China to show off its new electronic-attack jet

On the same subject

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  January 15, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  France orders upgraded Rafale warplanes for $2.3 billion

  By: Christina Mackenzie PARIS — The French government today signed a €2 billion contract with Dassault Aviation for 28 Rafale aircraft and gave the go-ahead for development of the aircraft's F4 standard which should be validated by 2024, although some functions will be ready by 2022. The 28 aircraft will include some F4 functionalities and be delivered to the French air force from 2023. Defense Minister Florence Parly announced that a further 30 aircraft at the full F4 standard would be ordered in 2023 for delivery between 2027 and 2030. The F4 standard will have upgraded radar sensors and front sector optronics as well as improved capabilities in the helmet-mounted display. It will have new weapons, notably MBDA's Mica NG air-to-air missile and 1,000 kg AASM air-to-ground modular weapon, be able to carry the new Scalp missiles and be equipped with the Talios multifunction optronic pod made by Thales. The Rafale F4 will feature novel connectivity solutions to improve the aircraft's effectiveness in network-centric warfare. “We'll be able to receive more data, strengthen our data rate, talk, receive, notably thanks to satellite communication and software defined radio: the Rafale F4 will move even further into the era of data,” Parly said at the Dassault factory in Mérignac near Bordeaux. “The F4 standard guarantees that Rafale will remain at world-class level so that our combat air forces can carry out all their missions with optimum efficiency, whether in coalition operations or completely independently, as required by the French nuclear deterrent,” said Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation. He added that “this new standard also guarantees that Rafale will remain a credible reference on the export market.” The F1 standard was specific to the first aircraft for the French Navy. The F2 standard gave it air-to-ground and air-to-air capaiblities, while the F3 and F3R gave it extended versatility. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/01/14/france-orders-upgraded-rafale-warplanes-for-23-billion

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  August 10, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  US Air Force tests electronic warfare capabilities with fighter, recon and bomber aircraft

  Mark Pomerleau WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force has concluded a two-day, $1.4 million exercise that evaluated the F-35 fighter jet's ability to provide its electronic warfare capabilities to other stealthy reconnaissance and bombing platforms. The event, which took place Aug. 4-6 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, tested the ability for the F-35 to provide Suppression of Enemy Air Defense, or SEAD, support for other stealthy platforms such as the B-2 and the RQ-170 reconnaissance drone, according to an Aug. 6 news release from the Air Force. Maj. Theodore Ellis, chief of 53rd Wing Weapons, said the exercise focused on demonstrating stealth platform effectiveness against advanced threats using emerging technology and capitalizing on joint capabilities. Other platforms that participated included the F-22, the F-15 and the Navy's E/A-18G aircraft. Some aspects of the scenario tested these fourth- and fifth-generation platforms' joint and coalition SEAD integration. Other scenarios focused on how the latest fourth-gen electronic capabilities could increase fifth-gen freedom of maneuver, and vice versa, in contested environments, the Air Force said. U.S. adversaries over the past several years have developed advanced radars to detect incoming aircraft, pairing them with long-range missiles that in many cases outgun U.S. military weapons. The event allowed the Air Force to explore the integration of tactics, techniques and procedures that have never been tested together. “Through events like these, we continue to improve our joint 4th and 5th generation tactics, which enhances our abilities in an advanced threat environment,” Ellis said. Events like this are the prime movers to test and evaluate emerging capabilities and technologies — as opposed to training and readiness — with an operationally realistic scenario. “The investment and trust in our team allowed the 53 Wing to evaluate the interoperability of leading-edge capabilities and develop [tactics, techniques and procedures] that will ultimately strengthen our nation's air dominance,” said Col. Bill Creeden, commander of the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group. “We fight as an integrated force which means we need to test and evaluate our latest capabilities as an integrated force. Put simply, our job is to inform, develop, and deliver, from idea to premeditated violence, an integrated tactical advantage to the Combat Air Force for both tonight, and tomorrow's potential fight. [Large Force Test Events] are a primary enabling effort to make this happen.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/electronic-warfare/2020/08/07/us-air-force-tests-electronic-warfare-capabilities-with-fighter-recon-and-bomber-aircraft/

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  June 20, 2018 | International, Aerospace

  Pentagone : La Turquie recevra des avions F-35 jeudi

  Le porte-parole du Pentagone, Mike Andrews, a déclaré que la cérémonie d'inauguration se tiendra au Fort de Lockheed au Texas, comme prévu le 21 juin. Les Etats-Unis s'apprêtent à livrer le premier lot de deux avions de chasse F-35 à la Turquie lors d'une cérémonie qui se tiendra jeudi au Texas, malgré l'adoption par le Sénat d'un projet de loi bloquant la livraison, a annoncé mercredi le Pentagone. Dans son communiqué, le porte-parole du Pentagone, Mike Andrews, a annoncé que la cérémonie d'inauguration se déroulerait au Fort Lockheed, au Texas, le 21 juin, en précisant que les deux avions de combat F-35 seraient transférés à Luke Airforce Base, en Arizona où des pilotes turcs devraient recevoir une formation sur le pilotage des jets tout au long de 2019. Au total, 12 pays ont participé au programme de fabrication de F-35. Parmi les neuf pays qui ont participé au développement conjoint de l'avion de combat, tous les États ont déjà commencé à recevoir les avions à réaction F-35 à l'exception de la Turquie, du Canada et du Danemark. Le Sénat américain a adopté lundi dernier un projet de loi sur la politique de défense d'un montant de 716 milliards de dollars, bloquant ainsi la livraison d'avions de combat interarmées F-35 à la Turquie. Le projet de loi affirmait que l'achat du système de missiles S-400 en provenance de Russie augmentait les tensions et les risques pour l'alliance de l'OTAN. Il exige également la libération du pasteur américain Andrew Brunson, qui fait face à des accusations de terrorisme en Turquie. Avant de pouvoir être légiféré, le projet de loi doit être concilié avec celui déjà adopté par la Chambre des représentants. Cette mesure de compromis doit ensuite être adoptée par les deux chambres et signée par Trump. https://www.redaction.media/articles/pentagone-turquie-recevra-avions-f-35-jeudi/