2 novembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial
By: Mike Yeo
MELBOURNE, Australia — Japan has named Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as the prime contractor to build its next-generation fighter jet, with the Defense Ministry announcing earlier Friday that it signed a contract with the company.
“We will steadily proceed with the development of the next fighter (F-X) together with the company,” the ministry said in a brief statement posted on it website.
Local media is reporting Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said the country will select an overseas partner by the end of this year for collaboration on aircraft technology, with stealth technology being one area of focus.
The selection of MHI as the prime contractor for the F-X program comes as little surprise, given Japan was determined to restart its indigenous fighter aircraft capabilities. The company is the only one in Japan with experience in this area. The firm took the 21st spot on Defense News' most recent ranking of the top 100 defense companies in the world.
Reuters previously reported the contract for the aircraft is worth up to $40 billion. Defense News emailed the Defense Ministry's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency for an update on the contract value but did not receive a response by press time.
The Defense Ministry is also seeking more funding for F-X research and development in its latest budget request submitted to the country's Finance Ministry in late September. The Defense Ministry requested $555.8 million for the main program and an additional $113.6 million for R&D of fighter subsystems, such as radars and mission systems integration.
The funding will allow Japan to continue its R&D work into fighter technology, which it has kept up over the past decade despite the end of production on the Mitsubishi F-2 fighter jet and the decision to buy the Lockheed Martin F-35.
Work the country plans to continue includes the development and refinement of stealth designs and materials, active electronically scanned array radars, and afterburning turbofan engines. Toward that end, local engine manufacturer IHI is expected to continue work on its XF9-1 afterburning turbofan.
Japan conducted a series of test flights of a locally designed and built fighter technology demonstrator from 2016 to 2018 to validate its work. The country used the data gleaned from the test program to further refine its indigenous capabilities.
The ministry previously said it wants to launch the basic design process for the F-X airframe and engine before the end of the current Japanese fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2021. This would be followed by the production of the first prototype, which is planned to begin in 2024, with flight tests earmarked to start in 2028 following finalization of the design and production plans.
Japan plans to replace its fleet of approximately 90 F-2 jets with the new fighter jet starting around 2035. The F-2 was developed in conjunction with Lockheed in the 1990s, and resembles a larger version of the American company's F-16 multirole fighter but is primarily equipped with indigenous systems.
Japan also plans to acquire 147 F-35s, which will include 42 of the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variants. That version, the F-35B, will operate from a pair of helicopter destroyers currently undergoing modifications to handle the jet.
Japan also recently selected Boeing to upgrade 98 of its license-built Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle interceptors that will see the jets fitted with newer radars and integrated with standoff land-attack missiles.
17 octobre 2023 | International, Aérospatial
High-level bureaucrats on Tuesday provided an update on the government’s acquisition of a new fleet to replace its aging CP-140s, which has come under fire amidst rumours the feds are considering directly awarding the contract to Boeing.
15 novembre 2017 | International, Aérospatial
Montreal, November 14, 2017 – Discovery Air Defence Services Inc. (“DA Defence”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Discovery Air Inc., today announced that it has now flown its first fast jet training mission in support of the Australian Defence Force's Fast Jet Trial contract. Two DA Defence upgraded Alpha Jets and four Air Affairs Learjets participated in air-to-air missions as Red Air aggressors near RAAF Williamtown, New South Wales. The jets were participating in the Royal Australian Air Force 81 Wing workups for future exercises. “This inaugural fast jet mission is a great milestone for everyone involved in our new Australian program,” said Steven “Bunt” Nierlich, DA Defence Program Manager and a highly-experienced former CF-18 pilot. “Discovery Air Defence and Air Affairs Australia are committed to delivering the world's best adversary training to the Australian Defence Force.” “This mission marks the achievement of initial operating capability (IOC) in our Australian fast jet program,” said Paul Bouchard, President of DA Defence. “Working closely with our partner Air Affairs Australia, also an expert in providing both jet and unmanned target services, we look forward to training the Australian Defence Force with highly-representative adversary threats beyond this trial and into the future.” DA Defence is the most experienced provider of turnkey tactical airborne training in the world. With eight Main Operating Bases across three continents, DA Defence operates the world's largest privately-owned fleet of aggressor and combat support aircraft. With an unparalleled safety record, including 66,000 accident-free flight hours, DA Defence, along with their wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, Top Aces Corp., is the exclusive contracted airborne training service provider to the Canadian, German, and Australian armed forces. DA Defence's unique mix of modern fighter and special mission aircraft equipped with representative 4th generation threat capabilities delivers the mission profiles, flexibility, and availability demanded by the world's leading air forces. About DA Defence and Discovery Air DA Defence and its U.S. subsidiary, Top Aces Corp., have the world's largest privately-held operating fleet of fighter aircraft. The training provided supports the operational readiness of both current and future generation fighter aircraft. Discover more on how DA Defence is changing the face of air combat training at experiencematters.ca. #CdnInnovation #AeroInnovates Discovery Air Inc. is a global leader in specialty aviation services. We deliver exceptional air combat training; medevac equipped aircraft services; air charter services; helicopter operations; and transport and logistics support to ensure operational readiness, health, safety, and vital lifelines for our clients and the communities we serve. Discovery Air's unsecured convertible debentures trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbol DA.DB.A). For Further Information: Garrick Ngai Director of Marketing Garrick.Ngai@discoveryair.com 514-694-5565 http://www.discoveryair-ds.com/page?a=2082&lang=fr-CA
1 février 2022 | International, C4ISR
The new machine learning system developed by Raytheon BBN Technologies in partnership with the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity allows English-speaking users to search foreign documents and speech without knowing the language.