The omnibus spending bill would add an extra 143 aircraft for the military

March 22, 2018

[...]

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
Unsurprisingly, it was a good year for Lockheed Martin’s F-35. Congress added $2.9 billion for an additional 20 joint strike fighters, which would put total FY18 procurement at 90 planes. If the spending bill is passed, the Navy and Marine Corps will get not only the number of joint strike fighters requested in the budget, but also the ones detailed in their “unfunded requirements lists” sent every year to Congress. For the Navy, that’s eight F-35C carrier takeoff and landing variants. Meanwhile, the Marine Corps would get 24 F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing variants and two F-35Cs. The Air Force will get 56 F-35A models — just four short of its unfunded requirement.

F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
In its FY18 budget request, the Navy requested 14 new Super Hornet aircraft. Lawmakers, who have long been supportive of the program, added 10 aircraft on top of that, funding a total of 24 new F/A-18E/Fs.Those extra fighters will help Boeing extend the life of its production line and ameliorate the loss of a deal with Canada for 18 Super Hornets, which failed last year due to a trade dispute. Boeing’s KC-46 refueling aircraft The Air Force’s KC-46 tanker has been raked over the coals over the past few weeks, with the service blasting manufacturer Boeing for continued schedule delays and a couple new technical problems.
But despite questions from some lawmakers about the health of the program during hearings this month, Congress added $510 million to fund an extra three KC-46s. That would bring the Air Force’s total KC-46 procurement for FY18 up to 18 tankers.

Other highlights
Notably, Congress also included funding for aircraft not requested by the services in budget documents at all. For instance, it added 12 C-130J Super Hercules planes for the Air National Guard. The Navy would pick up six MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned helicopters made by Northrop Grumman, at a cost of $84 million. It also included two C-37B aircraft for the Air Force — the military’s designation for a Gulfstream G550 — to meet an unfunded requirement after the divestment of five C-20s. An extra $600 million would add five MC-130Js for Air Force special operators, for an overall procurement of 10 aircraft this fiscal year. The service would also get one additional HC-130J, for a total of three. Congress inserted an additional $501 million for three extra P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, for a total of 10 P-8s for the Navy. It also increased spending on V-22 procurement by $676 million to bring Navy and Marine Corps procurement from six to 14 tiltrotor aircraft. The bill grows the Marine Corps’ CH-53K helicopter program from four to six aircraft, at a cost of $250 million. The service also would get $221 million for seven AH-1Zs, bringing the total for FY18 up to 29 helicopters. The omnibus also includes significant plus-ups for Army aviation, including an extra $577 million for 17 AH-64E Apache helicopters and $90 million for 11 UH-72 Lakota helicopters. The Army National Guard would get $108 million for eight UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. It also included major increases for unmanned systems, growing the Army’s MQ-1 Gray Eagle procurement from 11 to 20 air vehicles and increasing the service’s procurement of RQ-5 Shadow drones by $110 million.

INSIDE THE AIR FORCE - MARCH 2, 2018
Industry aims to streamline weapons production as quantities grow

[...]

All told, the service plans to buy 48,512 preferred munitions in FY-19, up from 39,136 in the previous year's request. It shifted about 2 percent more of total missile procurement into OCO compared to last year, as well as about 20 percent more of ammunition procurement. Favored munitions programs include Raytheon's AIM-9X Sidewinder, AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile and Small Diameter Bomb II, Lockheed Martin's AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile and Boeing's Joint Direct Attack Munition and SDB I.
[...]
JDAM would see the most significant growth under the FY-19 request, jumping from about 27,300 kits in FY-18 to 36,000 for $972.6 million in FY-19. Last year's budget documents projected the service would ask for less than a third of that.
[...]
Gruensfelder noted Boeing will build the 350,000th JDAM this year and has already found the easiest ways to cut costs for those tailkits. The Hellfire program would grow by about 700 missiles to 4,338 in FY-19, costing $368.8 million. The service last year projected needing 574 Hellfire missiles in FY-19. Both SDB programs are expected to stay relatively stable at a combined 7,336 munitions. Of that, 510 SDB II units -- 50 more than in FY-18 -- would cost $100.9 million. The remaining 6,826 SDB I units -- around 25 less than in FY-18 -- would total about $245.8 million. On Feb. 27, the Defense Department announced a $77.4 million contract award to Raytheon for 570 SDB II units under the fourth low-rate initial production lot, along with weapon containers, maintenance and load crew trainers and hardware to test the bomb's reliability. Work will run through the end of July 2020. While the AMRAAM program requested 222 missiles costing $340.5 million, slightly more than in the previous year, the ask is about half of what the FY-18 budget projected.
[...]
The Air Force plans to order another round of 360 JASSMs, all in the extended-range configuration, for $492.3 million. Though the quantities are the same, the FY-19 price is about $51 million higher than in the previous year. Lockheed's related program, the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, planned for 15 missiles in both FY-18 and FY-19, but the service now says it wants 12 missiles at a cost of $44.2 million. Raytheon's Sidewinder would also see a small drop from 310 munitions in FY-18 to 256 in FY-19 for $121.3 million. The previous budget expected to need 286 Sidewinders in FY-19. Next year's funding will pay for the fifth full-rate production lot of Block II Sidewinder missiles, as well as Navy and Army procurement. Along with AMRAAM, the service says Sidewinders "sustain the Air Force's air dominance and global precision attack capabilities" on its F-15 and F-16. Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System procurement is expected to remain level at 7,279 units, costing $183.5 million. BAE Systems' guidance section "offers greater precision, reduced collateral damage and increased standoff range to enhance crew survivability," the Air Force's budget documents stated. The Air Force said it has expended about 66,000 weapons in Middle Eastern operations since August 2014. While the service is trying to plan ahead for future quantities of its most-used munitions in U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, industry is also juggling its response to the military's renewed focus on Russia and China. The Air Force is pursuing hypersonics, new standoff capabilities, warhead and other payload improvements, microwaves and more to challenge adversaries in contested and denied airspace. Boeing officials suggested JDAM and SDB I can evolve further for use against high-end threats. "Whereas the perception may be these legacy weapons are outdated and would serve only a purpose of a near-term fight, we do believe there is a lot of relevancy in the future as well," Gruensfelder said. Travis noted work is underway to improve JASSM-ER -- including extending how far it can fly -- but said it's already a preferred system for advanced conflicts. He added Lockheed expects to ink a Lot 16 contract for JASSM in the second quarter of 2018.

Potential MQ-4C sale to Germany moves forward

05 April, 2018

Northrop Grumman’s long courtship with Germany’s requirement for a high-altitude unmanned air system took another step toward a contract on 5 February.

The US State Department approved a potential sale of four MQ-4C Tritons to Germany, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced on 5 April.

The approval allows Northrop to export the high-altitude surveillance aircraft, but doesn’t mean Germany has committed to sign a contract.

The DSCA notification says the full package, including a ground control station, spares and support, is worth $2.5 billion.

Germany would acquire a modified version of the MQ-4C configuration that Northrop has developed for the US Navy, but the notice doesn’t list the changes.

The USN’s version of the aircraft comes with several major sensors, including Northrop’s multi-function airborne system (MFAS) radar, a camera-based targeting system and electronic support measures.

[...]

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/...forward-447359/

How stealthy is Boeing’s new Super Hornet?

April 9, 2018

WASHINGTON — The Block III Super Hornet is getting a marginal increase in stealth capability, but if you’re expecting the invisible aircraft of President Donald Trump’s dreams, think again.

[...]

Block III jets will get “a little more” of that coating applied to them, “and in a few different areas to buy a little bit more performance,” Gillian told Defense News in a March interview.

All in all, those improvements will reduce the aircraft’s radar cross section by about 10 percent, and with very low risk, he said.

[...]

https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-da...w-super-hornet/

German ‘Tornados’ still struggling with night ops

By: Sebastian Sprenger
April 11, 2018

COLOGNE, Germany – Germany’s Tornado aircraft are still behind the curve when it comes to the critical capability of night vision, the defense ministry has told lawmakers.

Defense officials blame the delay, expected to last at least through 2018, on a personnel shortfall in the government office responsible for certifying the technology as deployment-ready, according to a confidential report seen by Defense News.

The problem is two-fold: For one, the cockpit’s current display lights are not suited for night-vision mode, meaning pilots wearing light-amplifying goggles are blinded by them. Secondly, military certification officials are unsure they can obtain the technical documentation from the goggles vendor that would be required for a fleet-wide stamp of approval.

When media reports surfaced in early 2016 that German Tornados providing reconnaissance over Syria and Iraq under Operation Inherent Resolve were unable to fly at night, the defense ministry within weeks retrofitted some aircraft with an interim solution. Even so, officials then said the night-vision capability was effectively unnecessary because the aircraft were only collecting imagery during the day.

[...]

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/04/11/...with-night-ops/

Helikopterunfall in Haßfurt-Schweinfurt.

Die Medien berichten von einem Unfall auf dem kleinen Flughafen in Haßfurt-Schweinfurt.
Offenbar hatte der BW Hubschrauber, eine CH-53, beim Ausrollen zum Tanken Kontakt mit
dem Hauptrotor und dem Towergebäude.
Ein Flughafen Bediensteter wurde verletzt und ist inzwischen an den Verletzungen verstorben.

Meine Frage ist:
Wer weist den Helikopterpiloten beim rollen ein. Bisher dachte ich, dass das vom Bordpersonal
(Wart) erfolgt.

Möglich ist auch ein Fehler bei der Flugvorbereitung (alte Karten usw.), da die Bundeswehrpiloten die Flugvorbereitung nicht vollständig selbst durchführen.

Zukünftige Kampfflugzeuge: ein deutsch-französisches Abkommen steht bevor

Nach unseren Informationen steht der Fall des deutsch-französischen SCAF (Luftkampfsystem der Zukunft) vor der Tür. Ankündigungen sollten spätestens auf der ILA in Berlin erfolgen, die am 25. April ihre Pforten öffnet. Aber die Dinge haben sich in den letzten Tagen beschleunigt und könnten am Wochenende auf politischer Ebene nach den Gesprächen zwischen Macron und Merkel am Donnerstag zu einem Ende kommen. Dieses Projekt wurde am 13. Juli 2017 beim deutsch-französischen Ministerrat gestartet.

Dassault Aviation und Airbus haben in den letzten Monaten einen langen Weg zurückgelegt, der viele Beobachter überrascht hat. Wir sollten uns also darauf einigen, Dassault Aviation mit dem künftigen Kampfflugzeug zu betrauen, das bis 2040 geflogen wird, während Airbus Defence & Space sich um die allgemeine Architektur des Systems und anderer wichtiger Bausteine, insbesondere auf der Basis seiner Großraumflugzeuge, kümmern wird. Dies würde sicherstellen, dass die Fähigkeiten aller Beteiligten in vollem Umfang respektiert werden. Dassault Aviation und Airbus (mit dem Italiener Leonardo) kooperieren bereits bei der EuroMale, der zukünftigen Überwachungsdrohne - Deutschland und Airbus sind führend.

Im Januar hat die Weigerung Großbritanniens, die Entwicklung eines UAV-Demonstrators nach Neuron und nach Taranis zu starten, diese Annäherung weiter beschleunigt.

Diese Vereinbarung ist nicht nur für Thales, die zweifellos eine wichtigere Rolle als die des Geräteherstellers im SCAF spielen wollte, eine gute Sache.

Ein weiterer Sektor, der von den Auswirkungen eines solchen deutsch-französischen Abkommens auf die SCAF betroffen ist, ist die Landbewaffnung. Frankreich hätte damit akzeptiert, dass Deutschland beim nächsten Kampfpanzer (MGCS, Main Ground Combat System) führend sein würde.

Deutschland scheint heute die europäische Annäherung zu fördern. Die jüngste Entscheidung der Regierung, die Funktionen des Stabschefs der Luftwaffe zu beenden, beruhigt die Franzosen. Wie viele deutsche Flieger war auch General Karl Müllner dafür, die amerikanische F-35 zu kaufen, um die Tornados am Ende ihres Lebens zu ersetzen. Das ist eindeutig nicht die Meinung der Berliner Regierung. Nun gilt es, die Vereinigten Staaten davon zu überzeugen, die Anpassung der Atombomben B61 auf den Taifun (Eurofigther) zu akzeptieren. Die Luftwaffe beteiligt sich tatsächlich mit einem amerikanischen Schlüssel an der nuklearen Abschreckung der NATO.

#ILA2018
Airbus und Dassault bauen gemeinsam neuen Kampfjet

© dpa-AFX | Abb.: Airbus Defence and Space | 25.04.2018 13:15

BERLIN- Die Flugzeugbauer Airbus und Dassault haben eine Kooperation zum Bau eines neuen europäischen Kampfjets vereinbart. Das neue Flugzeug soll langfristig die aktuellen Flotten ersetzen. Die Zusammenarbeit soll auch andere militärische Produkte umfassen. Das erklärten Dassault-Chef Eric Trappier und Airbus-Rüstungsvorstand Dirk Hoke am Mittwoch auf der Luftfahrtausstellung ILA in Berlin. "Wir wollen strategische Autonomie für Europa", sagte Trappier. Die neuen Kampfjets sollen bis 2035 oder 2040 die Kampfjets Eurofighter und Rafale ergänzen und schließlich ersetzen. Nun warte man auf die nächsten Schritte der politischen Seite. Die beiden Länder hatten beim deutsch-französischen Ministerrat im vergangenen Sommer grundsätzlich vereinbart, gemeinsam ein neues Kampfflugzeug zu entwickeln. Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) hatte damals bereits Mitte 2018 als Termin für einen Fahrplan genannt. Das neue Flugzeug soll langfristig die aktuellen Flotten ersetzen. In der Vergangenheit hatten die beiden Länder auf konkurrierende Modelle gesetzt - Frankreich hat seinen von Dassault gebauten Rafale-Jet, Deutschland den Eurofighter von Airbus.

Bandbreite militärischer Luftfahrtprodukte
Die Kooperation zwischen Airbus und Dassault beschränkt sich laut Airbus-Chef Tom Enders nicht auf einen einzelnen Kampfjet-Typ. "Wir sprechen nicht über "ein" militärisches Flugzeug", sagte er in Berlin, "wir sprechen über ein System von luftgestützten militärischen Kampfelementen." Das beinhaltet laut Enders auch Drohnen oder "Schwärme" kleiner Flugzeuge. Airbus hatte 2016 beschlossen, seine damals 23,6 Prozent, die der Konzern an Dassault hielt, komplett zu verkaufen. Im Schatten des Brexit scheint Airbus nun Alternativen für den tradierten britischen Partner BAE Systems auszuloten, mit dem der Flugzeugbauer den Eurofighter entwickelt hat. Die französische Verteidigungsministerin Florence Parly besucht an diesem Donnerstag ihre Amtskollegin Ursula von der Leyen. Gemeinsam besuchen sie die ILA. Im Zentrum des Treffens wird die Rüstungskooperation stehen.

Germany, France agree main needs of new joint fighter program

APRIL 24, 2018

[...]
As well as being capable of acting on its own, or commanding a squadron of other weapons, including drones, the plane will also need to have the ability to carry out offensive or defensive missions, the sources said on Tuesday. It had not yet been decided if the new plane would be only manned or also have an unmanned option. The goal is to start operating the new warplanes, with limited capabilities, in 2040.
[...]
Most defense experts believe the UK will eventually be invited to join the program. The statement of political intent is expected to be followed by an industrial declaration that sets out in more detail how the partners, notably Dassault Aviation and Airbus, Germany’s defense aeronautics champion and a Eurofighter consortium member, will approach the multibillion-euro project for which Dassault has made a strong pitch to be senior partner.
[...]
Germany and France also plan sign a document at the air show in which they agree to explore the joint development of a new maritime surveillance aircraft, with a goal of making it operational by 2035, the German military sources said. That program, to be focused on anti-submarine warfare, surveillance and support, will be opened in the longer term to other countries in the European Union, NATO and elsewhere, the sources said.
[...]

In a fresh bid to win its first major foreign arms deal since World War Two, Japan is proposing its P-1 submarine hunter for a French-German project to develop a marine surveillance aircraft, two Japanese government sources said. Discussion between the three governments began last year. Japanese officials also asked Kawasaki Heavy Industries, which makes the P-1, to discuss possible partnerships with France’s Dassault Aviation and Thales SA, said the sources, who have direct knowledge of the proposal but are not authorized to speak to the media.

Sources close to the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) have revealed to MONCH that the force will upgrae its fleet of Panavia Tornado-ECR SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defence) aircraft of which it operates 28. The aircraft will be configured to deploy the Orbital ATK AGM-88E AARGM (Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile) which is also outfitting the Aeronautica Militaire (Italian Air Force) and the US Navy.

Sources close to the Luftwaffe have told MONCH during the ILA Air Show being held in Berlin between 25 April and 29 April that the force is considering the integration of a towed decoy system onboard its combined Panavia Tornado-IDS combat aircraft and Tornado-ECR suppression of enemy air defence platform fleets.
The integration of such a capability would significantly enhance the aircraft’s self-protection. Towed decoys work to effectively outfox an incoming Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) or Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) away from the airframe by presenting a more tempting electromagnetic signature than the aircraft itself or emitting Radio Frequency (RF) energy to perform a several jamming tactics (see below), providing an added layer of self-protection beyond a combat aircraft’s standard chaff, flare and jamming subsystems.

Germany, France present new military aircraft plans in Berlin

The German and French defense ministers have appeared at an air show in Berlin to present a new European drone and fighter plane project. Previous joint ventures have ended as fiascoes.
[...]
According to the agreement signed by Parly and von der Leyen, Germany and France are planning to develop a new European fighter plane, as well as a new joint maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft system, and an air transport system. The two countries are also planning to work together with Italy and Spain to develop a European drone with long-range flight capabilities.

The two ministers appeared for a photo opportunity beside a prototype of this new "Eurodrone," which is in the medium altitude long endurance (MALE) class, and is being built by a Franco-German-Italian alliance of companies: Airbus, Dassault Aviation, and Leonardo.


[Mockup der EuroMALE]

Given that previous pan-European weapons drone development projects have not gone well — the US-made long-range Eurohawk swallowed over half-a-billion euros of German taxpayers' money before being abandoned — it was unsurprising that one of the two questions the press were allowed at the brief ceremony was about how such fiascoes would be averted this time.

"We made mistakes, and we've learned from our mistakes," von der Leyen responded. "That's why we have decided that for joint projects, the first thing we will do is make sure that we speak with one voice. That means that with every project there will be one lead nation. Second point: Regardless of how many countries take part, there will be one design, one set of requirements — and no national specifications."
[...]
http://www.dw.com/en/germany-france-presen...rlin/a-43554242

Germany and France are planning to develop a new European fighter plane, as well as a new joint maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft system, and an air transport system.

Nach dem Rückzug Russlands aus einem Chartervertrag mit der Nato über die Bereitstellung von Transportflugzeugen will nun die Ukraine einspringen: Das ukrainische Staatsunternehmen Antonov Airlines werde der Allianz "so viele Flugzeuge wie benötigt zur Verfügung stellen", sagte eine Firmensprecherin am Freitag der Nachrichtenagentur AFP. Das Unternehmen könne "garantieren", dass die Nato trotz des russischen Rückzugs aus dem Vertrag mit ausreichend vielen Transportflugzeugen vom Typ Antonow 124 versorgt sei.

April 25, 2018
Future air power
Making manned and unmanned platforms smarter



By connecting a range of manned and unmanned platforms, the Future Combat Air System can help secure European sovereignty and technological leadership in the military aviation sector.

In the past, combat pilots had to do a lot of things by themselves. But times are changing: future air power will be based on a network of intelligent, connected platforms, delivering highly accurate, real-time information.

Airbus and Dassault Aviation have joined forces with the intention of developing and producing Europe’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The forward-looking solution will aim to secure European sovereignty and technological leadership in the military aviation sector for the coming decades.

FCAS explained
The FCAS concept comprises a system of systems to connects manned and unmanned air platforms, including a next-generation fighter aircraft, Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the existing fleet of aircraft such as the A400M and Eurofighter, future cruise missiles, and combat drones flying in swarms. Each component is made smarter by connecting them via satellite constellations and cyber-secured networks. The new fighter aircraft would be at the heart of FCAS, able to control unmanned platforms to autonomously carry out multiple tasks .

Ready for future threats
The global environment is increasingly unpredictable, as are challenges to security. Nations must be able to respond at home, abroad and online against a variety of threats. With FCAS, France and Germany are leading the way by jointly developing the next generation of capabilities.

Roadmap for development
The roadmap is a work in progress. Some technologies will mature earlier and be brought into the current aircraft (Eurofighter and Rafale), some will be tested on prototypes and demonstrators, and implemented when fully mature in the final system. The next generation of fighter aircraft are expected to enter service between 2035 and 2040.

Press Releases
27.04.2018 14:01
HX fighter programme: Requests for quotation sent

On 27 April 2018, the Finnish Defence Forces' Logistics Command sent a Request for Quotation (RFQ) concerning the HX Fighter Programme to the governments of Great Britain, France, Sweden and the United States to be forwarded to the five companies who responded to the requests for information.

They were requested to give a quotation on the following aircraft: Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet (United States), Dassault Rafale (France), Eurofighter Typhoon (Great Britain), Lockheed Martin F-35 (United States) and Saab Gripen (Sweden).
[...]
Scope of procurement
The aim of the HX Fighter Programme is to replace the operational capability of the Finnish Air Force’s Hornet fleet that is to be phased out as from 2025. The Programme is tasked to define, on the basis of the available resources, the best possible military capability and bring the maximum added value to the entire defence system.

The desired capability has been defined, and based on this an entire procurement package will be negotiated and built around each multi-role fighter option. The package contains 64 aircraft along with the technical systems, training systems, maintenance tools, testing equipment and spare parts as well as weapons, sensors and other type-specific support functions.

To reduce the risk involved in the integration of different systems, the tenderers are requested to provide comprehensive solutions meeting the operational requirements. Each tenderer is responsible, together with its government, for the complete package including effective weapons, sensors and special systems, system integration and mission support systems.
[...]
The procurement will have an impact on the Finnish Defence Forces’ operations and on the Finnish Air Force’s combat capability until 2060. The selected system should offer the best capabilities, supporting elements and capacity for further development for the entire life cycle.

The military capability assessment will be made using five scenarios: Counter-Air , Counter-Land, Counter-Sea, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Long-Range Strike. The candidates’ capability to adapt to the Air Force’s agile combat support at different types of operating bases in dispersed locations will also be assessed.
[...]
The RFQ that was now sent starts the first phase of negotiations, during which the preliminary candidate-specific procurement packages will be determined. The next phase will commence in the second half of 2019. During this phase, the final contents of the procurement packages will be negotiated and determined with each tenderer. The final quotations will be requested in 2020, at the end of the second negotiating phase. The Finnish Government will decide on the procurement in 2021.
[...]
https://www.defmin.fi/en/topical/press_releases?588_m=9300

Klingt so, als ob die Finnen mit den Schweizern zusammen eine gemeinsame Beschaffung vornehmen sollten.