US Air Force - USAF

Rappel du premier message :

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

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Boeing and US Air Force Team Wins Defense Logistics Award for C-17 Support

ARLINGTON, Va. | Boeing and the U.S. Air Force Globemaster division at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Ga., received the Best Logistics Strategy award at the annual Defense Logistics Awards ceremony in Arlington on Nov. 30.

Boeing has partnered with the Air Force for C-17 sustainment since the delivery of the first aircraft in 1993, transitioning to a system-level performance-based logistics contract in 1998, now called the C-17 Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Program (GISP).

“The strength of Boeing’s partnership with its Air Force customer provides the best sustainment solution possible,” said Gus Urzua, Boeing C-17 GISP vice president and program manager. “Our long-term partnership and the flexibility of performance-based logistics contracting are key to developing the innovative solutions necessary to address the complex challenges of sustaining a fleet of this magnitude.”

The program has evolved to adapt to the Air Force’s operational needs, providing the customer with the best sustainment solution: a single-source provider that guarantees best-value support, mission-ready aircraft and 24/7 customer service.

Today, GISP is headquartered in a combined program office at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., supporting 237 C-17s worldwide – 212 with the U.S. Air Force, including active duty, Guard and Reserve units, and 25 with international customers, including the United Kingdom Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Qatar Emiri Air Force, United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defence, and the 12-member Strategic Airlift Capability initiative of NATO and Partnership for Peace nations.

The GISP “virtual fleet” arrangement ensures mission readiness by providing all C-17 customers, with varied fleet sizes, the benefit of access to an extensive support network for worldwide parts availability and economies of scale when purchasing materials.

“The C-17 Virtual Fleet has been a game-changing concept of operations for the aircraft’s support,” said Trevor Burke, team leader, NATO Strategic Airlift Capability. “The C-17 Virtual Fleet is all about extreme affordability -- like none before.”

The Air Force delegates a significant degree of control of C-17 support to Boeing in return for guaranteed performance. This support is delivered worldwide, with the Air Force administering Foreign Military Sales and Boeing providing various levels of contractor support across the globe in support of U.S. and international customers.

defpro

Bonjours,

je sait pas ou mettre cette vid mais bon,

Citation :

Shamsi Air Base vacated, Frontier Corps took charge after US soldiers shifted to bugram airbase

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U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft from both the 8th and 419th Fighter Wings demonstrate an “elephant walk” formation as they taxi down a runway during an exercise Dec. 2, 2011, at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. The exercise showcased the capability of Kunsan's Airmen to quickly and safely prepare aircraft for a wartime mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Rasheen Douglas)

http://info-aviation.com/?p=12505
Adieux le Rafale aux Brésil.........

mtn a vous de dire bye bye au KC-390

Voyons Yakuza,vous savez tout comme moi que si il faut se faire avoir ,la France le fera trés bien

Citation :

US Air Force MQ-9 crashes in Seychelles




12/13/2011 – RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) — An Air Force MQ-9 Reaper crashed at the Seychelles International Airport in Mahe at 10:22 a.m. Dec. 13.

The MQ-9 was not armed and no injuries were reported. The Seychelles government leaders were immediately notified, and the U.S. military and the Civil Aviation Authority of Seychelles are coordinating the removal of debris. The runway at the airport has reopened for normal traffic.

The cause of the incident is unknown and currently under investigation. More information will be released as it becomes available.

(Courtesy of U.S. Air Forces in Europe Public Affairs)

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U-2 pilot flies final manned ISR mission over Iraq





hires




Major Steve Eadie climbs out of his U-2 aircraft after completing the final manned ISR flight over Iraq Dec. 18, 2011. Members of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing have been flying intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions over Iraq to provide senior leaders with the information they need to make decisions. The major, a native of Lake City, Fla., is deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. J.G. Buzanowski)

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L-3 Link wins contract for F-16 From US DoD


December 20, 2011 (by Lieven Dewitte) - L-3 Communications won a re-competition for the U.S. Air Force's F-16 Training System. L-3 Link has received an initial one-year contract to provide pilot and maintenance training devices support. This firm-fixed-price contract, with options through 2019, has a maximum potential value of $469.5 million.

Under an existing F-16 Aircrew Training Device (ATD) contract, L-3 Link is currently supporting 183 F-16 pilot and maintenance trainers. With this new award, L-3 Link will provide uninterrupted support to these training devices when the F-16 ATD contract expires in December 2011 and the F-16 Training System contract begins in January 2012. L-3 Link is now overseeing all F-16 training systems support for the U.S. Air Force around the world and F-16 Foreign Military Sales (FMS) countries, including Bahrain, Greece and Jordan.

The F-16 Training System contract calls for L-3 Link to continue Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) on currently fielded pilot and maintenance trainers, which includes guaranteed availability and relocation of training devices as the force structure dictates. L-3 Link will also continue to operate a Training System Support Center (TSSC) at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The TSSC provides trainer concurrency with the F-16, Distributed Mission Operation updates, visual system database modifications, system configuration control and logistics data library maintenance.

f-16.net/news

Boeing wins $3.48 billion U.S. missile defense contract

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(Reuters) - Boeing Co beat out Lockheed Martin to retain its position as the prime contractor for the U.S. long-range missile shield, the Pentagon said on Friday.
The U.S. Defense Department said it was awarding Boeing a $3.48 billion, seven-year contract to develop, test, engineer and manufacture missile defense systems.

A team led by Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co had vied with Boeing to expand and maintain the Ground-based Midcourse Defense, or GMD, hub of layered antimissile protection.

Boeing partnered with Northrop Grumman Corp to retain the work.

"We believe the government conducted a fair and open competition, making the right decision for the future of the program," Norm Tew, Boeing vice president and program director of GMD, said in a statement.

A representative from Lockheed did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The GMD contract's value to Boeing will have been about $18 billion from January 2001, when it formally became the system's prime contractor, through the end of this year, Boeing has said.

GMD uses radars and other sensors plus a 20,000-mile fiber optic communications network to cue interceptors in silos in Fort Greely, Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

The shield has been shaped initially to guard against ballistic missiles that could be fired by Iran and North Korea. It is the only U.S. defense against long-range missiles that could be tipped with chemical, biological or nuclear warheads.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/30/us-boeing-missiledefense-idUSTRE7BT19T20111230

Citation :

Academy eyes cadets’ design for new UAV




A small drone designed by a group of Air Force Academy cadets could become the Air Force’s newest unmanned aerial vehicle.
Its mission: become a target for F-22s and F-35s to shoot down during training.

The Air Force is considering the small unmanned aircraft along with another one by a contractor.

More than 50 groups of cadets submitted potential designs for the new drone as part of a “capstone course” in 2008, during their final year at the academy.

The academy — along with partners at the Air Force Research Laboratory, the service’s Aeronautical Systems Center and the contractor Sierra Technical Services — has been researching since 2003 what sort of drone the service could use to practice shootdowns.

The Air Force now uses F-4s that have been modified as drones — QF-4s — for that training. F-16s, modified as drones and renamed QF-16s, are scheduled to replace them soon, but using modified fighters could pose a disadvantage.

“It’s possible that other countries will, in the near future, have fighters that are stealthy. The QF-4 and the QF-16 aren’t stealthy,” said Steve Brandt, a professor of aeronautics at the academy. “All U.S. weapons systems have to be tested under realistic conditions before they’re fielded, and if we really think that other countries are going to have stealthy fighter airplanes, then testing those missiles against QF-4s and QF-16s may not be adequate.”

The 2008 design by cadets has remained in the running to become the service’s next drone in large part because it’s so simple, Brandt said. The 40-foot-long drone is stable and sleek, flying with two T-38 engines and a 24-foot-long wingspan.

“The big thing about the cadet design is that it’s simple, which we hope will translate to low cost,” he said. “The whole idea is there’s less components, so it’s going to cost less to build.”

A price for the drone hasn’t been determined yet. A target price is $3.5 million, the cost of the QF-16 in 2009, but that might not be possible, Brandt said.

There’s also no definitive timeline right now for when a design will be selected or when the first new drone could hit the fleet, but Brandt estimates that it will take a while because of the natural pace of aircraft development and the tightening defense budget.

“Trying to see the future is a little hard,” he said. “About all we know for sure right now is that the cadet design has survived a lot of subsequent development and is still pretty much in its original form.”

Cadets haven’t just been involved in the design process. They’ve also been testing drone models in one of the academy’s four wind tunnels. Giving future airmen the ability to work on multiple steps of an aircraft’s development has given them a good beginning to their Air Force careers, Brandt said.

“Because they’re all future Air Force officers, I hope they’ll bring a better appreciation for the role of aircraft design and aircraft companies in creating our Air Force’s capabilities,” he said.

airforcetimes

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1/3/2012 - Munitions on display show the full capabilities of the B-52 Stratofortress. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Robert J. Horstman)

1/3/2012 - Staff Sgt. Ben Norton, 2d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, works to re-generate a B-52 at Base X Dec. 8. Airmen work around the clock to re-generate B-52H Stratofortresses at Base X, a simulated forward operation location, as part of an inspection to determine the bases readiness to rapidly deploy assets and personnel anywhere in the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Sarah E. Stegman)(RELEASED)

1/3/2012 - Maintainers gather in front of a B-52 at Base X at the beginning of their shift Dec. 8. Airmen at the simulated forward operating location on base were tasked to re-generate aircraft as part of a conventional operational readiness inspection. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Sarah E. Stegman)(RELEASED)

Citation :

Air Force halts aircraft contract during court challenge


WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE — The Air Force has, at least for now, stopped its purchase of a Brazilian-built airplane intended for training and equipping Afghan forces, while a U.S. aircraft maker seeking the contract is pursuing a court challenge.

The Air Force issued what it described as a temporary stop-work order for the Light Air Support contract awarded on Dec. 22 to Sierra Nevada Corp., a U.S. partner of Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer.

The Air Force said it decided to take the action while Hawker Beechcraft Corp., of Wichita, Kan., tries to obtain a court order from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to stop the contract with Sierra Nevada. Hawker claims that its Beechcraft AT-6 plane was excluded from the contract competition.

The Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base issued the contract.

“The competition and source selection evaluation were fair, open and transparent,” Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Wesley Miller said in a statement Wednesday from the Pentagon. “The Air Force is confident in the merits of its contract award decision and anticipates that the litigation will be quickly resolved.”

The Air Force had previously said that it wanted to proceed with the $355.1 million purchase of the 20 turboprop Light Air Support aircraft and associated equipment from Sierra Nevada because U.S. forces in Afghanistan needed the planes.

Embraer’s A-29 Super Tucano is to be used for flight training, reconnaissance and light air support operations, the Air Force said. The U.S.-purchased aircraft will be used to train Afghan pilots and then given to Afghanistan to help that country take responsibility for its security as the United States phases out its operations there, officials said.

Sierra Nevada is to deliver the single-engine turboprop aircraft by April 30, 2014, under a contract that will allow the Air Force to procure related equipment and services for up to five years.

The deal could ultimately consume nearly $1 billion in U.S. taxpayer money, according to Hawker Beechcraft.

Sierra Nevada, based in Sparks, Nev., said it would build the A-29 Super Tucano in Jacksonville, Fla., using American employees along with parts and services from at least 70 U.S. suppliers in 21 states.

Hawker Beechcraft filed suit after the U.S. Government Accountability Office, an arm of Congress, declined to review the company’s protest of the contract award.

daytondailynews

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Lockheed Martin Awarded $24 Million to Upgrade U.S. Air Force C-130 Training Devices




The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $24 million contract to upgrade weapons systems trainers used in the C-130 Aircrew Training System (ATS) II.

The C-130 ATS II program provides a comprehensive academic and simulation training program for C-130 aircrews worldwide. The visual system and imagery databases in the weapons systems simulators will be updated to provide the most advanced and realistic training. The improvements are scheduled to take place through 2014.

“The C-130 training effort continuously evolves with advancements in technology to effectively prepare aircrews for their high precision tactical airlift missions. C-130 aircrews participate in critical military, civilian and humanitarian aid operations, and our goal is to keep aircrews mission ready,” said Stephen Grotjan, C-130 ATS program manager for the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command.

The new visual system will provide enhanced illumination in the cockpit, advanced visual scenes and the latest infrared-enabled night vision training. The visual databases will also be upgraded to the same used by the new C-130J Maintenance and Aircrew Training System, furthering interoperability across aircrew training.

“Lockheed Martin is focused on affordable yet innovative and effective training for the men and women who operate the C-130,” said Jim Weitzel, vice president for training and engineering services in Lockheed Martin’s Global Training and Logistics business. “This effort will extend the training systems’ lifecycle while adding new capabilities.”

Located at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., the C-130 training center of excellence serves the U.S. Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy. More than 25 international partner countries also train aircrews through the C-130 ATS II program.

With extensive experience in the development and delivery of advanced training systems to support C-130, F-15, F-16, F-22 and F-35 aircraft, Lockheed Martin teams with service partners to hone the mission skills of military aviators and maintenance professionals across the globe.

Lockheed Martin press release

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Boeing Receives Additional US Air Force JDAM Contract


$126M Joint Direct Attack Munition contract covers 5,000 tail kits

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 23, 2012 – The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] received a $126 million contract from the U.S. Air Force on Nov. 30 for approximately 5,000 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kits. Deliveries will begin in June 2013 and continue through May 2014.

This is Boeing’s third major U.S. Air Force contract within a year for conventional JDAM kits. Boeing received an $88 million contract for nearly 3,500 kits in January 2011 and a $92 million contract for an additional 4,000 kits in March.

“After more than a decade of protecting U.S. warfighters and their allies across the globe, we are proud that JDAMs have continued to be their weapon of choice,” said Debbie Rub, Boeing vice president and general manager, Missiles & Unmanned Airborne Systems. “Our innovative team continues to quickly meet our customers’ ever-evolving needs with unprecedented accuracy and affordable new add-ons such as the laser sensor.”

Boeing completed the development and testing cycle for its Laser JDAM less than 17 months after it was identified as an urgent operational need in early 2007. The company delivered the first production laser sensor kits to the U.S. Air Force in May 2008 and to the U.S. Navy in October 2008. Laser JDAM was successfully employed by the Air Force in combat in Iraq in August 2008.

In February 2010, the Navy selected Laser JDAM to satisfy its direct-attack moving target capability (DAMTC) mission requirement. Naval Air Systems Command awarded an $8 million contract to Boeing in March 2011 for low-rate initial production of 700 laser sensor kits for the DAMTC program. A full-rate production contract for Laser JDAM sensors is expected in early 2012.

“Laser JDAM has been used in combat almost every day by the U.S. Navy and Air Force,” said Kristin Robertson, Boeing Direct Attack Weapons director. “It has been incredibly effective in attacking important moving targets accurately and reliably, with minimal collateral damage. Adding the laser sensor to the conventional JDAM kit is an affordable option that’s easy for ordnance crews to install and very straightforward for pilots already familiar with JDAM.”

JDAM is a low-cost guidance kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into near precision-guided weapons. Boeing intentionally designed its JDAM kit to be modular, allowing for the product to mature with a variety of technological upgrades such as wing kits that triple its range, improved immunity to GPS jamming and an all-weather radar sensor.

Since starting JDAM production in 1998, Boeing has built more than 230,000 JDAM tail kits in its St. Charles, Mo., facility for use by 26 international militaries.

Source and photo: Boeing

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L'armée de l'air américaine a fait ses comptes et vient de publier sa feuille de route ou plutôt de coupes: elle va se séparer de cinq escadrons de A-10 (un d'active, un de réserve et trois de la Garde nationale). Eh oui, il faut faire de la place au F-35! Elle va aussi dissoudre un escadron de F-16 de la Garde nationale et un escadron d'entraînement équipé de F-15. Ce qui fait sept et non pas six comme annoncé par le Pentagone. Zélés, les boys de l'USAF!

http://lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-france.fr/archive/2012/01/30/5-escadrons-de-a-10-passent-a-la-trappe.html

Humm...bientôt des Vipers sur le marché de l'occas. reste à savoir les versions disponiblent

Viper a écrit:

Humm...bientôt des Vipers sur le marché de l'occas. reste à savoir les versions disponiblent

il y a deja des versions A,B,C et D à vendrent

Citation :

U.S. Air Force Leaders Publish New Strategy Document



08:35 GMT, February 2, 2012 WASHINGTON | Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz released the 'Air Force Priorities for a New Strategy with Constrained Budgets' white paper Feb 1.

"The Air Force has made the hard choices to closely align with the new strategic guidance in our FY13 budget submission by trading size for quality," the leaders stated. "We will be a smaller but superb force that maintains the agility, flexibility, and readiness to engage a full range of contingencies and threats."

The Air Force strategy document provides an overview of the way forward for the present and future Air Force. The Following areas are outlined in the document: The Air Force new strategy; force structure; readiness; modernization; more disciplined use of Defense dollars; and taking care of people.

"It is our intent, indeed our obligation, to the American people and our Airmen to remain the world's finest Air Force in the years and decades to come," Donley and Schwartz penned. "Innovative and adaptable, America's Air Force will continue to meet emerging challenges and ensure the security of the Nation and its bright future."

To read the 'Air Force Priorities for a New Strategy with Constrained Budgets' go to http://goo.gl/5boC8 (PDF 158KB, 5 pages).

defpro

f-16 dans l'us air force

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U.S. plans $2.8 billion upgrade of F-16 fighter



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force said Thursday it plans a $2.8 billion upgrade of about 350 of its aging F-16 multi-role fighter planes to help offset slower purchases of the next-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The work, running into the 2020s, will extend the service life of select F-16 airframes. Other upgrades include advanced radar, sensors, cockpit display, electronic warfare and communications capabilities, the service said.

"We have worked through the implications of the delays in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program," Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told the Air Force Association earlier in the day. "And we have made a further commitment this year to modernize about 350 F-16s in the fleet going forward."

Ann Stefanek, an Air Force spokeswoman, said the upgraded F-16s would receive active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. Northrop Grumman Corp and Raytheon Co build rival systems and are likely to compete for the work.

"Overall, the program will run into the 2020s and have an estimated total cost of $2.8 billion," Stefanek said in an emailed reply to queries from Reuters about Donley's remarks.

The Air Force will pick the "best of the fleet" to undergo the modernization for later-model Block 50 and some Block 40 F-16s, Stefanek said. The program is "scalable" based on the service's fighter needs, she added.

The Air Force has just over 1,000 F-16s in its current inventory, of which about 640 are Block 40/50s, distributed among active, Guard and Reserve components. None has yet undergone the structural "service life extension program" or capability upgrades now planned, the service said.

Lockheed Martin Corp builds both the F-16 and three versions of the radar-evading F-35, which is in low-rate initial production in a program co-financed by the United States and eight partner nations.

More than 4,450 F-16s have been delivered to 26 nations since the program started more than 30 years ago, including 54 follow-on buys by 15 customers, according to Lockheed, the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier by sales.

The U.S. F-16 modernization could point the way for modernization of many such F-16 fleets worldwide.

The U.S. Defense Department, in its third F-35 program restructuring in as many years, is set to trim 179 Joint Strike Fighter planes from production between 2013 and 2017. This would pare the number built for the U.S. military to 244 from 423 during this time.

The F-35 slowdown will help satisfy a congressional mandate to cut $479 billion from the Pentagon's budget over 10 years as part of a U.S. deficit-reduction push.

The service will focus on "common configurations" for its key aircraft to maximize operational flexibility and minimize sustainment costs, Donley told the Air Force Association audience.

Bill McHenry, director of business development for Lockheed Martin's F-16 program, said Block 40 and Block 50 models were originally projected to have 8,000 hours of service life, depending on loads carried and other factors.

But they were exceeding original expectations and may be capable of as much as 12,000 hours of service, for instance with new bulkheads and other structural changes typically costing less than $1 million per plane, he said in a telephone interview.

The United States is about to pit Raytheon Co against Northrop Grumman to supply the AESA radar for a potential $5.3 billion retrofit of Taiwan's 145 F-16A/B Block 20 aircraft. The Taiwan deal also includes 128 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing systems, upgraded electronic countermeasure pods plus a range of munitions, parts and logistical support.

McHenry said the Taiwan upgrade could benefit the United States and other F-16 customers to the extent it would shed light on common integration issues.

"Clearly, whatever integration is done would be able to be applied elsewhere," he said. One of the key objectives among F-16 users is to prepare to be "interoperable" with the F-35, for instance with increased computer processing power, seamless communications and greater sensor capability, McHenry said.

reuters

Citation :

Eleventh C-5B Inducted To Become Super Galaxy



MARIETTA, Ga., February 3, 2012 – Lockheed Martin inducted the 11th aircraft to the C-5M Super Galaxy production line on Feb. 1, 2012. Based at Dover Air Force Base, Del., this aircraft has supported the warfighter’s operations across the globe. It has delivered cargo in locations such as Iraq, Italy, Germany, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Spain and Turkey. Aircraft 86-0017 has accumulated more than 18,000 flight hours and more than 4,300 full-stop landings.

aviationnews.

F5A à Kenitra