Old Harriers and new choppers unleashed. Welcome aboard the Cavour aircraft carrier during “blue water ops”. January 27, 2012
Posted by David Cenciotti in Aircraft Carriers.Tags: AW-101, Caio Duilio, Cavour, F-35, Italian aircraft carrier Cavour (550), Italian Navy, Joint Strike Fighter, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, Marina Militare, McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II, NH-90, STOVL
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On Jan. 25, along with the ambassadors of NATO members, EU, Middle East and Mediterranean partners, The Aviationist has had the opportunity to visit the Cavour aircraft carrier during “blue water ops” off Civitavecchia port.
The event was jointly organized by the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to showcase one of the most important assets of the Italian Defense, one of the few European aircraft carriers that is not only important for military operations, but it is also a versatile platform that made its operative debut during the Haiti relief mission.
The Cavour symbolizes “a variety of possible uses that make it cost-effective” said Adm. Luigi Binelli Mantelli, future Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy.
Along with the F-35 program, the Italian Navy flagship was recently targeted by potential budget cuts as a consequence of the country’s financial crisis. However, “the AV-8B will fly until 2020, when they will be replaced by the F-35B. The MoD Di Paola has confirmed the project will continue. We don’t know how many aircraft we will get. The Air Force will get the majority, but even the Italian Navy will receive its planes” Binelli Mantelli said.
According to the Admiral, the F-35, is mainly an Air Force project, since the service needs the plane for its future. However, the Navy has joined the program and the future STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, that was removed from probation one year earlier than expected, will serve as a force multiplier and complement the capabilities of the ship, capabilities that were showed to the ambassadors, diplomats and media during a tactical event involving the AV-8B+ Harrier (both single and double seat), AW-101 and NH-90 helicopters, the San Marco Regiment special forces and the Caio Duilio, a radar-evading Anti-Air Warfare destroyer.
Giovanni Maduli took the following images for The Aviationist.
RQ-4 Global Hawk in shock cancellation news: old planes better than new? January 27, 2012
Posted by Richard Clements in Drones, Military Aviation.Tags: Airbus, Airbus 380, Aviation, Dragon Lady, drone, Global Hawk, Military Aviation, Northrop Grumman, Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, Pentagon, U-2, United States Air Force, US Air Force
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Is new better than old?
It would seem not. Industry insiders have leaked that the Pentagon is to cancel the RQ-4 Global Hawk program not just stopping buying new aircraft but to retire the Air Force active fleet, in favor of keeping the U-2 flying into 2020.
Air force times writer Dave Majumdar wrote: “The Air Force had been planning to buy 42 Block 30 aircraft. According to 2011 budget documents, the cost of each aircraft was around $215 million. It was not immediately clear how many Global Hawks the Air Force has.”
The aircraft is being killed off due to its high cost to buy and to maintain; also the program hasn’t lived up to its early promise. A knowledgeable industry insider confirmed the project cancellation and said “Yes, this is accurate — been a lot of discussion on the possibility of this a long while,” said the source, who was not authorized to speak to the media. “There is a high probability it will come to pass now unless Congress takes a major exception.”
The industry source also said “I don’t think that’s likely in the economic environment of this year’s DoD budget, and there are no real ‘hawks’ in Congress from California,” he said. The aircraft is both built and based in the Golden State.
Majumdar said that Northrop Grumman declined to comment whilst Air Force officials would neither deny nor confirm the reports.
Oddly the US Navy is going to keep its version of the aircraft therefore keeping the option open that it could, if needed, be used by the air force.
Surely, Global Hawk has not enjoyed the best of safety records with three prototypes lost and a failure rate much higher than many manned planes facing lethal threats in combat.
However, the U.S. RQ-4Bs belonging to the 9th Operations Group/Detachment 4th of the U.S. Air Force, based at NAS Sigonella, in Sicily, the base of the NATO AGS (Air Ground Surveillance) Global Hawk program were the first drones to operate in the Libyan airspace where they performed high altitude Battle Damage Assessment sorties.
Anyway, all of this is good news for the U-2, a 50 year old program that has ironed out all its techncal issues many years ago.
Affectionately known as “Dragon Lady”, the U-2 entered service in 1957. Since then, it has undergone many upgrades and has become a relatively cheap viable platform during these harsh economic times. In what would normally be the types twilight years, a breath of fresh air has been breathed over the majestic old ‘Lady’ which will see the type in service for more years to come.
Actually, it has been a bad week for other new or recent aircraft types too.
Another rather embarrasing news (this time for Airbus) is that further cracks have been found in the wings of its much lauded A380 “Superjumbo”, after the famous uncontained engine failure of Nov. 4, 2010. Airbus did tweet “For those following reports on A380 wing rib findings we confirm inspection & repair process underway and aircraft are safe to fly”: a damage limitation message by the company’s PR rather than a reassuring statement.
The apparent win of obsolete technology on newer, supposed to replace it, does pose the usual question: are modern aircraft too complex?
One thing is sure: you can’t compare new planes with older types. Even if there can be programs free from major problems during their whole lifetime and much troubled ones, facing myriad issues since their birth, generally speaking, those that have survived for 3, 4 or 5 decades and are still flying today, were probably properly designed, maintained, fixed and upgraded during their career. So they are today much more reliable than those integrating cutting edge experimental technologies.
Written with The Aviationist’s Editor David Cenciotti
Above image: U.S. Air Force
“The F-35 remains essential to the future of air superiority” Panetta says. And Lockheed Martin reassures: “we will solve all JSF problems.” January 27, 2012
Posted by David Cenciotti in F-35.Tags: Eurofighter Typhoon, F-35, Italian Air Force, Italian Navy, Japan Air Self Defense Force, Joint Strike Fighter, Leon Panetta, Lockheed Martin, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, STOVL, USS Wasp
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On Jan. 26, several hours before U.S. SECDEF Leon Panetta would say the Joint Strike Fighter remains a DoD top priority program “essential to the future of air superiority”, Charles “Tom” Burbage, Executive VP of Lockheed Martin and General Manager of F-35 Program Integration, had already explained in a Press Briefing held in Rome that, in spite of rumors and criticism surrounding the costly fifth generation combat plane, he did not anticipate any significant downsizing of the program.
“Every country is reducing defense budget but no country has reduced the F-35” he said, explaining also that one of the most appealing features of the program for international partners is the involvement of local companies, which supply components, systems and know-how, well before a single aircraft is purchased.
Moreover, the F-35 has recently collected some important achievement, making Burbage and the rest of the company optimistic about the future of the entire program.
First came in December 2011 the selection of the JSF as the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) next gengeration aircraft, following the F-X competitive bid process that saw the Lockheed plane win on both the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Boeing F-18 Super Hornet.
Then the F-35B STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) was removed from probation one year ahead of schedule. Finally, the F-35C (Carrier Variant) was fixed with a new tailhook system that will be tested beginning next April, making arrested landing on aircraft carriers possible after the series of failed tests.
Last year was particularly important for the revolutionary plane. It flew about 20% more than expected, performed sea trials taking off and landing (vertically) from USS Wasp and “had no issues on the ship”, Burbage said, in spite of the alleged noise and heating problems.
Dealing with the series of issues highlighted by the JSF Concurrency Quick Look Review and other official and unofficial reports leaked at the end of last year, Burbage explains: “we are currently 20% into the test program. Today’s issues are not going to affect customers that will receive the aircraft years later, when the problem is fixed.”
In the last few days, Burbage and its entourage have met the Italian Minister of Defense Di Paola and the top Italian Air Force and Navy officers. Talks were satisfactory and Lockheed is quite confident that in spite of the financial crisis and raising criticism at political level, Italy will keep the commitment as Level 2 partner (worth 2 Billion USD already invested) in the program, which calls for total U.S. purchases of 2,443 F-35s in both A, B and C versions for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, and envisages 697 planes for other partners (UK, Italy, Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Turkey).
Japan aside, the F-35 has export chances also in South Korea, that is the only non-partner country Lockheed Martin is in talks for a possible JSF sale. Should the F-35 be selected in South Korea, the number of planes procured by Security Cooperative Participants (Singapore and Israel) and foreign customers (including Japan) will exceed the number of F-35s ordered by partners.
Since there’s no commitment yet nor any value was set, no reduction or cut in the amount of aircraft can be foreseen. Italy is not buying 131 planes. The initial requirement was for 69 F-35A and 62 F-35B (40 for the Air Force and 22 for the Navy), but Italy will buy the plane in batches: 4 planes, then 5 planes and so on. Therefore, Italy will have some F-35s, some of them will be STOVL ones to equip the Cavour aircraft carrier.
Eventually, in the U.S. the F-35 survived the Pentagon budget cuts: the US will continue buying F-35s, but will slow its purchase of the stealth fighter planes.
Indeed, it’s a very good period for the Joint Strike Fighter.
China’s J-18 Snowy Owl: Myth or Reality? January 26, 2012
Posted by Richard Clements in China, Military Aviation.Tags: aircraft carrier, Aviation, China, F-35, J-15, J-18, J-20, Snowy Owl, Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag, stealth, STOVL
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Over the past year or so, rumours on the Internet have persisted that China has been building a stealthy STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) aircraft in a similar vein to the F-35 Lightning II. Pictures of said aircraft are non existant but the rumour mill still persists that it’s either real or will be at some point in the future.
It doesn’t take long looking on the chinese defense forums and websites to see the odd snippet of information, although there is a lot of miss information out there also, of which some could be started by the Chinese government to hide what they are really up to.
The common theme does seem to favour an engine set up similar to the F-35B which in itself wasn’t a new design. Take a look at the Russian Yak 141 and you will see the lift fan at the front and the swivelling jet nozzel at the rear. There is even talk that the engine will be a modified version of what is planned to go into the well documented J-20 when it reaches production. Is this definite? of course not, it doesn’t even appear to be off the drawing board yet and probably will remain so for quite a while (if not indefinately).
Above image of a Russian Yak-141: Chinese Internet
So what will the fabled J-18 Snowy Owl look like if it were to take to the skies?
Well, many analysts favour the canted twin vertical stabilisers high wing design in a similar vein to the F-35 with some sort of lift fan at the front just behind the cockpit. It’s interesting to note that the Yak141 had two lift fans one behind the other and it’s suspected that the J-18 would be the same. The big question is: would it sport one or two engines at the rear? The rendering below seems to favour two engines both with the swivelling nozzels and a smooth low RCS (Radar Cross Section) fuselage internal weapons bays and other stealthy features.
Above render source: Tiexue.net
Assuming for a moment the aircraft is real and it’s near to flight testing how would China use it?
It has been widely reported that China’s first Aircraft Carrier has been under going sea trials. Again it has been widely reported that China has a navalised version of the J-15, itself a copy of the Sukhoi SU-30, which is real and is flying so it is hard to see the need unless there is some sort of unknown plan to build smaller carriers in the vein of the USS Wasp to provide maritime support of amphibious forces.
The STOVL project is going to be a huge technological exercise and that is going to take time. The J-18 is likely to remain rumours and internet chatter for a long time to come, and in true Mythbusters style, this Myth is busted at least for now.
Richard Clements for TheAviationist.com
[Updated] U.S. Special Forces raid in Somalia: no need for stealth choppers so did they parachute from a C-17? January 25, 2012
Posted by David Cenciotti in Military Aviation, Special Operations.Tags: C-17, Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Halo, High Altitude Low Opening, Jessica Buchanan, MC-130, Osama bin Laden, Somalia, Special Forces, United States Navy SEALs, US Special Forces
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Update Jan. 25 15:33GMT
In the night between Jan. 24 and 25 a US joint Special Forces team (including the Navy SEALs) team freed two Western workers kidnapped in Somalia on Oct. 25, 2011. They were an American woman, Jessica Buchanan, and a Danish man, Paul Tisted, working for the Danish Demining Group, abducted by armed people near Galkayo, a central Somali town located some 200 miles to the northeast of Mogadishu.
The BBC says U.S. officials have confirmed that the American Special Forces performed the overnight operation which resulted in a shoot-out with 9 Somali pirates killed and five captured. The team was parachuted from a plane (although NBC News, citing American officials, reported that two teams landed in Somalia by helicopter) and remained on the ground for about an hour, from 02.00 to 03.00LT (24.00GMT).
After the rescue team had rescued the hostages, the special forces left the area by helicopter and flew back to Dijibouti base of Camp Lemonnier.
If the news of the SEALs parachuted by C-17s is confirmed, the last raid would sign a big change from the last operation the U.S. Special Forces conducted in Pakistan last May, when they killed Osama Bin Laden. Indeed, during the Operation Neptune’s Spear (known also as “Operation Geronimo”) they not only swooped into the Pakistani airspace with a Stealth Black Hawk helicopter, but they were covered by several assets (including an RQ-170 Sentinel, like the one captured in Iran on Dec. 4) whose role was to conceal the ongoing raid.
Since there was no need to deceive an enemy air defense or surveillance system whereas there was that to avoid the risk of both being “announced” by the noise of helicopters or, even worse, to face other problems with stealth technologies in the wrong hands in a foreign country (as happened too many times in the last year) it is possible that, this time, with the Black Hawk Down accident in their minds, the Special Forces opted to be paradropped by a cargo plane.
Indeed, at least four C-17s belonging to the 437th Airlift Wing from Charleston AFB were reported by UK spotters to be refuelled by four KC-135 tankers launched from RAF Mildenhall sowhere off the European coasts on their way to Dijibouti a couple of days ago.
Actually some (if not all) returned to Ramstein before the raid was lauched, so there’s still the possibility they were only used to carry the US Special Forces and their equipment to their forward operating base and did not take part in the Somali raid.
However, the ramp at Camp Lemonnier is not so huge to accomodate all the Globemasters and one or more could have remained in Djibouti to support the raid and airdrop the SOF troops using HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) system.
Nevertheless U.S. Navy SEALs as well as the other Special Forces often perform training activities launching from C-17s as the following ANG image shows.
Let’s see if the information is disclosed in the next Pentagon briefing but I would not be surprised to know that they performed a real one over Somalia last night.
Some have argued that the aircraft supporting the raid may have been MC-130s. The Department of Defense did not disclose any detail about the involved aircraft and units, however, three MC-130s were reported to have crossed the Pond the night before the raid.
Whether they were involved in the Somali pirates raid or not, it’s hard to say. What can be said is that the C-17 offers higher speed, range and payload. And could be preferred for HALO drops because it is able to fly at higher altitudes where I think it’s also less noisy than an MC-130.
Richard Clements contributed to this article.
If you wondered why a C-5 Galaxy performed the flyover at Gillette Stadium before the AFC Championship game. January 24, 2012
Posted by David Cenciotti in Military Aviation.Tags: 439th AW, AFC Championship Game, Air Force, C-5, Galaxy, New England Patriots, NFL, Patriot Wing, Westover
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On Sunday Jan. 22, a C-5 Galaxy (#86-0023) using callsign “Rodd 10″ performed a flyover for the AFC Championship game between New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. Used to fast jets flyovers, someone didn’t understand why an enormous Galaxy, flew at 1,000 feet over the Patriots’ stadium after the national anthem.
Here’s the explaination: the C-5 belonged to “The Patriot Wing”, the 439th AW (Airlift Wing) from Westover ARB, whose plane’s tails are adorned with the same Patriot’s logo as the NFL franchise. The aircraft, just returned from an airlift mission Afghanistan, flew over the stadium at the end of a local training sortie.
Above images: via Westover ARB Facebook page
Noteworthy, the aircraft had a “Go Pats” text under the belly and “MHK” acronym below the left wing between the engine as the patch used on Patriots’ jerseys to memorialize Myra Hiatt Kraft, the wife of team owner Robert Kraft, who passed away in July 2011.
U.S. Air Force photo/SrA. Kelly Galloway
Although I had already explained it on Twitter, I though someone might have missed it.
China: does it need to copy the RQ-170 “Beast of Kandahar” captured in Iran? January 24, 2012
Posted by Richard Clements in China, Drones.Tags: China, Dark Sword UAV, Darksword, J-20, Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel, Military Aviation, RQ-170, Shenyang University, Sour Dragon UAV, UAV, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
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As has been widely reported it is no secret that China is trying to acquire stealth technology for use in their indigenous aircraft program. It was only last year that photo’s and video of the J-20 started to appear on the internet. It was clear that China had made advances into the dark art of stealth technology, although first radar evading tech dates back to about 40 years ago. What was interesting was that the J-20 did not posses the angular lines of the Nighthawk but the more rounded curves of the B-2 or Raptor, it was clear a lot of work had been done behind closed doors for the Chinese scientists.
Another area that Chinese designers have made advances in is that of UAV’s (unmanned aerial vehicles) or UAS (unmanned aerial systems). Rumours started in 2007 when, during the Paris Air show, China displayed the ‘Dark Sword’ concept.
The Dark Sword clearly had a very low RCS (Radar Cross Section) and showed the way Chinese designers were going in their work. It has appeared several times since then, indicating that this might not just be a concept but could be something that becomes reality in the future.
At the end of 2011 photos started emerging from China of a new Stealth UCAV/UAV dubbed the “Wind Blade” that features a blended wing design with long slim wings with “Sharklets” and an engine intake at the front and above the wing-like body. The overall design would lean towards a high altitude surveillance platform and going by reports it was designed by students from the Shenyang University which happens to be connected to one of China’s largest aircraft producers. Although the aircraft in the photo is a scale model it’s not clear how old the photo is, so it could be conceivable that there is now a full-scale version.
China does have several non stealthy UAVs too.
There is the SOAR Dragon which looks very similar to the Global Hawk although it has swept wings and the tail plane joins with the main wing and from the photo’s below appears to have radar absorbing paint. What is interesting in these photo’s is that the aircraft is in an advanced state of completion and looks to be being painted.
All images source: Chinese Internet
There are videos of a hybrid Predator – Global Hawk look-alike doing fast taxis down an unknown runway. The drone seems to be in an advanced state of testing meaning this could now be in a flyable position.
Analysts are divided as to where Chinese scientists are with UAV development. Based on the designs that are being displayed, the designers could have mastered stealthy shapes and the complexities of controlling the UAV. There are even reports that the Chinese are testing small-scale UAV’s for automated carrier landings.
Where most analysts agree is that China does not have the infrastructure to have a UAV reach outside of Chinese airspace and even within Chinese borders the signals are unreliable.
Maybe some of the radio/satellite link equipment, as well as internal memories, circuitry, lenses, and sensors contained in the RQ-170 Sentinel captured by Iran could be somehow helpful cause they can be evaluated, tested and copied. And, maybe, improved.
China is still a fair few years away from having a true global UAV reach which will require a lot of space systems investment to be able to achieve this. However there is one thing for sure, it will happen at some point in the future.
Richard Clements for TheAviationist.com
F-35: flying on phased out fuel or programmed by a videogame freak? January 23, 2012
Posted by David Cenciotti in F-35.Tags: Air BP, Glass cockpit, Joint Strike Fighter, JP-4, JP-8, Lockheed Martin, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, Military Aviation, Pentagon
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Soon after publishing the article about the “F-35 from the Cockpit” I’ve received some emails and comments about an interesting thing readers have noticed in one of the webminar slides used to show the Joint Strike Fighter glass cockpit’s symbology.
As the following image seems to suggest, the most advanced 5th generation combat plane, integrating the best stealth technologies, full sensor fusion and a futuristic X-ray-like capable helmet, flies on JP-4 fuel, a dangerous kind of propellant, quick to ignite and explode, that was largely used from 1951 to 1996, when it was phased out and replaced by the safer, kerosene-based, JP-8.
Image: Lockeed Martin (highlight mine)
As explained in the website of Air BP (“the specialised aviation division of BP, providing fuels, lubricants & services to our customers in over 50 countries worldwide”):
although JP-8 has replaced JP-4 in most every case, the potential need for JP-4 under emergency situations necessitates maintaining this grade in specifications MIL-DTL-5624 and Defence Standard 91-88.
However, unless the JP-4 was/is used for testing purposes, it is quite strange that while some combat planes are beginning to perform test flights on eco-friendly biofuel or synthetic fuel, the F-35 is flying on a type of jet propellant presumed to be phased-out or used only in emergency situations.
Unless, the F-35′s glass cockpit symbology, so “user friendly” to remind some early flight simulator games, was not only designed for a “videogame freak” as test pilots said during the webminar, but also by someone who used to play with arcade games with some simulation elements (as F/A-18 Interceptor or F-19 Stealth Fighter) in the ’90s, when the JP-4 was still in use :)
London Olympics security: Major Exercise takes place in the skies of the UK January 23, 2012
Posted by Richard Clements in Military Aviation.Tags: Aviation, E-3D, London, Ministry of Defence, Olympic Games, RAF, RAF Northolt, Royal Air Force, Typhoon
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On Jan. 18 reports started filtering in from local newspapers in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, UK, of aircraft flying in circles over their locations and urged visitors to their website to comment on what this could be. The southern half of the UK was, on that day enjoying cold cloudless blue skies and the spectacle could be clearly seen. Twitter became alive with reports of other circles in the sky (contrails) viewed from central London and as far north and west as Birmingham, soon after photo’s started appearing on the local newspaper websites.
It was at this point it all became clear what was indeed going on.
The one taking place was a dry run for the Olympic games and the circles in the sky were indeed the contrails of a RAF E-3D AWACS flying racetrack patterns along with a Sentinel R1 aircraft (one of those saved from cuts after performing extremely well during the recent Air War in Libya) and, according to rumours, even a USAF E-8 Joint Stars.
The AWACS were positioned to give total coverage of the southern part of the UK: along with other surveillance assets, nothing would have escaped their gaze.
A practice scramble of a pair of Typhoons out of RAF Northolt on the evening of Saturday Jan. 21 at around 8.30pm LT, was used to give pilots the opportunity to give a first look to the surroundings they will find themselves in for the duration of the Olympic games. The pair of Typhoons had originated from their home base at RAF Coningsby where they returned once their taskings were complete.
It certainly looks like the London Olympics organisers are taking no risks with security. The London sites are already on lock down with the casual observers being questioned if they look out of place, on top of the widely reported facts that the London sites will have SAM sites dotted around the area and some 13,000 UK military personnel involved.
There were also media reports of the Royal Marines and UK Police taking part in an exercise in the river Thames (London) last week. Although still unconfirmed, Army Lynx helicopters operating out of RAF Northolt, were reported to have attended the drills.
Thanks to the London Evening Standard it also emerged that the British Ministry of Defense were to lease several helicopters from the US Department of Defense for use in confined spaces. The paper coined the term “Killer Eggs” due to their egg-like appeareance but these ‘little birds’ are based on the Hughes 500 defender and are used extensively by US special forces. This obviously has not been confirmed as of writing.
Richard Clements for TheAviationist.com
Related articles
- Typhoon fighter planes to be deployed during London 2012 Olympics (mirror.co.uk)
- London Olympics security to be boosted by 13,500 troops (guardian.co.uk)
