Noticias Aeronáuticas del Mundo (archivo)

[nou_moles]

Eso más bien es un OVSI, un UCAV X-45.

que cosa mas linda.

[Iris]

Como bien dice KRAKEN, está clarisimo, se trata de un UCAV, "Avión de Combate No Tripulado", o sea un UAV, "armado". Es el futuro de la aviación de combate. Se acaba el romanticismo de los "Caballeros azules del aire".

.- Saludos.

[Iris]

El programa del Caza F-35 sufre retrasos



Gates critica programa del F-35 por sus retrasos y sus costos elevados

-Lockheed Martin ha recibido un apoyo clave de parte de su cliente más importante para el F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, sin embargo una pieza crítica de su programa de pruebas de vuelo permanece estancada.

El Secretario de Defensa Robert Gates efectuó una visita a la línea final de ensamblaje del F-35 en Forth Worth, Texas el 31 de agosto pasado. Durante esa visita el afirmó que el JFS será el núcleo de la futura flota táctica de los Estados Unidos. Así mismo declaró que desde su punto de vista el país no puede darse el lujo de prescindir de este avión.

Gates ha promovido fuertemente el F-35 debido a su flexibilidad y relativo bajo costo. De hecho fue parte clave de su estrategia para justificar la decisión de cancelar la producción del caza de quinta generación F-22 Raptor y dejar el número producido en 187 aparatos.

Sin embargo Gates ha manifestado su descontento por los incrementos en el costo del programa del F-35. El programa se ha extendido en costos por un monto que ya ronda los 100 mil millones de dólares desde que se firmó el contrato hace 8 años.

Actualmente la meta del programa de demostrar el primer aterrizaje vertical de la variante F-35B durante este mes o en octubre enfrenta nuevas presiones. Lockheed confirmo que el retorno a los vuelos de su prototipo BF-1 que ha estado en tierra por más de un año, se encuentra retrasado.

Lockheed planea realizar los vuelos del BF-1 en Patuxent River NAS, Maryland a finales de setiembre. Antes de realizar su primer intento de aterrizaje vertical, la aeronave deberá completar una serie de al menos doce vuelos de prueba.

Mientras tanto, el avión de prueba BF-2 ha completado una serie de vuelos para evaluar la capacidad del caza para reabastecimiento aéreo. La aeronave además esta recibiendo sus últimas capas de recubrimiento.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

.- Saludos.

[Kfir-CE]

Sin embargo Gates ha manifestado su descontento por los incrementos en el costo del programa del F-35. El programa se ha extendido en costos por un monto que ya ronda los 100 mil millones de dólares desde que se firmó el contrato hace 8 años.

EStimado. Esto significa que los costos relativos al programa JSF ya han excedido largamente los del F-22?. Tenía entendido que en el programa que desembocó en el raptor se habían invertido unos 60.000 millones de dólares.

[abraxas_gustavo]

y eso es economico

A este paso la diferencia de precios entre el F22 y el F35 ¿de cuanto seria?

[maximo]

Es por eso que el F-35 esta en discursion en muchos de los paises que se subieron al carro de ser socios. Hace tiempo que el F-35 no es el sucesor del F-16, sino que estaria en la gama de precios que hace treinta años ocupaba el F-15.
Y no olvidemos que si le quitamos la furtividad es un avion que en prestaciones no es superior a las actuales variantes de F-16 hormonadas y F-18. En lo unico que les superaria es en la electronica mas moderna que montan.

[Kfir-CE]

Estimado. Realmente, buscarle un sucesor al F-16 va a ser tarea muy difícil. A más de treinta años de haber entrado en servicio, el avión se sigue fabricando, y nuevos modelos continúan apareciendo para permitirle al Viper conservar vigencia hasta bien entrado el siglo XXI.

El F-35 es un avión quizas demasiado complejo y avanzado para las hipótesis de conflicto que se manejan hoy en día. A esas hipótesis de conflicto no sería suficiente palearlas con alguno de los tantos kit de modernizaciones que se ofrecen hoy en día para aviones de la categoría del F-16?

Un Saludo

[abraxas_gustavo]

todavia se puede conseguir F16 nuevos?

[Ismael]

todavia se puede conseguir F16 nuevos?

Claro, Polonia se supone que termina de recibir sus F-16 nuevos este mismo año, por poner un ejemplo.

Un saludo

[abraxas_gustavo]

gracias por la respuesta sabia que Polonia recibio f16 pero no sabia que eran nuevos.

[Hellbender]

Casi cualquier Caza se puede pedir nuevo, hasta los aviones T-6 (solo que ahora como Embraers Super tucano).

Corroboro lo que dijo MAXIMO, el f-35 es el reemplazo del F15 como Caza-bombardero de mediano alcance. El reemplazo del F-16 como Interceptor me parece que es complicado... por que el F-22 puede cumplir esa tarea, pero sin duda que el Rafale puede hacerlo mejor. creo que esa sera la desventaja aerea de los EEUU en los proximos años.

[moises]

Casi cualquier Caza se puede pedir nuevo, hasta los aviones T-6 (solo que ahora como Embraers Super tucano).

Hola Hellbender, el T-6 es un avión de entrenamiento americano llamado Texan II fabricado por Beechcraft.

El ALX ó AT-29 SuperTucano es un avión brasileño fabricado por EMBRAER.

slds,

moises

[moises]

USAF Europe And Africa Airlift Missions Strengthened By Another C-130J Super Hercules Delivery

Lockheed Martin
09/08/2009

Maj. Gen. Ronald "Ron" Ladnier, commander, 17th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Africa, recently accepted the fifth of 14 Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] C-130Js to be based at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

"We are excited about getting another C-130J," Maj. Gen Ladnier said. "When you look across the Department of Defense at what this country is doing, you can’t help but be proud of our soldiers, our sailors, our Airmen and our Marines. If you think about it a minute or two longer you realize you have to get to a fight to fight the fight; you’ve got to sustain the fight to stay in the fight; you’ve got to get to the disaster area if you are going to lend a helping hand. You quickly come to the conclusion that the C-130J is a big part of anything we do in this country - and we certainly couldn’t live without it."

The C-130Js based at Ramstein will also support the airlift needs of the newly established Africa Command. "When you look at the power of the C-130J, and the legs (range) that it has, it is ideally suited to the size of the African continent and our mission there," Gen. Ladnier said.

Ten C-130Js will be delivered to Ramstein this year, with four more scheduled for delivery in 2010. These 14 new Js will support the Ramstein-based 37th Airlift Squadron that has been flying C-130Es. The new aircraft are the longer C-130J-30 configuration, which is now the standard for recapitalizing the USAF and many other air forces around the world. Gen. Ladnier accepted the newest aircraft on Sept. 1.

C-130Js are engaged in high-tempo operations in multiple combat theaters and are routinely deployed in support of both peacekeeping and humanitarian missions. The C-130J is a proven airlifter that has been selected by 10 nations, with 177 aircraft delivered through the second quarter of this year. The C-130J is a flexible, multimission aircraft that has been delivered in multiple and varied configurations to meet a wide range of operational needs. The C-130J fleet has accumulated over 500,000 flight hours.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

slds,

moises

[moises]

Brazil to buy 36 fighter jets from France



Reporting from Bogota, Colombia - Stepping up an aggressive plan to fortify the defense of its valuable natural resources, Brazil said Monday that it had entered into a billion-dollar-plus agreement to buy 36 French fighter jets.

The deal was announced in a statement issued by Presidents Luis Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Nicolas Sarkozy of France, who together took part in Brazil's Independence Day ceremonies in Brasilia. The precise value of the aircraft sale was not released pending final agreement on the terms but observers estimate its value at more than $2 billon.

The French aircraft manufacturer Dassault beat out Boeing and the Swedish aircraft company Saab in the closely watched bidding for one of larger defense plums in recent years.

A decisive factor was France's willingness to transfer technology to Brazil in the course of supplying it with Rafale fighter jets. Saab, maker of Gripen jets, and Boeing, maker of F-18 Super Hornets, were reluctant to do, Lula indicated in remarks last week in which he expressed a preference for the French planes.

Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said in April that such transfers would be a prerequisite henceforth of any major arms deals Brazil signs.

The agreement follows a long-term pact signed in December and valued at $11 billion, under which Brazil and France will jointly build five submarines, one of them nuclear-powered. The vessels will be built at a new shipyard in Itaguai, an industrial zone near Rio that includes three new steel factories.

In addition, France is selling Brazil 50 military helicopters that will be assembled at a factory to be built in Minas Gerais state.

In a defense plan unveiled last year, Brazil detailed what it saw as the need to militarily protect its growing reserves of offshore oil as well as natural resources in the Amazon basin. On Monday, Lula said that the French fighter jets would help Brazil defend its borders.

"We're going to produce equipment that reinforces our technological capacity to protect our natural riches,"Lula said. "Brazil is counting on a regional defense plan to integrate its development."

Over the last two years Brazil has announced the discovery of huge offshore oil reserves called Pre-salt in ultra-deep waters of the Atlantic that could make it a major global exporter and, according to Lula, finance its ascension to first world status. The nation also has immense natural resources -- including timber, gold and uranium -- in its Amazon region that reportedly are being exploited illegally by groups said to include the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a leftist guerrilla group.

Brazil is not the only major country in the northern reaches of South America that is arming up. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has also been on an arms spending spree, buying aircraft, tanks and AK-47 assault weapons from Russia worth more than $3 billion. And the U.S. has given in excess of $4 billion in military aid to Colombia since 2000.

Despite the apparent loss of the Brazilian aircraft deal, U.S. arms manufacturers still lead the world by a large margin.

In a report issued over the weekend, the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan branch of the Library of Congress, said that while global arms sales worldwide fell 7.6% in 2008 to $55.2 billion, the United States increased its share to $37.8 billion, or 68.4% of all sales. Italy was a distant second with $3.7 billion in sales.

slds,

moises

[moises]

India Opens 2nd Round Jet Trainer Buy to Competition

The induction of advanced jet trainers into India’s Air Force has been a long and difficult process. After a nuumber of false starts, and indigenous efforts like HAL’s Ajeet that didn’t quite live up to expectations, a 20-year procurement process came to an end when India selected BAE’s Hawk 115Y as its future advanced jet trainer in 2004. The 66-plane order was worth about $1.2 billion, and included options for another 40 aircraft. The first 24 Hawk Mk.132 AJTs have already been delivered by BAE; the other 42 would be license-manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics, Ltd. in India.



In March 2009, the Press Trust of India reported that India’s Air Force had elected not to pick up the follow-on option. In and of itself, that is not unusual. What is unusual, is a follow-on competition for advanced trainers thrown open to international firms, via a February 2009 RFP. Now, an article in India’s press sheds some light on issues with the current Hawk AJT contract, and the crtical state of India’s trainer fleet…

Updates and Key Events

Sept 2/09: India’s Business Standard:

“The Indian Air Force (IAF) is desperately short of aircraft for training its flight cadets. With the entire fleet of basic trainers – the HPT-32 Deepak – grounded after a series of crashes, advanced training is suffering equally due to unexpected delays in the manufacture of the Hawk advanced jet trainer (AJT) in India…. According to the contracted schedule, the first 15 Hawks should have already been built in Bangalore. Instead, only five have been completed.”

Now Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) Chairman Ashok Nayak, under sharp attack for the delays, blames BAE Systems for supplying key tools and frames for the wrong version of the Hawk trainers. He adds that that resolution has been slow because the BAE Systems team stationed at the Hawk assembly line has to refer back to the UK for decisions. Meanwhile, items like the aircrafts’ windscreens must be shipped to the UK and back for quality certification, adding more delays. India’s Business Standard adds that:

“Guy Douglas, BAE Systems’ spokesperson in India, strongly refutes HAL’s version. In an emailed response, he states “BAE Systems does not accept that the programme delays being experienced by HAL, on their contract with the government of India, are materially down to BAE Systems. BAE Systems has completed all hardware deliveries to support the licence-build programme. BAE Systems has repeatedly made clear that it stands ready to assist HAL, should they require it. In this respect, a number of proposals have been made by BAE Systems to HAL and we await their response.”

In summary: HAL claims that BAE has made mistakes, and has a corporate structure that is not addressing issues very well. BAE responds that HAL’s own bureaucracy and failure to respond in timely ways is the core problem. One of them could be right, or both could. At present, however, HAL is the only viable game in town for technology transfer and manufacture of advanced aircraft in India. Under those circumstances, they’re likely to build any follow-on AJT order, whether or not the contract goes to BAE Systems.

March 17/09:

The Press Trust of India reports that supply delays to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which is supposed to assemble a number of the Hawks in India, have resulted in an international competition for India’s follow-on order of up to 57 Lead-In Fighter Trainers.

The RFP was reportedly sent to the Czech Republic’s Aero Vodochody (L-159), Italy’s Alenia (M-346), BAE (Hawk, but it would be a more advanced variant), Korea’s KAI (T-50s), and Russia (either the YAK-130 variant of the M346 joint project, or the MiG AT). PTI News | Indian Express |

slds,

moises