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

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

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.

US Preparing to Sell $10.8 Billion in Weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) is seeking approval from the United States Congress to sell $10.8 Billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which has been in the works for some time.

The package is noteworthy because it includes several weapons types that will be exported to these countries for the first time. It will give both countries a level of precision strike that previously did not exist.

The package for Saudi Arabia is worth $6.8 billion and includes:

• 650 AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missiles-Expanded Response (SLAM-ER)
• 973 AGM-154C Joint Stand Off Weapons (JSOW)
• 400 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles
• 1000 GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB)
• 40 CATM-84H Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM)
• 20 ATM-84H SLAM-ER Telemetry Missiles
• 4 Dummy Air Training Missiles
• 60 AWW-13 Data Link pods
• 10 JSOW CATMs
• 40 Harpoon CATMs
• 20 ATM-84L Harpoon Exercise Missiles
• 36 SDB Captive Flight and Load Build trainers

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

 

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.

Vietnam Buys Another 12 Su-30MK2 From Russia

Vietnam has signed a contract with Russia for the delivery of another batch of 12 Su-30MK2 fighter aircraft between 2014 and 2015. The contract is said to be worth $450 million.

Russia had earlier delivered two batches of Su-30MK2. The first batch of 8 Su-30MK2 was ordered in 2009 and the second batch of 12 Su-30MK2 was ordered in 2010.

Vietnam also has the older Su-27. Ironically, both the Su-27 and Su-30 are also in service with China, a country with which Vietnam has a territorial dispute. This raises the possibility that the same type of aircraft could be serving on both sides of a potential conflict.

The Su-30s from Vietnam are similar to the ones in service with Russia and China in that they lack the canards and thrust-vectoring engines that are part of the Su-30s used by India and Malaysia.

Vietnam is also scheduled to receive in November 2013 the first of six Project 636M Kilo class diesel-electric submarines ordered in 2009 for $2 billion. Currently, a submarine crew from Vietnam is being trained in Russia.

China was the first to receive the Project 636M submarine when it ordered 8 units. Prior to that, the Chinese received two older Project 636 and two Project 877EKM submarines.

Russia has begun building six domestic versions of the Project 636M submarines for its own Black Sea Fleet. Another prominent user of the Kilo class is India, which recently lost an upgraded Project 877EKM submarine.


http://en.rian.ru/military_news/20130821/182888208/Russia-to-Deliver-12-Su-30-Fighter-Jets-to-Vietnam--Source.html

By Doomych [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

South Korea to Buy 4 Refuelling Tanker Aircraft In 2014

South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), in charge of arms procurement, has approved a plan to buy four refuelling tanker aircraft. The plan, which has long been delayed, is to open bids in February of 2014 and to select the winner in October 2014.

Leading candidates to extend the range of aircraft are Airbus Military's A330MRTT and Boeing's KC-46 aircraft. About one trillion South Korea Won or about $900 million has been budgeted for the purchase.

The refueling aircraft will help extend the operational range of F-15K and KF-16 fighter aircraft.Time on station could be increased by three to four times with refuelling in the air.

Meanwhile, South Korea will resume bidding from August 13 though August 16 for 60 fighter aircraft. Bidding had been suspended for the last six weeks because submissions were higher than the 8.7 trillion Won or $7.2 billion South Korean budget.

The Eurofighter Typhoon, F-15 Silent Eagle and F-35 Lightning II have submitted proposals and are expected the take part again. South Korea has stated that it will only proceed with the purchase if proposals fall within the budgeted amount.

If proposals again exceed the budgeted amount, the DAPA will start a new procurement project. The number of fighter aircraft could be reduced or the budget increased, but that requires going through the process of obtaining approval from the government which could take several months.


http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2013/08/12/85/0301000000AEN20130812004551315F.html

By Gripenn [CC-BY-2.5], via Wikimedia Commons

Gripen Fires Production Version Of Meteor Missile For The First Time

Sweden's Saab Gripen is the first fighter aircraft to fire the production version of the Meteor air-to-air missile. Alls previous firings of the Meteor missile involved test rounds or other pre-production versions.

The Meteor missile is on track to enter service with Swedish Gripen C/D fighters in 2014. It will also be integrated with the new Gripen E / NG fighters that have recently been ordered.

Besides Sweden, the Meteor will also enter service in France with its Rafale aircraft of the Air Force and Navy. Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain will also use the Meteor missile on their Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.

The Meteor is also being marketed to other countries such as India, which is currently negotiating the purchase of 126 Rafale aircraft. However, no contract has been signed so far.

In 2012, India ordered the MICA medium-range air-to-air missile for the 51 Mirage 2000H aircraft that are to be upgraded to a version of the Mirage 2000-9 standard as part of a 2011 contract.

The Meteor from MBDA is a long-range, all-weather, Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile guided by an active radar seeker. Its specifications are:

• Length: 3.65 m
• Diameter: 0.18 m
• Weight: 185 kg
• Speed: Mach 4+
• Range: In excess of 100 km

The Meteor's most distinctive characteristic is its solid fuel variable flow ducted ramjet propulsion, which provides the largest No-Escape Zone of any air-to-air missile currently available.

The Meteor missile also supports a two-way datalink, although only the Gripen and Eurofighter are compatible with it. The Rafale only supports a one-way datalink with the Meteor.

While the Meteor is the first of its type to enter service, other countries are developing similar ramjet missiles. Both Russia and China are working on their own versions.


http://www.saabgroup.com/en/About-Saab/Newsroom/Press-releases--News/2013---7/Gripen-first-to-fire-Meteor-missile/

By ILA-boy [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons