March 27, 2024 | International, Land
Politicians lament spending reductions during a war in Europe, while the government says the numbers are trending up.
March 11, 2022 | International, Aerospace
Advanced Communications and Electronics Systems Co. signed an agreement with China Electronics Technology Group Corp., with the two companies announcing their tie-up during the World Defense Show in Riyadh.
December 7, 2018 | International, Aerospace
By: Mike Yeo TOKYO — Japan is pushing ahead with research and development into advanced fighter jet technology, despite uncertainty over its acquisition strategy for a next-generation fighter and questions about the degree to which Japanese industry will be involved in the program. These technologies include a new fighter engine, thrust vectoring control, stealth shaping for low observability as well as the weapons carriage and release mechanism for internal weapons bays, according to representatives from Japan's Acquisition, Technical and Logistics Agency, or ATLA, who spoke at the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition in Tokyo, which ended Nov. 30. Several of these technologies were fitted on the Mitsubishi X-2, a technology demonstrator built by the Japanese and used to test and validate several of these features. Since then Japan has continued development work on the 15-ton thrust XF-9 afterburning turbofan. That turbofan displayed an improvement up to 70 percent during the time it took to spool up to full thrust from idle, when compared to the earlier XF-5 used by the X-2, said Lt. Gen. Hiroaki Uchimura, director general of aerial systems at ATLA. Japan is also working on an advanced active electronically scanned array radar, as well as manufacturing techniques to reduce or eliminate the need for fasteners in aircraft structures. Neither feature found its way to the X-2, but work continues on both fronts, with the radar having been tested in the laboratory and slated for flight tests onboard a Mitsubishi F-2 fighter jet test bed. The continuing R&D effort is reflected in the budget requests the Ministry of Defense made for next fiscal year, which begins in April 2019. This includes $194.6 million for research into fighter “mission system integration studies and manned-unmanned aircraft teaming technology,” and is on top of the $1.7 billion Japan has invested in fighter research since 2009. That first figure is also more than 10 times the amount spent on R&D for Japan's Mitsubishi F-2 fighter, according to Uchimura. Japan's next-generation fighter will replace the F-2 around the mid-2030s, and both Uchimura and ATLA Commissioner Nobuaki Miyama, who spoke at different conference sessions at the aerospace exhibition, touched on five critical attributes for Japan's next fighter program. These include its ability to secure air superiority over potential adversaries; the ease of upgrading as new technologies emerge; the latitude to domestically perform upgrades and sustainment without requiring overseas approval; the level of involvement of local industries in performing those upgrades and sustainment; and the need for the fighter and program as a whole to have a “realistic and feasible” cost. Japan is currently studying several different procurement strategies for its next-generation fighter, including a wholly domestically developed and manufactured design, an international collaboration, or what it calls a “spinoff” development of an existing design. Japan and the United Kingdom have agreed to exchange information with each other for their respective fighter programs. Reuters previously reported that both Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman responded to Japan's request for information on potential fighter offerings, with the former said to have an “F-22/F-35 hybrid” in mind. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/japan-aerospace/2018/11/30/japanese-acquisition-officials-reveal-next-steps-in-search-for-advanced-fighter-jet
September 3, 2019 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
By: Stephen Losey Fourteen students graduated Thursday from the Air Force's Pilot Training Next program, which includes using virtual reality systems to teach aspiring aviators to fly. The latest class, which is the second iteration of Pilot Training Next and began this January, included some students from the U.S. Navy and the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force. In a Thursday release, the Air Force said the graduates include two Air National Guardsmen who were selected to fly airframes including the F-35 Lightning II, the F-15E Strike Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the C-17 Globemaster III, the B-2 Spirit, and others. The two Navy graduates will fly the T-45A Goshawk, and the lone RAF graduate will fly the Typhoon. “It definitely made the process more difficult having to push through burgeoning technology, but I am glad that I could be a part of the development process towards a more efficient and thorough version of learning for the future,” said 2nd Lt. Aaron Sless, a distinguished graduate of the program and winner of the Warrior Award, who is slated to become an F-35 pilot. “I am excited to see how PTN progresses technology and learning in the future and how it will be applied to undergraduate pilot training, and the Air Force at large.” Air Force Recruiting Service Commander Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, who made history as the Air Force's first female fighter pilot, said at the graduation that the students represent the future of aviation and are on the “leading edge” of a new way to learn to fly. “The fact is, we are looking at a whole new way of learning in a non-standard way from the Air Force perspective,” Leavitt said. “Remember, dream big, be bold and learn to take calculated risk.” Pilot Training Next uses advanced biometrics, artificial intelligence and virtual reality systems to try to find ways to streamline how the Air Force trains new pilots. The program uses off-the-shelf VIVE Pro VR headsets and stations with sticks, throttles and other equipment to simulate virtual cockpit and practice maneuvers. The AI tracks students' biometrics, including stress, to tailor the simulation environment and train them most efficiently. The program also includes time flying actual aircraft. The Air Force's first PTN class began in April 2018 in the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Austin, Texas. In May, the program moved to Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas. The third class is scheduled to begin in January, the Air Force said. The Air Force eventually wants similar VR training programs to more efficiently teach airmen to be maintainers or go through other technical training programs. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/08/30/virtual-reality-pilot-training-program-graduates-latest-class-including-brits