Poland’s New Advanced Jet Trainer: M-346 Wins

Polish F-16C

Poland is looking for at least 16 Lead-in Fighter Trainer (LIFT) aircraft to replace its aged fleet of over 100 PZL Mielec TS-11 Iskra trainer jets. The Iskras were initially going to be retired by 2009, but the tender’s submission date moved all the way back to October 2010, and the new trainer jets aren’t expected until at least 2013.

The big question was which trainer jets they would be. Right now, Polish pilots mostly train in the USA on supersonic T-38 Talons and USAF F-16s, but that contract expires in 2015. There are a number of competitors, and the Polish RFP v1.0 placed a justifiable but surprising focus on combat capability. That affected the competition – and eventually, appears to have killed it. The competition has been revived, albeit with sloppy management, and accepted 3 bids. In the end, however, there was just 1 contestant…

Kuwait is the Latest Gulf State in the C-17 Club

Kuwaiti C-17

In September 2010, Kuwait added itself to the list of existing and potential Gulf Cooperation Council C-17 customers. Within the Gulf Cooperation Council, both Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have bought the aircraft, even though they’re both small countries whose territories are well within the operating radius of smaller planes.

A hint of why might be found in neighboring Qatar’s decision to paint their first military C-17 in the bright colors of their national airline. C-17s that can deploy across oceans are a potent asset in a world that’s very short on advanced airlift. When disaster strikes, they boost the prestige and soft power of countries that possess them. If a Kuwaiti sale goes through, it could push total GCC fleet orders to 12 planes.

Franco-Italian Athena-Fidus Offers Wideband Satcom

In February 2010, a EUR 280 million contract launched the Athena-Fidus (Access on THeatres for European allied forces NAtions-French Italian Dual Use Satellite) satellite program. The program is similar to the concept behind the US/Australian WGS, aiming to complement hardened satellite systems with a non-hardened broadband system. The satellite was launched in 2014.

France’s recent scramble to find the satellite bandwidth required to operate its Heron/Harfang UAVs in Afghanistan illustrates the project’s immediate military relevance. Once operational, the Athena-Fidus system will be used by the French, Belgian and Italian armed forces, as well as the civil protection services of France and Italy.

Indonesia’s New Trainer/Attack Aircraft

USAF OV-10

As natural resources and exports have fueled its economy, Indonesia has been looking to replace its fleets of BAE Hawk Mk.53 trainer jets, and OV-10F Bronco forward air control/ counterinsurgency aircraft, as part of a more general modernization. That competition was split in 2, and Brazil’s EMB-314 Super Tucano appears to be Indonesia’s choice to replace the OV-10s. To replace the British Hawk trainers, Indonesia is turning to another young aerospace power, as South Korea’s supersonic TA-50 offers both training capabilities and air policing punch.

Part of the rationale for these purchases lies in previous weapon buys. In 2007, the Indonesian Air Force purchased Russian SU-27SK and SU-30MKK fighters. The Flankers would supplement and/or replace fleets of American F-16A/B and F-5E/F Tiger II fighters, whose condition was harmed by a long arms embargo imposed in response to widespread repression and genocide in East Timor. New fighters will need new trainers, and light attack/ forward air control/ surveillance aircraft are a high priority for a huge country with pockets of separatist unrest. Step 1 involved securing the budgets to make the buys. Step 2 involved picking from a list of competitors around the globe…

Maritime China Busy Making Close and Faraway ‘Friends’

• A plan for a Chinese military port got planning approval in Hong Kong, despite tensions between residents and the mainland that translate into protests denouncing Chinese “locusts.”

• Australia was surprised to see the Chinese navy conduct an exercise in the Indian ocean after sailing through the Sunda Strait in Indonesia then off Christmas Island, about a thousand miles northwest of Australia and more than twice as far from Southern China. This was all in international waters, but the exercise was unannounced and closer to Australia than past PLAN moves. If China keeps doing this they will validate the Indo-Pacific vision outlined in Australia’s 2013 white paper. China is pitching a “Maritime Silk Road” that could extend as far as India, which may sound more palatable to its neighbors than “Chinese Extended Zone of Naval Interdiction.”

• If you’re using Internet Explorer 9/10 and have recently visited the US Veterans of Foreign Wars website, you’ll want to check that your computer has not been infected with a trojan, possibly courtesy of China.