Noticias Aeronáuticas del Mundo (archivo)

[JOSE MIGUEL ESPARCIA]

F-35B COMIENZA PRUEBAS STOVL
Según KeyAero.com el F-35B, ha comenzado las pruebas STOVL, que finalmente lo llevarán a hacer despegues y aterrizajes verticales. El vuelo se produjo en la base naval de Patuxent River,Maryland,(USA).
http://miragec14.blogspot.com/2010/01/f ... f-35b.html

[JOSE MIGUEL ESPARCIA]

CHINA ENTREGA A KENIA 2 HELICÓPTEROS DE ATAQUE
Según HKB, Hafei entregó dos helicópteros de ataque Z9WA a Kenya
Es la primera exportación de este helicóptero de Ataque, que está en servicio con la aviación del Ejército Popular de Liberación desde 2005.
http://miragec14.blogspot.com/2010/01/c ... os-de.html

[Emile Zola]

Parece que en el informe final de la fuerza aerea brasileña el Rafale francés sale al primero rango de la evaluación de los militares :
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/111214/final-brazilian-af-report-downgrades-gripen%2C-restores-rafale%3A-report.html

Bueno este contrato, quién sea el que lo gane por fin, habrá sido una verdadera "telenovela" como dicen en AL ...

[JOSE MIGUEL ESPARCIA]

F-16 VENEZOLANOS INTERCEPTAN P-3C ORION NORTEAMERICANO
El presidente venezolano, Hugo Chavez, anunció que el pasado 9 de enero 2 F-16 de la FAV, interceptaron un avión P-3 norteamericano.
http://miragec14.blogspot.com/2010/01/v ... a-p-3.html

LA USAF DESEARIA CAMBIAR C-17 POR C-5, EL CONGRESO SE OPONE
Según CombatAircraft.com ,diez nuevos C-17 Globemaster se van a añadir a la USAF, según los presupuestos recientemente aprobados, para 2010, pero los comandantes de la USAF, quieren retirar un C-5A Galaxy por cada 10 nuevos C-17.
http://miragec14.blogspot.com/2010/01/l ... 5usaf.html

[JOSE MIGUEL ESPARCIA]

RECORTES EN LA USAFE
Según KeyAero.com la USAFE (Fuerza Aérea de los Estados Unidos en Europa), ha comunicado la reducción en el número de los F-16C estacionado en Spangdahlem, Alemania.

http://miragec14.blogspot.com/2010/01/l ... ction.html

[moises]

India Submits Letter of Request for Potential Boeing C-17 Order



LONG BEACH, Calif., Jan. 8, 2010 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] announced today that the U.S. government has received a Letter of Request from India's Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Indian Air Force regarding the potential acquisition of 10 C-17 Globemaster III advanced airlifters.

"Boeing is very pleased that the Indian government has expressed interest in acquiring the C-17 to modernize its airlift capabilities, and we look forward to working closely with them," said Vivek Lall, vice president and India country head, Boeing Defense, Space & Security. "We believe the C-17 can fulfill India's needs for military and humanitarian airlift to help it meet its growing domestic and international responsibilities."

The C-17 conducted demonstration flights in February at Aero India 2009 in Bangalore, where members of the MOD and Indian Air Force had the opportunity to see the aircraft's capabilities in action. The Indian Air Force wants to replace and augment its fleet of Russian-made AN-32 and IL-76 airlifters.

"Nations looking to modernize their airlift capabilities turn to the C-17 because it has the highest reliability and mission-capable rate of any airlift aircraft," added Tommy Dunehew, Boeing Global Mobility Systems vice president of Business Development. "It is available right now, without any development risk. Plus, the C-17 is an acquisition success story, with deliveries on or ahead of schedule for the past decade."

A tactical and strategic airlifter, only the C-17 can carry large combat equipment and troops or humanitarian aid across international distances and deliver them directly to small austere airfields anywhere in the world. It can land combat-ready troops on semi-prepared runways or airdrop them directly into the fight. The C-17's ability to back up allows it to operate on narrow taxiways and congested ramps. With a payload of up to 170,000 pounds, the C-17 can take off and land in 3,000 feet or less.

There are currently 212 C-17s in service worldwide, including 19 with international customers. The U.S. Air Force, including active Guard and Reserve units, has 193. Other customers include the United Kingdom (which recently announced a contract for a seventh airlifter), Qatar, the Canadian Forces, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the 12-member Strategic Airlift Capability initiative of NATO and Partnership for Peace nations. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force and Air Defence announced Jan. 6 that the UAE has signed a contract for the acquisition of six Boeing C-17s.

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[moises]

Indian Air Force May Acquire More Su-30MKIs



NEWTOWN, Conn. - A total of 230 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft have been ordered for the Indian Air Force (IAF), including 140 that are being assembled under license in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). Recently, the commander of the IAF indicated that his service was interested in acquiring 50 additional Su-30MKIs, which would thus bring the total IAF acquisition to 280 Su-30MKIs.

Fifty Su-30MKIs, produced in Russia by Irkut, were delivered to the IAF by the end of 2007. Under an October 2007 deal valued at around $1.6 billion, Irkut is currently producing 40 additional Su-30MKIs for the service.

Meanwhile, licensed assembly by HAL of the aforementioned 140 Su-30MKIs is under way. Deliveries to the IAF of HAL-built aircraft began in 2005 and are scheduled to be completed in 2014.

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[moises]

India says tests of two air-to-air missiles successful

New Delhi - India on Monday successfully test-fired two short-range, air-to-air Astra missiles from the eastern state of Orissa, a news report said. The tests of the Astra, which means weapon in Sanskrit, were carried out from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, 230 kilometres north-east of state capital, Bhubaneshwar, the PTI news agency reported.

One missile was launched Monday morning with the second one tested around noon, Defence Ministry officials said.

Both trials were deemed successful and the test data were being analyzed, the report said.

The missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization, has a range of 80 kilometres and is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 15 kilograms.

Organization scientists said the Astra could intercept targets at supersonic speeds of Mach 1.2 to 1.4. (Mach 1 is equivalent to 1,236 kilometres per hour.)

"The tests on the missile's navigation, control, air frame, propulsion and other subsystems have been validated," a scientist with the organization told the PTI.

The locally built missile, which has been tested several times since 2003, is to undergo more trials before it is introduced into the military's arsenal, which is expected by 2011.

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[moises]

Boeing Team Delivers 2 Osprey Trainers to Marines



ST. LOUIS, Jan. 11, 2010 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and partner Bell Helicopter delivered two MV-22 Osprey Containerized Flight Training Devices (CFTD) to the U.S. Marines at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in California in the last quarter of 2009.

"Before the deliveries to Miramar, Marines would have to spend months at a time in North Carolina for training," said Mark McGraw, Boeing vice president of Training Systems & Services. "Having two trainers in California increases warfighter availability while allowing the Marines to train more crew members at once."

The CFTD trains aircrew on basic aircraft familiarization and handling qualities, systems/sub-systems operation, communication, malfunctions, day and night flying, use of night vision goggles, formation flying, aerial refueling and landing on ships. The device is intended to train crews for any task that might be performed in the aircraft, while limiting the monetary and environmental costs and safety risks of in-flight training.

"We thank Miramar's warfighters for lending us their expertise," said McGraw. "They participated in pre-acceptance testing 'flyability' trials and provided around-the-clock availability for the acceptance testing."

Boeing has delivered a total of three CFTDs to the Marines to date. Two more of the devices are scheduled for delivery to Miramar in mid-2010. Another CFTD will be delivered to MCAS New River, N.C., in fall 2010, where it will join the first CFTD, which Boeing delivered in 2007.

All CFTDs can be locally networked to one another to allow for more robust training capabilities. The CFTDs at MCAS New River also will be able to network with AV-8 Harriers at MCAS Cherry Point, N.C.

Cost and cycle time have been progressively reduced for each CFTD, while simulator quality has increased. The projectors are sharper and clearer than those on earlier Osprey simulators. Future CFTDs will include additional improvements.

The V-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft manufactured by Boeing Rotorcraft Systems and Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. [NYSE: TXT] company. Bell and Boeing are teamed in a Strategic Alliance Agreement for the design, production and sustainment of the V-22.

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[moises]

Gates Returns Boeing, Lockheed, Northrop Programs to Spend Plan



Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates directed the Air Force to return to its proposed budget three major programs the service offered to cancel, including one by Boeing Co. to build and install upgraded software in the cockpits of C-130 transports, according to a budget document.

Gates ordered restoration of $285 million in 2011 and $1.843 billion overall through 2015 on the C-130 program.

He also told the Air Force to restore $2.4 billion for an Internet-like radio that Lockheed Martin Corp. is building for aircraft and vessels.

In addition, he instructed the service to add $280 million to continue installing upgraded Pratt & Whitney engines on the Northrop Grumman Corp. Jstars surveillance plane.

Gates’s order is in an unreleased document he signed Dec. 23 that’s the basis for the new defense budget to be released Feb. 1.

The Air Force offered the cuts in August as part its effort to meet the Pentagon’s direction to cut about $24.2 billion, or about 3.8 percent, from its $632 billion five-year plan.

Defense spending since fiscal 2000, adjusted for inflation, has grown about 43 percent. When war costs are included, the number increases to 72 percent. Gates has called for modest growth going forward, with emphasis on improving the security of nuclear weapons, building capabilities to conduct irregular warfare, cyber defense and long-range strikes.

Rationale

Gates’s directive means “either the service’s budget priorities are out of sync with those of the defense secretary or that that the proposed cancellations were advanced knowing there was little likelihood they’d be accepted,” said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst for the Lexington Institute, an Arlington, Virginia-based defense research organization.

Gates, in a move that benefits the Air Force and aircraft makers such as B-2 bomber contractor Northrop Grumman, told the service to add a total of $1.6 billion to its budget through 2015 to support industry efforts for a new bomber program that would begin in 2013.

Air Force spokesman Vincent King said the service will have no comment on the fiscal 2011 plan until it is announced next month.

Randy Belote, spokesman for Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman, said the company hasn’t been officially notified of the status of the Jstar engine program.

United Technologies Corp.’s Pratt & Whitney engine unit would make 76 of the new engines that would go on 19 aircraft. Congress so far has provided funds for three of the planes.

C-130 Upgrade

Gates may be supporting the C-130 program because the Army and Marine Corps have become “heavily dependent on those propeller-driven airlifters in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Thompson said. “So installing up-to-date communications and navigation equipment is necessary to assure the safety and success of U.S. warfighters.”

The C-130 Hercules is the world’s most widely used short- and medium-range transport with over 2,200 built since the 1950s.

The Air Force has about 427, including newer model C-103Js, which have the upgraded cockpit electronics. The plane is used in all military theaters including Iraq and Afghanistan.

The program to install 221 upgrade kits on older C-130s was to run through 2017. Congress has approved $1.7 billion for the program, and Boeing is producing the first 22 kits. The C-130 upgrade program has seen cost growth that pushed it to $5.8 billion from $4.1 billion.

Boeing Comment

Jennifer Hogan, spokeswoman for Chicago-based Boeing, said the company has “not received any official word on the status” of the C-130 program. The company has about 130 employees working the program in Long Beach, California, San Antonio, Fort Walton Beach, Florida and St. Louis, she said.

Suzanne Smith, spokeswoman for the Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin, referred calls on the Joint Tactical Radio program to the military program office in San Diego. Pentagon spokesman Jeff Mercer declined to comment on the Air Force budget until it is released.

The new radio would be fitted on helicopters, airplanes, ships, submarines and ground stations. The system, which uses secure, Internet-like communication, is intended to allow U.S. forces to communicate by voice and video and exchange data.

Rumsfeld Initiative

Of the major “transformation” programs designed to network different weapons platforms that were started by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the radio system is the only one that has survived the Obama administration.

Lockheed’s partners on the program include BAE Systems Plc, General Dynamics Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp. and Raytheon Co.

Gates directed that the Air Force and Navy shift money from other programs to the radio program, restoring $2.4 billion in research and procurement funds, starting with $236 million in 2011 and increasing to $717 million by 2015.

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[moises]

China buys Russian engines for its fighter plane



MOSCOW, January 11 (RIA Novosti) - China, which has not found a Western supplier, has decided to buy Russian engines for its FC-1 Xiaolong multirole fighter plane, a rival of Russia's MiG-29 in developing countries.

In late December 2009, Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport signed a contract with China to deliver 43 RD-93 engines, a modification of the RD-33 engines mounted on the MiG-29 planes.

Aviaport, a news agency of the Russian aircraft industry, reported yesterday that China would receive the engines by the end of the year and that the first 25 engines had been manufactured at the Chernyshev mechanical engineering enterprise in Moscow. The agency said another contract could be signed in May for 100 such engines.

A manager at one of Russia's producers of aircraft engines said the December contract was worth $160 million.

The contract has completed a framework agreement signed in 2006 to deliver 100 RD-93 engines to China. Russia has already supplied 57 such engines, said Konstantin Makiyenko, an analyst with the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.

The engines are to be mounted on the FC-1 fighter planes, which China makes for export. It signed the first contract for 150 such aircraft with Pakistan, where the fighter plane is assembled.

A more complicated and expensive fighter designed for the Chinese Air Force in the past two decades, J-10, also has a Russian engine, AL-31FN, Makiyenko said. The latest contract for the delivery of 122 such engines, worth approximately $500 million, was signed in January 2009.

The FC-1 is the biggest rival of Russia's MiG-29 Fulcrum in developing countries, the analyst said. However, the Russian plane won the first direct competition in Myanmar, which decided to buy 20 MiG-29s for 400 million euros in December 2009 even though China offered better terms for a mixed delivery of the FC-1 and J-10 planes.

"China has more than once said that it has created an engine for its planes, but this is unlikely because it continues to buy Russian engines," Makiyenko said.

China has no alternative for the Russian engines, said Mikhail Barabanov, editor-in-chief of Moscow Defense Brief. The United States will not supply such engines to China so as not to strengthen its opponent, while the EU does not deliver military equipment to China due to sanctions, he said.

According to Barabanov, the delivery of engines, which are a key element of aircraft, is a good opportunity for Russia to prevent Chinese aircraft from becoming a big rival of Russian planes.

The FC-1 (Fighter China-1) Xiaolong is the result of a joint Chinese-Pakistani development program that started in 1999, with each side contributing 50% of the total development cost.

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[moises]

Lockheed Martin Receives $344 Million In Ongoing Funding For C-5 Modernization Program

Lockheed Martin

MARIETTA, Ga., January 11th, 2010 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has received ongoing funding through a recently issued Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) that authorizes Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) associated with the C-5 Super Galaxy Reliability Enhancement and Re-Engining Program (RERP).

"This funding enables us to continue to partner with the U.S. Air Force to produce enhanced C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft to support the warfighter for decades to come," said Lorraine Martin, Lockheed Martin C-5 program vice president. "The C-5M Super Galaxy is redefining strategic airlift and delivers unparalleled support to all U.S. armed forces."

The $344.3 million funding supports LRIP RERP production for 15 aircraft, including installation on three aircraft, material and fabrication for five aircraft, and long-lead funding for seven aircraft. Production of the C-5M Super Galaxy began in August 2009, when the first aircraft was inducted into the production program. This aircraft is slated for delivery to the USAF in September 2010. Three C-5Ms have already been delivered to the USAF and current USAF plans call for 52 fully-modernized C-5Ms by 2016.

The C-5M is the product of a two-phase modernization effort. The first, the ongoing Avionics Modernization Program (AMP), provides a state-of-the-art glass cockpit with modern avionics and flight instruments. The RERP is the second phase of the C-5 modernization effort. It includes 70 enhancements or replacements of major components and subsystems, including the installation of GE CF6-80C2 commercial engines. Modernization of the C-5 pays for itself through savings in operation and sustainment costs.

The C-5 has been the backbone of strategic airlift in every engagement since it entered service. It is the only aircraft capable of carrying 100 percent of certified air-transportable cargo, with a dedicated passenger compartment enabling commanders to have troops and their equipment arrive in an area of operation simultaneously. The C-5 can carry twice the cargo of other strategic airlift systems. With more than 70 percent of its structural service life remaining, the C-5M Super Galaxy will be a force multiplier through 2040.

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[Iris]

EADS concede un plazo de 20 días a los Gobiernos para renegociar el programa del A400M



Sevilla - El consorcio aeronáutico EADS envió hoy un mensaje de urgencia a los Gobiernos que financian el desarrollo del programa del avión de transporte militar A400M, entre ellos España, para que alcancen un acuerdo para refinanciar el proyecto. De no conseguirlo, Airbus podría cancelarlo.

"Nosotros hemos hecho nuestro papel. El avión vuela (hizo su primer ensayo a principios de diciembre y ya lleva cinco despegues) y ya nos ha generado unas pérdidas de 2.400 millones. Envío un mensaje de urgencia a los Gobiernos para que encontremos una solución antes de de final de este mes", señaló Louis Gallois, consejero delegado del grupo, en una rueda de prensa celebrada en Sevilla.

En caso de que no haya un acuerdo, los directivos de EADS dejaron claro que podrían suspender definitivamente el programa en que trabajan 10.000 personas, varios miles en España, con la previsión de alcanzar los 40.000 empleos a medio plazo.

[img]http://www.infodefensa.com/noticias/imgs/A400M.ruedadeprensaSevilla.400.DomingoUreña.jpg[/img]

"El contrato tal y como está firmado pone a todo Airbus en peligro y yo no voy a tolerarlo", señaló Tom Enders, consejero delegado de la filial de aviones comerciales de EADS, que es responsable de desarrollo de la aeronave. La empresa dijo que el A400M le cuesta al mes entre 100 y 140 millones de euros.

Los siete países se reunirán este jueves sin la presencia, en principio, de EADS. El gran escollo es que los gobiernos no se ponen de acuerdo sobre cómo asumir un sobreprecio en una época de crisis y de fuertes déficits públicos. La empresa quiere un pacto antes de final de mes porque, si no, el A400M podría afectar a la auditoría y las cuentas de 2009, que cierra por esas fechas.

Descenso de ventas en 2009

Por otro lado, EADS dijo que prevé haber registrado en 2009 unas ventas de cerca de 41.700 millones de euros, lo que supone un descenso del 3,6% con respecto a los 43.265 millones de euros facturados en el ejercicio anterior

Gallois explicó que este descenso de la facturación obedece principalmente a la debilidad del tipo de cambio del dólar, motivo por el que solicitó al G-20 un tratamiento exhaustivo de la volatilidad de las divisas, una reclamación que viene siendo habitual en las últimas semanas entre varios países europeos, en especial el Gobierno francés.




"Para mí es más importante hablar de las monedas que de los "bonus" de los banqueros", destacó Gallois, quien lamentó la poca trascendencia internacional que tienen las divisas en el marco de los grandes eventos entre los países avanzados, como el G-8 o el G-20.

En cualquier caso, el máximo responsable del grupo se mostró muy satisfecho por el logro de entregas y el ritmo de los pedidos en un periodo "difícil" para la compañía debido a la crisis y a la situación delicada del sector aéreo a pesar de la recuperación del tráfico en los últimos meses.

También destacó que Airbus ha adelantado a su rival estadounidense Boeing en número de pedidos en 2009 y anunció que durante el mes de diciembre se registraron 8 nuevos pedidos que elevaron la cifra total para el ejercicio a 310 unidades.

Resultados Airbus Military

Con respecto a Airbus Military, la división realizó 16 entregas de aviones de transporte ligero y medio. Además, completó el programa de reconversión del A330 en avión cisterna de transporte multiuso (MRTT) para la Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), cuya primera entrega está prevista para mediados de 2010.

Los pedidos de MRTT aumentaron en tres unidades, hasta los 28 aviones. En cuanto a aviones de menor tamaño, se registraron un total de 19 pedidos de siete clientes, uno para el modelo C-212, dos para el CN-235 y 16 para el C-195.

La situación de caja del grupo es "muy sólida", según destacó Gallois, quien recalcó los avances logrados por el programa de recorte de costes Power 8, que supuso ahorros de unos 2.000 millones de euros brutos.

Gallois destacó, no obstante, que el ejercicio 2010 aún está lleno de incertidumbres por la crisis económica y que de inicio, se ha partido con una provisión negativa de 1.000 millones debido a los efectos de la debilidad del dólar.

En cualquier caso, el ejecutivo destacó la buena posición del grupo en el ejercicio teniendo en cuenta el entorno operativo y destacó que la estabilidad fue la tónica dominante en todas las divisiones del grupo, aunque reconoció la persistencia de influencias negativas procedentes de algunos programas, como el A400M y el A380.

.- Saludos.

[dacer]

creo que esta es la mejor foto del año
----/[email protected]

CUIDADO CREO QUE ES UN VIRUS

[JOSE MIGUEL ESPARCIA]

LA FUERZA AÉREA CHECA RECIBE SU PRIMER C-295
El C-295 sustituirá a los An-26 y realizará misiones de transporte de tropas, logísiticos y evacuación médica.Los An-26 serán dados de baja en 2012, cuando estén en servicio todos los C-295.
http://miragec14.blogspot.com/2010/01/l ... rimer.html