Unabhängig ob Absicht, richtig oder falsch. Aber das kollidiert schon auffällig mit Schwesterwelles Statement vor ein paar Tagen. Also jetzt mal schlicht bezüglich gemeinsamer Öffentlichkeitsarbeit der 2 Ministerien.

India, Russia Sign Contract to Design and Develop FGFA


(Source: India Press Information Bureau; issued Dec. 21, 2010)


The new Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft to be jointly developed by Sukhoi and Hindustan Aeronautics for the Indian air force will be derived from the Sukhoi T-50. (Sukhoi photo)
A contract for Preliminary Design of the Indo-Russian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft was signed between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Rosoboronexport and Sukhoi here today.

...

F-35B Put On Probation; New Bomber To Go Forward


Jan 7, 2011

By Bill Sweetman william_sweetman@aviationweek.com
WASHINGTON

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has put the U.S. Marine Corps’ troubled F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical landing (Stovl) Joint Strike Fighter on “probation,” while endorsing the U.S. Air Force’s long-coveted new bomber program.

The F-35A and F-35C models emerged unscathed from Gates’ review. However, the F-35B “is experiencing significant testing problems,” Gates said at the Pentagon Jan. 6.

Implying that problems are more serious than previously reported, he adds that “these issues may lead to a redesign of the aircraft’s structure and propulsion — changes that could add yet more weight and more cost to an aircraft that has little capacity to absorb more of either.”

The JSF test program will be restructured so that testing of the F-35A and F-35C runs ahead of the B model, rather than the other way around. If the B model cannot be “fixed or gotten back on track” in two years, “I believe it should be canceled,” Gates says.

Gates’ comments came during a press conference announcing a series of budget efficiencies designed to cut or redirect more than $150 billion from current Defense Department spending over the next five years.

Delays to F-35B testing so far — fewer than a dozen vertical landings have been logged since March 2010 — have been publicly attributed to a problem with the auxiliary engine inlet door, and individually minor issues with components such as cooling fans.

More details of changes to the JSF program also emerged, including another delay in the completion of systems development and demonstration (SDD) and a cut-down production ramp. SDD is now delayed to early 2016, versus mid-2015 as planned in the restructuring of the program early last year. SDD finishes with the conclusion of development testing and precedes initial operational testing and evaluation, so the move likely will push initial operational capability (IOC) into 2017. (The individual services are assessing their IOC dates.) This will cost an additional $4.6 billion to the program.

The Fiscal 2012 JSF buy — low-rate initial production (LRIP) Lot V — will be held at 32 aircraft, both to reduce concurrency and because “the final assembly process at Fort Worth is still maturing,” Gates says. Deliveries at this point are late by multiple months.

In Fiscal 2013 and later, deliveries will ramp up by a factor of roughly 1.5 per year, for a total of 325 aircraft through LRIP IX (on contract in 2016 and delivered by 2018) versus 449 in the previous plan.

The LRIP IV contract, just signed, will be changed to eliminate all but three Stovl aircraft. The U.S. will buy only six Stovl aircraft in each of the next two LRIP Lots (V and VI), regarded as the minimum needed to sustain the supplier base and unique skills.

Gates indicated in response to questions that a last-ditch appeal by Marine Commandant Gen. James Amos and his predecessor may have saved the B-model from outright cancellation. Gates said the commandants made a convincing argument for more time to fix the program.

The Navy also plans to acquire more Super Hornets and extend the structural life of 150 “classic” Hornets as a hedge against late JSF deliveries. The service will buy 41 more F/A-18s in Fiscal 2012-14.

Meanwhile, in a major breakthrough for advocates of long-distance airpower, Gates strongly endorsed a program for “a new long-range, nuclear-capable penetrating bomber.” The Air Force has been struggling to get this program reinstated since Gates deferred development of the so-called “2018 bomber” in 2009, against the opposition of some senior Pentagon leaders who argued that smaller unmanned aircraft, plus cruise and ballistic missiles, could adequately supplement existing bombers in the foreseeable future.

Gates also announced decisions on a number of controversial aspects of the new aircraft. It will be nuclear-capable — some had argued for this, on the grounds that radiation-hardening is relatively inexpensive at the design stage and costly to retrofit, while others had opposed it because it brings the bomber within the scope of arms-control discussions. Gates also says that it would be “optionally” piloted rather than unmanned, and that it would make use of existing technologies to speed development.

Wozu eigentlich der 2018 Bomber, kann mir das wer erklären? Vorteile gegenüber der B-2? Billiger, schneller, was auch immer?

Zu den letzteren gehört auch das Vorhaben SAR-H, das im Rahmen einer zivil-militärischen Zusammenarbeit einen "harmonisierten" SAR-Dienst im UK stellen sollte (mit insgesamt 24 S-92). Im Bieterverfahren war Anfang Februar die Firmengruppe Soteria als preferred bidder ausgewählt worden, die eigentliche Vertragsunterzeichnung (im Wert von 4,6 Milliarden Pfund) war für dieses Jahr angesetzt.

Flightglobal
Rotorhub

Zu der o.a. Vertragsunterzeichnung ist es übrigens nicht gekommen - stattdessen läuft derzeit eine Untersuchung wegen Bestechung und das Gewinnerkonsortium Soteria ist quasi auseinandergebrochen. Wie es scheint, haben einige für die Vergabe des Auftrags relevante Personen "Anschlussverwendungen" bei CHC Helicopters gefunden, welche als Lfz-Betreiber Teil von Soteria sind. Als Konsequenz aus der formellen Untersuchung (zumindest offiziell) ist die Royal Bank of Scotland aus Soteria ausgestiegen, d.h. das Konsortium steht komplett ohne Finanzierung da.
Unter dem Strich steht da wohl eine ggf. verkürzte Neuausschreibung ins Haus.

SAR-H abandoned

February 08, 2011

The programme to replace and harmonise the UK's fleet of search and rescue helicopters, SAR-H, has been abandoned after irregularities were found in the bidding process.
[..]
Hammond says the government is now examining alternative procurements and 'options to maintain continuity of search and rescue helicopter cover until new longer-term arrangements can be put in place’.
[..]

The Eurofighter consortium is offering India the opportunity to acquire a new version of its Typhoon for use from a future indigenous aircraft carrier, with the first firm details of the proposal having emerged at the show.

One of six contenders battling for the Indian air force's 126-aircraft medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) deal, Eurofighter is here touting the potential of a navalised development which has already been studied in detail in the UK.

"If Typhoon wins MMRCA then India will have the indigenous skills to develop a navalised version," says Paul Hopkins, BAE Systems' vice-president business development (air) India. "This is a perfect opportunity for the nation to add aircraft with both land and sea capabilities."

Being shown in model form for the first time this week, the European type would receive several new features to support its proposed life at sea. These include a new, stronger landing gear, a modified arrestor hook and thrust-vectoring control nozzles for its two Eurojet EJ200 turbofan engines. The latter would enable the fighter to approach the vessel at a reduced speed without restricting pilot vision by requiring an increased angle of attack.

Eurofighter says only localised strengthening would be required on some fuselage sections near the landing gear, and to the EJ200. Conformal fuel tanks could also be integrated with the airframe to extend the strike aircraft's range.

Video footage being shown in the Eurofighter and BAE exhibit areas includes recent simulation-based imagery of tests made using adapted flight control software and new engine modelling. Sporting Indian navy markings, the navalised Typhoon is depicted taking off from a deck space similar to that aboard the ex-Russian navy aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, which is now being modified for Indian use.

Also of interest for Indian applications is a new weapons option being displayed for the first time with a full-scale model of the Typhoon. Working in conjunction with Saab and Diehl, Eurofighter is offering the RBS15 anti-ship missile as a future payload for the multi-role fighter.

The company is also showcasing technologies including an active electronically scanned array radar offered for the Typhoon, and providing demonstrations with a BAE-developed smart helmet display system for the type.

The TSB Releases its Report into the 2009 crash of a Cougar Helicopters Sikorsky S-92A

(Gatineau, Quebec, Monday, February 7, 2011) – The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) will hold a news conference on February 9, 2011, to make public the final TSB investigation report (A09A0016) into the crash of a Cougar Helicopters Sikorsky S-92A off the coast of Newfoundland on March 12, 2009.

Members of the panel will be available for one-on-one interviews after the news conference.

When:

Wednesday, February 9, 2011
2 p.m. Newfoundland Time

Who:

Mrs. Wendy Tadros, TSB Chair
Mr. Mark Clitsome, Director of Air Investigations
Mr. Mike Cunningham, Investigator-in-Charge

Where:

Delta St. John's Hotel and Conference Centre
Harbourview Ballroom
120 New Gower Street
St. John's, Newfoundland

For a French interview:

Mr. Jean-Marc Ledoux, Regional Manager Quebec

The final report, news release and accompanying materials will be posted, at the same time, on this website.

Nochmal was zum Thema Träger EF2k:


MFG
ironduke57

Die Indische Navy würde so an ein technisch weit fortschrittlicheres Flugzeug bekommen als die USA es Ihnen jemals verkaufen würden.

Und ein paar andere Länder mit kleineren Flugzeugträgern gibt es ja auch noch....

The Pentagon said yesterday it will terminate funding for the Medium Extended Air Defense System when the current contract ends in 2013.

Da wuerde man sicher gern mal an der Tuer lauschen. Fragt sich, ob EADS vielleicht irgendeine Art von Kompensationsgeschaeft bekommt oder ob die US-Offiziellen einen auf hart gemacht haben.

Naja, vielleicht haben sie gesagt: Wenn ihr auf den Deal mit dem Tanker verzichtet, kaufen wir mehr von euren EC-145/UH-72 Lakota. Wäre ja auch kein schlechtes Geschäft. Plus das die Sache an sich wenig Risiko birgt als die ganze Geschichte mit den Tankern.

Der Tanker ist komplett fertig entwickelt! Da ist kein Risiko mehr. Und der Umsatz einiger Helikopter steht im Vergleich mit 500 Tankflugzeugen im 3-stelligen Milliardenbereich in keinem Verhältnis!

Second X-37B mission reaches orbit
By Stephen Trimble

The second Boeing X-37B orbital test vehicle (OTV-2) launched into space on 5 March, riding atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from space launch complex-41 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The flight is a follow-up to the 270-day mission of the OTV-1 that ended on 3 December, with the spacecraft de-orbiting and landing at Vandenberg AFB, California.
US Air Force officials have declined to answer questions about whether any payloads have intended to be tested or deployed with either OTV-1 or OTV-2.
...

JT8D Engine Revived At Pratt & Whitney
Latest Version To Be Used In Surveillance Aircraft In Afghanistan And Iraq


March 03, 2011|By MARA LEE maralee@courant.com, The Hartford Courant

In a revival of an old workhorse engine, Pratt & Whitney delivered the first of eight JT8D-219s Thursday, which will replace old Pratt engines in two Air Force surveillance aircraft used in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The delivery marked the first completion of a JT8D production engine — one of the best-selling jet engines in history — in a decade.

The next three, which will make a complete set for one plane, will be delivered by the end of April, Pratt President David Hess said.


The Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) planes — modified Boeing 707s with Northrop Grumman radar developed in Connecticut — are not old, but their engines are, as the previous engines ended production in 1985. The planes are used to locate and follow ground targets.

The Air Force has been slow to decide to re-engine the planes, and to win approval from Congress — it was first discussed 10 years ago. The military has 17 Joint STARS aircraft in the field, one trainer, and one test plane. The test plane first tried the new engines in 2008.

"The engine has performed as expected, which is flawlessly," said Steve Pauly, program director for the modernization of the aircraft for Northrop Grumman, who was at Pratt's Middletown plant for a delivery celebration. The defense contractor was given $223.6 million for buying eight new engines and the propulsion pods they sit in, plus research and development grants for the modernization program.

The Air Force would like to buy another eight engines in the near future, but needs to get the money from Congress.

The planes were built from 1997 to 2005. Their TF33 engines have become unreliable, with the Lexington Institute saying in 2009 "about once every 10 days the Joint STARS fleet has to abort a mission due to malfunctioning engines."

The maintenance of those engines has also become more expensive, now at $1.6 million for each depot maintenance session. The new engines are 17 percent more fuel-efficient and more powerful, allowing the planes to use shorter runways. That improvement also reduces the need for aerial refueling, because the re-engined planes can take off closer to the parts of Afghanistan where the soldiers are in the field.

(...)

AgustaWestland hat kürzlich mit dem AW139M ihren Kandidaten vorgestellt, EADS North America bietet den Super Puma an, Bell den UH-1Y und Boeing den HH-47. Grundsätzlich soll das Muster vier Mann Besatzung und neun Mann eines "Response Team" transportieren können.