India Changes Its Mind On Rafale

As previously anticipated, India has decided to go in another direction with regards to the acquisition of Rafale fighter aircraft from France. It was originally planned to acquire 126 Rafale, 18 delivered straight from France and the remaining aircraft were to be produced locally under license in India.

Negotiations since 2012 have failed to produce an agreement and India now plans to purchase 36 aircraft directly from France. Assuming this goes through, India would follow Egypt as the second buyer of the Rafale outside of France.

This would mark a sharp turnaround for France which for a long time did not have any export customer for the Rafale. Meanwhile, other European aircraft such as the Typhoon and the Gripen have been able to secure contracts some time ago.

Two contracts for the Rafale in 2015 in just a few months would be quite an accomplishment. The number of aircraft sold may not be as high for France with 36 instead of 126, but more would be produced in France than was originally planned. It ties up India as a long-term customer and it's possible than India may purchase more in the future.

While a Rafale acquisition is a clear win for France, it's a different story for India. No aircraft are to be manufactured in India. Purchasing limited numbers of a new type of aircraft further aggravates the problem of India having too many types of aircraft in limited numbers making logistics more difficult.

A straight-up purchase of 36 aircraft is a compromise for India between the original plan and walking away. The latter option would be very hard to do after so much has been invested in the MMRCA project, which dates as far back as the late nineties.

However, in the long run India might be better off by not pursuing the original plan. That would have cost too much hard currency, which India has in short supply. By going for a smaller purchase, India frees up most of what would have been taken up by the Rafale leaving not much room for anything else. It may not be the ideal move for India, but it's better than what they were doing before.

By U.S. Navy photo Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Denny Cantrell [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Shaanxi Y30 and Y9 Military Transport Aircraft in China

The Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation displayed the turboprop Y-30, a new medium transport aircraft, in model form at the 2014 Zhuhai Airshow. The Y-30 would succeed the current Shaanxi Y-9, which in turn succeeded the Y-8 in Chinese service.

Back in the late nineties when China first announced a replacement for the Y-8, the planned aircraft was known as the Y-8X. Over time this new aircraft gradually evolved into what is now known as the Y-9 from Shaanxi.

While the Y-9 is a significant improvement over the original Y-8, it's much less ambitious with less performance than what the Y-8X was supposed to be. The Y-9 is more like a radically improved Y-8 than a clean sheet design from the ground up.

With the new Y-30 design, Shaanxi comes closer to what the Y-8X was originally supposed to be and more. For instance, dimensions of the cargo hold will be more optimized and payload will be increased to above 30 tons. Shaanxi would go from a Y-9, which is comparable to the Lockheed Martin C-130J-30, to something that is somewhat below the Airbus A-400M.

This would make the Y-30 compatible with newer generation wheeled vehicles, which are becoming bigger and heavier. For instance, the Type 09 vehicles, which are set to become the backbone of China's land forces, would be able to utilize the Y-30 and not have to rely on the heavier Xian Y-20. The basic version of these come in at least 20 tons and more depending on the version.

The Xian Aircraft Corporation, which is now developing the Y-20, has also offered an alternative to the Y-30 from Shaanxi in the Y-19. The main difference is that the Y-19 will be powered by two turbofans and not turboprops as in the Y-9 and Y-30.

As for the Y-9 which has now entered service in China, it was displayed with a range of vehicles that are compatible with the Y-9 platform. Included were:

• The Type 03 or ZBD03 (ZLC-2000), a light-weight, tracked infantry fighting vehicle which can be airdropped. The 8 ton ZBD03 is amphibious and is fitted with a one man turret armed with a 30 mm gun and anti-tank missiles. Somewhat comparable to the Russian BMD-3.
• Norinco AH-4, a light-weight, 155 mm, 39 caliber towed  howitzer weighing 3 to 4 tons. Somewhat comparable to the American M777.
• Norinco CS/SH-1, a self-propelled 122 mm howitzer mounted on a 4x4 vehicle.
• Various other light vehicles such as the 4x4 CS/VN-3.

Also worth mentioning is that the Y-9s in Chinese service come with a Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) which should help during bad weather. Most other aircraft around the world only include it as an option on selected aircraft only.

Credit original poster, via Chinese Internet

Egypt Is The First Buyer of French Rafale and the Second of FREMM Frigate

Egypt has agreed to buy 24 Rafale fighter aircraft from France, ending the French quest to find the first export customer for the Rafale which had its first flight all the way back in 1986.

Prior to this, France had lost in several countries against fighter aircraft from other countries, such as the F-16, Typhoon and the Gripen. This includes countries such as Morocco and Brazil where it had initially been considered the favorite to win, but in the end lost out to someone else.

Ironically, Egypt also happens to be the first export destination of the Mirage 2000, the predecessor of the Rafale. There are still about 18 Mirage 2000 in service with the Egyptian Air Force.

In the near future, France is looking at additional customers for the Rafale in Qatar and India, both of which have operated the Mirage 2000. Other countries where the Rafale is hoping to secure a contract in the more distant future is Malaysia.

Egypt also becomes the second customer of the French-Italian FREMM frigate after Morocco, which, like Egypt, ordered a single ship in 2008. This ship was delivered to Morocco in 2014 and is more similar to the French version of the FREMM than the Italian version.

Besides Morocco, France has two FREMM frigates and Italy has another four frigates. In all, Egypt has spent over 5 billion euros on new acquisitions. France is expected to provide loans to Egypt to help cover the purchases.


https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/defence/press-release/egypt-selects-rafale-and-fremm-equip-its-forces

By U.S. Navy Specialist 1st Class Denny Cantrell [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

China's Gongji GJ-1 / Wing Loong UAV In Service and Equipped With Satellite Guided Glide Bomb

At the 2014 Zhuhai Airshow, the Wing Loong or Pterodactyl Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from AVIC was again displayed. However, unlike in Zhuhai Airshow 2012, this time the display model carried the official emblems and insignia of the Chinese Air Force.

This confirms that the Wing Loong UAV has now entered service in China as the unit was pulled from service with number 76024. At the airshow, the UAV was also referred to as GJ-1 (Gongji) in contrast to the past where it was known only as the Wing Loong or Pterodactyl.

The Wing Loong / Pterodactyl / GJ-1 Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV is designed for persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) thanks to its extended range and endurance. It can carry out a wide range of missions, including battle damage assessment.

Depending on mission, the GJ-1 can be equipped with various electro-optical and other surveillance equipment, including the LE-350, YY-1 and YY-12 pod. The GJ-1 can also be used for precision attack in real-time as it can carry a wide range of precision guided munitions.

Brazil Signs Contract to Purchase 36 Gripen E/F Fighter Aircraft

Brazil has signed the contract for the purchase of 36 Gripen E/F, the latest version of the JAS 39 Gripen from Sweden's SAAB. While Brazil had earlier reported that it had chosen the Gripen over other contenders such as the French Rafale and the American F-18, the signing of the contract worth around $5.4 billion makes it official.

This makes Brazil the first export customer of the Swedish Gripen E/F, also known as the Gripen NG. Brazil thus joins Sweden, South Africa, Thailand, Hungary and the Czech Republic as countries that have either purchased on leased Gripen aircraft.

Brazil also becomes the first country to purchase the dual-seat Gripen F by including eight Gripen F on top of 28 single-seat Gripen E in the order for 36 aircraft. Sweden, the first to buy the latest Gripen, had only included the single-seat Gripen E in its purchase of 60 aircraft.

South Korea to Buy 40 F-35A CTOL Fighter Aircraft

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has announced that South Korea will buy 40 F-35 fighter aircraft. South Korea is the third country to acquire the F-35 after Israel and Japan, besides the United States and eight other countries that are part of the F-35 program.

A contract is expected to be signed soon and will be worth 7.3 trillion South Korean won or about $7 billion for 40 of the F-35A Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) variant to be delivered starting in 2018. They are to replace the F-4 and F-5 aircraft in service.

The F-35, the F-15 Silent Eagle and the European Typhoon were the three candidates that had submitted a bid to be awarded a contract for the F-X III project, which originally sought 60 aircraft for no more than 8.3 trillion won. Only the F-15 managed to stay under the budget allocated.

However, South Korea decided not to select the F-15 despite being the only candidate to meet the original requirements. Instead, the F-35 was selected at the cost of reduced numbers with only 40 to be acquired and not 60 as originally planned.

Sweden Opts For New Gripen E Fighter Aircraft Instead of Remanufactured Ones

The Swedish parliament has voted in favor of amending the existing contract for the delivery of 60 Gripen E fighter aircraft. Originally, the aircraft were to be converted from existing Gripen C currently used. The Swedish Air Force will now receive completely new aircraft instead of remanufactured ones.

This change comes shortly after the Gripen program suffered a setback when the public in Switzerland voted against the purchase of 22 Gripen E/F fighter aircraft. Switzerland had been expected the become the first export customer for the latest variant of the Gripen and Swiss pilots had already taken active part in the testing and development of the Gripen E/F.

If Switzerland does not purchase the Gripen, production of the Gripen E/F would almost certainly be affected and very likely raise the cost of the aircraft. This raises the importance for Sweden of finding a new partner, the most obvious one being Brazil, which selected the Gripen E/F as its new fighter. A contract with Brazil would help lessen the loss in Switzerland.

The Swedish decision to go for new aircraft also means that there will be many more used Gripen aircraft available that could be leased to other Air Forces. Used Gripen aircraft are currently being leased to Hungary and the Czech Republic. South Africa and Thailand are the other users besides Sweden itself.

By Staff Sgt. Joshua Strang [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Australia Opts For 58 Additional F-35 Fighter Aircraft

Australia has decided that it will purchase 58 additional F-35A fighter aircraft on top of the 14 it had already approved to buy earlier. While not a firm contract, this bring the total number of F-35 aircraft it has committed to buy to 72.

While this number is still less than the 100 Australia had originally planned to buy when it became one of the eight partner countries in the F-35 program, the move is welcome news for the F-35 program as there had a slight possibility that the number would have been even less.

The F-18E/F was suggested by some as a viable candidate to replace some of the F-35 aircraft. This would have reduced the number of F-35 to be build and that would in turn raise the cost of the F-35, which is already troubled by escalating costs and other technical problems during development.

Barring future costs increases, the aircraft are expected to cost around $11.5 billion and this makes it the largest commitment to the F-35 program, outside of the United States. The first aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in 2018 and should enter operational service in 2020.

Philippines Agrees on Deal to Buy 12 FA-50 Fighter Aircraft From South Korea

South Korea and the Philippines have agreed on a $422 million deal for the purchase of twelve FA-50 light fighter aircraft. Barring any unforeseen issues, an actual contract could be signed a few weeks from now in March.

A deal for the FA-50 had been hoped for as early as last year, but a deal could not be agreed upon due to differences on the terms of the contract. A natural disaster in the Philippines caused by a Typhoon further complicated agreement on a contract.

South Korea wanted more upfront payment and less after sales support. The Philippines wanted the opposite, but both sides were able to meet each other half way to work something out.

If a contract is signed in March, the first FA-50 are expected to be delivered 18 months later in the second half of 2015. The Philippines would the become the second export customer for the FA-50 after Iraq and South Korea itself.

Brazil Selects Saab JAS39 Gripen E/F or NG Fighter Aircraft

Brazil has selected Saab's Gripen E/F or Gripen NG from Sweden for its F-X2 program and will now begin contract negotiations for 36 aircraft, worth an estimated $4.5 billion. That is expected to last one year, followed by deliveries after four years.

The contract is expected to include technology transfer that Brazil is looking for to allow for instance the integration of Brazilian missiles and weapons. Besides technology transfer, local assembly and joint fighter development, Sweden submitted the lowest bid and agreed to help finance the deal.

The Swedish Gripen beat Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Dassault's Rafale after an extended selection process that lasted over a decade and was marked by repeated delays and setbacks. It will replace the Mirage 2000C and F-5 in service with the Brazilian Air Force.

The win for Saab came on the same day it was awarded a 16.4 billion Swedish Krona or $2.5 billion production contract from the Swedish government to modify 60 JAS39 Gripen C/D fighters to the Gripen E/F standard.

Iraq Buys 24 F/A-50 / T-50IQ Aircraft From South Korea

South Korea has sold Iraq 24 F/A-50 light multi-role aircraft for about $1.1 billion to be delivered in 2015 and 2016. Another contract to be signed later for related training and other services could raise the value to $2.1 billion.

The F/A-50 was selected over the Hawk 128, Yak 130 and L-159 and is the first time the type has been exported after entering service earlier with South Korea. Other interested countries in the F/A-50 include the Philippines, although no contract has been signed so far.

The F/A-50 is based on the T-50 Golden Eagle trainer aircraft, a joint project between Korea Aerospace Industries and Lockheed Martin, with an intermediate version known as the T/A-50. The latter added attack capabilities to the training role of the original, while the F/A-50 can also function as a light fighter.

The T-50 and T/A-50 had previously been exported to other countries such as Indonesia. In Iraq it will enter service as the T-50IQ, where it will complement the F-16C/D bought from the United States.

Iraq has ordered 36 F-16IQ aircraft in two batches to be delivered starting in 2014. Also to be delivered soon are 40 Mi-28 and Mi-35 attack helicopters, of which the first four Mi-35 were received from Russia last November.


http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2013/12/12/63/0301000000AEN20131212005100315F.html

By Tech. Sgt. Lee Osberry [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Storm Shadow and Taurus KEPD 350 Missiles to be Integrated with Typhoon Aircraft

The first test of the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft has now taken place that should result in the eventual integration by 2015 of the Storm Shadow missile from MBDA. This will allow Typhoon aircraft to strike at ground targets from stand-off ranges in a way that it's currently unable to.

The Typhoon is now limited to carrying smart bombs and is for the most part an air superiority platform, but is expected to become a true multi-role platform able to conduct the full range of both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.

It will be able to carry missions that are currently restricted to Tornado aircraft, which can carry the Storm Shadow. Other upgrades scheduled include the replacement of the Captor radar with a Selex AESA radar. The long-range ramjet-powered Meteor BVRAAM from MBDA is also set to be integrated.

The Storm Shadow is a fire-and-forget, high-precision, long-range, low-observable, low-flying turbojet-powered cruise missile, which supports way point planning and can be used in day or night and all-weather conditions.

Russia to Deliver 18 Used Su-30K Fighter Aircraft to Angola

Russia is to deliver 18 used Su-30K fighter aircraft to an unspecified African country, which is presumed to be Angola. Twelve aircraft will be delivered initially, followed by another batch of six.

The Su-30K aircraft in question formerly belonged to the Air Force of India and were part of the initial aircraft supplied as part of the Su-30MKI deal agreed to in 1996 between Russia and India.

At the time of signing, the Su-30MKI did not exist, but was a paper design that would have to be developed. Basically, the Su-30MKI is a modified version of the Russian Su-30MK, but with certain Russian components such as the avionics replaced by western or Indian parts.

It also incorporated features found in the more advanced Su-35 / Su-37. Unlike the basic Su-30MK, the Su-30MKI features canards as in the Su-35 and thrust-vectoring engines as in the Su-37.

According to the 1996 deal, 40 Su-30 aircraft would be build in Russia and delivered to India, which was later increased to 50 when India bought another 10 aircraft in 1998.

Romania Signs Contract For 12 Used F-16 From Portugal

Defense minister Mircea Dusa, the Romanian Defense Minister, has officially signed a contract with Portugal for used F-16A/B fighter aircraft. The total contract is worth 600 million Euro of which the first installment of 100 million has been paid.

The aircraft itself are worth 186 million Euro while the rest will be spent on support infrastructure, training, spares, weapons and so on. Nine Romanian pilots and 69 maintenance technicians have begun their training.

The nine F-16A single-seat and three F-16B dual-seat aircraft will be upgraded and modernized before delivery will begin in 2015. A full squadron is expected to be ready to enter service by 2017 where they will replace the Russian MiG-21 Fishbed.

French Air Force Receives First Tranche 4 Rafale Fighter Aircraft

The French Air Force has received the first two Rafale fighter aircraft of the sixty that are to be delivered as part of Tranche 4. The Trache 4 aircraft were ordered in 2009 to bring the total number of aircraft contracted for to 180.

These two dual-seat aircraft brings the total number of Dassault Rafale fighters currently in service to 122, consisting of:

• 38 Rafale M single-seat aircraft of the French Navy
• 40 Rafale B dual-seat aircraft of the French Air Force
• 44 Rafale C single-seat aircraft of the French Air Force

The latest target is for France to ultimately have a total of 225 Rafale aircraft, which is significantly less than previously hoped for.

The sixty Tranche 4 aircraft will be of the F3R standard. The preceding 120 aircraft were build to three different standards:

• The F1 standard: limited to air-to-air combat only. All were naval Rafale M aircraft and will be upgraded to the F3 standard.
• The F2 standard: are also capable of ground attack with various precision guided munitions and other upgrades.
• The F3 standard: capable of nuclear attack with ASMP missiles, naval strike with Exocet missiles and other upgrades.
• The F3R standard: various upgrades and improvements such as compatibility with long-range Meteor air-to-air missiles, RBE2 software upgrades and SPECTRA improvements

 

Iranian Qader and Nasr Air-to-Surface Missiles Unveiled

Iran has unveiled the latest air-to-surface variants of its locally produced Qader and Nasr missiles on local television. Previous variants had been of the surface-to-surface variant. The missiles have a range of around 200 and 35 km respectively.

Both the Qader and Nasr missiles are believed to be derivatives of the C-802 and C-704 missiles from China which were acquired starting in the early nineties and which Iran has subsequently modified.

Iran is also known to have supplied locally produced Nasr missiles to Hamas in Lebanon, some of which have been intercepted and confiscated by Israel against whom they were supposed to be used.

South Korea Declines to Accept F-15SE Silent Eagle and Will Restart FX Phase 3 Project

Contrary to some expectations, South Korea has not declared a winner in the FX Phase 3 tender to supply the Air Force with 60 new fighter aircraft to replace existing F-4 and F-5 fighter jets. A previous round had also not been won by anyone.

Since Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle (SE) was revealed to be the only one to have submitted a bid that came below the maximum of 8.3 trillion South Korean won or $7.2 billion limit set by South Korea, the F-15SE had been expected by some to be declared the winner of the competition.

The other two candidates, the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, exceeded the limit and were therefore by law not eligible to be selected. This made the F-15SE the only candidate that could have been selected by South Korea.

South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) opted to restart the FX Phase 3 Project from the beginning. This will postpone the acquisition of the aircraft and may include some changes such as raising the budget or reducing the number of aircraft to be bought.

Swiss Parliament Approves Purchase of JAS Gripen E / NG From Sweden

The Parliament of Switzerland has approved the purchase of JAS Gripen E / NG fighter aircraft From Sweden by a majority decision. The lower house had previously given its approval and Swiss pilots are taking part in test flights of the Gripen NG.

While the decision is good news for the Gripen program, the purchase may need to be submitted to a popular vote by the public. There are some signs that a significant proportion of the Swiss public does not approve of the acquisition.

The plan is to buy 22 new Gripen E aircraft from SAAB, the latest version of the Gripen and also known as the Gripen NG, with a budget of 3.13 billion Swiss francs or about $3.4 billion.

SAAB has already begun work on 60 Gripen E/F fighter aircraft for the Swedish Air Force. The first fighter aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in 2018 and are to be completed by 2026.

Netherlands Decides It Will Buy 37 F-35A Fighter Aircraft

The Netherlands has said that it will buy 37 F-35A Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to replace existing F-16 aircraft in its Air Force. It has budgeted €4.5 billion or $6 billion for the aircraft and €270 million for annual operational costs.

The Netherlands has already paid €1 billion to help develop the F-35 as one of the eight partner countries of the United States and purchased two F-35A development aircraft for use in the operational test and evaluation phase.

The F-35A from Lockheed Martin is expected the become operational in 2019 and by 2023 all F-16 aircraft should be retired. All will be the F-35A Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL) variant.

While the selection of the F-35 is a win for the US because of the possibility that the Netherlands would have selected a different fighter from somewhere else, the number of aircraft committed to is far less than originally expected.

Singapore to Buy Eurosam Aster 30 / SAMP-T Surface-to-Air Missile Air Defense System

According to Singapore's Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will acquire the Eurosam Aster 30 / SAMP-T Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) Air Defense System to establish a multi-layered defense against aerial threats.

If Singapore goes ahead and signs a contract, Singapore will become the first export customer of the Aster 30 / SAMP-T system, which is currently only in service with France and Italy. Both countries and the United Kingdom also use the naval version of the Aster 30 SAM.

The Defense Minister did not say when or how many systems Singapore intends to acquire, but Singapore already uses the shorter ranged Aster 15 with its six Formidable class frigates it bought from France and which are compatible with the Aster 30 SAM.

The Aster 30 / SAMP-T system will replace the American HAWK system and will be complemented by the short-range SPYDER system which Singapore acquired earlier from Israel.