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Citation :

USAF to issue contract to Sikorsky for rescue helicopter


The US Air Force's combat rescue helicopter programme is moving forward.

The service announces on 4 March that it intends to issue a contract by the end of June to Sikorsky for the 14-year, $7 billion programme, which calls for up to 112 aircraft.

Sikorsky, in partnership with Lockheed Martin, was the only company to bid on the project with its proposed CRH-60, a modified version of its UH-60M Black Hawk.



Rendering of Sikorsky's CRH-60 combat rescue helicopter. Sikorsky.

The USAF says it will move $430 million from other programmes to the CRH programme though fiscal year 2019 due to "the criticality" of the combat rescue mission.

The project also received an injection of more than $300 million in the fiscal year 2014 budget.

The service warns, however, that the programme may need to be "reevaluated" should additional defense budget cuts take effect in fiscal year 2016.

"The competitive price and the funding provided by Congress will allow us to award the CRH contract, but we could still face significant challenges to keeping this effort on track," says USAF secretary Deborah Lee James in a statement. "We will need to work with Congress throughout 2015 budget deliberations."

The CRH is intended to replace the USAF's aging HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters, which are also a Sikorsky product.

"Sikorsky and our teammate Lockheed Martin thank the USAF for enabling us to build a modern and affordable combat rescue helicopter that will replace the service’s rapidly aging HH-60G Pave Hawk fleet," says Sikorsky in a statement. "We look forward to working with the USAF to deliver CRH-60 aircraft in the prescribed timeframe."

http://www.flightglobal.com

Citation :

Northrop Grumman Receives $238 Million Contract Modification for LAIRCM Missile Defense System

2014-06-18T07:30:00-0700

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. – June 18, 2014 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a $238 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide hardware and support for the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure (LAIRCM) system.

Critical to the safe return of troops abroad, LAIRCM automatically detects a missile launch, determines if it is a threat and activates a high-intensity laser-based countermeasure system to track and defeat the missile.

Under the terms of the contract modification, Northrop Grumman will deliver additional transmitters, missile warning sensors, processors, lasers, control interface units and supporting equipment to the Air Force through April 2016.

"This represents a continuation of a 14-year relationship with the Air Force to protect our aircrews," said Carl Smith, vice president of infrared countermeasures programs at Northrop Grumman's Land and Self Protection Systems Division. "Our LAIRCM open architecture has enabled this system to be upgraded and enhanced over time to introduce new technologies to counter emerging threats, while decreasing system cost, and steadily increasing reliability leading to an excellent total life cycle cost for the system."

Northrop Grumman's various infrared countermeasure systems are now installed or scheduled for installation on more than 1,000 military aircraft around the world to protect 54 different types of large fixed-wing transports and rotary-wing platforms from infrared missile attacks. Northrop Grumman and our teammate Selex ES have delivered more than 3,250 Pointer/Trackers to protect these aircraft, supporting greater than 1 million hours of theatre operation.

http://www.northropgrumman.com

Citation :

Plus de 400 drones de l'armée américaine se sont écrasés depuis 2001

Plus de quatre cents drones américains Predator, Reaper ou Global Hawks se sont écrasés dans le monde depuis 2001, a rapporté vendredi 20 juin le Washington Post, qui met en avant les dangers potentiels de leur autorisation commerciale à l'avenir.

Au terme d'une enquête de plus d'un an, fondée sur plus de cinquante mille pages de rapports d'accident, le quotidien affirme que quatre cent dix-huit accidents majeurs ont été recensés par l'armée américaine, aucun n'ayant provoqué de perte humaine.

L'armée américaine est équipée de milliers de petits drones, dont certains se lancent à la main, mais cette étude concerne les seuls drones de surveillance ou d'attaque les plus gros, comme le Predator, le Reaper, le Global Hawk, le Hunter ou le Grey Eagle.

« J'AI EU PEUR D'AVOIR TUÉ QUELQU'UN »

Sur les cent quatre-vingt-douze2 accidents dits de « type A », parce qu'ils ont entraîné la destruction complète de l'appareil ou des dégâts supérieurs à 12 millions de dollars (8,8 milliards d'euros), le Predator remporte la palme du drone le plus accidentogène avec cent soixante-deux accidents. La plupart de ces accidents ont eu lieu en Afghanistan (soixante-sept), suivis des Etats-Unis (quarante-sept) et de l'Irak (quarante et un). Plusieurs ont également été recensés à proximité de Djibouti, au Pakistan ou au Mali.

Les causes d'accident sont multiples, allant de la défaillance mécanique à une mauvaise météo en passant par une erreur humaine. En janvier 2010, un Predator armé s'était ainsi écrasé près de Kandahar, en Afghanistan, parce que son pilote ne s'était pas rendu compte qu'il avait appuyé sur un bouton qui avait entraîné l'appareil dans une spirale.

CRASH PRÈS D'UNE ÉCOLE DE PENNSYLVANIE

Alors que l'Agence fédérale américaine de l'aviation (FAA) réfléchit à l'ouverture du ciel américain aux drones civils privés, l'enquête du Washington Post pointe les dangers potentiels et note qu'un drone de l'US Army s'est écrasé à proximité immédiate d'une école élémentaire en Pennsylvanie (est du pays).

Le nombre d'accidents impliquant des drones est « presque équivalent au nombre d'accidents majeurs » enregistrés par l'armée de l'air américaine sur la même période pour ses chasseurs et avions d'attaque, relativise le quotidien. Tout en notant que les drones « effectuent beaucoup moins de missions et d'heures de vol ».

http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2014/06/21/plus-de-400-drones-de-l-armee-americaine-se-sont-ecrases-depuis-2001_4442699_3222.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#xtor=RSS-3208

Citation :

21/06/2014

Les A-10 encore sauvés !



Washington, la Chambre des représentants américaine a voté cette fin de semaine un amendement  visant à bloquer la mise à la retraite des Fairchild République A-10 «Thunderbolt II». Un premier sauvetage avait eu lieu pour cette année, celui-ci devrait permettre aux A-10 de voler jusqu’à la mi-2016.

En février dernier, l'administration Obama avait présenté un budget qui prévoyait la mise à la retraite des A-10, Bell Helicopter OH-58D et les Lockheed-Martin U-2. La version de la Chambre des représentants vient donc de refuser ce projet et maintien les A-10 ainsi que les U-2 (voir lien). Pour la Chambre des représentants, le A-10 est idéalement adapté à la mission d'appui aérien et ceci dans l’attente de l’arrivée du F-35.

Au total, l’US Air Force dispose aujourd’hui d’un total de 320 A-10 en service, une partie de ceux-ci ayant le potentiel le plus élevé, ont été modernisés avec la fourniture de nouvelles ailes.  Ce processus de modernisation déjà engagé, doit permettre à l’avion de voler le plus longtemps possible. Les ailes des A-10 ont été mises à lourde contribution lors des nombreux déploiements sur divers théâtres opérationnels et de nombreuses fissures ont été décelées. Il fallait impérativement y remédier pour permettre à la flotte de continuer de voler en toute sécurité.  

Historique :

Le 6 mars 1967, l’US Air Force proposa à 21 constructeur de lancer une étude pour son programme Attack-Experimental ou AX d'avion d’attaque peu coûteux. Six compagnies répondirent à l'appel, dont Fairchild et Northrop, qui reçurent des contrats pour construire des prototypes. Le premier vol du prototype YA-10A de Fairchild a eu lieu le 10 mai 1972. Le 10 janvier 1973  le A-10 est déclaré vainqueur de la compétition face au Nothrop A9 Les premiers A-10A ont été livrés en octobre 1975 à la base de l’USAF de Davis-Monthan, dans l’Arizona. 714 appareils (dont un biplace) furent construits pour l’USAF entre 1975 et 1984. L’A-10 Thunderbolt II a cependant été assez mal accueilli dans les forces aériennes américaines, les autorités avaient plus confiance dans les F-16 et F-15.



Photos : A-10 Thunderbolt II @ USAF

http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2014/06/21/les-a-10-encore-sauves-856378.html  

Citation :

U.S. Air Force Awards Lockheed Martin Contract For Next Two SBIRS Missile Defense Early Warning Satellites


SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 24, 2014 – The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a $1.86 billion fixed-price contract to complete the production of the fifth and sixth Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites, known as GEO-5 and GEO-6, for the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS). SBIRS provides our nation continuous early warning of ballistic missile launches and other tactical intelligence.

The Air Force awarded initial funding for the two satellites in a 2012 contract to complete non-recurring engineering activities and to procure select long lead parts. In 2013, the service awarded the advance procurement contract to secure additional long lead parts.

“SBIRS provides capabilities critical to our nation’s defense but we also understand in today’s environment that we need to find that perfect balance between capability and affordability,” said Jeffrey Smith, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Overhead Persistent Infrared mission area. “This contract is the third part of a thoughtful acquisition strategy aimed at further reducing cost and cycle time for GEO-5 and GEO-6, while still providing exceptional data to the warfighter.”

The SBIRS architecture includes a resilient mix of satellites in GEO, hosted payloads in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO), and ground hardware and software. The GEO-1 and GEO-2 satellites both received Air Force Space Command Operational Acceptance in 2013, and have performance that matches, and in some cases exceeds, requirements. On schedule for delivery at the end of 2014, GEO-3 currently is undergoing acoustic and thermal vacuum testing at Lockheed Martin’s Sunnyvale, California satellite manufacturing facility. GEO-4 recently entered final assembly, integration and test.

The SBIRS program delivers timely, reliable and accurate missile warning and infrared surveillance information to the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, combatant commanders, the intelligence community and other key decision makers. The system enhances global missile launch detection capability, supports the nation's ballistic missile defense system, expands the country’s technical intelligence gathering capacity and bolsters situational awareness for warfighters on the battlefield.

The SBIRS team is led by the Infrared Space Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. Lockheed Martin is the SBIRS prime contractor, Northrop Grumman is the payload integrator. Air Force Space Command operates the SBIRS system.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 113,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s net sales for 2013 were $45.4 billion.

http://www.lockheedmartin.com

Citation :

U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

Maj. Blaine Jones, Thunderbird 5, Lead Solo and Maj. Jason Curtis, Thunderbird 6, Opposing Solo, perform the Inverted Opposing Knife-Edge
Pass, during the Star Spangled Salute Air Show at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., June 22, 2014.
(U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Stan Parker)

Citation :

AF awards new combat rescue helicopter contract



WASHINGTON (AFNS) --

The Air Force awarded a $1.28 billion contract for the initial engineering and manufacturing development phase of the new combat rescue helicopter to Sikorsky Aircraft Company on June 26.

The contract also includes procurement of the first four of the program’s planned 112 aircraft.

“Over the last 10 years, the Air Force has discussed upgrading the platform that performs this sacred mission for all Department of Defense personnel who go into harm’s way,” said Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James. “This mission is part of the military ethos, and the Air Force is committed to providing it.”

The Air Force is the primary service tasked to organize, train, equip and provide forces to conduct global personnel recovery operations with the specific capability to conduct theater-wide combat search and rescue.

“The resulting contract is $700 million below the government's affordability target gate,” James said. “The government has performed a thorough analysis of the proposed price and concluded this contract award is a very good buy for the taxpayer.”

The combat search and rescue mission has saved more than 12,200 U.S., allied and host nation forces in conflicts worldwide, and combat rescue helicopters have played a necessary and vital role in missions worldwide, rescuing more than 5,000 people since Sept. 11, 2001.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III emphasized the importance of the combat rescue mission.

“We are committed to ensuring our Airmen are equipped to rescue America's warriors whenever and wherever necessary,” said Welsh. “This contract secures that mission for many years to come.”

http://www.af.mil

Citation :

Dragon's Eye demo exercises AFGSC's innovative capabilities


by Airman 1st Class Jannelle Dickey
Air Force Global Strike Command

6/26/2014 - BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- As demand increases to find innovative ways to support mission requirements in a resource-constrained environment, Air Force Global Strike Command is looking to enhance its warfighting capabilities from within.

As the nation's long-range strike force provider, the command is currently working to improve capabilities available to combatant commanders around the globe by incorporating off-the-shelf technology into its strategic bombers.

Recently, AFGSC's Bomber Requirements Division led a successful demonstration of the AN/ASQ-236 "Dragon's Eye," a podded active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, on a B-52 Stratofortress. Originally fielded for operational use on the F-15E Strike Eagle in 2009, Dragon's Eye was developed to provide aircrew with the ability to geo-locate points of interest, and conduct surveillance activities day or night, in adverse weather conditions.

"The Dragon's Eye enhances the B-52's ability to operate in both contested environments and adverse weather conditions," Maj. Brett Plummer, AFGSC B-52 Requirements Branch chief, said. "The radar's high resolution mapping enables target detection, tracking and subsequent engagement in situations where our existing electro-optical targeting pods cannot."

Jim Noetzel, AFGSC B-52 Requirements Branch analyst, served as the primary program lead for the demonstration. He said validating the ability of the radar and the speed of completion made the demonstration a success.

"We did it faster than a regular modification...we shrunk six to eight months down into about four weeks," Noetzel said. "I can't think of anything we've done that fast in a long time for a demo. It was a huge win for all the players involved to make that happen."

The B-52 Systems Program Office at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, and Northrop Grumman Corporation assisted with the aircraft integration, which was tested on a B-52 assigned to the 307th Bomb Wing, Air Force Reserve Command. The testing was conducted by the 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron and Detachment 1, 53rd Test Management Group, also located at Barksdale AFB.

"Det. 1 and the 49th TES combined efforts to create specific sortie test points," Capt. Christina O'Neill, 49th TES current operations chief, said. "These test points were crucial in determining how the crew would utilize the pod and identify concerns to warfighters in the operational squadrons."

The 307th BW provided maintenance support in addition to supplying the aircraft.

"We assisted in verifying the technical procedures provided by Tinker AFB representatives, AFGSC and Northrop Grumman," said Staff Sgt. Marcella Phillips, team chief for the 307th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron weapon loading crew selected to mount the Dragon's Eye pod.

Completing the mission was mutually beneficial for the integrated team.

"It offered new training opportunities in working closely with aircraft engineers and representatives outside our normal day to day activities," Chief Master Sgt. Douglas Baumgartner, 307th AMXS weapons flight chief, said.

By increasing bomber capabilities, initiatives such as Dragon's Eye give the leaders of combat air forces greater flexibility and options in supporting in-theater operations. Pacific Air Forces is interested in the capability and plans to integrate AFGSC B-52s with the Dragon's Eye pod into its upcoming Valiant Shield exercise in September.

"The proven and expanding capabilities of the Dragon's Eye pod paired with the B-52 leverages the existing tremendous range, loiter time and communication capabilities of the B-52 airframe in support of our Maritime Domain Awareness mission," Col. Danny Wolf, Pacific Air Forces' chief of Integrated Air and Missile Defense and Warfighter Integration, said. "Because of the enormous size of the PACOM Area of Responsibility, the MDA mission is a significant challenge for the combatant commander. Fulfilling this mission with aircraft that are already assigned to the theater provides a cost effective solution, because a B-52 fitted with Dragon's Eye does not create a significant increase in support personnel or equipment."

Although it has yet to be determined how Dragon's Eye will be incorporated into the B-52 fleet, the demonstration validates AFGSC's ability to innovate and quickly provide solutions in support of warfighters.

"Our nation's adversaries are not stagnating and neither are we," Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, AFGSC commander, said. "This Dragon's Eye effort demonstrates AFGSC's ability to continue to increase B-52 lethality during lean fiscal times and present capable forces to our combatant commanders."

http://www.afgsc.af.mil

Citation :

USAF chooses Lm2 simulator motion modifier for KC-135 training


Belgium-based technology company AWx has sold its patented flight simulation motion modifier – known as Lm2 – to the US Air Force to equip its Boeing KC-135 simulator training organisation at Scott AFB in Illinois.



US Air Force

The order was placed in May under an agreement between AWx, the USAF and the Tampa, Florida-based US branch of Canadian simulation company CAE, but has only just been announced. It will result in 19 of the service's operational flight trainers (known as full flight simulators to non-military customers) being equipped with Lm2 lateral motion modifiers.

Lm2 can be fitted to any full-motion simulator, according to AWx managing director Filip Van Biervliet, and makes manual handling, especially for complex stick-and-rudder tasks like crosswind landings, feel so realistic that such landings can be accurately trained in the simulator.

A previous customer, Cathay Pacific Airways, purchased Lm2 for just such training across almost all its types, and AWx's recent launch customer in the USA was Atlas Air, which used it to upgrade the motion systems on its Boeing 747-400F simulators. Atlas's vice-president flight operations Capt Jeff Carlson commented following trials: "Manual flight proficiency is the ultimate human factor in the safe operation of all aircraft. Lm2 allows instructors to observe and train pilots with a much higher degree of efficiency as well as realism."

Lm2 is a patented software solution that modifies the conventional lateral accelerations applied by six-axis motion systems in full flight simulators – which frequently cause trainees to overreact, resulting in pilot-induced oscillations. AWx is a short form for Acceleration Worx; the company was originally known as Sabena Flight Academy Development.

http://www.flightglobal.com

Citation :

Sierra Nevada fields ARGUS-IS upgrade to Gorgon Stare pod


The US Air Force is now operating a powerful airborne imagery sensor called the Gorgon Stare Increment 2 pod, allowing a single unmanned aircraft to monitor in high-resolution everything that moves over a 100km2 area for several hours at a time.

Sierra Nevada, the integrator of the Gorgon Stare pods, says on 1 July that the Increment 2 system installed on the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper passed the air force’s initial operational capability milestone earlier this year.

Achieving operational status fulfills a five-year vision propelled into motion by then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who had grown impatient with a perceived lack of surveillance support by the US Air Force in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gates’ impatience ultimately led the firings of Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne and chief of staff General Michael Moseley. A new USAF leadership quickly launched two programmes – the manned MC-12 Liberty fleet and Gorgon Stare for the MQ-9 fleet – in 2009.

Both projects were aimed at addressing a lack of overhead surveillance for tactical forces on the ground. The USAF’s fleet of MQ-1B Predators, equipped with single sensor with a narrow field of view, was criticized for providing a “soda straw” view of the ground.

Battlefield commanders wanted a sensor that could provide constant surveillance over a large area, detecting, recording and tracking all moving objects.

The Gorgon Stare increment 1 system, fielded in March 2011, was the air force’s first step. The 61cm (24in)-diameter turret developed by Exelis provides persistent coverage of a 16km2 area, while simultaneously providing multiple feeds of different spots requested by users on the ground.

The air force always planned to upgrade with the increment 2 system, by incorporating a new sensor developed jointly by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and BAE Systems called the ARGUS-IS.

Coverage area provided by the ARGUS-IS – autonomous real-time ground ubiquitous surveillance imaging system – grows to up to 100km2. It fuses data collected by 368 cameras capable of capturing 5 million pixels each, to create a composite image of about 1.8 billion pixels, according to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, whose research led to the DARPA programme.

The video collected by the sensor at a rate of 12 frames per second creates several terabytes of data every minute, which is compressed by software to an amount capable of being processed by a few hard drives.

“We've rapidly fielded a never-before built, state-of-the-art system that delivers urgently needed and unprecedented warfighting capabilities,” Dave Bullock, vice-president for Sierra Nevada’s Persistent Surveillance Systems.

http://www.flightglobal.com

Citation :

Northrop to prime Hawk bid for USAF trainer deal

Northrop Grumman is to take the lead role in a bid to offer a development of BAE Systems’ Hawk advanced jet trainer for the US Air Force’s eagerly anticipated T-X contest.

“The decision to realign was reached mutually by all team members to better leverage Northrop Grumman’s domestic development and production capabilities,” the US company said on 7 July of the agreement for it to assume “prime contractor responsibilities”.

asset image

Rolls-Royce

Also involving Adour engine supplier Rolls-Royce and L-3 Link Simulation & Training, the Northrop-led team “is committed to providing the Hawk as the most capable and affordable training solution for the air force,” the new prime contractor says. Its offer will be based on a US-optimised version of the Hawk 128/T2 model now flown by the UK Royal Air Force.

The Northrop-led team will face stiff competition when the T-X programme is formally launched to acquire up to 350 new aircraft to replace the USAF’s aged Northrop T-38 Talons. General Dynamics and Alenia Aermacchi are promoting a ‘T-100’ version of the latter’s M-346, while Lockheed Martin is offering the T-50 developed jointly with Korea Aerospace Industries. Boeing and Saab are teamed on an all-new trainer design, details of which have yet to be disclosed.

http://www.flightglobal.com

Citation :

Pentagon suspends F-35 contract negotiations until latest failure resolved

Marina Malenic, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

08 July 2014


Negotiations with F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin have been suspended until a 23 June fire has been investigated. Officials are still mulling whether or not to take the aircraft to two UK air shows this month. Source: Lockheed Martin  

Key Points
•F-35 purchasing negotiations will resume once implications of a 23 June fire aboard an F-35A are fully known
•The Pentagon refused to make a deal for another lot of aircraft with the issue outstanding

The Pentagon's Joint Program Office (JPO) that oversees acquisition of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter has "temporarily suspended" negotiations for the next lot of aircraft and engines, a spokeswoman for the JPO told IHS Jane's on 8 July.

"Negotiations will resume once the scope of the engine issue and downstream effects are known," said Kyra Hawn. "The JPO would not close the deal with this issue outstanding and any subsequent fixes unresolved."

Lockheed Martin submitted its initial Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 8 proposal in December 2013. In April US Air Force Lieutenant General Christopher Bogdan, the Pentagon's F-35 acquisition chief, said he hoped to sign a contract by the end of May.

Pratt and Whitney spokesman Matthew Bates said the engine manufacturer "[looks] forward to concluding our negotiations shortly", and Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Laura Siebert said the company is "committed to closing LRIP 8 by the end of this summer".

According to Hawn, "all available fleet engines have been inspected" as of 8 July. "Some in depot maintenance will be inspected when access permits," she added.

The Pentagon grounded the entire F-35 fleet on 3 July, just days before the US Marine Corps' (USMC's) short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant was supposed to make its international debut in the UK during a 4 July flyby of the country's new aircraft carrier.

Pentagon officials "issued a directive to ground the F-35 fleet based on initial findings" from the investigation of a 23 June fire aboard an F-35A at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, according to Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby. The conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) A-model and the carrier variant C-model had previously been temporarily suspended from conducting flight operations over safety concerns.

Adm Kirby said on 8 July that officials are still considering whether to permit the F-35 to fly at two UK air shows this month but that a decision is to be made "pretty soon".

"We'd be disappointed if we didn't take it to Farnborough," he said, referring to the Farnborough International Airshow during a Pentagon press briefing. Still, "no one wants to rush these aircraft back into the air", he added.

According to Hawn, the US Navy will determine whether or not its fleet of F-35Bs will be permitted to fly in time for the air show. "If [US Naval Air Systems Command] as the air worthiness authority doesn't restore flight, the Marines will not be authorised to go," she said.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel plans to visit Eglin Air Force Base on 10 July to "send a strong message to our international partners that the US remains fully committed to the F-35 programme". Hagel will meet with investigators who are seeking information about the cause of the 23 June fire, according to Adm Kirby.

http://www.janes.com/article/40551/pentagon-suspends-f-35-contract-negotiations-until-latest-failure-resolved

Citation :

New F-35 pilots might get to skip training in F-16s



EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FLA. — New Air Force pilots might not have to fly F-16 jets before transitioning from T-38 trainers to the F-35 joint strike fighter.

While plans have not been finalized, officials are hoping pilots will be able to transition from two-seat T-38 Talon trainers directly into the single-seat F-35 thanks to more advanced simulators.

“We hope not,” Lt. Col. Eric Smith, 33rd Fighter Wing operational support squadron commander, said in a meeting with reporters when asked if new F-35 pilot would need to fly two-seat F-16s, much like they do before they fly single-seat F-22s.

“Right now, the full mission simulator has the capability to train a guy on air refueling, which is one of the reasons that they did that in the F-22,” he said.

The Air Force has in the past made new pilots fly F-16s for a number of check flights before transitioning to the single-seat F-22 Raptor. This is because the Raptor is a much more high performance fighter than the T-38 Talon jet trainer.

All new Air Force F-35 pilots have previous experience flying F-15 Eagles, F-16s or A-10 Warthogs. A new pilot without previous fighter experience probably will not go through F-35 training until 2017 or 2018.

The Air Force is in the early phases of laying out a plan to replace the 1960s-era T-38. The aircraft, dubbed T-X, will have more advanced capabilities allowing Air Force pilots to more easily transition to single-seat fifth-generation F-22s and F-35s.

Air Force leaders have made the T-X one of the service’s top acquisition priorities.
Hagel visits F-35 training wing

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Thursday visited Elgin, where he toured the 33rd Fighter Wing, home to F-35 schoolhouse for U.S. and foreign pilots and maintainers.

During the visit, Hagel met with F-35 pilots and maintainers and sat in the cockpit of one of the 49 aircraft stationed at the base on the Florida panhandle. The wing is home to the Air Force’s 58th Fighter Squadron, which has 26 F-35A jets.

The secretary said those he met with expressed their confidence in the programs, despite experiencing setbacks, most recently from an June 23 engine fire on an Air Force jet during takeoff. The entire F-35 fleet has been grounded since then.

Since the grounding, pilots at Eglin have been using simulators and discussing new ways to tactically employ the aircraft, Smith said.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it down time,” Smith said.

Hagel said the airmen, Marines and Navy aviators stationed at the base have “tremendous confidence” in the F-35.

“Some of the pilots told me it’s the best aircraft that they had ever flown and some said it was the easiest,” Hagel said during a speech in front of an F-35 bearing his name on the front landing gear door.

http://ww.airforcetimes.com/

Citation :

 Appel d'offre pour trouver un successeur au B-2

Le 11/07/2014 à 12h58, par Emmanuel Huberdeau


Le remplacement du B-2 Spirit est devenu l'une des priorités de l'US Air Force © US Air Force

Il s'agit de l'un des programmes les plus secrets de l'US Air Force. Le 9 juillet un appel d'offre a été publié pour le développement et la construction d'un nouveau bombardier long rayon d'action en remplacement du B-2A Spirit. Le programme a été dénommé Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) et l'USAF espère pouvoir sélectionné un industriel au printemps 2015. Northrop Grumman d'une part et une équipe Lockheed Martin-Boeing d'autre part devraient faire des propositions. Il se dit que fidèle à ses principes, Northrop Grumman proposerait un concept d'aile volante.

Peu d'informations techniques concernant le futur appareil n'ont été publiées. Dans sa demande de budget pour 2015, l'USAF expliquait vouloir développer un appareil long rayon d'action, capable de pénétrer le réseau de défense adverse, utilisant des technologies déjà éprouvées et au coût abordable...
L'USAF annonce vouloir adopter une approche de "systèmes de systèmes" pour développer le nouveau bombardier. Ce qui signifie peut être que l'appareil piloté pourrait être accompagné de drones dans ces missions.

Le remplacement du B-2A Spirit est devenu une priorité pour l'USAF. Le B-2 est entré en service en 1997 et seuls 20 appareils sont actuellement alignés. Le bombardier furtif assure notamment les missions de dissuasion nucléaire stratégiques au côté des B-52 Stratofortress, lesquels pourraient être conservés jusqu'en 2040. Ils auront alors 70 ans. Dans le même temps, l'USAF prévoit le remplacement de son vecteur, le missile de croisière AGM-86B qui a été développé à partir des années 1970 puis progressivement modernisé.

http://www.air-cosmos.com/2014/07/11/23721-appel-d-offre-pour-trouver-un-successeur-au-b-2

Citation :

US Air Force fires two AMRAAMs from next-generation fighter



Test marks first dual AMRAAM shots from any F-35 variant

LONDON, July 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A U.S. Air Force pilot successfully fired two Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) AIM 120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles from an F-35B fighter aircraft. The missiles tracked and engaged two aerial targets during a Weapon Delivery Accuracy mission in Southern California. The test marked the first dual AMRAAM shot from any F-35 variant, and the first live AMRAAM shot from the F-35B.

http://raytheon.mediaroom.com

Citation :

Boeing Awarded New Contract to Provide Warhead Arming Devices to U.S. Air Force
Agreement will help ensure U.S. cruise missile readiness

HEATH, Ohio, July 14, 2014 –The U.S. Air Force has extended Boeing’s [NYSE: BA] work remanufacturing warhead arming devices for the nation’s air-launched cruise missile (ALCM), helping to ensure the readiness of the system.

Under a new two-year contract, valued at $7.3 million, Boeing will remanufacture warhead arming devices for the air-launched cruise missile. The contract includes an option for six additional years at an estimated value of $50 million.

"Providing these production systems to the Air Force fleet on schedule is our number one goal,” said Peggy Morse, vice president, Boeing Directed Energy & Strategic Systems. “This contract is a testament to the ALCM team’s expertise and commitment to support national security.”

Boeing has worked on ALCM since its conception. The ALCM is a long-range subsonic, self-guided missile that can be launched far from hostile territory and still reach its target.

The Boeing team in Heath will continue to perform all manufacturing and acceptances testing on the warhead arming devices to meet the Air Force’s original design requirements. The work is being done for the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center Missile Sustainment Division, located at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.

“Our maintenance, repair and overhaul facility remains ready and uniquely qualified to continue remanufacturing these devices,” said Ellen Power, Boeing Heath center director. “This agreement will not only sustain work at this site but will support the economic security of Boeing’s supplier base in Ohio, which is the largest in the United States.”

Boeing’s Strategic Fabrication Center in Heath also maintains the Air Force’s Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, and tests, repairs and calibrates almost every type of military aircraft guidance and navigation system for the Air Force, Navy and allied nations.

http://boeing.mediaroom.com

Citation :

F-15E takes first flight with new radar system


MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- The first 389th Fighter Squadron F-15E Strike Eagle received a Radar Modernization Program upgrade here in June.

The inaugural flight with the new radar system was flown by Capt. Matthew Riley, 389th Fighter Squadron pilot, and Maj. Jacob Lindaman, 389th FS weapon systems officer.

"The new radar system does everything faster, is extremely precise and requires less maintenance," Riley said. "It can designate air-to-air and air-to-ground simultaneously, allowing us to track enemy aircraft and identify ground targets at the same time."

According to the U.S. Air Force RMP first annual report at http://www.dote.osd.mil/pub/reports/FY2011/pdf/af/2011f15e.pdf, this new radar system is designed to retain functionality of the old legacy radar system while providing expanded mission employment capabilities to include:

- Near-simultaneous interleaving of selected air-to-air and air-to-ground functions
- Enhanced air-to-air and air-to-ground classified combat identification capabilities
- Longer range air-to-air target detection and enhanced track capabilities
- Longer range and higher resolution air-to-ground radar mapping
- Improved ground moving target track capability

"In order to maintain our combat edge in today's challenging environment, Air Combat Command must balance resources between refurbishing our existing fleet and investing in future weapon systems," said Gen. Mike Hostage, ACC commander.

The RMP replaces the F-15E's more than 20-year-old legacy APG-70 mechanically scanned radar with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) system designated as the APG-82(V)1.

"The old radar system is hydraulic, has moving parts and requires three maintainers to perform repairs after every 30 flight hours," said Master Sgt. Jennifer Schildgen, 366th Fighter Wing avionics manager. "The new radar system is a beam scan, doesn't have any moving parts and is projected to only require one maintainer to perform repairs after more than 2,000 flight hours."

The modification process is managed by Boeing representatives and takes two to three months to complete for each aircraft. The tentative plan is to complete RMP for 47 aircraft from the 389th FS and 391st Fighter Squadron by 2017.

So far, the T-Bolts fighter aircraft has flown more than 11 hours with the new radar.

"This radar was made exclusively for the strike eagle and should outlast the jets," Riley said.

(Information courtesy of U.S. Air Force RMP first annual report)

http://www.mountainhome.af.mil

MAATAWI a écrit:

Citation :

New F-35 pilots might get to skip training in F-16s



EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FLA. — New Air Force pilots might not have to fly F-16 jets before transitioning from T-38 trainers to the F-35 joint strike fighter.

While plans have not been finalized, officials are hoping pilots will be able to transition from two-seat T-38 Talon trainers directly into the single-seat F-35 thanks to more advanced simulators.

“We hope not,” Lt. Col. Eric Smith, 33rd Fighter Wing operational support squadron commander, said in a meeting with reporters when asked if new F-35 pilot would need to fly two-seat F-16s, much like they do before they fly single-seat F-22s.

“Right now, the full mission simulator has the capability to train a guy on air refueling, which is one of the reasons that they did that in the F-22,” he said.

The Air Force has in the past made new pilots fly F-16s for a number of check flights before transitioning to the single-seat F-22 Raptor. This is because the Raptor is a much more high performance fighter than the T-38 Talon jet trainer.

All new Air Force F-35 pilots have previous experience flying F-15 Eagles, F-16s or A-10 Warthogs. A new pilot without previous fighter experience probably will not go through F-35 training until 2017 or 2018.

The Air Force is in the early phases of laying out a plan to replace the 1960s-era T-38. The aircraft, dubbed T-X, will have more advanced capabilities allowing Air Force pilots to more easily transition to single-seat fifth-generation F-22s and F-35s.

Air Force leaders have made the T-X one of the service’s top acquisition priorities.
Hagel visits F-35 training wing

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Thursday visited Elgin, where he toured the 33rd Fighter Wing, home to F-35 schoolhouse for U.S. and foreign pilots and maintainers.

During the visit, Hagel met with F-35 pilots and maintainers and sat in the cockpit of one of the 49 aircraft stationed at the base on the Florida panhandle. The wing is home to the Air Force’s 58th Fighter Squadron, which has 26 F-35A jets.

The secretary said those he met with expressed their confidence in the programs, despite experiencing setbacks, most recently from an June 23 engine fire on an Air Force jet during takeoff. The entire F-35 fleet has been grounded since then.

Since the grounding, pilots at Eglin have been using simulators and discussing new ways to tactically employ the aircraft, Smith said.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it down time,” Smith said.

Hagel said the airmen, Marines and Navy aviators stationed at the base have “tremendous confidence” in the F-35.

“Some of the pilots told me it’s the best aircraft that they had ever flown and some said it was the easiest,” Hagel said during a speech in front of an F-35 bearing his name on the front landing gear door.

http://ww.airforcetimes.com/

Je suis pas savant en la matiere mais donner des joujou de milliard de dollars directement a des jeunes qui ont tous juste fini leurs transformation au lieu de veterants avec pas moins d 10 ans d vol sur f 15 et f 16 me parait hillarant

Citation :

 Un avion espion américain a survolé la Suède illégalement pour éviter l’aviation russe

Posté dans Europe, Forces aériennes par Laurent Lagneau Le 04-08-2014



L’espace aérien de la mer Baltique est très fréquenté par les avions militaires, en particulier par les appareils spécialisés dans la collecte du renseignement d’origine électronique. Si l’aviation russe y est présente (avec ses Iliouchine II-20M Coot et Beriev A-50 Mainstay ainsi que ses bombardiers), celle de l’Otan l’est aussi…

Parmi les pays riverains de la Baltique, la Suède et la Finlande ne sont pas membres de l’Alliance atlantique, à la différence de la Pologne et des trois États baltes, lesquels sont préoccupés par les activités russes, surtout après l’affaire de la Crimée. Et cela d’autant plus que la Russie dispose de moyens militaires relativement importants dans l’enclave de Kaliningrad, coincée entre le territoire polonais et la Lituanie.

C’est dans ce contexte que, le 18 juillet dernier, soit un jour après que le Boeing 777 de la Malaysia Airlines a été abattu dans l’est de l’Ukraine,  un avion de renseignement de l’US Air Force de type RC-135 Rivet Joint a été « accroché » et suivi de manière « inhabituelle » par un radar russe, alors qu’il survolait la Baltique dans l’espace aérien international. Du moins selon Washington.

Après avoir été approché par des avions russes, l’équipage de l’appareil américain est allé au plus court et a pénétré l’espace aérien suédois au niveau de l’île de Gotland sans en avoir demandé préalablement l’autorisation. L’affaire a été révélée le 31 juillet dernier pas les journaux du pays, qui ont indiqué que le RC-135 évoluait près de Kaliningrad, avant d’être confirmée par l’administration américaine.

« L’équipage de l’avion espion était tellement préoccupé par le radar de poursuite qu’il voulait sortir de la zone le plus rapidement possible », a fait valoir un responsable militaire, interrogé par CNN.

Le RC-135 n’est pas resté longtemps dans l’espace aérien suédois : il l’a quitté après avoir été informé de son « erreur » par les contrôleurs aériens locaux.

« Le commandant de l’appareil, agissant de manière sûre et professionnelle, a manoeuvré l’avion pour éviter une éventuelle rencontre avec l’aviation russe », a expliqué le commandement militaire américain en Europe (US EUCOM), avant de préciser que des discussions sont en cours avec les autorités suédoises pour prévenir ce genre de situation qui risque de se répéter à l’avenir.

Cet incident rappelle celui qui a eu lieu le 23 avril dernier. Ce jour-là, un RC-135 U « Combat Sent » de l’US Air Force avait été intimidé par un chasseur SU-37 russe lors d’une « mission de routine ans l’espace international au-dessus de la mer d’Okhotsk ». Quelques jours plus tôt, un SU-24 russe avait effectué plusieurs passes au-dessus du destroyer USS Donald Cook, en mer Noire.

Pour rappel, l’espace aérien suédois avait été volontairement violé par des avions militaires russes en mars 2013. Deux bombardiers Tu-22 M3 Backfire escortés par 4 chasseurs Su-27 Flanker simulèrent l’attaque de deux bases militaires suédoises.

http://www.opex360.com/2014/08/04/avion-espion-americain-survole-la-suede-illegalement-pour-eviter-laviation-russe/

Article intéressant
The Air Force Has A Radical Technology Plan For The Next 30 Years


http://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-futuristic-technology-2014-8

Citation :

Le 65th Aggressor Squadron de l'USAF va être dissous
 
20 Août 2014



C'est un des plus emblématiques escadrons de l'US Air Force qui va être dissous au mois de Septembre : Le 65th Aggressor Squadron, stationné sur la célèbre base aérienne américaine de Nellis, à Las Vegas, qui avait été réactivé en Septembre 2005 et équipé de F-15C Eagle, va subir les coupes budgétaires ordonnées par le Pentagone.

En effet, et selon un article du journal américain Las Vegas Review-Journal, qui cite le commandant du 65th Squadron, les dix-neufs F-15C encore en service au sein de son escadron vont être redistribués au sein de plusieurs escadrons, à l'issue d'une cérémonie organisée le 26 Septembre. Cette décision a été prise "dans le but de répondre à des contraintes budgétaires émanants du Pentagone, et avant la nouvelle année fiscale qui commence le 1er Octobre".

Greg Wintill, le "patron" de l'escadron qui arbore les livrées des Su-27 russes sur ses appareils, a indiqué qu'il ne savait pas précisément les réductions que cela engendrera, en sachant que le budget annuel qui leur est alloué est "d'environ 35 millions de dollars". Cet escadron, qui est composé d'environ 150 militaires qui mettent en oeuvre les F-15, a déjà vu certains militaires quitter l'unité.

Cette même personne nous apprend également que six F-15, plus un de remplacement, neuf pilotes, ainsi que 90 militaires seront transférés au 64th Aggressor Squadron, équipé de 20 F-16. Ces six F-15 resteront au sein de cet escadron jusqu'en Mars 2015, avant d'être envoyés dans l'un des plus grands "cimetière d'avions" du monde, à Tucson, dans l'Arizona. Le reste des appareils, une douzaine, sera transféré au sein d'une unité de la Garde Nationale.

Wintill, dans l'interview, donne des éléments de réponse en expliquant qu'il "aime le F-15, mais qu'il se fait vieux. Nous volons sur des modèles datant de 1978, et nous ne disposons pas des Block ("version", en français) les plus récents". Le commandant a tenu à souligner l'importance de ce type d'escadron Aggressor, car ils permettent d'apporter "un ensemble de compétences uniques". Avec la possibilité d'évoluer sur la base aérienne de Nellis, avec un "range" de 12.140 km², les pilotes de chasse américains du 65th et 64th Squadron peuvent "intégrer une multitude de fonctions qui est unique, pas seulement à Nellis, mais unique au monde. C'est pourquoi nos alliés étrangers viennent ici pour obtenir cet entraînement particulier [à Red Flag, NDLR]".

http://www.defens-aero.com/2014/08/le-65th-aggressor-squadron-de-l-usaf-va-etre-dissous.html

Citation :

L'US Air Force met l'accent sur le développement des drones


Le démonstrateur de drone de combat furtif Phantom Ray de Boeing fait la taille d'un avion de chasse.

Dans un document détaillant son programme de développement de drones, baptisé RPA Vector, l'Armée de l'air américaine révèle l'importance que les drones ont acquis au sein de la stratégie militaire au cours des dernières années, et la place proéminente qu'ils auront dans la guerre du futur.
L'Armée de l'air américaine travaille à l'élaboration d'une génération de drones constituant une véritable flotte à part entière. A terme, ces aéronefs sans pilote à bord ou avec pilote optionnel seront amenés à progressivement remplacer les avions de chasse traditionnels.
Cette stratégie de développement fait suite au rôle grandissant qu'ont tenu les drones lors des conflits armés ces dix dernières années et à l'appui indispensable qu'ils fournissent désormais aux forces armées américaines. Et s'ils restent pour le moment très limités dans leurs capacités par rapport aux chasseurs ou aux bombardiers classiques, cela pourrait bientôt (à l'échelle des projets aéronautiques) ne plus être le cas.
Dans son programme baptisé Remotely Piloted Aircraft Vector (consulter le document), l'US Air Force prévoit en effet une évolution des drones pour couvrir un panel très large d'opérations d'ici à 2038. Ceux-ci iraient des nano-drones d'espionnage jusqu'à des drones de combat furtifs et reliés en réseaux, dotés des mêmes capacités que les avions de combat actuels, avec tout un groupe d'aéronefs intermédiaires entre ces deux extrémités. Et les drones les plus avancés seraient modulaires, capables d'emporter différentes charges, différents types de capteurs et de technologies, afin de pouvoir répondre rapidement à n'importe quel type de mission.



Les nouveaux développements d'aéronefs, comme le remplaçant prévu du bombardier furtif à longue portée B-2 Spirit, sont d'ailleurs conçus dans une optique de vol avec équipage optionnel. Cette optique de recherche et développement a pour but de préparer l'Armée américaine à des conflits moins "terrestres" que ceux rencontrés en Afghanistan ou en Irak, dans un cas de figure où l'espace aérien serait mieux défendu (radars, systèmes anti-aérien), voire même activement contesté par une force armée aux capacités avancées. L'engagement des drones dans certains combats aériens ne semble à long terme pas impossible.





http://www.industrie-techno.com/l-us-air-force-met-l-accent-sur-le-developpement-des-drones.30708

Citation :

USAF, F-16D cloués au sol!



L'US Air Force vient de clouer au sol 82 avions de combat de type Lockheed-Martin F-16D biplaces, après la découverte de nombreuses fissures.

Suite à une inspection, les mécaniciens de l’USAF ont mis à jour une série de fissures sur de nombreux F-16 biplaces. Les rapports font apparaître une série de fissures au niveau de la structure des aéronefs. Les fissures ont été détectées le long de la canopée entre les sièges pilotes avant et arrière des appareils.

L’USAF a ordonné une inspection sur l’ensemble du parc des F-16D biplaces, soit un total aujourd’hui de 157 appareils. Ces mesures ont permis de déterminer que 82 appareils étaient touchés par ce problème.

La flotte de F-16D est principalement utilisée pour la formation en vue de la transition des élèves pilotes sur ce type d’appareil. En moyenne, cette flotte est aujourd’hui âgée de 24 ans, avec plus de 5’500 heures vol par appareil. Il apparaît que ces appareils arrivent progressivement aux limites d’utilisation des cellules.

Les ingénieurs de Lockheed-Martin en collaboration avec les unités de maintenance de l’USAF travaillent à l'élaboration de procédures de réparation, afin de pouvoir maintenir en service la flotte de F-16D jusqu’à l’arrivée retardée du F-35.



Photos : 1 F-16D USAF @ Weimann 2 F-16D@ Lockheed-Martin

http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2014/08/20/usaf-f-16d-cloues-au-sol-856825.html  

Encore un incident dans le pacifique :

Citation :

Chinese Jet Threatened U.S. Intelligence Aircraft
Su-27 flew within 50 feet of new P-8 anti-submarine warfare jet near Japan




BY:  Bill Gertz
August 21, 2014 6:45 pm

A Chinese jet fighter flew dangerously close to a U.S. Navy P-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft near Japan this week in an encounter that highlights China’s continued aggressiveness in the region.
The P-8, a new, militarized Boeing-737 anti-submarine warfare aircraft, was conducting routine surveillance of the Chinese coast over the East China Sea on Monday when the incident occurred, said U.S. defense officials familiar with reports of the encounter. Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jeffrey Pool had no immediate comment but said he would provide “an explanation of the event” on Friday.

The defense officials said the Chinese Su-27 interceptor jet flew within 50 feet of the P-8 and then carried out a barrel roll over the top of the aircraft—a move described by officials as dangerous and meant to threaten the surveillance aircraft.
It was the second threatening encounter of a U.S. surveillance aircraft this year. In April, a Russian Su-27 flew within 100 feet of a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft during another dangerous intercept over waters north of Japan.
One defense official said the Pentagon’s failure to produce a tough response to the April event likely spurred the Chinese to conduct the similar threatening intercept on Monday.
Chinese military officials have said they oppose all U.S. electronic surveillance flights and described ship-based monitoring of their facilities and territory an encroachment of sovereignty. U.S. military officials have said the monitoring is carried within international airspace and thus does not violate international or Chinese law.
The Chinese attempt at aerial intimidation comes amid unprecedented Chinese military exercises held recently and currently underway in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea.
On Monday, Chinese air force and navy jets conducted combat simulation drills in the East China Sea—a possible target of the P-8’s monitoring.

China also is holding international military exercises in Inner Mongolia with Russia and several Central Asia states that are part of the Beijing-led anti-U.S. alliance known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The P-8 that was intercepted by the Su-27 is part of the Navy’s first squadron of new sub hunters deployed to Asia. Six P-8s, that can fire both missiles and torpedoes, are under the command Navy’s Seventh Fleet and are based at Okinawa’s Kadena Air Base. They support the fleet’s maritime surveillance operations as part of the U.S. pivot to Asia.
The P-8s were deployed in December—a month after China declared an air defense identification zone over the East China that encroaches on both Japanese and South Korean maritime zones. The U.S. government said it does not recognize the Chinese defense zone. China has threatened to use force to maintain its control over the area covering most of the East China Sea.

The Navy has described the P-8 as “the most advanced long range anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare aircraft in the world.” The jet also conducts maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
The U.S.-China close encounter also is a setback for Adm. Samuel Locklear, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, who has been leading Obama administration efforts to develop closer relations with the Chinese military.
Locklear has sought to play down the growing military threat from China as part of efforts to develop closer cooperation with the Chinese military.
The commander’s dovish policies are being opposed by some in the Pentagon and Air Force who are concerned that the conciliatory approach will appease the Chinese at a time when Beijing has made aggressive territorial claims in the East China Sea and South China Seas.

Rick Fisher, a China military affairs analyst, said increased U.S. surveillance flights near China are part of the United States’ strategy of responding to China’s aggressive imposition of controls in disputed maritime regions.
“In response, China is applying the same aggressive flying intimidation tactics to U.S. surveillance aircraft that it is using on Japanese surveillance aircraft,” said Fisher, a senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center.
Chinese warplanes conducted similar close intercepts to Japanese P-3 aircraft in May and June, flying within 50 feet of the aircraft, Fisher said.
“The U.S. needs to consider a stronger response and make clear to China that unprovoked deadly aggression will result in an allied military response,” Fisher said.
The latest Chinese aerial assertiveness should prompt the United States to conduct mount joint fighter escorts with Japan’s military for surveillance aircraft, he said. Additionally, the Pentagon should increase the number of U.S. fighters deployed to Okinawa, and to request that the Philippines permit the stationing of a wing of fighters at Philippine air bases, as well as boost U.S. military assistance to the Manila government.
Fisher said the Chinese objective with the aggressive aerial encounters is to “make U.S. political leaders fear another ‘April 1’ incident.”

In April 2001, a Chinese F-8 interceptor crashed into a U.S. EP-3 surveillance aircraft off the southern China coast, causing the J-8 to crash and nearly causing the crash of the EP-3.
That encounter set off an international crisis after the propeller-driven U.S. aircraft made an emergency landing on China’s Hainan Island and the 24 crew members were imprisoned for 10 days.
“This kind of intimidation is intended to make White House officials fear a larger incident with China and to ‘stand down’ American surveillance flights,” Fisher said. “Beijing is hoping to take advantage of the distraction of these U.S. officials by multiple crises in Iraq and the Ukraine to push the Americans out of maritime regions in Asia that China is seeking to dominate.”
Until Monday’s encounter, China had been operating its intercepts in a more careful manner, defense officials said, describing most past encounters as “professional.”
The U.S. military has sought to engage China in talks on maritime rules of engagement and a code of conduct aimed at preventing such close encounters with limited success.
In the RC-135 encounter, the U.S. electronic surveillance aircraft was flying near the Russian Far East coast north of Japan on April 23 when an the Russian Su-27 intercepted the jet.
During that encounter, the Russian warplane rolled sideways to reveal its air-to-air missiles and then flew within 100 feet of the RC-135 cockpit. The incident was video recorded by the crew but the Pentagon declined to release the video.
The Pentagon protested the Russian encounter with officials in Moscow. However, no additional steps were taken to warn the Russians about further dangerous intercepts.

Fisher said U.S. P-8s have flown surveillance missions over the South China Sea, where China has been engaged in aggressive naval and coast guard tactics against Vietnam and Philippines over competing maritime claims.
“If such patrols are over shallower waters near to China, another ‘controlled crash’ into the P-8 could also be part of a Chinese intelligence operation to capture the latest U.S. Navy anti-submarine and patrol aircraft,” he said.
“China is just now testing its first long range anti-submarine aircraft based on the turboprop powered Y-9 transport,” he added. “Gaining insights into the twin-turbofan powered P-8 may accelerate a likely Chinese program to make an ASW/maritime patrol version of its twin-turbofan C-919 regional airliner.”

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/chinese-jet-threatened-u-s-intelligence-aircraft/

Citation :

26/08/2014

Trois Global Hawk de plus pour l’USAF !




L'US Air Force attribué à Northrop-Grumman un contrat de 240 millions de dollars pour l’acquisition de trois drones RQ-4B «Global Hawk» bloc30.

Le RQ-4B «Global Hawk» bloc30 dispose d’une suite intégrée avec capteurs de renseignement électronique (SIGINT).  

A propos du Global Hawk :  

Le RQ-4 Global Hawk  est un drone de surveillance construit à long rayon d’action  par Northrop Grumman pour l'US Air Force. Il a effectué son premier vol le 28 février 1998. Il est un des rares représentant de la classe des drones dites des «HALE» (Haute Altitude Longue Endurance). Le RQ-4 Global Hawk pèse 14,6 tonnes au maximum au décollage, soit la masse d'un petit chasseur, malgré ses dimensions notamment son envergure qui est digne de celle d'un avion de ligne. La construction est assurée à plus de 50 % en matériaux composites (les ailes sont en graphite). Permettant des vols de croisière à très haute altitude, au-dessus du trafic ordinaire commercial,  le RQ-4 Global Hawk peut surveiller de vastes zones géographiques avec une précision extrême, donnant au gouvernement et à l'armée les informations les plus récentes disponibles, lors d'une crise ou une situation d'urgence et en leur fournissant en temps réel une imagerie de haute résolution qui permet d’appuyer les opérations sur un large spectre.

Photo: Northrop-Grumman RQ-4B «Global Hawk» @ USAF

http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2014/08/26/trois-global-hawk-de-plus-pour-l-usaf-856863.html

Citation :

Niger: l'US Air Force commande des shelters de toile pour Niamey



Signe d'une présence croissante (mais encore tout à fait durable) au Niger, l'USAF a lancé un appel d'offres pour la fourniture de shelters de toile. Ces tentes seront installés sur l'aéroport Diori-Hamani, de Niamey, où l'USAF dispose de moyens ISR.

La commande porte sur
- 15 Small Shelter Systems (32,5 pieds de longueur, 20 de largeur et 10 de hauteur) utilisés pour accueillir des installations sanitaires, des ateliers etc.

- 3 Medium Shelter Systems (52 pieds de long, 29,5 de largeur et 15 de hauteur) utilisés pour des travaux de maintenance, du stockage ou de la restauration.

Sur les caractéristiques de ces shelters, on peut consulter ici :http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/AF/AFH/afh10_222_v2.pdf , le chapitre 2 du manuel de l'USAF intitulé Air Force Handbook 10-222. Bare Base Assets.



Ces shelters vont s'ajouter à la demi-douzaine déjà implantés au sud de la zone d'accueil des drones français. L'USAF dispose de drones et d'avions de type Pilatus pour des missions ISR au Sahel. Missions dont Barack a annoncé, début août, l'intensification.

http://lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-france.fr/archive/2014/08/31/l-us-air-force-commande-des-shelters-de-toile-pour-niamey-ni-12305.html