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November 2011 Archives

RAAF F-111s go six feet under

By
Greg Waldron
 on November 28, 2011 2:23 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
F111s buried.jpg
Old aircraft tend to have ignominious ends.  Numerous F-4 Phantoms, F-102s, and even early make F-16s have received the fatal 'QF' target drone designation, which generally portends swift destruction by missiles. With the end of the Cold War, the wings and fuselages of dozens of old B-52s were guillotined by a steal beam dropped by a crane, making it easier for Russian satellites to verify these aircraft were seriously out of commission. Many old aircraft end up in permanent storage in the American desert and a lucky few end up in museums.  

I'm no aircraft disposal expert, but few, it seems to me, receive the dismal fate shared by 23 former RAAF F-111s. The fuselages of the iconic aircraft were last week buried in an Australian landfill, outraging the sensibilities of the nation's aviation geeks.

To be fair, Australia is offering seven F-111s to museums and other historical organizations, but the terms are onerous:

  • Housing the aircraft in a completely enclosed facility;
  • Ensuring members of the public are prevented from climbing into engine intakes and exhaust ducts;
  • Limiting, controlling and supervising public access to the cockpit;
  • Preventing the public from opening aircraft panels;
  • Supervising public access to the wheel well and weapons bays;
  • Completing specified preservation maintenance; and
  • Meeting Commonwealth auditing and reporting requirements.

All this serves to completely rule out the conversion of the aircraft into playground equipment for schools. How cool would it be to have one these things in the school yard, the cockpit and engine housings open for children to play around in. It would mean stripping out most of the aircraft's hardware (engines, avionics, etc.) but it is better than burying the aircraft. The aircraft would have also made fine dive sites if sunk on the barrier reef. Hell, any of this is better than burying them.

On the other hand, burying them does ensure the airframes will be available for future archaeologists to pore over. Perhaps, thousands of years from now, one or two of these old birds will find itself in a museum after all. 

IAF gets serious about games

By
Greg Waldron
 on November 23, 2011 1:30 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Su-30MKI India's Multi-role Aircraft2.jpgThe Indian Air Force has issued a tender for a war gaming centre. This is not surprising in itself: for years the world's air forces have fought battles in simulated environments.

It is, however, of interest to look at some of the requirements the IAF is looking for, as the centre will encompass all aspects of warfare, from tactical to strategic.

Below are some bullets that caught my eye: 

  • System should be able to generate scenario and simulation at strategic and operational levels.  The facility should have capability to play the war game in coordination with or independently from varied locations across the country.
  • The system should have the capability of populating different scenarios at strategic level in conjunction with other agencies both military and civil at national level. 
  • Should be capable of providing and incorporating Out of Area Contingencies.
  • Army/ Naval Forces Deployment.   Should be capable of deploying Army and Naval forces and factor them in overall simulation model.  Capability to show relative movement of these forces would help in planning and execution of joint operations.
  • The system should incorporate ops, maint and adm aspects in scenario building,simulation and result generation in both low resolution and high resolution models at any stage.
  • Must be capable of addressing higher level issues of application of air power and allow the players to learn higher level issues  of application of air power. The system should be capable of explicitly defining the situation.
  • The system design model should be able to inject an element of uncertainty during the execution of the war game.
  • The system should allow the IAF to explore the  role and potential effects of human behaviour and human decisions.
  • Capability to simulate joint (Army-Air, Navy-Air, as well as tri-services) operational environment. 

 At the Avalon air show in March I received a one-on-one briefing from Elbit Systems on their training products. Their systems can rope in an incredible range of platforms, from pilots in simulators on the ground to pilots in real aircraft. The range of missions these vast teams can practice is mind boggling.

Picture: Indonesia's Lion Air looks to expand with newer 737s

By
Firdaus Hashim
 on November 21, 2011 4:44 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
Indonesian low-cost carrier Lion Air, plans to use the 380 Boeing 737 it is committed to order for expansion and fleet replacement.

The firm order for 230 Boeing 737s includes 201 of the re-engined 737 MAX and 29 737-900ERs. It also has options for 150 more aircraft.

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© Boeing

Lion Air also has orders for 125 Boeing 737-800/-900ERs.

VIDEO/PICTURES: C-130J ride at Dubai

By
Greg Waldron
 on November 21, 2011 9:24 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Nothing caps four busy days at a major air show such as Dubai like a ride in a military aircraft. At both Paris and Dubai Lockheed Martin hosted a media flight on the C-130J Super Hercules.  Both flights were very different, yet highlighted the capabilities of what's perhaps the world's most venerable military transport. There is no better way to learn about an aircraft than actually flying in it and chatting with the guys who work with it day after day. 

On Wednesday's Dubai flight, for example, I learned that when the C-130J is unloading cargo in a hot landing zone the pilot can feather the aircraft's propellers while keeping the engines at a high power rating. This means the guys rushing to unload ammunition, food, vehicles, or whatever aren't blanketed by dust while they work - yet the aircraft can still take off quickly if necessary.

Another cool thing: before take off the co-pilot sticks a special flash card into a slot next to his right arm rest. This records all aspects of the aircraft's performance throughout a sortie, and the data gathered later helps maintenance crews quickly identify issues. The pilot told me that he used to fly the ubiquitous H model. The J, he said, requires three crew as opposed to five for the H, and is still easier to fly and operate.

I had the opportunity to sit in the co-pilot's seat for a few moments. The pilot was still very much in control of the aircraft, but it was interesting to see how clear everything looked through the heads up display - and this with intense glare off the desert and Persian Gulf. The aircraft was extremely responsive, and lining it up to reach specific waypoints was easy. At one point the pilot accelerated to 180 knots from 170 knots. I could feel the aircraft surge beneath me.

Aside from its ability to entertain journalists, the C-130 series has been a huge sales winner for Lockheed. In the form of various variants it has been flying for over half a century, and production of its latest variant, the C-130J, will continue for some years. 15 countries have bought it. In the Asia Pacific C-130J users include Australia (a long-time C-130 user) and India, where the C-130J was the first American aircraft purchased in decades. India has committed to six, and wants six more.

Finally, the views over Dubai and the Persian gulf were awesome. I'll take this thing over a commercial airliner any day. Below are photos of the flight, courtesy of Andy Poulastides/Lockheed Martin. 

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Did Seoul peek into its F-15K Tiger Eye sensor suite?

By
Greg Waldron
 on November 2, 2011 9:17 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

F-15K.jpgThis morning I came across an un-sourced story in the Chosunilbo about US concerns that South Korea may have meddled with the Tiger Eyes sensor suite used on the ROKAF's F-15Ks.


According to Lockheed, which provided the equipment under a 2002 deal, the suites offer targeting, navigation, terrain-following and Infrared Search & Track (IRST).

 

The report quotes an un-named DAPA official as saying that after a week long investigation, "the US tentatively concluded that the Korean air force had not illegually mishandled the equipment."

 

I love the phrase 'tenatively concluded.' May as well say that the US is still dubious, but just can't find proof.

 

In an exclusive feature in this week's Flight International my colleague Stephen Trimble outlined the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's detailed plans for the country's indigenous K-FX fighter. It is difficult to overstate how ambitious this thing is: performance superior to that of the F-16, AESA radar, fly-by-wire flight controls, helmet mounted display, HOTAS, and a night vision imaging system. DAPA also plans a suite of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions.

 

I mentioned Steve's story to one of my industry sources. He had this to say about the programme: "Koreans are, if anything, hopeless optimists when it comes to their abilities to build military systems."

 

His bluntness reflected the skepticsm toward KF-X felt by US defence contractors and government officials who we've spoken to. Their attitude toward K-FX is best characterised as resignation. More than one of our American sources sighed when the subject of KF-X came up. They question South Korea's ability to bear the project's likely massive cost, and are also likely to resist Korea's demands for the most sensitive technologies. Some Americans also question Seoul's partner in the project, Indonesia, a nation that was under US weapons sanctions until 2005.

 

As if K-FX isn't enough, Korea also wants to develop a Light Attack Helicopter (LAH) and KAL Aerospace is planning a number of advanced unmanned aerial systems. What's next? A medium-sized airlifter in the C-130 class? 

 

In short, DAPA is thirsty for technology. Very Thirsty. Whether this Tiger Eye thing is the real deal or not is anyone's guess. But as the K-FX and other advanced Korean programmes move forward, we can expect more such stories.  

Cathay Pacific takes delivery of its first Boeing 747-8F

By
Firdaus Hashim
 on November 1, 2011 6:01 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Cathay Pacific has taken delivery of its first Boeing 747-8 Freighter aircraft on 31 October.

rsz_cathay_pacific_boeing_747-8f_01.jpg
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© Cathay Pacific

The airline is the second customer to take delivery of the type after Cargolux. It will receive a total of 10 of the aircraft, with four being delivered by the end of this year.

Scoot - Not your usual airline name

By
Firdaus Hashim
 on November 1, 2011 4:12 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Singapore Airlines' (SIA) new long-haul low-cost carrier Scoot will launch services by the first half of 2012.

The carrier will start operations with four Boeing 777-200s and grow to a fleet of 14 aircraft by 2016, said CEO Campbell Wilson.
blog rsz_livery.jpg

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© Scoot

Scoot will differentiate itself from its competitors with its "short, sharp, catchy" name and attitude, added Wilson.
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