused by the detonation of underground sensors.
UNIFIL was investigating what had caused the devices to blow up. A Lebanese security official said they appeared to have been detonated by remote control from Israel after their discovery by Lebanese security forces.
Israel did not respond specifically to the reports from Lebanon. That added to the mystery that surrounds the operations of UAS by the IAF.
Israel has never reacted to reports of "killer UAS" that allegedly perform "surgical" attacks in the Gaza Strip. And Israel has not reacted to the report from earlier this week.
This is the way "combat fiction" stories are born. In some cases, with time, it becomes clear what is fiction and what is based on facts that have been kept secret for a long while.