fredag 30. mai 2014

F-35 nyheter

Friday, May 30, 2014

F-35 Achieves New Flight Testing Milestones

Woodrow Bellamy III 
[Avionics Today May 30, 2014] The F-35 Lightning II fighter jet achieved three critical flight testing milestones during a recent demonstration at the Point Mugu Sea Test Range in California. 
F-35C aircraft CF-3 makes a fly-in arrestment landing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. Photo, courtesy of Lockheed Martin
According to Lockheed Martin, the fifth generation aircraft demonstrated air-to-air combat by tracking two maneuvering Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) targets.  The F-35 also completed its first flight test with the next level software load and accomplished a landing at the maximum test speed and drop rate, the aerospace and defense manufacturer said. 
 
This was also the first test that featured a live shot of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) from any F-35 variant. 
 
"This Weapon Delivery Accuracy test highlighted the air combat capability that will give Marine aviators a decisive combat edge in contested airspace," said J.D. McFarlan, vice president for F-35 test and verification at Lockheed Martin. 
 
McFarlan said the U.S. Marine Corps will be the first military service branch to attain an Initial Operational Capability (IOC) F-35B in 2015.  

AW609 - Tilt Rotor

Farnborough 1998 - Foto Per Gram

Denne hybride maskinen, en Tilt Rotor, presenteres nå av Teknisk Ukeblad som et reelt alternativ til helikopter på de lange avstandene i Barentshavet. Helikopteransvarlig i Statoil, Erik Hamremoen, dras med i diskusjonen og sier at dette er et reelt alternativ. OK, jeg skal være med på at prinsippet tilt rotor/tilt wing kan være et reelt alternativ til vanlige helikoptre. Men AW609 er det dessverre ikke. 609 betyr 6 golfklubber og 9 golfspillere. Jeg har sittet i mock-up`en du ser avbildet over. Dersom du synes at en Super Puma er trang så vil du bli overrasket over at det finnes noe trangere, nemlig denne maskinen. Den større bror, V-22 Osprey, er mange nummer større, men antakelig for dyr  å operere, dersom den blir sivilt sertifisert, noe det ikke er planer om. På bildet under ser du Osprey bli demonstrert på Farnborough i 2006.

Foto: Per Gram

Året etter, på Le Bourget, dukket AW609 opp for første gang. Den var ikke endret siden mock-upèn ble presentert 9 år tidligere.

Le Bourget 2007 - Foto: Per Gram

Under denne seansen hadde jeg avtalt møte med Editor in Chief i Aviation International News, Randy Padfield. Randy var saksbehandler i IFALPA for å bidra med å etablere standarder for denne typen fly. Han er den eneste jeg kjenner som har fløyet forgjengeren til AW609, nemlig Bell XV-15. Randy mener at prinsippet er både godt og viktig, men at det vil ta tid å utvikle sertifiseringskriterier. På det tidspunkt var Ishida inne med sin Tilt-wing. XV-15 fløy første gang i 1977, så en kan uten videre si at veien er lang. Foreløpig er det bestilling på 80 maskiner av typen AW609.

Randy Padfield - Foto: Per Gram


Når det gjelder nordområdene, så kommer en ikke unna AW101 som har en fenomenal rekkevidde og kapasitet. Glem AW609.

A-400M i nødhjelp


En norsk ex Hu16 Albatross flyger ville opprette en flåte med gamle fly i denne typen virksomhet. God ide.


Airbus Suggests Civilian A400M Relief Operations

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE » MAY 30, 2014
A400M airlifter
During the ILA Berlin airshow, Airbus Defence & Space demonstrated the loading of specialist relief vehicles on an A400M airlifter. (Photo: Chris Pocock)
May 29, 2014, 3:10 PM
Airbus has suggested civilian operation of theA400M airlifter for disaster relief flights. At a media briefing during the ILA Berlin airshow last week, Norbert Kolvenbach, vice president for public affairs Germany, noted that the aircraft is already certified by the EASA. He floated the idea of a “supranational” operator, such as the United Nations. “The A400M could be interesting,” said Birgitte Stalder-Olsen, head of logistics for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), at the same briefing.
Airbus noted that only helicopters and versatile aircraft such as the A400M can transport mobile hospitals, food supplies and other relief materials quickly to a crisis zone. Kolvenbach said that after the disastrous typhoon in the Philippines last year, theA400M could have shuttled supplies from Cebu to the small airstrips closer to the affected area than the boats could get them. In another example, aid could have been delivered direct to Dolo Ado airfield in Ethiopia, rather than risk a 10-day road journey from Addis Ababa through terrorist-threatened areas.

India - Regimeskifte betyr mye for innkjøp av fly


Toget har nok gått for AW101, men andre ting rører på seg.

New Indian Regime Will Sign Long-Delayed Deals

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE » MAY 30, 2014
Arun Jaitley (left), India’s new defense and finance minister, meets Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha. (Photo: Indian MoD)
May 29, 2014, 3:55 PM
A lack of decision-making on large Indian defense procurement deals in the past two years is expected to end with the swearing-in of the new government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Changes in procurement and offset policies are also expected.
Major projects that are in the final stage of processing and require a signature for conclusion include the 126-aircraft medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) won by Dassault Aviation’s Rafale; the Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT); and naval multi-role helicopters. While these are likely to be signed this financial year, a cash crunch could defer other decisions until next year. To fast-track some projects, the Ministry of Defence has proposed a 25-percent hike in its 2014-15 budget from the $36 billion allocated last year. More than half of that is for salaries and maintenance.

Space tourism

Virgin Galactic signs spaceflight deal with US authority


WhiteKnightTwo, carrying SpaceShipTwo, sits on display outside the hangar facility at Spaceport America, northeast of Truth Or Consequences, on October 17, 2011 in New Mexico
Spaceport America, in southern New Mexico, is the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport

Virgin Galactic has signed a deal with the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), which will allow it to charter space flights from its base in the US state of New Mexico.

The agreement lays out rules for how the flights will be integrated into US air space.

In a statement, Virgin Galactic said the deal brings it "another step closer" to commercial space flights.

The firm hopes to launch its first flight by the end of 2014.

MANPADS

USA pøste slike inn i Afghanistan til Taliban da de sloss mot russerne. Disse var av typen Redeye. Det sies at Bin Laden alltid hadde en person med en Redeye med i sitt følge de årene han levde på forskjellige steder inntil han ble drept. I dag vet ingen hvor mange som fremdeles ikke kan gjøres rede for. De utgjør derfor en trussel for sivile fly også. Jeg skrev en artikkel om emnet i 2005. Kontakt meg dersom du ønsker kopi. Et utdrag finner du under:

SA-7a
Reported non-state use of MANPADS: 1996-2003
Date
Non-State Group
Missile Type
Killed/
injured
Aircraft
Notes
*22. Nov. -03
Iraqi insurgents
SA-7
0/0
A300B4-200
The DHL-aircraft
was hit after take off
from Baghdad Intl.
Airport
6. Sept. -03
Iraqi insurgents
SA-7
0/0
C-17 Globemaster
Two missiles fired
during take off from
Baghdad Intl. Airport.
 Both miss.
28. Nov. -02
Al- Qaeda
SA-7
0/0
Arkia Airlines Boeing 757
Two missiles passed near the Israeli aircraft just after take off from Mombasa
23. Oct. -00
LTTE
Stinger
4/0
Mi-24 ”Hind”
Shot down near Trincomalee harbour
4. Oct. -00
Chechen rebels
Stinger
1/0
Su-24M ”Hind”
Shot down near Urus-Martan
4. Oct. -00
Chechen rebels
Stinger
Unk.
Su-25
Shot down on recce. mission
10. Aug. -00
LTTE
Ukjent
0/0
Fighter aircraft
State aircraft shot at
25.-30. Aug. -00
Chechen rebels
SA-7
0/0
Unreported
Federal helicopters fired on. All missiles miss
7. May -00
Chechen rebels
Unknown
2/0
Su-24MR
Shot down in the southern Chechnya
31. March -00
LTTE
Unknown
40/0
An-26
Transport downed, possibly by MANPADS
10. Nov. -99
FARC
Unreported
5/0
DC-3
FARC mistakenly downs civilian craft, press says
4. April –99
Hizbolla
SA-7
0/0
F-16`s
Two missiles fired on Israeli F-16`s. Both miss
6. March -99
PKK
Unknown
20/0
Puma helicopter
Shot down in southern Turkey
2. Jan. -99
UNITA
Unknown
14/0
C-130
UN plane shot down in central Angola
26.Dec. -98
UNITA
Unknown
9/0
C-130
UN-chartered plane shot down in central Angola
15. Dec. -98
UNITA
Unknown
10/0
An-12
Shot down enroute to Luanda
10. Oct. -98
Tutsi rebels
Possible
SA-7
40/0
Boeing 727
Aircraft struck over DR of Congo
13. Aug. -98
LTTE
Unknown
0/0
Kfir rekognoseringsfly
Missiles fired by rebels. No damage
1. Dec. -97
KLA
Strela 2M
5/0
Yugoslav Air Transport
Serb reports KLA shootdown of craft near Pristina
7. Oct. -97
LTTE
Unknown
0/0
Mi-17 transports
Missiles reportedly fired from Tamil rebell boats
10. Nov. –97
LTTE
Unknown
2/2
Mi-17 transports and Mi-
24 ”Hind”
Missiles fired at ”helicopter convoy”
20. Aug. -97
LTTE
Stinger
0/0
Kfir fighters
Miss over Puliyankulam
18. May -97
PKK
SA-7
2/0
Super Cobra
Skutt ned under operasjoner i Irak
May -97
PKK
SA-7
11/0
Cougar transport
Shot down during operations in Iraq
22. Jan. -96
LTTE
Unknown
39/0
Mi-17
Unconfirmed MANPADS
30. April -96
LTTE
Unknown
94/0
Unknown
Two Air Force transports downed
April. -96
Hizbulla
Unknown
0/0
UAV
Unconfirmed MANPADS
*The DHL story deserves more publicity. The crew`s actions are comparable to those by Capt. Al Hayne`s crew and their much publicised crash landing in Sioux City, also without hydraulics, in 1989.

There is also reason to remind the reader about two shoot downs of American “Blackhawk” helicopters in Somalia in 1993. The rebels used traditional  RPG`s, Rocket Propelled Grenades. Several guerrilla/terrorist organisations are known to have specialised in the use of RPG`s in the SAM role against counter insurgency aircraft flying below 1000`. Never the less, the most infamous shoot downs by MANPADS are the two Vickers Viscounts operated by Air Rhodesia which in 1978 and 1979 were shot down by rebels and more than 100  people perished. In