August 2012 Archives

Yesterday, I spoke to Lt Col George Schwartz, director of the F-35 integrated test force at Edwards AFB in California. Testing is going quite well over there, the all-important software is more mature and more stable at this point in the F-35's development than in previous programs he's worked on, Schwartz says. But there have and will continue to be problems that are discovered and fixed--hence the whole concept of flight testing.

Read the full article here

The Edwards test team has completed air start testing for the USAF F-35A model jets, so they're ready to start high alpha testing. That'll start just as soon as they finish installing the spin chute on AF-4 and it's all ground tested. Schwartz says he expects to start that high AOA work next month. They'll be going from the current 20 degree AOA restriction to 50 degrees AOA. But unlike its Lockheed Martin corporate sibling, the F-22 Raptor, or the Boeing F/A-18, the F-35 has an alpha limiter that won't allow you to exceed 50 degrees AOA.

Weapons separation tests are also coming up--probably in October... They'll be dropping JDAM and AIM-120. The Navy and Marines have already started those tests over at Patuxent River, Maryland.

The F-35 handles quite well, Schwartz says, which is something all of the pilots I've talked to have said. But there needs to be more work done on the transonic roll-off issue, but they're getting there. Interestingly, while it's not remotely close to being as fast as its older F-22 sibling, the guys at Edwards have been routinely taking the F-35 up to its max speed of Mach 1.6 with internal payloads.  

The US Air Force has spelled out its plans to upgrade 300 of its newest Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters. The USAF considers the upgrade program a stopgap measure resulting from delays to the stealthy Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Read the full story here

Nonetheless, the modified F-16 will be a capable warplane--the USAF wants a new active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a new center display and it's adding an ALQ-213 electronic warfare system. The service hasn't picked which AESA set just yet--it'll be a toss-up between the Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar and the Northrop Grumman Scalable Agile Beam Radar. A competition is expected soon...

All this was previously known, but we'd only really heard it from potential contractors. The USAF is going to stick with original equipment manufacturer Lockheed Martin for the prime integration contract, which might be a disappointment to BAE Systems and Boeing.

BAE was recently picked for the South Korean F-16 upgrade contract for 130 jets. It also previously had some success in upgrading Turkish Vipers and older USAF Air National Guard F-16s.

Next up, comes the battle to supply upgrades to Taiwan's 146 F-16A Block 20 jets reportedly worth around $3.7 billion. BAE and Lockheed will duke it out for that contract at some point in the relatively near future. Lockheed already has a leg up on that competition...

In July, the Taiwanese state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation signed an agreement with Lockheed to help facilitate the F-16 upgrade program. The USAF's decision to stick with Lockheed can only help the company's case...

And then there is still the outside chance Taiwan may yet be allowed to buy 66 new F-16s...

US Navy Captain Philip Dupree and US Air Force Col Jordan Thomas, who are the service office leads for the multi-service Air-Sea Battle Office, wrote this excellent piece in Armed Forces Journal summarizing the Air-Sea Battle concept.

The two officers hope to correct misperceptions about Air-Sea Battle.

If the concept can be summarized in a sentence: It is an operating concept that seeks to assure, in the face of rising technological challenges, that all components of U.S. and allied forces can be brought to bear as deemed necessary.

Basically, at its core, Air-Sea Battle calls for US forces to operate much more jointly than ever before, operating seamlessly on a routine basis--which is not currently the case.

Launched back in 1982, Saab's Gripen programme already looked set to have a good few years left in its production run, but a new agreement between Sweden and Switzerland has given the firm a real boost in marketing the next-generation E/F model.

The Swiss defence ministry on 28 August provided a load more detail to its planned deal to buy 22 Gripens, first announced last November. Key elements are a fixed-price of SFr3.1 billion ($3.2 billion) with deliveries to be made between mid-2018 and 2021, and a proposed bridging deal under which it would lease 11 Gripen C/Ds (Alpine-backed Swedish air force D photographed from onboard an F/A-18 Hornet in the Swiss air force shot below) over a five-year period from 2016. You can read the full story here.

For its part of the bargain, the Swedish government says it wants to buy between 40 and 60 Gripen E/Fs, also to be delivered from 2018.

Getting the future Gripen into production is not a done deal yet - the bilateral pact must first clear parliamentary debate in Sweden and a possible future referendum in Switzerland, but it's looking increasingly good for Saab and its suppliers.

The Russians aren't just thinking about their next generation replacement for the Tupolev Tu-95 Bear, Tu-22M3 Backfire and Tu-160 Blackjack, they're thinking about what comes after the PAK-DA.

According to the Russian Federation Air Force's long-range aviation commander Lt Gen Anatoly Zhikharev, the Russians are considering the development of a "sixth-generation" unmanned strategic bomber in the years after 2040, RIA Novosti reports.

"That could be around 2040-2050," Zhikharev says.

I suppose Zhikharev probably expects the policy and legal hurdles (and potentially moral issues) of flying an unmanned (and I'd guess probably autonomous) nuclear armed bomber will be solved.

Tupolev is already developing the PAK-DA bomber, which is scheduled to enter service in the mid-2020s. That runs parallel to the US Air Force's efforts to field the Long Range Strike-Bomber around the same time.

But the USAF is opting for an optionally manned aircraft that could fly unmanned at times. The question is though, will anyone seriously risk flying a $550 million (minimum) aircraft without a pilot given the accident rate of unmanned aircraft or potential loss of the control link?

Just when we thought that Iran couldn't do anything else crazy linked to its aged fleet of Northrop F-5 fighters (following its foray into developing the V-tailed "Saegeh" version), a newly published image has raised many eyebrows here on Flightglobal.

Hosted on the Airliners.net site, the picture shows a modified Tupolev Tu-154M, formerly flown by Iran Air Tours, with an F-5 cockpit section now grafted onto the front-top of its vertical stabiliser. Image supplier "Iranian Spotters" describes the combo as intended to support tests of an Iranian-made ejection seat, and says the same aircraft will also carry out future work carrying indigenous unmanned air vehicles.

If you do one thing today, check out the image here. But as one of my colleagues here commented, maybe they'd save more lives by equipping Tu-154s with the bang-seats?

I stumbled on this Rex Features image showing the USA's Boeing 747-400-based YAL-1A Airborne Laser testbed (ALTB) aircraft, which is now preserved at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group site at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.

It's just over six months since the unique aircraft arrived at "The boneyard", following a final pass flown over California's Edwards AFB on 14 February (US Air Force image below).

Back when the YAL-1A was placed into long-term storage, the US Missile Defense Agency said: "The ALTB demonstrated the viability of a directed energy weapon for missile defense by tracking and destroying a boosting, representative foreign ballistic missile in flight." But boy, it was a pricey experiment.

Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin is calling for the development of a hypersonic bomber for that country's air force.

"I think we need to go down the route of hypersonic technology and we are moving in that direction and are not falling behind the Americans," Rogozin tells Rossiya 24 TV (via RIA Novosti--I can't speak Russian so I have to take their word for it). "We will use this technology when developing a new bomber."

"The question is will we copy the Americans' forty-year experience and create a [Northrop Grumman] B-2 analog...or will we go down a new, ultramodern technology route, looking to the horizon, and create a machine able to penetrate air defenses and carry out a strike on any aggressor," Rogozin asks.

The development of a hypersonic bomber would be extremely challenging, to say the least. The technology is in its infancy. The US Air Force Research Laboratory's X-51A Waverider, despite the recent failed test, has shown some promise. But the most immediate applications for the technology would seem to be some sort of missile. The same is true for other hypersonic programs. It almost certainly would not be ready by the mid-2020s date the Russians have previously set to deploy their new bomber.

But then the Russians have apparently agreed to work on developing a new hypersonic Brahmos II cruise missile with the Indians that would be able to hit speeds of around Mach 5 to Mach 7. That weapon is set to undergo flight testing in 2017.

"I think we will need about five years to develop the first fully-functional prototype (of the hypersonic missile). We have already carried out a series of lab tests at the speed of 6.5 Mach," Sivathanu Pillai, chief executive officer of the Russian-Indian joint venture Brahmos Aerospace, told India Business News in June.  

So it is possible Rogozin believes that missile technology would be applicable to building a new bomber... However, given the available technology, it's much more probable that Russia will build a more conventional subsonic or potentially supersonic bomber armed with such a weapon.

Likewise, it's probably a safe bet that the USAF's new Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B) will also be a conventional subsonic stealth bomber given the focus on "mature technologies" and maintaining cost discipline. A hypersonic development would entail throwing the concept of using "mature technologies" out of the window (not to mention ungodly expensive) while even mere supersonic capability would probably also greatly add to the aircraft's cost.

Eglin has flown its 200^th sortie in the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter... US Marine Corps Major Tye "OD" Bachmann had the distinction of flying that mission.

The pace of training at the base is ramping up, the jets no longer need a chase plane and they'll soon be doing aerial refuelings. The Marines are also gearing up to train for short take-off and vertical landing operations. So things are coming along at the 33^rd Fighter Wing using the "crawl, walk, run" methodology.

Here are some photos from today's flight.

Also, in case you guys were wondering how the US Navy is going to supply ALQ-99 jammer pods to Australia... They're going to be giving them refurbished pods, but the low band jammers are going to be new.

From the "curiouser and curiouser" files: an update on ECA Program's pitch to provide an Integrated Opposing Force (IOPFOR) capability to support fighter pilot training for NATO nations.

The Amsterdam-based outfit issued a press release while I was away on leave, announcing its overdue selection of a candidate aircraft to deliver the proposed future aggressor service. And while it had previously raised eyebrows by naming the Chengdu J-10 and RAC MiG-35 as possible solutions, alongside the more plausible Saab Gripen, the 9 August statement made even those look pretty tame.

"ECA Program is ready to procure 36 advanced, single engine jets from Israeli Aircraft Industries, with 12 more under option," the company says. Interesting; especially as IAI (correct name Israel Aerospace Industries), doesn't even have a fighter aircraft in production.

No problem though, as ECA says it would acquire the "Lavi-2"; a notional further development of an Israeli combat aircraft which was heavily inspired by the Lockheed Martin F-16 (and was also remarkably similar in appearance to China's later J-10) and cancelled some 25 years ago (Israeli air force image below).

An ECA official is quoted as saying: "Although the [Sukhoi] Su-35 and other fourth generation fighters are formidable aircraft, they will no longer have any real relevance beyond the 2020 horizon."

Although it would be produced "specifically for training support", the suggested Lavi-2 would offer a top speed of over Mach 2.2, including supercruise performance, ECA says. Also thrown into the proposition would be advanced systems including an active electronically scanned array radar, signature management techniques, helmet-mounted designators and countermeasures equipment, it claims.

The IOPFOR scheme already looked a bit eccentric when I filed a blog post about it on The DEW Line on 4 May, but ECA's selection of an aircraft which does not exist raises further doubts about the chances of this idea ever getting off the ground.

I'm off to South Africa in September for the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) show. In recent years, the country has not been particularly active militarily--unlike how it was under the previous apartheid regime.Mostly, South Africa participates in peacekeeping operations around the rest of the continent such in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Lesotho. But the country is the largest economy in the African continent--and it is an emerging market. Perhaps most importantly, it's where Charlize Theron comes from.

South Africa does have a significant defense industry--it has excelled at developing ground vehicles. The country developed the RG-31 Nyala, which evolved into one of the US Army's MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) variants, the G6 self-propelled howitzer, and the Rooikat 76 armored fighting vehicle.

But they have not had as much success in building their own indigenous aircraft. Atlas Aviation, before it was absorbed into what is now Denel, built a number of different derivatives of western European aircraft. These included the Impala--a copy of the Aermacchi MB-326 trainer, Cheetah--a copy of the Dassault Mirage III and the Oyrx helicopter--based on the Aerospatiale Puma.

Their most recent effort was the Denel Rooivalk attack helicopter. While a lot of the work was indigenous, ultimately it was derived from the Aérospatiale Alouette III and Super Puma helicopters. So far 12 have been built. The first aircraft was handed over in April 2011, but the helicopter has been in development since the mid-1980s.

But a private development led by the Paramount Group and Aerosud could change all that. The two companies are developing a new light turboprop combat aircraft designed for "homeland security" missions called the AHRLAC for "Advanced High‐performance Reconnaissance and Surveillance Aircraft."

The two-seat aircraft will have a maximum takeoff weight of about 8377lbs and payload of 1760 lbs. It will be powered by a Pratt & Whitney 950 shp PT6A-66 engine and should be able to hit a maximum speed of 272 knots. The manufacturer claims the aircraft has a range greater than 1100 nautical miles--which is impressive--and an endurance of 7.5 hours.

The AHRLAC is being designed to operate out of semi‐prepared strips and is being optimized for multiple missions according to the manufacturers. For example, the aircraft could be used for border security, coastal patrols or peacekeeping operations. Sensor payloads could include electro-optical infrared cameras, synthetic aperture radar, communications or electronic intelligence sensors.

Paramount and Aerosud list these as the aircraft's potential mission areas:

Peace Keeping & Emergency Relief 

Policing, Border Control, Drug Control 

Reconnaissance 

Forward Air Control 

COIN Operations 

Electronic Surveillance - ELINT/COMINT 

Maritime, Coastal & Fisheries Patrol - EEZ Patrol 

Forward Air Supply 

Training and Advanced Training 

Armed Patrol, Escort and Light Attack

Australia is converting 12 of its Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets into EA-18G Growlers--which is half of its fleet. The $1.57 billion deal is being administered through the Foreign Military Sales process. But a big question remains...

How is the US government going to supply the Australians with ALQ-99 pods for their Growlers? While there is a relatively new low-band jammer in production, the mid-band pod is not currently being built. No word yet from the Naval Air Systems Command on how they're going to fill the Australian order.

Read the full article here.

The US Navy is hoping to replace its current ALQ-99 mid-band jammer pods with the Next Generation Jammer, which is scheduled to enter service in 2020.

Fresh back in the office yesterday after a spell of much-needed R&R, I opened a Lockheed Martin news release only to be shocked by the revelation that someone is - at last - having a C-130J painted in something other than boring old grey.

I like the scheme shown in the Lockheed image below - it's of the first of three aircraft on order for the Royal Air Force of Oman - but am I the only one who thinks it instantly makes this "Super Hercules" look rather retro?

India hopes to have its new fifth-generation fighter--co-developed with Russia--in service by 2022, the country's top air force official says. The first developmental aircraft, which is based on the Russian Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA, is going to arrive in India in 2014, says Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne. A second prototype is expected to arrive in India in 2017 while a third should arrive in 2019.

Read the full story here. 

Developing the aircraft will cost about $11 billion. India hopes to eventually purchase some 214 of the stealthy fifth-generation fighter by 2030--for a total of about $30 billion.

Meanwhile, India still hopes to buy 126 Dassault Rafale fighters to replace some of its aging and increasingly dilapidated Russian-built MiG-21s. The French-built aircraft beat out the Eurofighter Typhoon during India's Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contest; however, no agreement has yet been signed. But what was originally supposed to be an urgent requirement has now consumed the better part of a decade. And there seems to be little progress being made on actually getting Rafales into the hands of IAF operators...

But if it doesn't work out, India already has a fleet of Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighters. The country could extend the production of those very capable warplanes if there is a severe shortfall in the IAF's force structure--if need be. But it could also start to talk to Eurofighter or reopen the MMRCA contest as a last resort... both options would add even further delay.

There is also the option of producing additional indigenous HAL Tejas fighters. But given that aircraft's less than stellar performance, it might not be the best use of procurement funds--not against the types of threats the IAF is likely to face off against in its neighbourhood. It might be an idea just to treat the program more as a learning experience--a science project if you will--in order to develop a better, more capable machine the next time around.

Whatever the case, it would seem the Indians need to something about the MiGs sooner rather than later--especially with the rapidly growing threats in the region.

The US Air Force's new Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B) program is entirely classified. The USAF isn't just withholding technical data, the service won't even share programmatic details such as if there is a system program office in place or a competition or anything else. "Specific LRS programmatic details are protected with enhanced security measures," says Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Cassidy.

Northrop Grumman Photo

All we know for sure is that there is some money allocated for the program in the budget--about $300 million in fiscal year 2013 and total of  $6.3 billion from fiscal years 2013 to 2017--and what few details the USAF is willing to release. We know that the new bomber will be a stealthy, optionally-manned, long-range penetrating strike aircraft that will be part of a "family of systems" from the service's budget documents. Those same documents say the service is aiming for a price tag of around $550 million per aircraft--and it wants the plane operational by the mid-2020s. Ultimately, the Air Force hopes to buy anywhere from 80 to 100 aircraft.

That's all pretty optimistic, of course... Delays and cost overruns tend to be almost inevitable when developing a sophisticated new weapons system--even if that system uses "mature technologies" as the Air Force says the LRS-B will. But with the US defense budget sure to come down over the next few years, it's not clear what the future holds for the new bomber.

But the LRS-B does enjoy high level support in the Pentagon and the Whitehouse (it was the only program that US President Barack Obama specifically referred to during the budget roll-out earlier in the year). But then there is the whole sequestration issue coming up in January, so we'll see what happens...

Kremlin Photo Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack.

Meanwhile, Russia is also developing a new bomber called the PAK-DA. According to press reports in that country, it's being developed by Tupolev... Which makes sense--Tupolev did develop the Tu-95 Bear, Tu-16 Badger, Tu-22 Blinder, Tu-22M Backfire and finally the Tu-160 Blackjack.

There appears to have been a debate as to whether Russia actually needs a new bomber--though Russian policy-makers appear to have decided to go ahead with the project. Earlier in the year Russian deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told Izvestia that bombers probably wouldn't remain a part of the Russian Federation's strategic nuclear deterrent in the future. "Look at the level of development of anti-aircraft and anti-missile defenses: all these planes will never get near their targets," he said.

But Rogozin appears to have been overruled by Russian President Vladimir Putin. "We have to develop work on the new PAK-DA long-range bomber aircraft for Long-Range Aviation. I know how expensive and complex this is. We have talked about this many times with ministers, and with the head of the General Staff. The task is not easy from a scientific-technical standpoint, but we need to start work," Putin said, according to RIA Novosti in June. The Russians, like the USAF, hope to have their new bomber operational by the mid-2020s.

A Xian H-6, photo by Aquatiger127, Wikimedia Commons

One country that doesn't appear to have any immediate interest in building a new strategic bomber is China... They have fairly recently modernized their Xian H-6 fleet to the new H-6K variant. The new variant entered service in 2009 apparently with updated avionics, engines and aircraft--though at the end of the day, it's still an antique Tu-16 Badger copy. The aircraft is also reportedly equipped with new cruise missiles, which could potentially threaten US aircraft carriers and outlying US territories and bases--in keeping with the anti-access/area denial strategy. But there doesn't appear to be another Chinese bomber project right now that's been observed, but who knows?

The Naval Air Systems Command has released a new video explaining how the Naval Electromagnetic Radiation Facility (NERF) is testing the Northrop Grumman X-47B Unmanned Combat Aircraft System-Demonstrator for potential frequency interference.

The USAF is modernizing its Boeing F-15 fleet--that includes both the C/D air superiority fighters and the multirole F-15E Strike Eagle.

The USAF is adding active electronically scanned array radar, new electronic warfare systems, and adding a new display computer to the jets amongst a host of other upgrades. The modifications are probably the first in a series of upgrades because the venerable fighter is going to be serving into the 2030s. Which is quite impressive considering the first F-15A prototype first flew on 27 July, 1972.

But pilots are saying that while the USAF is improving the F-15's sensors, it is neglecting the displays that those operators would need to fully exploit the capabilities of the upgraded systems. One suspects that the USAF's next step will be to add those improved displays.

Read the full article here.

The US Navy is planning on adding multi-sensor integration capabilities to its Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. That could entail adding information systems to the jet that resemble those found on the Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35. In fact, the USN is looking at both those aircraft for inspiration, but they're also looking at Boeing's proposed large area display amongst a host of other options.

Read the full article here

Perhaps the USAF will eventually come around and do something similar with their F-15s.

The USAF, in earlier years, had neglected upgrades to the F-15 largely due to their belief that the aircraft would be replaced by the Raptor. But with the Raptor's production capped at 187, and an operational fleet that numbers only 185 due to attrition, the USAF is now resigned to operating the Eagle into the 2030s. The focus is now on integrating the F-15s with the Raptors to maximize the capabilities of both jets--and by all accounts (from people who actually fly them)--they're proving to be one hell of a combo.

Operational Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors from the US Air Force's 3rd Wing have dropped 250lbs GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) for the first time over the Utah Test and Training Range during a Combat Hammer exercise.

Until now the INS/GPS-guided weapons have previously only been dropped from Raptors serving in the developmental and operational test and evaluation communities (of course, it's been in use on other types for quite some time). The Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson-based F-22s recently received the Increment 3.1 hardware and software modifications which allow them to employ the weapon.

"The employment of the GBU-39s was very successful," says Major Wade Bridges, a Raptor pilot from the Air Force Reserve Command's 302^nd Fighter Squadron. "The ammo and weapons personnel that built and loaded the weapons did so with amazing professionalism and technical expertise. They were evaluated during the entire process and received nothing but praise for their work. The pilots who employed the weapons did an excellent job delivering the weapons in a tactical environment. The entire process from building to employing the weapons was a tremendous success resulting in 100% of the SDBs being released successfully."

The 302^nd FS, commanded by Lt Col Dave Piffarerio, is the lead unit for the exercise. But there are pilots and maintainers from the active duty 525^th Fighter Squadron who are participating.

Additionally, personnel from the Hawaii Air National Guard's 199^th Fighter Squadron and it active associate 19^th Fighter Squadron also participated in the exercise as the unit gears up for it initial operational capability date.

50 years ago today, the US Army received its first CH-47A Chinook tandem-rotor helicopter. It's probably not likely that anyone that day could have foreseen that exact same helicopter would not only be flying, but also receiving upgrades so that it can continue to fly for the foreseeable future. Moreover, it's entirely possible that the Chinook could still be flying for another 50 years...  I'd put money down on it.

Here is my retrospective on the Chinook.

Here is Flight's editorial from the 14 August issue.

Boeing's CH-47 Chinook might become the first rotorcraft to fly for a century. Its success is due to innovative design and prodigious power margins.

It is fast, agile and has outstanding high altitude performance. It can also be quickly and easily upgraded - and will continue to evolve for the foreseeable future.

But the Chinook's success and longevity also highlights a quandary in the helicopter design world.

Since the introduction of gas turbine engines, there had not been a real technological breakthrough until the advent of Sikorsky's X-2 compound helicopter prototype. But while the X-2 shattered speed records - thumbing its nose at retreating blade stall - it is unclear if it will ever find a buyer.

Nor is it clear if Eurocopter's X3 high-speed compound helicopter is on any better a footing.

Meanwhile, tilt-rotor technology increasingly looks to be an evolutionary dead end. The compromises to hover performances imposed by that design do not appear to be acceptable to most potential customers. Nor is the high price of such aircraft something many customers are willing to pay.

The bottom line is that while speed is always nice to have, the market does not appear to be willing to pay a premium for that added performance. This means that aircraft like the Chinook will probably soldier on decade after decade.

My colleague Greg Waldron from our office in Singapore is reporting that China's "new" carrier--the former Soviet vessel Varyag--has been spotted with a number of aircraft embarked. Among these are a Z-8 airborne early warning helicopter and a Shenyang J-15 copy of the Russian Su-33 carrier-variant of the Flanker.

The version of the J-15 spotted on the former Varyag is significantly different than the original Su-33 or even previous versions of the J-15 that have been photographed. The cockpit canopy is shortened/cut-off, and--at least to me--the forward fuselage and radome looks shorter and fatter.

Why the Chinese would alter the design in such a manner is anyone's guess--it's not like they're going to tell us. But it's standard practice to build flight sciences aircraft to evaluate flying characteristics and separate jets to test the avionics. We do it; the Russians do it; and the Chinese mostly likely do so also. It might be a new radar in there. But designs also evolve as flight testing progresses and problems are found...

The original Sukhoi T-10, which was the prototype for the Su-27, changed considerably after problems were discovered in test. There were also revisions to the Boeing (McDonnell Douglas at the time) F-15A Eagle--the developmental aircraft lacked the notched stabilator and raked wingtips of the production aircraft. More recently, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor had all sorts of developmental problems which had to be corrected... The same process is happening today with the F-35--which has also had all manner of discoveries in flight testing. No doubt, there will be many more discoveries before it finishes its flight and operational testing. Bottom line, problems are found and an engineering fix is designed and implemented.

But, for the J-15, it is also possible that this could just be some sort of deck handling mockup which the PLAN is using to gain experience. The reason I say that is because the nose landing-gear door appears to be missing. If I were to place a bet, it would be on a mockup.

So here is picture that Greg found...

Compare that with these two older shots of the J-15...

Compare that with these shots of the original Russian Su-33...

Whatever the case, the Chinese are clearly making progress with developing their naval aviation capabilities. It's also a safe bet that the J-15, having been reverse-engineered decades after its progenitor, is probably fitted with better avionics than the Su-33s that are in service with the Russian fleet.

The J-15 seems to have an infrared search and track sensor mounted, but there is no way to tell what kind of radar it has. It could have a passive electronically-scanned array (PESA) radar--which has a single large transmitter and receiver coupled with a single large fixed electronically-scanned antenna. Or it could be a more advanced design, an active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar--which consists of hundreds or sometimes thousands of smaller transmit/receive modules making up the aperture.

We just don't know.

Here is a white paper compiled by EMS Technologies in Atlanta, Georgia, that explains the differences in the two different approaches to building a phased-array radar-AESA vs. PESA. EMS does come down on the side of passive phased arrays due to cost reasons though.

The United States doesn't have a monopoly (anymore) on developing fifth-generation fighters, Russia seems to be making good progress on its next-generation Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA stealth fighter--a version of which will also serve with the Indian Air Force. PAK-FA apparently stands for Perspektivny Aviatsionny Kompleks-Frontovoy Aviatsii--if anyone cares. It is amazing that the Russians managed to preserve so many of the skill-sets needed to develop an advanced fighter aircraft (and other parts of the defense industrial base) even as their entire society basically disintegrated around them after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Sukhoi Photo

My colleague Valdimir Karnozov in Moscow is reporting that Sukhoi has started flight testing a new Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar on the third flying prototype for the PAK-FA. The Russian AESA, from what Sukhoi says, seems to feature most of the same modes that one might expect from a US-developed set. That includes simultaneous operations of air-to-air and air-to-surface modes among other features.  The Russians are also testing what they call "optical channels" on the aircraft--which sounds like it might be some sort of electro-optical or infrared camera system. I suspect something is being lost in the translation.

Read Valdimir's story here

Sukhoi Photo

Sukhoi is apparently gearing up to fly the fourth PAK-FA prototype in the near future. I will say that the PAK-FA, like a lot of Russian and Soviet aircraft that have come before it, is one sharp looking jet. But, up close, these aircraft don't have the fit and finish that one might find on a Western aircraft. While there remains little doubt that Sukhoi can design a fifth-generation fighter, whether they can manufacture one is yet to be proven. Extremely precise manufacturing is a key tenet of building a stealth aircraft... so we'll see.

Sukhoi Photo

Meanwhile, the Russians have not given up on fourth-generation fighters. The new Su-35 Flanker-E is scheduled to enter full production in 2013. It's already in limited production with six aircraft scheduled to be delivered to the Russian Federation Air Force this year. And, according the Russia's United Aircraft Corporation boss Mikhail Pogosyan, Russia will continue to build Su-35s alongside the T-50 for the export market.

Sukhoi Photo

They might also retrofit the PAK-FA AESA onto the Su-35... It currently has a passive electronically scanned array installed.

Sukhoi Photo

The contractors who built the F-22 Raptor have reached a settlement with Anna Haney, wife of the late Captain Jeff "Bong" Haney of the 525th Fighter Squadron/3d Wing at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. The details of the settlement are not being released.

Read the story here

I'm going to refrain from commenting on the USAF's AIB report since I'm sure I'll get myself into trouble if I say anything.

You can read that story here if you so wish.

The original document can be found here: http://usaf.aib.law.af.mil/ExecSum2011/F-22A_AK_16%20Nov%2010.pdf

Pilots and maintainers at the 33^rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, Florida, are making good progress with the training pipeline for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. USAF Photo-Toth's first F-35 take-off

Read the full story here.

33^rd FW commander Col Andrew Toth, an F-15C Weapons School grad and former commander of the elite 57^th Adversary Tactics Group at Nellis AFB, Nevada, recently had his first flight in the F-35A on 8 August. Having countless hours in the Boeing F-15C Eagle and Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon (or Viper), Toth shares his impressions of that first ride:

Getting to fly the F-35 for the first time was quite an experience, the aircraft was easy to fly and felt very solid. In my opinion, the aircraft flies like a cross between an Eagle and a Viper on steroids.  Even with our current operating limits, it was smooth and quiet with differing airspeed when straight and level like a Viper.  At the same time, the jet talks to you when you increase the angle of attack on it like an Eagle as you get a light buffet when flying at 12 units AOA.  There is no doubt, as this aircraft matures and all of the systems become fully integrated, that it is the future of combat capability for our services and partner nations.

The HMD [helmet-mounted display] worked well and was a great cross reference for approaches and landings as the velocity vector was accurate and the aircraft touches down smoothly.  There is nobody watching over your shoulder in the back seat, because there isn't one, for the first time when you land.  That being said, the aircraft gives you a great sight picture and is also easy to land--almost didn't realize I had landed on my first touch and go.  Additionally, when the power is pushed up the response time from the Pratt and Whitney F135 motor was immediate and the near 40,000lbs thrust was evident providing a slight rumble in the seat throughout the sortie. 

The entire team here at Eglin and the 33 FW has come together over the past year to bring us to the point where we are executing multiple F-35A and B sorties on a daily basis and our operations will continue to grow over time.

To think our very first sortie flown here at Eglin was only a few months ago, on 6 March, and now we have over 110 hours flown in the F-35A and over 80 in the F-35B is quite an accomplishment.  I am extremely proud of all of our Sailors, Marines, Airmen, contractors and Civilians that have brought this together and I am looking forward to my next sortie.

The new leadership team is in place at US Air Force headquarters. Gen Mark Welsh has officially taken office as the Chief of Staff of the USAF as of this past Friday, 10 August. His biggest challenge will be the budget during his time in office, no doubt.

Meanwhile, over in the Pacific, Gen Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle has taken command of PACAF as of 3 August. The command is increasing in importance given the renewed US emphasis on the Pacific.  Bombers and fighters like the B-2 and F-22 will continue to rotate to bases in the region as the US hopes to reassure allies that it will be there to counterbalance the rising influence of China.

In the future, the USAF hopes to build a Long Range Strike-Bomber to counter some of the anti-access/area denial capabilities emerging in the Western Pacific. But the service also needs a new stealthier unmanned aircraft to replace its fleet of Predators and Reapers in the mid-2020s, Maj Gen James Poss, assistant deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance told an audience at AUVSI's North America show last week.

Unfortunately, the service does not have the money to build that replacement aircraft. It will, however, piggyback onto the US Navy's Unmanned Carrier Launched Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program.

The USN, meanwhile, is putting the final touches onto the key performance parameters for the UCLASS. When there is a RFP issued--relatively soon, there will be multiple contracts awarded with a down select to one in 2016. If all goes well thereafter, the Navy will have a more or less operational aircraft on the decks of its carriers by 2020.Read that story here.

In the meantime, space, cyber and fifth-generation fighters will have to fill that ISR void.

Right now, the 1^st Fighter Wing's 27^th Fighter Squadron--the service's first F-22 squadron--is in Kadena, Japan. There the unit will operate alongside the 18^th Wing's F-15Cs, tankers and AWACS. The 18^th Wing--which has operational control of the Raptors--will focus on integrating the stealthy, supercruising Raptors with their active electronically scanned array (AESA) enhanced Eagle brethren. Together, the fighters will prowl around the region showing the US flag.

The rest of the 1^st FW is deployed to Savannah, Georgia, as Langley's runway is in need of repair.

 In other news, the Boeing CH-47 Chinook will celebrate its 50^th anniversary in service this week on 16 August.

The Lockheed Martin F-35 has dropped its first bomb during weapons separating trials at Patuxent River, Maryland. The aircraft  dropped the inert 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) on 8 August over the Atlantic test range while flying at 400 knots at an altitude of 4,200 feet. Lockheed Martin pilot Dan Levin dropped the weapon from aircraft BF-3.

General Electric is set to test the core for its version of the ADVENT variable cycle engine technology demonstrator later this month. It will test the full engine early next year... But Rolls-Royce is also working on its version of the ADVENT. Meanwhile, Pratt and Whitney has its own privately funded development...

Read the full story here

Here is a video that GE released earlier.

The US Army conducted the first flight test of its Northrop Grumman-built Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) on 8 August.

The optionally manned hybrid airship was in the air for about 90 minutes during the flight, the army says.

For this initial flight, which took place at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, a human pilot operated the aircraft. There will be additional manned flights after the vehicle has been inspected, the army says.

The service says that the test sortie met all of its objectives during the flight.

At Edwards AFB, California, the F-22 combined test force recently conducted its first supersonic AIM-9X Sidewinder launch. Major Ryan Howland flew that first test sortie on 30 July.

Here is an excerpt from an earlier story I did that covers the USAF's efforts to upgrade the Raptor. The full story can found here.

In 2014, the USAF will start to field Increment 3.2A. The software-only modification "incorporates new electronic protection techniques and improves the situational awareness of the pilot with the addition of new combat identification techniques", Williams says. It will also correlate data from the Link 16 data-link and fuse it with the F-22's integrated sensors.

That effort will be followed up with an Increment 3.2B upgrade. A Milestone B decision to go ahead with the procurement of Increment 3.2B is planned for December 2012, Williams says. "Kit procurement begins in fiscal year [2016] with kit deliveries in [the third quarter of] fiscal year [2017] and initial installations completed in [the first quarter of fiscal year [2018]," he says.

Increment 3.2B is a hardware and software upgrade that will fully incorporate the

AIM-120D and AIM-9X air-to-air missiles in addition to further upgraded geo-location and electronic protection capabilities.

But according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, it will no longer add the capability to independently re-target eight SDBs at eight separate targets or an automatic ground collision avoidance system (Auto-GCAS). A USAF Scientific Advisory Board study on the Raptor's ongoing oxygen system woes has recommended that an Auto-GCAS be implemented.

Increment 3.2B is a much more complicated upgrade than the previous efforts.

"We will be implementing a new enhanced stores management system, increasing the ability of the aircraft to communicate with the weapons," Williams says. "This change will provide a common split-bus architecture for the Block 30/35 aircraft to support the increased communication requirements of newer weapon systems."

However, the USAF cannot wait until 2017 to launch its newest air-to-air weapons from the Raptor. The service is planning to add a "rudimentary" capability to carry both the AIM-9X and AIM-120D before Increment 3.2B is completed.

The AIM-120D will be added first in Update 4, which the service plans to release to the fleet in 2013. The AIM-9X will be added in Update 5, which is set for a 2015 release. "The AIM-9X effort in Update 5 also serves as a risk reduction activity for Increment 3.2B," Williams says.

Every aircraft from Tail 03-4045 onwards will receive Increment 3.2A and B, says ACC. According to a recent Government Accountability Office report, the cost of the Raptor upgrade programme will total about $9.7 billion.

A further update called Increment 3.2C has recently been renamed Increment 3.3, but the capabilities that it might include have not yet been defined. Williams says it will focus on making sure the Raptor remains compatible with new air traffic control systems.

"The effort will be focused on maintaining airspace access and endeavour to include all of the current airspace mandates like Mode S and Mode 5 as well as other FAA/ICAO mandated requirements," he says.

The F-22 System Program Office is still working on trying to graft an open systems architecture to the jet's computers.

Meanwhile, the Flight defense team is in Las Vegas, Nevada, for AVUSI's Unmanned Systems North America 2012 show. So watch for our coverage.

The Boeing CH-47 Chinook entered into service 50 years ago. Though its subsystems have evolved over the years, the basic design remains the same. Given the US Army's current plans, the venerable Chinook might well be the first 100 year rotorcraft design... I'm willing to bet there will be at least a few of these magnificent machines still flying in 2062. Possibly even some of the very same aircraft that are flying right now... After all, the very first Chinook ever built is still in service and has seen multiple tours in Afghanistan. It's likely that the Vertol--before Boeing bought the company in 1960--engineers who were developing this aircraft back in the late 1950s couldn't have imagined their creation still being in service 50 years--let alone 100 years-down the line.

Here is a video from earlier in the year--it shows off some of the awesome capabilities of this machine.

There has been a fair bit of uncertainty for a while now about the likely shape and size of the UK's future combat aircraft fleet, but the Ministry of Defence's planners appear to have resolved at least part of this, according to BAE Systems.

Contained within the company's lengthy half-year results statement on 2 August was the following gem: "The out-of-service date for the UK Tornado fleet has been confirmed by the MoD as March 2019."

With the Royal Air Force's Eurofighter Typhoon community still having a long way to go to providing a credible multi-role capability (we can only really call that once the jet has the ability to use Paveway IV, Brimstone and Storm Shadow, like the Tornado GR4 can today - Crown Copyright image above), considerable pressure rests with the Lockheed Martin F-35B.

The UK last month accepted its first test example of the short take-off and vertical landing type, and is in theory expected to receive up to 138 operational examples; although few believe its defence budget will stretch that far. And with land-based operations only due to commence in the UK in 2018, there'll be precious little room for error as the Tornado flies out of use.

You can see my full report here, including an update on BAE's Tornado upgrade activities for Saudi Arabia. For anyone unfamiliar with the swing-wing beauty, it has the UK nickname "Tonka" - don't ask me why though!

Much has been made of recent encounters in Alaska between the US Air Force's Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and German Luftwaffe's Eurofighter Typhoons a couple of months ago on other sites/news outlets. From what I can tell, it seems no one really tried to ask the US Air Force side how well they did--it all comes from the German side.

A 1st Fighter Wing F-22 Raptor lands in Kadena, Japan, July 28, USAF photo

However, I was there for the Luftwaffe's visit to Alaska. The following is an excerpt from my article. And, I did contact the USAF--the two sides tell somewhat differing stories. But then that's not really that unexpected.

A Eurofighter over the mountains--EADS photo

Here is the link to the full story

As part of the Distant Frontier exercise, F-22s from the USAF's 525th Fighter Squadron faced off against the German fighters in visual-range basic fighter manoeuvres (BFM) combat training.

While Grune does not directly say that the Eurofighters emerged as the overall victors, he strongly implies it.

"I put out some whiskey. If they come back with some good performances, and if you know what the goal is from a BFM setup, and you achieve that, then I will pay you whiskey," he says. "And I paid quite a lot of whiskey."

That account, however, is strongly disputed by USAF sources flying the F-22. "It sounds as though we have very different recollections as to the outcomes of the BFM engagements that were fought," one Raptor pilot says.

USAF sources say that the Typhoon has good energy and a pretty good first turn, but that they were able to outmanoeuvre the Germans due to the Raptor's thrust vectoring. Additionally, the Typhoon was not able to match the high angle of attack capability of the F-22. "We ended up with numerous gunshots," another USAF pilot says.

A USAF F-22 Raptor from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley AFB, Va., lands at Kadena, Japan, July 28, USAF Photo

Regardless of their differing accounts, the USAF was grateful for the chance to train with the Luftwaffe. "We optimise the opportunities we get to participate in dissimilar air combat training, as those opportunities are all too rare," says Lt Col Paul Moga, commander of the 525th Fighter Squadron. "Our recent BFM hops with the German air force Typhoons were outstanding. While certain uncontrollable factors such as weather and manoeuvring limitations did not allow for full-up engagements, it is suffice to say that there was much learning across the board. The details of each set-up are privy only to the pilots that flew them, as that is the sacred standard among fighter pilots. One thing is for certain - Raptors and Typhoons are a lethal combination."

German Luftwaffe Eurofighter Typhoon take off- EADS Photo

Grune says that the Raptor's advantage lies in its stealth and ability to dominate air-to-air fights from beyond visual range. That is not disputed by USAF sources.

"Its unique capabilities are overwhelming from our first impressions in terms of modern air combat," Pfeiffer says. "But once you get to the merge, which is only a very small spectrum of air combat, in that area the Typhoon doesn't have to fear the F-22 in all aspects."

The Typhoons were stripped of their external fuel tanks and slicked off as much as possible before the encounter with the Raptors, says Grune, who adds that in that configuration, the Typhoon is an "animal".

Pfeiffer notes that the Eurofighter has better acceleration and can out-climb the F-22. ­Additionally, he says that the Raptor sinks when it is using its thrust vectoring capabilities, although one USAF source says he is skeptical of the German claims.

Overall, Grune says the two aircraft are closely matched in the visual range arena, but Pfeiffer says the Typhoon is the superior ­dogfighter.

A few weeks after I returned from Alaska, I touched base with the 3^rd Wing again. "I did review the HUD footage, a lot of gun shots from the F-22's to the Eurofighters and not a whole lot coming back," one Raptor pilot told me.

Yesterday, my friend and colleague Greg Waldron, our defense reporter for Asia, reported that Boeing has integrated a new version of the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) onto its F-15SE Silent Eagle demonstrator aircraft.  The new helmet is called the JHMCS II/h--and it is designed to be lighter and better balanced.

Read his story here

Boeing's Silent Eagle demonstrator-Boeing photo

"Both pilots who flew with the JHMCS II/h system immediately noticed that the helmet was more balanced and the smaller, lighter interface cable was less restrictive," says Greg Hardy, Boeing JHMCS program manager.

It took Boeing less than three months to integrate the helmet onto the aircraft.

The F-15E Strike Eagle is arguably the best multi-role fighter in the US Air Force's inventory. The Silent Eagle improves upon that by adding an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar--specifically the Raytheon APG-63 (v) 3. It also has a decoupled cockpit design--modeled on the US Navy's Block II Super Hornet--that would allow the pilot and weapons systems officer to simultaneously conduct air-to-air and air-to-surface missions at their respective stations. It will also have a new large area display similar to what is currently installed in the Lockheed Martin F-35. Boeing also says that the aircraft will have a degree of frontal sector stealth--it has airframe modifications and conformal weapons bays which can be added or removed as needed to accomplish that (but if the CFTs on the F-15E are any indication, it'll be kind of a pain in the posterior for the maintainers).

South Korea is probably the last chance for Boeing to sell the F-15SE while going head to head with the F-35, says Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group. "That's going to be intriguing to watch."

While Boeing has kept the USAF in the loop on developments on its international F-15E derivatives, the service hasn't committed to fielding any of those modifications just yet. But the USAF is making progress on adding a new Raytheon APG-82 AESA radar to its fleet of Strike Eagles. Since the aircraft will remain in service till at least 2025, it is likely there will a host of upgrades coming at some point.

Incidentally, a clean--with no conformal tanks mounted-- F-15E powered by twin Pratt and Whitney F100 PW-229 engines is a stellar  performer according to USAF and Boeing pilots who have flown in that configuration. One Boeing pilot says that with the 29, 100lbs 229 motors, the clean jet climbs like a rocket--potentially giving even the F-22 Raptor a run for its money. It will also easily cruise supersonically. "It's a monster," another pilot says.

But the USAF (or other air forces flying Strike Eagle derivatives) does not normally fly the F-15E in a clean configuration--it's a pain for the maintainers to constantly load and unload the CFTs. One also losses a good 10,000lbs in gas and a number of weapons stations when the CFTs are not loaded.

Given that the USAF's front line fighter force in 10 years is going to consist of only 185 Lockheed Martin F-22s and about 400 or so F-35As along with a fairly large number of aging F-16s and F-15s, it could be argued that the service should have considered buying some modernized fourth-generation machines--like the Block 60 F-16s or advanced F-15s derivatives--during the 1990s. But money was tight then as it is now.

The Navy seems to have done very well with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, however. Of course, hindsight is 20/20.