Raytheon Technologies to train Afghan Air Force pilots

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  2 août 2018 | International, Naval

  Failure of Two Ships to Participate in RIMPAC Highlight Amphibious Readiness Gap

  By: Sam LaGrone and Megan Eckstein THE PENTAGON — The two U.S. amphibious warships that were planned to be central to the Rim of the Pacific 2018 exercises were unable to fully participate in the event due to mechanical failures that highlight continued readiness problems with the Navy's amphibious fleet. The amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) was set to lead the amphibious portion of the Rim of the Pacific 2018 exercise, but it spent the second half of the exercise tied to a pier in Pearl Harbor. USS Boxer (LHD-4) was set to be a key platform in Southern California RIMPAC SOCAL but was sidelined before the exercise. In December, half of the Navy's 31 amphibious ships were in maintenance as a result of short-term spending bills and irregular funding, Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy (OPNAV N3/N5), said at a House Armed Services readiness subcommittee hearing. Bonhomme Richard was set to be the command ship for the exercise's maritime component commander, Chilean Navy Commodore Pablo Niemann Figari. However, partway through the exercise the ship suffered a propulsion casualty and came back to port, USNI News understands. Niemann, his staff and the ship's company still participated in the exercise from the pier, USNI News understands. “USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) is currently in port Pearl Harbor and is participating in RIMPAC 2018,” reads a U.S. 3rd Fleet statement to USNI News this week. Officials would not elaborate on why the ship was not underway. Full article: https://news.usni.org/2018/08/01/failure-two-ships-participate-rimpac-highlight-amphibious-readiness-gap

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  14 juillet 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  Boeing lands the first order of the F-15EX

  By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — The Air Force has officially placed an order for its first batch of F-15EXs, awarding Boeing a contract on Monday that puts a ceiling value for the entire program close to $23 billion. The first delivery order, which has a not-to-exceed value of about $1.2 billion, covers the first lot of eight F-15EX fighter jets, as well as support and one-time, upfront engineering costs. The contract award is a massive win for Boeing and gives a second life for the F-15 production line in St. Louis, Mo. After years of urging the Air Force to consider an advanced version of the F-15 as a complementary capability to Lockheed Martin's F-35, Boeing found an ally in the Defense Department's Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, which in 2019 forced the service to purchase F-15EX planes in order to build capacity. Although Air Force leaders at the time said that the service would have preferred funds to buy additional fifth generation planes like the F-35, officials now say that buying new F-15s is the quickest path for replacing aging Air National Guard F-15C/Ds that are reaching the end of their service lives. “The F-15EX is the most affordable and immediate way to refresh the capacity and update the capabilities provided by our aging F-15C/D fleets,” Gen. Mike Holmes, Air Combat Command commander, said in a statement. “The F-15EX is ready to fight as soon as it comes off the line.” The first two F-15EX aircraft are already being manufactured and will roll off the production line early next year, the company said in a news release. They will initially be based at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., for testing, with the remaining six aircraft set to be delivered to the base in fiscal year 2023, the Air Force said. Along with the first eight F-15EXs, which were approved in the fiscal year 2020 budget, the Air Force has requested 12 F-15EXs in FY21 and plans to ask for 64 jets from FY22 to FY25. The service could buy as many as 144 aircraft, according to Boeing. The Air Force has not decided which bases will be the first to receive F-15EX jets, with the service adding in its news release that “the Strategic Basing Process is in work to determine the fielding locations for subsequent aircraft lots.” The F-15EX will be a two-seat jet with fly-by-wire controls, the new Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System electronic warfare system, an advanced cockpit, and new mission systems. But according to the Air Force, the most significant upgrade comes in the form of an open mission systems architecture that will allow the service to more rapidly update the F-15′s software. Another major advantage of purchasing additional F-15s is the aircraft's payload capacity, which will allow it to carry and launch hypersonic missiles at standoff distances. “The F-15EX is the most advanced version of the F-15 ever built, due in large part to its digital backbone,” said Lori Schneider, Boeing F-15EX program manager. “Its unmatched range, price and best-in-class payload capacity make the F-15EX an attractive choice for the U.S. Air Force.” Monday's announcement follows a firm, fixed-price contract worth up to $101 million that was awarded to General Electric in late June for the first lot of F-15EX engines. Under the contract, GE will provide “F110-GE-129 engines, including installs and spares, and modernized engine monitoring system computers,” the department stated. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/07/13/heres-how-much-money-boeing-is-getting-to-build-the-new-f-15ex/

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  29 avril 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  Saudi Arabia announces UAV procurement

  Charles Forrester, London - Jane's Defence Weekly Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) announced on 27 April that the country was procuring six unmanned systems from local firm Intra Defence Technologies for delivery in 2021, and a further 40 systems within five years. The type of UAV was not disclosed in the Tweet from the organisation's official account, but Intra advertises the Karayel tactical UAV, developed by Turkey's Vestel, and the Asef VTOL UAV, which was launched at the Dubai Airshow in 2019. Jane's notes that a Karayel was lost over Yemen's Al-Hudaydah in late December after being shot down by a surface-to-air missile near the port of Al-Salif. The Karayel has an endurance of 20 hours at 18,000 ft (5,486 m) and a cruise speed of 60-80 kt. Maximum payloads for the platform are 70 kg under the fuselage and 60 kg per wing across a total of four hardpoints. The platform's datalink range is 200 km from the GCS. The platform shown at the Dubai Airshow was armed with Roketsan MAM-L and MAM-C munitions. The platform was also shown with a Hensoldt Argos II EO/IR pod to provide day-and-night surveillance capabilities. Intra signed an agreement with Hensoldt South Africa's Optronics division to develop an electro-optical payload for UAVs in Saudi Arabia ahead of the 2019 Dubai Airshow as part of efforts to improve self-sufficiency in the unmanned aerial vehicle domain. Intra representatives told Jane's at the Dubai Airshow last year that the company was primarily orienting its marketing efforts for the Karayel towards the Saudi military, and potentially exporting the platform to Brazil and Kuwait. GAMI, which was announced in 2017 and formally convened in 2019, has roles ranging from the management of procurement for the Saudi military to the supervision of defence-industrial research and development (R&D) and the transfer of technology to Saudi industry. https://www.janes.com/article/95813/saudi-arabia-announces-uav-procurement