October 9, 2018 | International, Aerospace
PAR JEAN-PAUL BAQUIAST BLOG : POUR UNE EUROPE PUISSANCE
Ce terme de guerre signifie que plusieurs pays, Etats-Unis, Russie, Chine, France, Inde, veulent se doter pour 2020 environ de flottes d'avions de combat multi-rôles dits encore de 5e génération. Ceux-ci doivent avoir des versions capables de décoller d'un porte-avion dépourvu de catapultes.
Depuis quelques années, l'objectif recherché était la furtivité, c'est-à-dire la possibilité d'échapper aux radars dont sont dotés les divers objectifs envisageable. Mais le progrès constant de ceux-ci rendent la furtivité pratiquement impossible à acquérir en totalité. C'est dorénavant, en dehors des aptitudes au combat rapproché aérien, la capacité d'emporter des missiles de plus en plus perfectionnés mais aussi de plus en plus lourds qui paraît aujourd'hui primer.
Les Etats-Unis ont traditionnellement dominé le domaine, avec notamment le Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, diffusé à des centaines d'exemplaires. Depuis une dizaine d'années, ils avaient envisagé de les remplacer par des Lockheed Martin F 35 dits aussi JSF, pour Joint Strike Fighter. Mais les déboires à peine croyables qu'ils ont enregistrés dans le déroulement de ce programme, estimé au minimum à $1.500 milliards, font qu'ils redonnent d'importantes perspectives aux F-22 Raptor. Rappelons qu'Israël, seul Etat ayant pris le risque de mettre en service opérationnel des F-35 du type Adir, ne semble pas prête à les utiliser contre des batteries de S 300 russes en Syrie, même lorsqu'ils seront pris en mains par des Syriens.
La Russie n'a jamais voulu se laisser distancer de façon importante par les Etats-Unis dans ce domaine. De nombreuses générations d'avions de combat avaient été développées depuis le début de la guerre froide. Pour un proche avenir, ce sera le Sukhoi Su-57 qui devrait prendre le relais de l'actuel Su-35. Le Su-57 a même été qualifié d'appareil de 6e génération. Mais en ce domaine ce sont les essais réussis qui comptent plus que les mots.
La Chine qui jusqu'à présent s'était satisfaite de modèles directement inspirés par leurs homologues russes, a développé dans le plus grand secret et vient de présenter au public un appareil dit entièrement chinois, le Chengdu J-20. Elle comptera principalement sur lui pour se doter de la supériorité aérienne dans le Pacifique sud.
Rappelons que la France dispose depuis plusieurs années du Dassault Rafale dont des versions successives sont régulièrement présentées. Dit parfois comme le meilleur avion de combat du monde, celui-ci devrait en tous cas être susceptible de s'opposer dans la pllupart des cas aux avions américains, russes et chinois.
Quant à l'Inde, elle n'a pas encore essayé de se doter d'une gamme propre. Aujourd'hui elle a commandé une petite série de Rafales, qui pourraient à l'avenir être construits sous licence en Inde. Mais elle réfléchit également à la perspective d'acquérir des appareils russes du type Sukhoi.
Israël serait très demandeur d'avions proprement israéliens ? Mais le pays vu le coût du programme compte aujourd'hui sur des appareils américains, qui ne semblent pourtant pas donner de grandes satisfactions.
Rappelons qu'aux Etats-Unis comme en France, la fabrication des avions ou des pièces détachées est très largement décentralisée dans des pays-tiers. Mais cela n'est pas sans risques. En est témoin le fait que, selon une source iranienne, les Américains se découvrent aujourd'hui très dépendants de la Turquie, avec laquelle ils ne sont pas dans les meilleurs termes, pour la fabrication des F-35
Références
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-22_Raptor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-57
http://parstoday.com/fr/news/world-i68520-le_su_57_6e_g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ration_arrive!
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengdu_J-20
http://parstoday.com/fr/news/world-i71450-f_35_la_surprise_turque_pour_les_usa
http://www.myzone59.com/f-35-jsf-le-cout-estime-du-programme-atteint-les-1-510-milliards-de-dollars/
April 4, 2023 | International, Naval, C4ISR
The service said that, following the success of Task Force 59 in the Middle East, it would bring unmanned and AI operations to Central and South America.
August 14, 2019 | International, Aerospace
By: Kelsey D. Atherton The “passenger drone” is a flying contradiction. It is an autonomous vehicle, with a human inside. Current language has yet to capture this disparity — the weird balance between terms indicating that no human, not even a pilot, is onboard, and the fact that this is a robot people step inside and which then transports them. Regardless of the terminology, the whole category of machine is fascinating: what could people do with autonomous robots they can ride? On Aug. 4, 2019, Japan's NEC Corp demonstrated its autonomous flying passenger vehicle. With three wheels and four rotors, the craft is informally dubbed a flying car, though like most autonomous flying passenger vehicles it most closely resembles an oversized quadcopter. Long promised by science fiction and technologists alike, flying cars have yet to become a part of daily life. Yet there's something compelling about the drive, and modern attempts can inform what this new avenue for mobility might actually look like. While the vehicles are primarily designed for urban and commercial markets, any advance in vertical mobility in that space is worth watching for military planners. Taking advantage of commercially driven developments could subsidize new military machines, and it's not inconceivable that, if the technology becomes as prevalent as its designers hope, we could see versions modified like Hi-Luxes to become improvised weapons of future urban warfare. The most significant development in modern car-sized flying autonomous vehicles is the use of rotors or ducted fans for vertical takeoff and landing. Winged cars, a few of which have been developed, are clunky beasts, awkward on roads and in the air alike. VTOL, though, allows a vehicle like this to operate from helipads or even smaller areas, and to land where people might actually want to go. Freed from the runways and hassles of an airport, VTOL taxis could, for a certain set of extraordinarily well-off commuter, bypass rush-hour traffic. It's a promise that has attracted investment and development from companies like Uber and Bell, as well as multiple others. While the promise of carrying a person remains the distant dream of such machines, the easier-to-realize more immediate reality will be cargo and logistics, with the possibility of maybe evacuating a human in a pinch. The chief advantage offered by the car-sized vehicles over jetpacks, hoverbikes, jet bikes and flying boards is the stability and interior offered by the larger size. The technologies that enable vehicles like this are largely the same ones that enable drones at smaller and larger scales. Remote direction, autonomous stabilization, powerful batteries, the ability to maneuver in vertical space and potentially operate in cities, all of this could create a vehicle that provides a capability the commanders of the 2030s, who grew up with drones, might want in a machine. There is still much work to be done to transform the prototypes from experiments to useful machines. That there are multiple companies on multiple continents pursuing it should be a promising sign for the industry as a whole, and for any military designers looking to piggyback on a drone-like flying car into a new urban battle machine. https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2019/08/08/this-flying-taxi-drone-could-inspire-new-technicals/
July 8, 2019 | International, Other Defence
By: Diana Stancy Correll Next month, an aircrew at Keesler Air Force Base is employing new anti-smoke goggles that resemble those used by firefighters. The goggles, intended for the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, have three main components rather than four so that the aircrew can gear up faster. Unlike the older equipment that was used for more than 20 years, the new goggles and the accompanying oxygen mask are designed so they are put on simultaneously. “The ones that we are replacing have the same basic frame, but the goggles and the oxygen mask are two separate pieces,” Tech. Sgt. Ronald Patton, 403rd Operation Support Squadron aircrew flight equipment craftsman, said in a news release Thursday about the older version. “Before, you would need to put the oxygen mask over your mouth and nose, then pull the frame up and place the nape pad at the back of your head. Once that was in place you would put the goggles on and pull the straps on both sides to tighten them.” The new masks were bear similarities to the masks utilized by firefighters and provide a greater field of view, according to Master Sgt. Ray Reynold, 403rd OSS aircrew flight equipment supervisor. Although there were no issues with the older goggles, Patton said that the new ones will enhance the aircrew's performance. “It is not that the old ASGs were replaced because they were faulty, they worked exactly as they were designed to," he said. “It seems like they just needed to improve on the integrity of the system itself.” Designers, said Patton, considered several questions before coming up with the new goggles. Will it operate better under stressful situations? Will it be easier to repair if it does break? Does it have as many subcomponents that can break? Does the aircrew member find it easier to don, and can the aircrew operate better in the environment? The aircrew will start using the new goggles in the middle of August once the inspection cycles conclude. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/07/05/keesler-rolls-out-new-anti-smoke-goggles-inspired-by-firefighters-masks/