June 3, 2020 | International, Aerospace

Eurofighter: flight tests continue with the E-SCAN radar

May 29, 2020 - A Eurofighter flight test campaign dedicated to the configuration chosen by Kuwait, with E-SCAN radar and other important enhancements, is certainly demanding and complex. Mario Mutti, Head of Project Test Pilot Fighters and Standardization of Leonardo's Aircraft Division, tells us how it is proceeding.

Leonardo ISPA 6 (Instrumented Series Production Aircraft) is the most advanced Eurofighter Typhoon test aircraft with E-SCAN radar and it recently joined the other EF Typhoon test aircraft after the successful completion of an important lay-up in November last year.

"The testing campaign for the new radar is particularly demanding - Mario Mutti, Head of Project Test Pilot Fighters and Standardization of Leonardo's Aircraft Division tells - there is a need for very large and dedicated work areas, the support of other aircraft that act as "smart" targets, an extremely accurate post-flight data analysis that involves multiple sites (in Italy and partner Countries) and optimizes the "set-ups" of the next flight. A very complex flight test system. The Italian Air Force contributes in a fundamental way: the aircraft available in support of test flights are always on time and offer a very consistent capability both quantitative and in terms of skill. The complex scenarios planned in flight are possible only thanks to the experience of the military pilots and our two-seater prototype that allows for synergy, even in the cockpit, between test pilot and flight test engineer."

This challenging programme was completed as planned notwithstanding the difficulties created by the pandemic conditions under which the teams were operating; all flight test points were tested and all the required evidences obtained to provide final clearance on Kuwait's Typhoon. The tactical advantage given by the radar's Antenna Repositioner – allows a field of regard 50 per cent wider than conventional E-SCAN fixed plate systems - was clearly evident since the early stages of development.

"The COVID emergency did not stop us, on the contrary, it strengthened us! - Mutti continues - Very stringent procedures, always in line with national and corporate protocols allowed us to operate with a motivated team that has challenged adversity with great dedication and sense of responsibility. International sharing is actually more difficult and efforts are being made to restore it to maximum effectiveness."

With the above flights, ISPA6 has completed the overall P3Eb Flight Test campaign, which represent a significant step forward to allow the delivery of the Eurofighter to the Kuwait Air Force.

"The Eurofighter is always an excellent platform – Mutti comments with satisfaction - and demonstrates its extensive development capability already foreseen in the design phase. Ergonomics are even more optimized and the new radar is perfectly integrated into a general growth of capabilities that includes sensors, weapons and increasingly advanced and performing functions”.

The Eurofighter Typhoon ISPA 6

ISPA 6 is one of the three EF Typhoon test aircraft equipped with the Electronic Scan Radar made by the EuroRadar Consortium, led by Leonardo UK in Edinburgh, and it's currently allocated to the EF/NETMA P3Eb (Eurofighter Consortium/NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency - Phase 3 Enhancements Package b) development programme to perform E-SCAN Entry Into Service flight tests and provide final clearance to the Kuwait customer.

After its first flight in the current configuration, at the end of last year, on the 3rd of March ISPA 6 started the so-called “E-SCAN XCR#1” flight test campaign and performed several sorties successfully concluded on the 27th of March. The first sorties were performed in cooperation with Leonardo's IPA2 (Instrumented Production Aircraft) test aircraft and the last ones were conducted in cooperation with Eurofighter Typhoons of the Italian Air Force.

Recently ISPA 6 has flown to refine ECCM (Electronic Counter-Countermeasures) Radar capabilities, while in the next months will perform final E-SCAN software release certification flights; then will progress flying to test further E-SCAN software capabilities by the end of the year.

View source version on Leonardo: https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/news-and-stories-detail/-/detail/eurofighter-flight-tests-continue-with-the-e-scan-radar

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January 19, 2021 | International, Aerospace

Aerovironment buys Arcturus UAV in $405M deal
By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — Aerovironment, a leading supplier of unmanned aircraft systems to the U.S. military, has purchased Arcturus UAV for $405 million. Arcturus is currently competing for a $1 billion Army contract to replace the Shadow tactical unmanned aircraft system. Arcturus, which was founded in 2004 in California, specializes in Group 2 and 3 UAS, which run the gamut between drones over 20 pounds and under roughly 1,300 pounds. Army units are evaluating Arcturus' Jump 20 UAS. The drone is competing against Martin UAV and Northrop Grumman's V-Bat, Textron's Aerosonde HQ, and L3Harris Technologies′ FVR-90. The Jump is a multimission, medium-endurance, vertical-takeoff-and-landing system that can become airborne independent of a runway. Arcturus also makes the T-20, a multimission, medium-endurance, catapult-launched system. The Army is moving toward a final request for proposals with its Future Tactical UAS program that will replace the Shadow UAS, so the sale of Arcturus to a much larger UAV company is timely. Aerovironment did not have a path to Group 3 UAS, and bringing Arcturus into the fold fills that gap. According to those following the industry, Aerovironment has products that, when integrated into Arcturus' capabilities, could make for attractive future systems. Being acquired by a larger company like Aerovironment would also help the company become a more serious contender in the Army competition by building up its manufacturing capability to radidly produce UAS in large quantities, which the Army would require if the Jump is selected. The total purchase price of the sale is a combined $355 million in cash and $50 million in Aerovironment stock, according to a Jan. 13 news release. Arcturus previously supplied UAS to U.S. Special Operations Command's $1.4 billion MEUAS III and IV programs, the release noted. “We are excited about the opportunities for value creation through our acquisition of Arcturus UAV, which will enable us to accelerate our growth strategy and expand our reach into the more valuable Group 2 and 3 UAS segments,” Wahid Nawabi, AeroVironment president and CEO, said in the statement. “Group 2 and 3 UAS and services, collectively, potentially represent more than one billion dollars in annual contract value, according to an independent forecast,” he added. “Combining our highly complementary products and technologies will enhance our portfolio, deliver top and bottom-line growth, and enable us to provide customers with a complete set of Group 1 through 3 UAS, tactical missile systems, high-altitude pseudo-satellites and unmanned ground vehicle solutions.” With Aerovironment, “we will have greater scale, expanded resources, cutting-edge technology and superior capabilities to meet the growing global demand for our products and solutions,” D'Milo Hallerberg, Arcturus UAV president and CEO, said in the statement. “We are confident that with AeroVironment, we can accelerate our growth as part of a larger, more diverse company and look forward to working closely with the team to complete this exciting transaction.” The transaction is expected to be complete by the final quarter of fiscal 2021, and Arcturus will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Aerovironment. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2021/01/15/aerovironment-buys-arcturus-uav-405m-deal/
April 24, 2024 | International, Aerospace

Here are the two companies creating drone wingmen for the US Air Force
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March 11, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

Coronavirus: AUSA Cancels Huntsville Conference
“This was a tough decision,” association president Carter Ham told Breaking Defense, but with over 6,000 people expected to gather in close quarters, “I am confident this is the right decision.” By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR. UPDATED with McConville, Jette, Quad-A statements WASHINGTON: The Association of the US Army has cancelled its annual winter conference in Huntsville, Ala. Scheduled for next week, the Global Force Symposium & Exhibition is the latest major event shut down as a precaution against the contagious COVID-19 coronavirus, which Army researchers have been mobilized to combat. The virus has shut down parts of the F-35 fighter supply chain and caused the Pentagon to restrict travel and implement social distancing measures. “Sydney, we have truly enjoyed having the Global Force Symposium and Exhibition in Huntsville over the past several years, so this was a tough decision,” retired Gen. Carter Ham, AUSA's president and CEO, told me in an email this morning. “Last year, about 6,400 people attended. But, out of concern for the health and safety of the expected attendees and exhibitors, I am confident this is the right decision.” UPDATED Army leaders scheduled to speak at the conference were quick to signal their support for AUSA. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/03/coronavirus-ausa-cancels-huntsville-conference

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Eurofighter: flight tests continue with the E-SCAN radar

On the same subject

Here are the two companies creating drone wingmen for the US Air Force The decision marks the service’s most significant step yet as it aims to create a series of drones using autonomous software to fly alongside piloted jets.

Here are the two companies creating drone wingmen for the US Air Force
The decision marks the service’s most significant step yet as it aims to create a series of drones using autonomous software to fly alongside piloted jets.