13 septembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial
By: Valerie Insinna
WASHINGTON — The two biggest manufacturers of military aircraft have been busy marketing new versions of their fighter jets to the U.S. Air Force, but the service's top official told Defense News in an exclusive interview that it's not actually interested in purchasing either of them at the current moment.
This summer, Defense One broke two major stories about sales pitches from Boeing, which is proposing an advanced version of the F-15 to the Air Force, and Lockheed Martin, which has been pushing a hybrid version of the F-22 Raptor and F-35 joint strike fighter similar to what it is reportedly offering Japan.
But just because those companies are offering new jets, doesn't mean that the Air Force wants them.
In an exclusive Sept. 5 interview, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said she believes the service needs to expend its precious financial resources on stealthy, fifth-generation platforms — specifically the F-35 — and thus buying even an advanced fourth generation fighter like the so-called F-15X is not in the cards.
"We are currently 80 percent fourth-gen aircraft and 20 percent fifth generation aircraft,” she said. "In any of the fights that we have been asked to plan for, more fifth gen aircraft make a huge difference, and we think that getting to 50-50 means not buying new fourth gen aircraft, it means continuing to increase the fifth generation.”
What about a new fifth generation plane that would combine the F-35 and F-22?
Wilson shut down that idea as well, saying that proposal "is not something we're currently considering.”
In a statement, a Lockheed spokesman said that the company was focused on the F-35 program but also looking into generational leaps in capability “to ensure our technology, including existing aircraft, remains a step ahead of advancing threats.”
Boeing declined to comment on this story.
The Air Force secretary's proclamations seem to pour cold water on both Lockheed and Boeing's sales pitches, but it is always possible that others inside the service are in favor of buying the F-15X and F-22/F-35 hybrid — and that they could continue making the case to Air Force leadership, potentially winning them over.
Sources that spoke to The War Zone said Boeing was in “very serious” talks with the Air Force over the F-15X, but that the service had shied away from making its interest public so as to not to derail it's number-one procurement priority, the F-35. Defense News has also heard from multiple sources that the Air Force has been in talks with Boeing over the F-15X for over a year, though it's unknown at what levels those conversations currently reside.
Experts who spoke with Defense News said it's very likely that the Air Force intends to keep its focus on ramping up F-35 production for the time being, but that alternative platforms could very well be considered in future years.
However, it is the F-22/F-35 hybrid, not the F-15X, that they believe stands a better chance of being adopted by the Air Force.
Defense One, which broke the story about Lockheed's hybrid offer, wrote that the proposed jet would involve taking the F-22 airframe and outfitting it with some of the F-35's more advanced mission systems, though some structural changes could also be involved.
“Every F-22 hybrid or derivative I've seen has been great,” said Rebecca Grant, a defense analyst with IRIS independent Research.
The Air Force is in great need of such a stealthy air superiority aircraft because it only procured 183 F-22s, she said. Its other plane that specializes in the air-to-air fight, the F-15C/D, was originally fielded in the 1970s.
Grant said she interprets Wilson's dismissal of the F-22/F-35 hybrid as a reflection of near-term requirements and priorities, noting that “job one is acquiring the F-35.” But in the future, that jet could be what the service decides it needs to contend with current and future threats.
David Deptula, the dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Power Studies and a retired Air Force lieutenant general, agreed that the service should continue buying F-35s for the time being.
However, the F-22/F-35 hybrid might be a good option for the service in the future, when it begins looking for a next-generation air superiority jet, which the Air Force has variously called Penetrating Counter Air and Next Generation Air Dominance.
12 décembre 2023 | International, Terrestre
U.S. defense contractor L3Harris said on Tuesday it would suspend its merger and acquisition activity for the "foreseeable future" to strengthen balance sheet and forecast full-year revenue above analysts' estimates.
10 novembre 2021 | International, Terrestre, C4ISR
Reports have surmised the system will be for the Green Line in Cyprus, which divides the island between the Turkish-administered northern part and the government of Cyprus.
26 juin 2019 | International, Autre défense
WINTER SPRINGS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), Joint Project Manager for Medical Modeling and Simulation (JPM MMS) has awarded Advanced IT Concepts (AITC) with a contract to support the relocation and outfitting of the ACME Training Facility at NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ), Mons, Belgium. AITC is a certified 8(a) small business systems integration and information technology (IT) firm that provides solutions and services, such as training and simulation support to the federal government and public sector markets. The ACME Training Facility will be enhancing their training capability by expanding their physical footprint and providing simulation that tightly replicates the different battlefield environments and medical evacuation platforms, in which medical training could be performed. AITC will procure, install, integrate and operate the Medical Training Command and Control (MT-C2) system software, leveraged as Government Owned Training Software (GOTS), with Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) hardware, defined in the MT-C2 Technical Data Package (TDP) as designed for the Medical Simulation Training Centers (MSTCs). AITC teamed with Design Interactive (DI) to provide an optional C130 medical simulator at the ACME Training Facility since DI specializes in building adaptive training systems and user interfaces. Additionally, DI and AITC have an existing partnership at the Transport Medical Training Laboratory (TMTL) in San Antonio, Texas, where they developed the helicopter medical simulation and AITC is operating and maintaining the training systems. “AITC's experience at TMTL and delivery of IT solutions, system support and training operations provides the experience and collaboration capabilities necessary to deliver an innovative and adaptable solution to facilitate an effective medical training operations environment for the NATO Allied Center for Medical Excellence,” says Gabe Ruiz, CEO and President of AITC. “We are pleased and humbled to have been selected by PEO STRI for this effort.” “AITC will deliver a high level of infrastructure management, system test and implementation, logistics and instructor training support to enhance the ACME Training Facility at the NATO ACME Special Operations Headquarters, in Mons, Belgium,” says David Balleweg, AITC's Director of Sales and Marketing. About Advanced IT Concepts (AITC): AITC is an 8a minority and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business founded by former military information technology (IT) professionals. AITC assists government and private sector customers through systems design, engineering, test, integration and implementation of innovative solutions that draw upon information technology solutions in network, security, training, collaboration, communications, logistics and infrastructure, as well as program and project management, deployment, operations and maintenance services. Visit www.aitcinc.com or contact Christa Santos at christa.santos@aitcinc.com for more information. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190625005702/en