USN Changes Delivery Strategy For CVN 79 | Two More F-16s For Romania | Japan Picks Mitsubishi To Develop New Fighter

Americas

Huntington-Ingalls Industries won a $284.3 million contract modification for the accomplishment of CVN 79 single phase delivery and Joint Strike Fighter (F-35C) capabilities. The contract actions shifts the delivery strategy for the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) from a two-phase delivery to a single phase. It reportedly comes as a result of extensive collaboration with the Navy to support legislative requirements for Kennedy to be delivered with its complete warfare system, including F-35 Joint Strike Fighter capabilities, before the ship is commissioned into the fleet. Kennedy is approximately 76% complete. The ship was launched in December 2019, and currently is undergoing additional outfitting and testing at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division. The ship is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in 2024. Work will take place in Virginia. Estimated completion will be in June 2024.

Integral Aerospace won a $9.3 million contract modification, which exercises an option for the production and delivery of 72 external fuel tanks in support of the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G aircraft. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is the US Navy’s primary strike and air superiority aircraft. It is an updated version of the F-18C/D, featuring a 20 percent larger airframe, 7,000 lb heavier empty weight, and 15,000 lb heavier maximum weight than the original Hornet. The Super Hornet carries 33 percent more internal fuel, increasing mission range by 41 percent and endurance by 50 percent over the earlier Hornet. The EA-18G Growler is the U.S. Navy’s newest electronic attack aircraft intended to replace ageing EA-6B Prowlers in the service’s fleet. Based on the F-18 E/F Hornet airframe, the two-seater, twin-turbofan aircraft integrates the latest electronic attack technology, including the ALQ-218 receiver, ALQ-99 jamming pods, communication countermeasures, and satellite communications. Work will take place in Santa Ana, California. Expected completion is in May 2022.

Middle East & Africa

New frequency jammers acquired by the Spanish Defense Ministry from Israel’s Netline Communications Technologies have undergone operational evaluation tests at the facilities of La Marañosa Technological Institute (ITM). After finishing the tests, the Defense Ministry started the process of acquiring 51 kits including equipment and accessories. The first batch will arrive before the end of 2020, which will enable the start of the installation in vehicles of the armed forces starting from next year. In total, 334 systems are expected to be acquired. The process of the acquisition of these systems started at the end of 2008.

Europe

The Romanian Air Force took delivery of two more F-16 fighters from Portugal. This is the third and fourth aircraft from a batch of five jets bought from Portugal. The last aircraft is expected to be delivered the first quarter of 2021. Once all aircraft are in the country. All 17 jets will be getting the M6XR modifications.

Asia-Pacific

Japan selected Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as the lead contractor of the country’s new fighter jet. The fighter will fly by 2028, with production scheduled for the 2030s. The new fighter will replace the F-2, also built by Mitsubishi, and will incorporate American aerospace technology and know-how. Mitsubishi built a number of famous World War I aircraft, including the A6M “Zero” naval fighter, but Japan stopped developing and producing warplanes after the war. The F-2, is a derivative of the F-16 that Lockheed Martin developed in the 1990s.

Reuters reported that the US State Department could notify Congress on the sale of four MQ-9 Sea Guardian unmanned air vehicles to Taiwan this week. The report said the sale “has crossed a key hurdle in Congress and is at the last stage of approval.” The $600 million deal would be the first such sale since US policy on the export of sophisticated and closely guarded drone technology was loosened by the Trump administration. The formal notification gives Congress 30 days to object to any sales, but this is unlikely given broad bipartisan support for the defense of Taiwan.

Today’s Video

Watch: The Enormous USS Ronald Reagan Carrier | Aircraft Carrier: Guardian Of The Seas | Spark

Airfields Afloat: The USA’s New Gerald Ford Class Super-Carriers

Some nations have aircraft carriers. The USA has super-carriers. The French Charles De Gaulle Class nuclear carriers displace about 43,000t. India’s new Vikramaditya/ Admiral Gorshkov Class will have a similar displacement. The future British CVF Queen Elizabeth Class and related French PA2 Project are expected to displace about 65,000t, while the British Invincible Class carriers that participated in the Falklands War weigh in at just 22,000t. Invincible actually compares well to Italy’s excellent new Cavour Class (27,000t), and Spain’s Principe de Asturias Class (17,000t). The USA’s Nimitz Class and CVN-21 Gerald R. Ford Class, in contrast, fall in the 90,000+ tonne range. Hence their unofficial designation: “super-carriers”. Just one of these ships packs a more potent air force than many nations.

As the successor to the 102,000 ton Nimitz Class super-carriers, the CVN-21 program aimed to increase aircraft sortie generation rates by 20%, increase survivability to better handle future threats, require fewer sailors, and have depot maintenance requirements that could support an increase of up to 25% in operational availability. The combination of a new design nuclear propulsion plant and an improved electric plant are expected to provide 2-3 times the electrical generation capacity of previous carriers, which in turn enables systems like an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System (EMALS, replacing steam-driven catapults), Advanced Arresting Gear, and integrated combat electronics that will leverage advances in open systems architecture. Other CVN-21 features include an enhanced flight deck, improved weapons handling and aircraft servicing efficiency, and a flexible island arrangement allowing for future technology insertion. This graphic points out many of the key improvements.

DID’s CVN-21 FOCUS Article offers a detailed look at a number of the program’s key innovations, as well as a list of relevant contract awards and events.

Nothing but Netz: Used F-16s for Romania

The MiG-21 is reaching the end of its service life, but it can still be effective for a little while. India’s refurbished MiG-21 ‘Bisons’ combined Russian, Indian and Israeli technology to excellent effect in the COPE India 2004 and 2005 exercises with the USAF, and there’s even a Russian-Israeli MiG-21 2000 variant that exists for general sale. Israeli companies have made something of a specialty of refurbishing both Western and Soviet fighters with modern radars, avionics, and Israeli weapons like the Python air-air missile, giving the systems new life. An all-Israeli effort was undertaken for Romania, in order to create Romania’s MiG-21 ‘Lancers’ via upgrade.

The question is what comes next. In 2005, rumor had it that the success of those efforts had led to a more ambitious fighter deal between Israel and Romania for upgraded Cheyl Ha’Avir F-16A/Bs – but that deal appears to have fizzled for unknown reasons. Other firms entered the mix, including Saab with its JAS-39 Gripen and, surprisingly, EADS’ Eurofighter. Then the USA appeared to have flown away with the fighter replacement deal – but, not so fast.