June 26, 2020 | International, Aerospace

The F-35 Will Give Poland A More Advanced Air Force Than Some Major NATO Allies

June 24, 2020 - This past January, the Polish government took the bold step to acquire thirty-two F-35A Joint Strike Fighters (JSF). Poland is becoming a major player in NATO. It is working to modernize its air, sea and land forces. It is also forging closer relations with the United States, hosting U.S. forces, allowing the prepositioning of military equipment, and working to improve interoperability. By making the decision to buy the F-35, Poland will leap ahead of a number of its European allies, most notably France and Germany, and enter the elite group of countries operating fifth- generation aircraft.

The F-35 will not only be America's premier fifth generation fighter, but the world's. From its inception, the JSF was going to be an international fighter. The F-35 Consortium, consisting of the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Norway, Denmark, and until recently Turkey, contributed more than $4 billion towards the program's development costs. The aerospace industries in each of these countries also contributed critical technologies. Current estimates for international purchases are between 600 and 700 JSFs.

If all the NATO members currently planning to acquire the JSF fulfill their commitments, the F-35 will constitute NATO's single biggest fighter fleet, ahead of the Franco-German-British Eurofighter. This will provide a major boost to air power interoperability for the Alliance.

The move from the current fourth-generation platforms to fifth-generation is both inevitable and urgent. There is a general consensus that fourth-generation aircraft have decreasing survivability in the face of advanced, integrated air-defense networks. Efforts to sustain the ability of older aircraft to penetrate increasing lethal defenses will require larger force packages and the extensive use of scarce support assets, such as airborne jammers. Given that NATO air forces will also be fighting outnumbered, with their infrastructure under continuous attack from long-range-fire systems, this is a losing proposition.

The F-35 will inevitably become the centerpiece of NATO's air capability. Fifth-generation aircraft with low-observable features, commonly referred to as “stealthiness,” and an array of advanced sensors are able not only to counter advanced air defenses, thereby restoring the West's erstwhile advantage in the air, but improve the performance and survivability of fourth-generation aerial platforms. Employing its sophisticated suite of sensors, the JSF can pass high-quality, near-real-time targeting information to fourth-generation platforms operating at a distance from high-threat air defenses. In addition, with its revolutionary array of sensors and computers, the F-35 can serve as both a penetrating ISR and stand-in electronic warfare platform.

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September 24, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval

First test flight for Boeing MQ-25
Boeing and the U.S. Navy on September 19 completed the first test flight of the MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueler. Designated as T1, the MQ-25 test asset completed an autonomous two-hour flight under the direction of Boeing test pilots operating from a ground control station at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., where the test program is based. The aircraft completed an autonomous taxi and takeoff and then flew a pre-determined route to validate the aircraft's basic flight functions and operations with the ground control station. “Seeing MQ-25 in the sky is a testament to our Boeing and Navy team working the technology, systems and processes that are helping get MQ-25 to the carrier,” said Boeing MQ-25 program director Dave Bujold. “This aircraft and its flight test program ensures we're delivering the MQ-25 to the carrier fleet with the safety, reliability and capability the U.S. Navy needs to conduct its vital mission.” The Boeing-owned test asset is a predecessor to the engineering development model (EDM) aircraft and is being used for what the company describes as early learning and discovery to meet the goals of the U.S. Navy's accelerated acquisition program. Boeing will produce four EDM MQ-25 air vehicles for the U.S. Navy under an US$805 million ($1.1 billion) contract awarded in August 2018. Boeing receives $805M MQ-25 contract Boeing explains the MQ-25 will provide the Navy with a much-needed carrier-based unmanned aerial refueling capability, which will allow for better use of the combat strike fighters currently performing the tanking role. It will also extend the range of the carrier air wing. “Today's flight is an exciting and significant milestone for our program and the Navy,” said the Navy's Unmanned Carrier Aviation (PMA-268) Program Manager Capt. Chad Reed. “The flight of this test asset two years before our first MQ-25 arrives represents the first big step in a series of early learning opportunities that are helping us progress toward delivery of a game-changing capability for the carrier air wing and strike group commanders.” The Navy expects the first four MQ-25s to reach operational capability on carrier decks in 2024. After this contract is complete, covering the design and production of the four MQ-25 airframes for testing, the Navy plans to buy 72 more vehicles with a total program cost of about US$13 billion ($17 billion). Héroux-Devtek to supply landing gear for Boeing MQ-25 Stingray In April 2019, Héroux-Devtek Inc. of Longueuil, Québec, was awarded a contract by Boeing to supply the complete landing gear system for the MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueling program. T1 received its experimental airworthiness certificate from the FAA in September, verifying that the air vehicle meets the agency's requirements for safe flight. https://www.wingsmagazine.com/first-test-flight-for-boeing-mq-25
February 13, 2019 | International, C4ISR, Security

New NATO hub will gather the Alliance's cyber defenders
Cyber defenders from across the Alliance have a new community where they can exchange information, share best practices and work together in an encrypted workspace with secure video, voice, chat and information gathering capabilities. The community was launched today (12 February 2019) by the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA). Computer emergency response teams from five countries are already connected to NATO's protected business network: Belgium, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States. Access to the network will roll out to all 29 Nations later this year. The launch of the cyber defenders' community is the first step toward the creation of an information hub for Allies, called the Cyber Security Collaboration Hub. This initiative was announced last year by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who said that one of NATO's key roles in cyber space is “to act as a hub for information sharing, training and expertise”. The future hub will not require additional funds or staff, or changes in policy. The collaboration is facilitated through existing Memorandums of Understanding with NATO Nations. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_163358.htm?selectedLocale=en
April 6, 2021 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

La DGA teste l’intégration du viseur de casque Scorpion au Rafale F4
La DGA a réalisé, fin janvier 2021, sur le site de Cazaux (Gironde), des essais en vol du viseur de casque Scorpion développé par Thales, afin de vérifier sa compatibilité avec l'évacuation en parachute d'un pilote de Rafale. Cette campagne d'essais s'inscrit dans la démarche d'intégration de cet équipement sur le Rafale au standard F4. Les essais de compatibilité évacuation parachute, menés avant les premiers vols sur Rafale, reproduisent toutes les phases de sauvetage et de survie du pilote, depuis son éjection de l'avion jusqu'à sa survie en milieu aquatique. Ces essais permettent de valider que le nouvel équipement n'entrave pas la sécurité et les opérations de sauvetage du pilote. « Initialement développé pour le combattant terrestre, le viseur de casque Scorpion est parfaitement adapté à l'usage sur Rafale. Son écran couleur est utilisable de jour comme de nuit », précise la DGA. Air & Cosmos du 6 avril

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