L-3 Comm Vertex Aero Gets $302.2M to Support C-12 Huron | Outgoing USAF Chief of Staff Gives Props to Restarting F-22 | GE: $3.5B Engines to SK for KF-X Fighters

Americas

• L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace has been awarded a $302.2 million US navy contract for logistics services in support of the C-12 Huron utility lift aircraft. Work to be carried out includes post-production, full commercial-type aircraft maintenance, logistics support and materials for the Marine Corps Reserve C-12 and Navy TC-12B trainer aircraft with a completion date set for June 2021. The military version of Hawker Beechcraft’s King Air 200, the C-12 is a multi-mission aircraft that provides personnel and cargo transportation, range clearance, medical evacuation, courier flights, and humanitarian rescue or assistance.

• “Not a wild idea” is outgoing USAF’s chief of staff Gen. Mark Welsh’s thoughts on restarting the F-22 production line as industry officials and the air force have repeatedly dubbed the concept a nonstarter. In an era of declining military budgets and streamlining of services, Walsh’s comments will bolster lawmakers supporting the superiority fighter’s reintroduction, and may see an F-22 revival gaining traction, after the full House passed legislation that would, if approved by the Senate and signed into law, direct the service to study the possibility.

Middle East North Africa

• RADA has announced the sale of a number of its RPS-42 Tactical Air Surveillance Radar Systems to an unnamed Asian country. The $2 million contract will see the Israeli firm deliver the system this year, and will be installed by the purchaser on its own tactical vehicles. Once installed, the system will provide the customer with a mobile air surveillance solution for its armed forces.

• Turkish defense procurement officials revealed that the Turkish Navy is keen to induct a long-range maritime patrol aircraft to complement its CN-235 and ATR72 fleet, with Boeing’s P-8A a favored choice. Requirements from Ankara include being able to fly 1,000 to 1,200 nautical miles away from their main base in Turkey, and fly 12 to 15 hours as well as being able to fulfill anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare roles. While a request for information is expected to be released soon, the parameters set may make the competition a very small one.

Europe

• The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) could have a contractor chosen for its laser directed energy weapon demonstrator by next month. Andy Rhodes, a business development executive at Raytheon UK, dropped the date of June 3 as a possible MoD announcement date when talking to reporters during a tour of the company’s plant in Glenrothes, Scotland. The company is part of a Babcock-led consortium including Lockheed Martin, Thales UK, MBDA and Rheinmetall. The consortium’s offering involves a modified truck-mounted version of Raytheon’s Phalanx close in anti-missile with the gun removed to make way for the laser, which is being developed by Qinetiq. Lasers for three other contenders are believed to be supplied by the company.

• Russian manufacturer Aviacor has delivered another An-140 turboprop aircraft to the Russian Navy, bringing to three the number operated by the service. The aircraft’s configuration is primarily for passenger transport but can also be modified to carry cargo. As well as providing An-140s, Aviacor is conducting maintenance and overhauls of Tu-154 aircraft, modernization of Tu-95MSs and maintenance of An-74 aircraft.

Asia Pacific

• Just days after the lifting of the US arms embargo, Vietnam look like they may request F-16s and P-3 Orions from Pentagon’s excess defense articles (EDA) program. Hanoi may also look into purchasing US made UAVs alongside the aircraft to improve its air defense and maritime security capabilities in order to enhance its position in the South China Sea. It’s also likely that the government will look to achieve a similar P-3 deal given to Taiwan including torpedoes (banned under the embargo) and an F-16 EDA procurement given to Indonesia.

• General Electric is to provide its F414-GE-400 engines for South Korea’s KF-X fighter after beating a European consortium offering the Eurojet EJ2000. The deal is estimated to be worth up to $3.5 billion, and contracts are expected to be finalized and signed in June. Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd (KIA), who is developing the jet alongside Lockheed Martin, plans to develop and produce 170 twin-engined jets initially, with 50 destined for export to Indonesia.

Today’s Video

• RADA’s RPS-42 Tactical Air Surveillance Radar System:

Pentagon Admits No F-35 IOT&E Until 2018 | USS John Paul Jones Validates Aegis MRBM Tracking | Chinese Not Keen on US Supplying Tomahawks to Japan

Americas

• It may have been coming for some time, but the Pentagon has finally admitted that the F-35 will not be cleared for full rate production until 2018. Frank Kendell, the program’s chief weapons tester, had been warning of delays for some time; however, it had been maintained by some that the jet’s initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) would occur as planned in August or September 2017. Now that reality has hit home, the extra six months will be spent retrofitting the 23 aircraft required for IOT&E with the full 3F software and hardware patches.

• USS John Paul Jones was used to validate the ability of the Aegis Baseline 9 to track Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) targets within the Earth’s atmosphere recently. Supported by the Navy, Missile Defense Agency, and Lockheed Martin the use of the missile destroyer marks the first demonstration of Aegis’s ability to conduct a complicated tracking exercise against an MRBM during its endo phase of flight. The development comes as targets and threats have become more advanced, with Aegis BMD evolving over the last 20 years from a tracking experiment to today’s capability in which it can detect, track and engage targets.

Middle East North Africa

• Leonardo-Finmeccanica has announced that Pakistan will purchase an undisclosed number of AW139 helicopters for Search & Rescue missions. This will add to 11 already in service, and delivery is to commence in 2017. The contract is part of a fleet renewal program spread over several batches, including a logistic support and training package.

Europe

• Ukraine’s Antonov has been tipped as the favorite candidate in Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s. (HAL) medium military transport aircraft program. The company emerged as the frontrunner out of five bids received by the company after meeting all the necessary requirements alongside a recent design with state-of-the-art aviation systems like fly-by-wire, high-efficiency engines and all-weather operations. Antonov or AN class of aircraft have been part of the Indian Air Force (IAF) for over five decades. The IAF has more than 100 AN-32 aircraft recently upgraded on its inventory.

• Sweden’s air force looks set to advance a competition to select its new jet trainer to replace the service’s Saab 105 by the end of the decade. After an initial request for information was issued late last year, the air force and the state’s procurement agency now need to refine their exact needs for the right replacement. Sweden had initially expressed interest in participating in a proposed multinational Eurotraining project however that failed to materialize.

Asia Pacific

• An op-ed piece published last week, suggesting the US should supply AGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles to Japan has received a rebuttal from Chinese researchers. Experts from the China Institute of International Studies stated that while the idea of supplying the missile to Tokyo was not new, it would pose a threat to other countries in East Asia. The warning most likely comes following efforts started last year by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to pursue changing the country’s post-WW2 constitution to allow it to re-arm and expand its forces.

• Israel’s Rafael Advanced Systems looks set to win the Indian Army’s short-range surface-to-air missile (SRSAM) contest with its Spyder system. According to the Economic Times, the Spyder seems poised to win after offerings from Sweden’s Saab and Russia’s Rosoboronexport failed to comply with the Army’s requirements during technical trials. The competition has been running for five years.

Today’s Video

• The “Hell Cannon“: Homemade artillery of Syria’s rebel armies:

Huntington Ingalls: $152M for Aircraft Carrier Enterprise | Saab’s $1.27B UAE Deal Sees Biz Jets Become GlobalEyes | Netherlands First F-35As Land to Fanfare

Americas

• USAF commitments to maintain 1,900 aircraft beyond 2021 may be in trouble according to the Pentagon’s annual aviation, inventory, and funding plan for fiscal years 2017 through 2046. Budget constraints across the armed forces are requiring the Air Force to retire more aircraft than it procures; with the report predicting the fleet to reach its lowest in point 2031. The report notes that the service plans to sunset John McCain’s beloved A-10 between FY18 and FY22, but hints that those plans “are subject to change,” while Congress’s desire to restart the F-22 Raptor production line looks increasingly like a non-runner.

• Huntington Ingalls has been awarded a $152 million US Navy contact for advance planning for the construction of the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN 80). The third aircraft carrier in the Gerald R. Ford class was named in honor of the Navy’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (CVN 65). Work to be carried out includes engineering, design, planning, and procurement of long-lead-time material, and will be performed at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division through March 2018. Construction is to commence in 2018 and be delivered to the Navy in 2027.

• Weapons testers upgrading the Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk have commenced laser-printing simulated ice for ice-shape testing on the UAV. Using a process known as “selective laser sintering,” it is possible to characterize ice buildup on the aircrafts wings and V-tail, a common problem found on most aircraft. The testing will now allow operators to know the airframe’s exact tolerance to buildup when carrying different fuel loads. In use since the late 1990s, the USAF is looking to extend the UAV’s lifetime through to 2034 instead of early retirement.

Middle East North Africa

• Saab has announced increased interest in its configuration of a Bombardier 6000 business jet with the company’s GlobalEye system for the UAE. The $1.27 billion deal will see the heavily adapted Global 6000 to be capable of conducting airborne early warning and control (AEW&C), maritime and land surveillance, and electronic intelligence duties. Included in the package is Saab’s improved Erieye ER active electronically scanned array radar, now capable of a 70% greater detection range than its previous sensor, and the ability to spot challenging targets, such as cruise missiles, small unmanned air vehicles and hovering helicopters. Combining its below-fuselage mounted maritime search radar and electro-optical/infrared sensor will enable operators to locate surface threats and submarine periscopes, while its primary sensor’s synthetic aperture radar and ground moving target indication modes will be used to locate land targets.

Europe

• The first two Dutch F-35As have successfully landed in the Netherlands, marking the Joint Strike Fighter’s first eastbound transatlantic journey. Dubbed AN-01 and AN-02, the fighters were welcomed by a crowd of 2,000 including Minister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. The aircraft will now spend the next few weeks conducting noise and environmental tests over the country, designed to determine the levels of noise disturbance the residents experience. The jets will perform flights over the North Sea range and then appear and fly at the Netherlands’ Open Days in June.

Africa

• After showcasing its Parabot super robot at this year’s SOFEX in Jordan, South Africa’s Paramount Group is setting its sights on increasing their defense collaboration with US firms. With partnerships already existing with Boeing, Airbus, and firms in Kazakhstan and Jordan, Paramount’s founder, Ivor Ichikowitz, believes the company has much to offer the US defense industry, not just in supplying technology, but in philosophy, as the US attempts to rethink how it acquires defense capabilities. Having known nothing but government budget restrictions since its foundation in early post-Apartheid South Africa, Ichikowitz said, “We’ve always had to come up with technologies that give our customers the most capabilities for the least amount of money.”

Asia Pacific

• The Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) successful test-firing of an indigenous Advanced Air Defense (AAD) missile interceptor on May 15 is being called into question following claims that the launch didn’t occur in the first place. Initially it was claimed that the missile successfully tracked, engaged and destroyed a naval version of the Prithvi missile, which was fired to simulate an enemy target. However “informed sources” talking to The Hindu newspaper claim that the test was a failure as the interceptor was never launched. Perhaps its back to the drawing board for the DRDO, again.

Today’s Video

• Recording of the F-35A’s arrival in the Netherlands:

LM Bags $331.7M FMS for GMLRS | Russia’s MOD Looks to Buy First Mil Mi-38 Helos | US Arms Embargo Lifted from Vietnam

Americas

• Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $331.7 million foreign military sales contract by the US Army. The sale will see the company provide the defense departments of Israel, Singapore, Finland and Jordan with the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) which includes 290 alternative warhead rocket pods, 34 unitary rocket pods and 529 reduced range practice rocket pods. Work and delivery of the system is expected to be completed by March 31, 2018.

• Sikorsky’s HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter is to move into the detailed design phase after successfully passing an air vehicle preliminary design review by the US government. The UH-60 Black Hawk variant will now enter a 75-month engineering and development phase which will see nine aircraft produced, including five “system demonstration test articles” to support operational testing. The design includes air force and mission-specific avionics, equipment and defensive countermeasures, plus a larger internal fuel capability and cabin area when compared to its UH-60 cousin and is unique enough to warrant its own development phase and even a separate assembly line.

Middle East North Africa

• British-made cluster bombs have been discovered in a village in northern Yemen, all but confirming that the banned munition is being used by the Saudi-led coalition in the region. The BL-755 cluster bombs, originally manufactured in the 1970s, were purchased by the air forces of Saudi Arabia and UAE to be used on the British made Tornado fighters. Locals described the ordinance as “hanging off trees”and are believed to have been there since air strikes in July and August.

• An advanced missile approach warning system has been integrated on Israeli CH-53 transport carriers, giving the helicopters an extended service life until 2025. Dubbed Dragon Block 3, the system provides 360 degree coverage alongside a more effective warning of missile attack and fast activation of countermeasures equipment. The troop transports have had their fair share of trouble from rocket attacks having seen extensive use in conflicts in south Lebanon and the Palestinian territory of Gaza.

Europe

• Russia’s Defence Ministry looks set to become the first customer of the Mil Mi-38 multi-role helicopter. The helicopter’s manufacturer Russian Helicopters made the announcement in a press release last week, and it is expected to pass a series of flight tests according to the ministry’s requirements. Designed to take part in a variety of missions, the Mi-38 is capable of carrying either troops or cargo as well as participating in search & rescue and offshore operations.

• Italy is to release $179.5 million toward the development of the Centauro II wheeled tank program by the consortium of Italy’s Iveco and Leonardo-Finmeccanica. An update of the older Centauro wheeled tank, it will include a new hull, better armor and upgunning to a 120mm gun compared to the 105mm found on the original. However the cash injection will be lacking in other programs with the planned arming of Italy’s UAVs to be postponed and only $23.5 million made available for procurement of the light-weight Freccia armored vehicles.

Africa

• Prosecutors in South Africa are to appeal a court ruling that they should reconsider corruption charges against President Jacob Zuma. 783 charges against the controversial president were dropped just weeks before the 2009 election in which he was elected. The allegations stem from a $5 billion arms deal in 1999 which involved companies from Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK, France and South Africa. In 2005, Schabir Shaik, Zuma’s former financial advisor was jailed in connection with the deal after being found guilty of soliciting a bribe on behalf of the president.

Asia Pacific

• US President Barack Obama has announced the lifting of a decades long arms embargo on Vietnam. Speaking in Hanoi with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and under a looming bust of Communist leader Ho Chi Minh, Obama said that the move will end a “lingering vestige of the Cold War” and pave the way for more-normal relations between the two countries. The move comes as Vietnam looks to recenter allies amid a growing spat with China over ownership of islands in the South China Sea, while also looking to lessen their reliance on Russian weapons manufacturers, factors that may make Hanoi one of Washington’s new best friends in the region.

Today’s Video

• Boeing’s latest commercial for the Advanced F-15:

Russia’s Mi-38 Stopgap Heli Getting Funding

Mi-38 dimensions

Russian Mi-8 and its Mi-17 derivative have been familiar sights for several decades, and continue to sell around the world. These helicopters are significantly larger than the American UH-60 Black Hawk family, but have about the same carrying capacity, at about half the price. They are also far more commonly armed than their American counterparts, giving them a secondary strike and fire support role that many countries find useful.

Successor designs have been hurt by funding delays, but the Russian oil and gas industry’s push toward more remote regions is creating a demand for higher performance machines. As an interim step before Russian manufacturers can field longer-range, compound helicopter designs like the Ka-92 or Mi-X1, the EuroMil collaboration between EADS Eurocopter and Oboronprom subsidiaries Mil and Kazan aims to produce the Mi-38. Improved engineering, and Pratt & Whitney Canada’s 2,500 shp PW127 T/S engine, aim to raise the helicopter’s maximum internal load from 4,000 kg to 5,000kg, and maximum sling load from 4,500 kg to 7,000 kg. While the initial target market is civil, military variants are certainly possible.

Mi-38

Updates

May 24/16: Russia’s Defence Ministry looks set to become the first customer of the Mil Mi-38 multi-role helicopter. The helicopter’s manufacturer Russian Helicopters made the announcement in a press release last week, and it is expected to pass a series of flight tests according to the ministry’s requirements. Designed to take part in a variety of missions, the Mi-38 is capable of carrying either troops or cargo as well as participating in search & rescue and offshore operations.

March 12/09: Kazan Helicopter Plant announces that they expect to receive about RUB 3 billion (approx. $85 million) in Russia’s upcoming Federal Target Program (FTP) for the development of civil aviation technology, split 50/50 between the state and Oboronprom, toward the completion and launch of the Mi-38. flight tests are scheduled to end in 2009, with serial production at the Kazan Helicopter Plant slated to begin in 2010.

USN Research Lab Develops CASA to Film Intercepts of US Spy Planes | HELMTTs Destroy Laptops with Lasers | Boeing Hopes to Persuade Denmark on Super Hornets

Americas

• The US Naval Research Laboratory “has developed a prototype” Common Airborne Situational Awareness (CASA) camera pod to film Chinese and Russian intercepts of US spy planes. Spy planes under the Pacific Command have been recently involved in a number of increasingly reckless intercepts by Russian and Chinese fighters; however, cameras onboard are unable to document proof of fighter flying close by. CASA allows for coverage from all angles with the pods to be carried under the wings of P-3 or P-8 aircraft.

• A High Energy Laser Mobile Test Truck (HELMTT) operated by the US Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command has been tested successfully, shooting down a large number of UAVs, quadcopters and laptops with just a blast of concentrated light. HELMTT includes a 10-kilowatt laser — equivalent to about 10 million handheld laser pointers — a beam control system, acquisition and tracking sensors, and other supporting equipment, mounted on a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck, or HEMTT. The system is designed to track incoming threats, such as rockets, artillery, cruise missiles, UAVs, and even threats on the ground, and then destroy them with a laser, rather than with kinetic munitions.

Europe

• Crew from television network Russia Today (RT) were treated to a tour of Russia’s A-50U AEW&C platform. The Ministry of Defense hosted the event at an air base in the Ivanovo Region, some 254Km from Moscow. Tasks to be undertaken by the aircraft include detecting and tracking a number of aerial (fighter jets, bombers, ballistic and cruise missiles), ground (tank columns) and surface (above-water vessels) targets, informing command centers about the developments in the air and sea, and directing fighter and strike aviation.

• Boeing is still holding on to hope that it can sell its Super Hornets to Denmark after claiming that the Danish government had used “incomplete and possibly flawed data” to conclude that the Super Hornet was more expensive to operate than the F-35. The comments were made by a Boeing official speaking to a Danish parliamentary committee last Thursday following the government’s decision to opt for the next generation F-35 to replace its aging F-16s.

• Almaz-Antey has revealed that its S-300V4 air defense system is now capable of engaging targets up to 400Km away. Utilizing technologies found in its fifth generation systems such as the S-400 and a new longer range missile, S-300V4 systems are considered to be more efficient than their predecessors by up to 2.5 times. The upgrades will make it considerably more difficult for enemy Airborne early warning and control aircraft to operate safely within the new radius.

Asia Pacific

• Rumors that Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s trip to meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would involve discussions over an acquisition of Su-35 fighters have been dismissed by the Indonesian Foreign Minister. Retno Marsudi denied that any discussions over the fighter took place, with defense talks revolving around increased security cooperation, including information exchanges as well as technology transfer related to the purchase of weaponry.

• Selection of a fighter to be manufactured under the “Make in India” initiative will be decided by next March according to India’s Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar. Models in the running include Boeing’s F18A, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault’s Rafale or the Saab Gripen. Parrikar also mentioned that the ministry’s negotiations over its drawn out purchase of 36 Rafales will be wrapped up in “weeks.”

• The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has agreed to purchase a decommissioned Airbus A340-500 passenger jet from Thai Airways. A total of $50 million will be paid to the national carrier over four installments between 2016 and 2017. It’s expected that the aircraft will be converted over for military use by Thai Aviation Industries to help boost its transport capabilities.

Today’s Video

• RT’s look at the A-50U:

US Navy Readying Tactical Cloud by Year End | AH-64 Damaged When Training Exercise Goes Awry | France Blocking US Efforts to Transfer Missile System to NATO

Americas

• The US Navy is to deploy AeroVironment’s Blackwing tube-launched unmanned aircraft system from its manned submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles. The company made the annoucement at this years’ Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition. Based on their Switchblade UAS, AeroVironment’s Blackwing “employs an advanced, miniature electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) payload, Selective Availability Anti-spoofing Module (SASSM) GPS and AeroVironment’s secure Digital Data Link (DDL).”

• A new lethal anti-surface ‘tactical cloud’ is to be rolled out by the Navy later this year. This new “kill web” offensive anti-surface network will allow Navy aircraft and ships to strike surface targets by sharing the targeting information. The scheme will use information ranging from sensors in space to the undersea to share information in a so-called tactical cloud that will allow aircraft and ships to access a range of targeting information to launch weapons against surface targets.

• An AH-64 attack helicopter taking part in an exercise at the National Training Center in the Mojave Desert was forced to land after a soldier from Joint Base Lewis-McChord damaged the rotor-craft with live rounds. According to reports, the soldier in question was role playing as OPFOR and his rifle had a blank-fire adapter which was blown off by the first live round. While the OPFOR is usually not issued live rounds, the soldier apparently used a live magazine issued from his home station and scored 5-7 hits on the Apache.

Europe

• The UK has sent a RAF Voyager tanker to NAS Patuxent River to participate in air-to-air aerial refueling trials of the F-35B. Since arriving on April 18, the British tanker has participated in five flights out of a scheduled 20, which are due to be completed in mid-June. It remains unclear whether the Voyager’s deployment to the US was caused by refueling issues that arose from the B variant being unable to take fuel from the wing pods of KC-10 and KC-135 tankers.

• US attempts to have the European missile system it built handed over to NATO are being blocked by the French government. Approval for the hand-over was hoped to be finalized during the organization’s July summit in Warsaw, but Paris has voiced concerns over the system’s IOC and whether the system will be truly under alliance, and not US, control. Washington is anxious that failure to agree on NATO control will be interpreted by Russia as a sign of weakness.

• Airbus Helicopters is rumored to have won a $725 million contract to provide and support a fleet of helicopters to the UK for the next 17 years. The nod comes as Paul Livingston, the chief executive of Ascent Flight Training was the guest of Airbus Helicopters at a recent industry dinner. Owned by Lockheed Martin and Babcock, Ascent has a 25-year private finance initiative deal with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to train all British helicopter and fixed-wing crews in a program known as the military flying training system. According to an industry insider, Livingston would not have allowed himself to be a guest of any bidder had the competition still been in play.

• Rheinmetall has been given a contract to upgrade the fire control units and guns of the Swiss Air Force 35mm Oerlikon Skyguard air defense system. Completion of the modernization order is due for 2019 and will extend the service life of the weapon until at least 2025. The upgrades ordered will avoid a capabilities gap prior to introduction of a successor system for Swiss short-range air defence of ground assets.

Asia Pacific

• South Korea is to join Japan and the US in a joint trilateral missile defense exercise in Hawaii on June 28. The exercise will precede the much larger Pacific Rim exercise due to begin on June 30. For the smaller event, each nation will contribute one Aegis destroyer which will track simulated ballistic missile targets and determine if they exchange the tracking information among each other.

Today’s Video

• The unveiling of Saab’s Gripen E smart fighter: