US Army To Buy SPIKE NLOS For Apaches | Russian Tiltrotor Drone Shown To Putin | LCA Lands On INS Vikramaditya

Americas

Boeing won a $42.3 million modification, which exercises an option for integrated logistics services and site activation support of P-8A aircraft for the Navy and the government of Australia. The P-8A Poseidon is an aircraft designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, maritime surveillance and reconnaissance missions, capable of broad-area maritime and littoral operations. It is also effective at search and rescue missions. The US. fiscal 2020 defense budget has allocated major war-fighting investments worth $57.7 billion for aircraft. The financial plan also includes an investment plan of $1.5 billion for 6 P-8A Poseidon jets. Such proposed inclusions highlight BDS segment’s solid prospects, which in turn, are likely to boost the company’s profit margin. Work will take place in Washington, Oklahoma, and Australia. Estimated completion date is in September, 2021.

The US Army is buying an unspecific number of SPIKE Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) missiles for its Apache helicopters Defense News reports. This was disclosed by Brig. Gen. Wally Rugen on January 8. The US Army has chosen the Israeli made long-range Spike precision missile to use on attack helicopters as an interim solution for greater stand-off capabilities during future operations. While Apache helicopters can currently take out targets like enemy tanks, light bunkers and personnel from some 12 km. away with the Hellfire Anti-Tank Guided Missile, the US Army wants a missile capable of striking from a longer distance. Developed and produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the SPIKE s a fifth generation precise electro-optical missile with a range of up to 25 kilometers.

Middle East & Africa

The Israel Ministry of Defense announced that its investment in laser technology has led to a breakthrough that paves the way for the development of weapons that “will prompt a strategic change in the defense capabilities of the state of Israel”. The MoD said the breakthrough was the result of collaboration between its Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), the companies Rafael and Elbit Systems, and academic institutions. It announced the launch of three programs for the further development of laser demonstrators: a ground-based system designed to complement the Iron Dome counter-rocket system, a mobile ground system for protecting personnel in the field, and an airborne system to intercept threats above cloud-cover and provide wide-area coverage.

Europe

Russia’s TGE has shown the model of a quad tiltrotor drone that it is developing for the Russian Navy to President Putin, local media reports. Using electric propulsion, the drone is said to have a range of 2,000km with a top speed of 500km. According to the president of TGE, Ilya Rashkin, the drone is able to overcome 2000 kilometers at a speed of 500 kilometers per hour. Back in September it was reported, that Russia is planning to design its own tiltrotor aircraft like the USA’s V-22 Osprey.

UK aerospace engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce is developing “world-first” technology for the Tempest future fighter project, the company announced on January 10. The effort, which has to date been running for five years, is geared towards managing “unprecedented levels of electrical power demand and thermal load … within the context of a stealthy aircraft.” The goal is to provide both the thrust to propel the aircraft and the electrical power required for all the systems, while managing the resulting thermal loads. According to Rolls-Royce, the Tempest effort builds on earlier work to address future aircraft power demands. In 2014 it designed an electrical starter-generator that was fully embedded in the core of a gas turbine engine, now known as the Embedded Electrical Starter Generator (E2SG) demonstrator program.

Asia-Pacific

The indigenously designed and developed Light Combat Aircraft (N) Mk1 has made a successful arrested landing on the India’s biggest warship INS Vikramaditya on January 11. “With this feat, the indigenously developed niche technologies specific to deck based fighter operations have been proven,” Indian Navy Spokesperson Vivek Madhwal told IANS. This will now pave the way to develop and manufacture the twin engine deck based fighter for the Indian Navy, he said. The Navy has created an aircraft carrier setting on the ground at its air base in Goa to operate these deck-based fighters, which use ski jump to take off and are recovered by arrestor wires on a carrier or STOBAR (short takeoff but arrested recovery) in Navy parlance.

Today’s Video

Watch: LCA Navy(Naval Tejas) 1st Time Landed on INS Vikramaditya

INS Vikrant: India’s New Carrier

This free-to-view DID Spotlight article offers an in-depth look at India’s troubled attempt to convert and field a full-size aircraft carrier, before time and wear force it to retire its existing naval aviation and ships.

India faced 2 major challenges. One was slipping timelines, which risked leaving them with no aircraft carriers at all. The other challenge involved Vikramaditya’s 3-fold cost increase, as Russia demanded a re-negotiated contract once India was deeper into the commitment trap. The carrier purchase has now become the subject of high level diplomacy, involving a shipyard that can’t even execute on commercial contracts. A revised deal was finally signed in March 2010, even as deliveries of India’s new MiG-29K naval fighters got underway – but now Russia still has to make good. This article tracks the changes India is making to its new aircraft carrier, key characteristics, and a full history of contracts and events affecting this carrier and its planned aircraft contingent.