US Air Force - USAF

l´USAF plane de retirer +300 jets,dont:

-137 F-15
-177 F-16
-9 A-10s

11 ans avant leur date,pour epargner 3,4B$ et accelerer ainsi les F-22/35

mais ca doit dabord passer le congress et le futur president doit signer!

Citation :

US Air Force eyes fighter cuts to boost modernization
Wed Oct 15, 2008 5:51pm EDT



WASHINGTON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force is seeking to retire early more than 300 fighter aircraft next year to save $3.4 billion in the hope of funding advanced Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) fighters and other modernization efforts, a published report said on Wednesday, citing internal Pentagon documents.

The plan would retire 137 F-15 and 177 F-16 fighters plus nine A-10 close air support attack aircraft as much as 11 years before the end of their scheduled useful lives, InsideDefense.com, an online news service, reported.

"Without accelerating these retirements, we are left with a larger, less-capable force unable to penetrate anti-access environments," the Air Force was quoted as telling John Young, the Pentagon's top arms buyer, in defense of a fiscal 2010 spending plan it submitted in August.

"Anti-access" is Pentagon jargon for spots defended by advanced surface-to-air missiles and state-of-the-art fighters such as those used or planned by Russia and China.

A key Air Force concern is what it calls a potential fighter gap until Lockheed's radar-evading F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is produced in large numbers.

An Air Force spokesman said it would be inappropriate to discuss an internal working document that will continue to change until it is incorporated into the next president's fiscal 2010 budget submission.

The document was quoted as saying an Air Force analysis showed a "smaller but modernized fighter force, when coupled with a robust bomber fleet, can effectively bridge the gap until the F-35 can be produced in required numbers (ramping to 110) and the F-22 can be modified to a common configuration."

Air Force officials have said they plan to increase F-35 production over the next five years to address the fighter gap, InsideDefense.com said.

Two F-35s have entered flight test, two are in ground test and 17 are in various stages of assembly, including the first two production-model jets scheduled for delivery to the U.S. Air Force in 2010, Lockheed said last month.

The president of the Air Force Association, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Dunn, said it remained to be seen if Congress would let the Air Force get rid of so many aircraft so early and if Pentagon leaders would grab the savings to fund competing priorities within other armed services.

"There will have to be a lot of dialogue inside the Pentagon between the Air Force and the office of the secretary of defense, probably the secretary himself, before a decision is made," Dunn, a former president of the Pentagon's National Defense University, said in a telephone interview.

Old warplanes typically involve high maintenance costs and may require big outlays for structural upgrades. Still, lawmakers often have blocked Air Force attempts to retire aging warplanes early, partly to preserve jobs -- in their voting districts -- at bases from which they are flown.

In the fiscal 2010 budget request being readied at the Pentagon for the next president, the Defense Department is seeking ways to continue production of Lockheed Martin's F-22, the top U.S. dog fighter, while boosting F-35 output to capture economies of scale quickly, Pentagon officials have said.

The final say on whether to go on building the F-22 is being left to the next president, who is to be elected Nov. 4 and take office Jan. 20 -- only weeks before the administration's budget request normally is sent to Congress.

The proposed early retirements represent accelerations of seven years in the case of the F-15, six years for the F-16 and 11 years for the A-10, according to the document cited by InsideDefense.com.

The savings would fuel a push to modernize the Air Force's bombers, late-date fighters and go toward a new "nuclear-specific" B-52 bomber rotational squadron and Northrop Grumman Corp'a (NOC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial system expansion, the document was quoted as saying. (Reporting by Jim Wolf; editing by Carol Bishopric, Gary Hill)

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1531730620081015?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

Le marché des F-16 d'occasion sera bien fourni ces prochaines années

et des F-15....

Sa sent plutôt la crise financière...

interessant! les chasseurs de l'USAF c'est du bon matos et avec les retrofits qu'il faut ça va être une excellente occasion pour étoffer notre inventaire! mais je pense que logiquement si une aviation de la taille de l'USAF va liquider ses avions elle va commencer par les plus vieux appareils et croyez moi ces machine ont été exploité à fond!

Barack Obama a souligné que le premier pays musulman qu'il allait visité, c'est le Maroc, donc j'espère qu'il y aura des contrats militaires (Genre des F15 ou des F16 ou encore des chars de combat Abrams)

aie aie aie tjs cette rumeur infondée de premiere visite..

interessant

http://depositfiles.com/en/files/ftulkz0le

si ca marche pas faites le savoir.

Celle du B1 est vraiment jolie !

block 50 de Misawa

un officier au Pentagone propose de transferer la base d´Aviano vers la Pologne!

Citation :

USAF officer suggests move of F-16s to Poland

March 23, 2009 (by Kent Harris) - An Air Force officer based at the Pentagon has suggested the United States and NATO would be best served by moving F-16s now stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy, to Poland.

Lt. Col. Chris Sage, assistant executive officer to the Air Force Chief of Staff, delivered his opinion in a paper published in the spring edition of Air and Space Power Journal. In an interview last week, Sage said the paper was written as a project while he was attending the Naval War College more than a year ago. The journal picked it up and posted it on the Internet earlier this month.

A lack of training opportunities and other factors make Aviano a less-than-ideal location in some respects, said Sage, who added that he agrees with U.S. Air Forces in Europe’s stated goal of concentrating more efforts to the east and south.

"It is in the national interest of the United States to continue to transform USAFE by relocating U.S. F-16s currently in Italy to new bases in Poland," he writes in the opening paragraph of "Transforming United States Air Forces in Europe and Empowering Poland."

USAFE and Brig. Gen. Craig Franklin, commander of the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano, noted that Sage’s proposal was an "academic paper," and declined to comment further.

Sage admitted there would be some major obstacles to such a move:

- Poland doesn’t have a base that would meet U.S. standards, so the U.S. would spend hundreds of millions of dollars on construction.

- Russia would likely oppose putting U.S. forces so close to its border.

- Poland itself would have to agree to such a move.


Officials at the Polish Ministry of Defense did not provide answers to a query sent on Thursday.

But Sage said Poland’s decision to purchase a few squadrons of F-16s make joint training opportunities possible. Poland also has fewer restrictions on its air space than Italy, as well as designated areas where pilots could practice their bombing skills. It’s also closer to former Soviet Republics, such as Ukraine and Georgia, that have undergone turmoil in recent years.

And Poland has been a staunch ally, Sage said.

There are at least a handful of reasons to keep forces at Aviano, including the $600 million construction project ongoing at the base and the base’s proximity to the Vicenza-based 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, which plans to bring about 2,000 more troops to Italy in a few years. Also, Aviano is a sought-after assignment in the Air Force, according to the Human Resources Command.

"Having spent a couple of months TDY there, there is no doubt in my mind that it’s a good place for morale," Sage said.

But he said that flight restrictions, a lack of training ranges and the potential of local population growth leading to even more restrictions make the base less attractive militarily.



Published on March 23rd, 2009 in the European edition of Stars and Stripes.

Citation :

DATE:25/03/09
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com
US Air Force F-22 Raptor crashes in California

A Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor has crashed near Edwards Air Force base in California, the US Air Force confirms.

According to a US Air Force statement, the highly advanced fifth-generation fighter went down in the area of Harper Dry Lake about 35 miles northeast of Edwards Air Force Based.

The crash occurred around 10:30 AM local time while the aircraft on a test mission.

The status of the pilot is currently unknown.



Edwards Air Force base is home to the 411th & 412th Flight Test Squadron responsible for developmental tests of F-22 enhancements and modernization.

In 2004, an F-22 Raptor crashed on a training mission in the Nevada desert.

A prototype YF-22 aircraft crashed on landing at Edwards Air Force Base in April 1992 during flight testing.

Most recently in October of 2007, an F-22 nearly crashed at Edwards after suffering a brief, dual-engine flameout while performing a negative-g 360-degree roll while testing a new weapons loadout.

C'est quoi le deuxieme ou troisieme qui se crashe non ??? le plus inquiétant c'est d'apres ce que j'ai entendu à la radio, aucune nouvelle du pilote

le proto est crashé avant Ops ne comptent pas vraiment sukhoi,car ce n´est qu´en murissant qu´on declare un avion Ops,le premier n´etait que proto Y et le 2eme(2004) en formation des premiers pilotes

le pilote est mort du f-22

oui

RIP

Pour ce qui aime comparer les matos americains et russes, voila un tres interessant article sur le developpement du F22.

Citation :

F-22 needed against upgraded Russian air combat capabilities


29th March 2009, 11:14 pm


By REBECCA GRANT, UPI Outside View Commentator
Published: March 27, 2009 at 3:56 PM
ARLINGTON, Va., March 27 (UPI)

— The developments most likely to interrupt the ability of the United States to carry out missions up to and including conventional airstrikes and thus imperil deterrence come from a range of technologies. Developments in these areas can be seen as pacesetters.

– Fighters. After a long lull, the world fighter market has seen new procurement plans and research on advanced types. First up are variants incorporating advanced tracking and targeting systems explicitly intended to match current U.S. fighters. In March 2008, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the defense ministry to add more Sukhoi Su-35s and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-35s — an upgrade of the MiG-29 Fulcrum — in the interim before Sukhoi’s “fifth-generation” PAK-FA type
is developed, Alexey Komarov reported in his article “Bear Market” in Aviation Week and Space Technology on March 3, 2008.

Together, Russia and China have 12 open military-aircraft production lines.

– Jammers. Digital radio-frequency memory is an electronics countermeasure technology that samples and digitally duplicates a waveform. The digitized waveform can be reconstructed at will and projected back to give false information on position, speed, heading and more.
– Infrared search and track. New systems like the one incorporated on the MiG-35 are capable of passive detection of heat from air resistance on a missile nose cone. Coupled with laser range-finding or other techniques, infrared search and track offers a potential fire control solution, too. While IRST has some operational disadvantages, it has the potential to be a formidable new weapon.
– Ultra-long-range missiles. According to the Air Force, new missiles are under development that will cut into some Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile and stealth tactics. Longer-range adversary missiles will make fighter aircraft speed crucial because it enables the Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)/Boeing F-22 Raptor to engage at longer ranges with the same effect.

These are just some of the technical trends relevant to conventional deterrence as it relates to the ability to conduct air strikes. Many of these technologies debuted in rudimentary form years ago, and most are in the inventory or well within reach of the U.S. and Western partners. Together, they open tactical possibilities that present a near-even match with current U.S. fighters.

The Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)/Boeing F-22 Raptor was designed to combat developments like these. Much of its edge is built into the aerodynamics of the platform. The whole intent of the F-22 Raptor was to create one fighter with the performance to ensure superiority against upgraded and new adversary fighters, even as they add advanced capabilities.

(Rebecca Grant, Ph.D., is a senior fellow of the Lexington Institute, a non-profit public-policy research organization based in Arlington, Va.)
(United Press International’s “Outside View” commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)
2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

pkoi le pilote du f-22 ne s'est-il pas ejecté ??

Merci.

Citation :

Gates annonces des coupes claires dans les programmes d'armement



WASHINGTON - Le secrétaire américain à la Défense Robert Gates a recommandé lundi de couper dans plusieurs gros programmes d'armement, dont le chasseur F-22, en indiquant vouloir "profondément réformer" le mode d'acquisition du Pentagone et "changer les priorités".

M. Gates a annoncé qu'il prévoyait de mettre un terme à la production des F-22 de Lockheed Martin, annuler le contrat pour de nouveaux hélicoptères présidentiels ou encore tailler dans un méga-programme de modernisation des équipements de l'armée de Terre.

Il a parallèlement souhaité augmenter la production de drones (avions sans pilote), utilisés pour lutter contre les insurgés à la frontière afghano-pakistanaise.

Le plan dévoilé lors d'une conférence de presse au Pentagone montre la volonté de la nouvelle administration de trouver un meilleur équilibre entre les moyens alloués à la contre-insurrection, devenue le modèle de conflit dominant, et ceux attribués à la préparation aux conflits de type traditionnel entre Etats, a expliqué M. Gates.

Il a également insisté sur la nécessité de mieux dépenser l'argent en ayant une meilleure politique d'achat et éviter ainsi des programmes coûteux, en retard et parfois inutiles.

Les recommandations présentées lundi ont trois objectifs principaux, a dit M. Gates: réaffirmer l'engagement de la prise en compte des besoins des militaires, des financements basés "sur les capacités à mener les guerres dans lesquelles nous sommes engagés" et "les scénarios que nous pouvons rencontrer dans les années à venir".

Le troisième point consiste a réformer très profondément la façon dont le Pentagone passe ses contrats, a souligné M. Gates.

Ces recommandations budgétaires risquent de provoquer une levée de boucliers chez les parlementaires des circonscriptions où sont implantées les industries de défense touchées.

Le sénateur républicain John McCain a en revanche fait part de sa satisfaction lundi après ces annonces.

"Je soutiens fortement la décision du secrétaire Gates de restructurer un certain nombre de grands programmes de défense", a-t-il dit dans un communiqué diffusé alors que celui-ci se trouvait en tournée en Asie.

"L'annonce d'aujourd'hui est un pas dans la bonne direction", a ajouté John McCain, le plus haut responsable républicain à la commission des Services armés du Sénat.

(AFP / 06 avril 2009 21h45)

http://www.romandie.com/ats/news/090406194501.j89oif97.asp

Citation :

Le Pentagone se prononcera cet été sur le programme de tankers
REUTERS | 06.04.2009 | 22:15

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Le secrétaire américain à la Défense, Robert Gates, a déclaré qu'il poursuivrait le programme d'achat de nouveaux avions de ravitaillement en vol, une décision à ce sujet étant prévue cet été.

Ce marché, évalué à 35 milliards de dollars, met en concurrence Boeing et le tandem constitué par Northrop Grumman et EADS.

Les deux parties en présence ont successivement remporté puis perdu ce contrat qui prévoit de remplacer la flotte vieillissante de tankers KC-135 de l'US Air Force.

Gates a annoncé cette décision dans le cadre de la publication du projet de budget 2010 du Pentagone, lequel prévoit l'annulation de plusieurs gros marchés, y compris celui d'un nouvel hélicoptère présidentiel, et privilégie en revanche certains programmes comme les drones, aéronefs sans pilote.

Gates recommande d'une manière générale de réduire les programmes destinés aux conflits conventionnels et préfère mettre l'accent sur les initiatives de renseignement, de surveillance, de communications et de reconnaissance, destinées à contrer la guérilla dans des pays tels que l'Irak ou l'Afghanistan.

C'est ainsi que les dépenses pour les missiles de défense - budgétisées à 10 milliards de dollars annuels - seraient réduites de 1,4 milliard de dollars en 2010, que la production du chasseur F-22 de Lockheed Martin serait terminée après le 187e appareil et que serait supprimé un appel d'offres de 15 milliards de dollars pour de nouveaux hélicoptères de secours.

En revanche, l'US Air Force achèterait 31 exemplaires supplémentaires du chasseur F/A-18 de Boeing.

Le budget consacre également l'abandon du programme d'hélicoptère présidentiel de 13 milliards de dollars géré par Lockheed et AgustaWestland, filiale du groupe de défense italien Finmeccanica. Ce dernier a réagi en déclarant que l'annulation éventuelle de ce programme n'aurait aucune incidence financière et qu'il n'y aurait par conséquent pas lieu de modifier les prévisions données au marché.

Dans le même temps, le projet de budget de la défense débloquerait davantage d'argent pour le financement du chasseur F-35 Joint Strike Fighter de Lockheed.

"Ce département doit démontrer en conséquence son engagement à arrêter les programmes qui dépassent substantiellement leur budget", a expliqué Gates. "Il y a un accord général sur la nécessité de réformer les marchés publics du département de la Défense", a-t-il ajouté.

Plus de F22!!! La je ne les comprends plus. Ils misent tout sur le F35. C'est les russes et les chinois qui doivent mieux respirer maintenant...

non ils arretent apres le 187eme

Citation :

C'est ainsi que les dépenses pour les missiles de défense - budgétisées à 10 milliards de dollars annuels - seraient réduites de 1,4 milliard de dollars en 2010, que la production du chasseur F-22 de Lockheed Martin serait terminée après le 187e appareil et que serait supprimé un appel d'offres de 15 milliards de dollars pour de nouveaux hélicoptères de secours.