Il giornalista Robert Wall fa il punto, su "Aviation Week & Space Technology", sull'attuale situazione del mercato dei caccia ....

 

 

Fighter Contenders See Multiple Export Opportunities

 

By Robert Wall - July 09, 2012

 

Source ....

 

With India, Japan and Switzerland having made their fighter decisions, the market is starting to turn to smaller campaigns as aircraft makers look to build backlogs to sustain production lines that may otherwise be nearing their end.

 

Competitions in South Korea and Brazil still attract industry players, but after those, the list of buyers thins out to countries with more limited budgets seeking to buy smaller numbers. That means manufacturers are starting to pay attention even to small countries like Botswana, and its eventual F-5 replacement needs.

 

That is not to say the incentive to promote high-end offerings is diminishing. Being able to deliver the most advanced systems possible remains an issue of more than bragging rights. That has Eurofighter officials eager to show that they are finally making progress in the increasingly important realm of active, electronically scanned array technology, where the European consortium has been trailing rivals.

 

The first Captor-E is due to be delivered in the second quarter of 2012, says Bob Mason, vice president for radar marketing and sales at Selex Galileo, one of the partners in the Euroradar consortium. The first Typhoon with the radar will fly next year. Most of the work so far has been financed by industry. A government-funded development contract is now expected in 2013. Industry still hopes to be able to field the system in 2015, although delays in the government's financing of the development program means the in-service date could slip into 2016.

 

The repositioner, designed to maintain IFF (identification friend or foe) polarity and increase the pilot's field of regard using the sensor, and upgraded back end with increased processing are now coming together, Mason says. The development is “low- risk,” he asserts. The basic radar will have air-to-air, air-to-ground and synthetic aperture radar modes.

 

The radar is intended for Tranche 3A fighters, but could be retrofit on Tranche 2 aircraft as well.

 

Pressure is mounting on Typhoon for sales in export markets, having already failed in Japan, India and Switzerland. South Korea, where the Typhoon is squaring off against the Lockheed Martin F-35 and Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle, is seen as a long shot, given the strong U.S. military presence on the peninsula. Malaysia is seen as a potential buyer, and the consortium also still hopes to make inroads in the United Arab Emirates, which has been in on-again, off-again talks with France to buy the Rafale.

 

For the Saab Gripen, last year's win in Switzerland and the subsequent commitment by Sweden to buy 60-80 of the new model E/F-standard aircraft has provided a shot in the arm, but export successes globally have been few.

 

Brazil could provide an important test case, opening the door not just to a new market but potentially to an entire region. Brazil's decision has been delayed numerous times, but Eddy de la Motte, vice president for marketing of the Swedish fighter, notes that “we get the feeling it is the end game.”

 

Saab could deliver the first Gripen E/F (also called the NG) fighter four years after a contract award, but it is still unclear if that is the schedule Brasilia will insist on, or whether it will join the combined Swiss/Swedish Gripen E/F development schedule, which would see the first fighter handed over in 2018.

 

The first Gripen E/F prototype is due to fly late next year if the Swiss and Swedish governments can agree on the development path forward. The effort would likely require some funding from Saab, too.

 

Meanwhile, the Selex Galileo Raven ES-05 active, electronically scanned array radar is to fly on the Gripen NG demonstrator soon, at which time the cockpit displays and sensor will be put through their paces.

 

The Swedish government has an offer on the table for potential export buyers, to accelerate its purchase if another country wants the Gripen E/F early but does not want to be the lead buyer. That offer remains open, de La Motte says.

 

A win in Brazil could open the door to other fighter deals in South America, adds Frederik Gustafson, regional director for Gripen exports in the Americas. “There is a huge need for new fighters in the region and the economies are growing,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Aerospace Forum Sweden 2012. There are more than a handful of countries that are looking to buy in the next five years, he added.

 

But that is not the only region where Saab is working to meet its target of selling 300 fighters over the next decade. In Thailand, were it has already sold 12 Gripens (six are delivered with six to follow next year), it is hoping for additional deals. Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and, “in a couple of years” Vietnam may also offer opportunities, de La Motte says.

 

Efforts also continue to extend the fighter lease deal with the Czech Republic and secure orders in Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Slovakia. Gripen also still hopes to convince Denmark and the Netherlands to defect from the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter program.

 

This year, the Czech Republic is due to make a decision on whether it will extend the fighter lease beyond 2015. The Czech air force currently operates 12 single-seat and two dual-seat Gripens under a lease deal that expires in 2015. The goal is to complete negotiations this year on how to preserve fighter capability.

 

The leading candidate, preferred by the air force, is an extension of the lease deal with the Swedish government, with 5-, 10- and 20-year options being discussed (the 10-year option is seen as the most likely). A decision should be taken this year to allow time for a fall-back plan in case the lease deal does not materialize, says air force chief Brig. Gen. Jiri Verner.

 

Securing additional orders is critical not only for European manufacturers, seeing a potential end of their production lines in this decade in the absence of additional orders. Boeing is looking to both additional F/A-18 purchases by the U.S. and fighter export campaigns to sustain its two fighter production lines—the F-15 and F/A-18—beyond their currently expected lives.

 

The current multi-year program with the U.S. Navy runs until about 2015, but Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security (DSS), sees scope for sales of additional EA-18Gs to the Pentagon to extend production. “We see an opportunity domestically for the joint electronic attack requirement,” he tells reporters. But whether there is enough demand for a fourth multi-year contract is unclear he notes.

 

While Muilenburg acknowledges that the existing backlog sees pressure on the F-15 and F/A-18E/F production lines in the 5-10-year time frame, he argues that both products have shown resilience and been able to extend their lives.

 

Several important decisions affecting exports loom in the coming months. Before year-end, Brazil is to announce its F-X2 fighter decision where the F/A-18E/F is competing against the Gripen NG and the Dassault Rafale. South Korea is also expected to make its choice between the F-15, Lockheed Martin's F-35 and the Typhoon.

 

Boeing also foresees more clarity to emerge on Australia's plans in the third quarter. That is when a decision is likely on the mix between the F-35s and F/A-18Fs and whether additional Super Hornet purchases will be made, says Mark Kronenberg, vice president- international business development at Boeing DSS. “I don't think they are going to walk away completely from the F-35, but the mix is a factor,” he argues.

 

Boeing sees Denmark as an opportunity for the F/A-18, as well as some nervousness among F-35 buyers that could generate opportunities, Kronenberg says.

 

The Middle East is viewed as another potential hot spot for deals, with Qatar and Kuwait seen as potential F/A-18E/F buyers. Kronenberg notes that “in Kuwait you are starting to see movement I had not seen two years ago.”

 

The United Arab Emirates might be an opportunity for Boeing, but Kronenberg sees that as an F-15 market.

 

Extending the production lines is vital for Boeing to maintain skills until future programs—FA-XX for the U.S. Navy and F-X for the U.S. Air Force—advance beyond the concept study phase. However, Muilenburg notes that skills will also be sustained through other efforts, including work in unmanned aircraft and the USAF's next-generation bomber effort.

 

Quindi SH per lo strike nucleare, più la versione da guerra elettronica per il loro appoggio più...nuovi Typhoon Tr4 per sostituire i Tr1, cerchiobottismo estremo

 

 

 

https://www.portaledifesa.it/index~phppag,3_id,3557.html

Modificato 23 aprile 20206 anni da maxiss

Ancora più incasinato...

55 TR4 rimpiazzano i Tornado nelle missioni convenzionali (ECR a parte che sono rimpiazzati dai Growler) e 38 rimpiazzano i vetuperati TR1 (che vuol dire? guai a mettegli bombe sotto le ali? Boh).

Quanto alle missioni "speciali" c'è il piccolo detteglio che mi pare nemmeno il SH essere al momento abilitato all'impiego di armamento nucleare (la US Navy le armi nucleari le dovrebbe aver sbarcate dalle portaerei), come non lo era l'EF-2000 e come invece lo sarebbe stato tra un po' l'F-35.

Casini alla tedesca...

Modificato 23 aprile 20206 anni da Flaggy

Il 20/4/2020 in 23:38 , TT-1 Pinto ha scritto:

Esatto ... come pure il Cino-Pakistano JF-17 Thunder è l'estrema evoluzione del Fishbed sovietico ... 

Ho sempre trovato che il JF-17 avesse, perlomeno di profilo, un'estrema somiglianza col Gripen. 

Come il vino  buono  e quello  made in Cina  

 

 

È così scadente come prestazioni? È un modello che non conosco molto nel dettaglio.

Era una considerazione estetica .

Però basta guardare le foto per capire che il " made in China " è un collage di soluzioni aerodinamiche  scopiazzate qui e là ( F- 16 e F-5 , così a naso ) .

L'unica cosa valida sembrano qualche pezzo di avionica e  il motore , un RD-33 ; quello del MiG 29 ( che , tra l'altro ne usava due ) , potente ma di epoca sovietica .

Cosa che potrebbe comportare i problemi di manutenzione dei motori di quell'epoca e di quel regime.

Più che un quarta generazione , come descritto da Wikipedia , direi un tre e tre quarti.

In effetti somiglia un po' anche al Tigershark. 

Il Canada ... rinvia ...

Quote

The Royal Canadian Air Force fighter competition was delayed until 31 July, one month later than originally planned, due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Future Fighter Capability Project proposal submission deadline was pushed back at the request of potential bidders in the competition, says Public Service and Procurement Canada on 11 May (*).

... flightglobal.com ... Royal Canadian Air Force fighter competition delayed by coronavirus until 31 July ...

(*) ... tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca ... Future Fighter Capability Project Update ...

??

Japan's Future Fighter ... in attesa di importanti decisioni ... vengono divulgate alcune date ...

Quote

Tokyo firming up timeframes for Future Fighter: reports ...
By Greg Waldron - 9 July 2020

Tokyo hopes to start building the prototype of its Future Fighter in 2024, according to local media reports in Japan. 
Citing documents from Japan’s defence ministry, the reports state that mass production of the new fighter will commence in 2031.
The new fighter will be deployed in 2035, when the Mitsubishi F-2 fighter will be due for retirement.
Japan’s Acquisition Technology & Logistics Agency recently told FlightGlobal that it is still looking at working with the UK and the USA on the programme, with a decision on the basic framework of international cooperation ready for the draft budget for JFY2021 – Japan’s 2021 fiscal year, which will run from 1 April 2021.
Future Fighter will be a fresh design, as opposed to an update of an older design, namely Lockheed Martin’s offer of a heavily updated version of the F-22 that is equipped with technologies found on the F-35.

Fonte: FlightGlobal ...

??

Nel frattempo ... il Giappone ha ricevuto l'autorizzazione all'acquisto di 105 F-35 ...

Da FlightGlobal ...

Quote

Japan has been cleared by the US State Department to buy 105 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters as part of a package worth an estimated $23.11 billion.
The potential F-35 deal is the second largest foreign military sale approved by Washington in history, behind a $29.4 billion sale of Boeing F-15SA fighters and associated weapons to Saudi Arabia in 2010.
Tokyo requested 63 examples of the F-35A conventional take-off-and-landing variant and 42 examples of the F-35B short-take-off-and-vertical-landing variant (STVOL), the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency says as part of a notice delivered to the US Congress on 9 July (*).
Also, part of the sale are 110 Pratt and Whitney F135 engines, including five spare turbines.

(*) ... dsca.mil ... JAPAN – F-35 JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER AIRCRAFT ...

?? ??

Non c'è solo la telenovela svizzera , anche i loro  vicini austriaci ne hanno una ..?..  ( usare il traduttore ) 

https://www.diepresse.com/5841337/indonesien-will-osterreichs-eurofighter-kaufen

Modificato 18 luglio 20206 anni da engine

3 ore fa, engine ha scritto:

Non c'è solo la telenovela svizzera, anche i loro vicini austriaci ne hanno una .. ? ..  ( usare il traduttore ) 

https://www.diepresse.com/5841337/indonesien-will-osterreichs-eurofighter-kaufen

E ... come la mettiamo con questa notizia ?

... janes.com ... https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/austria-to-retain-eurofighters-retire-saab-105s ...

Ne parla anche FlightGlobal ...

Quote

Indonesia expresses interest in used Austrian Eurofighters ...

By Greg Waldron - 21 July 2020 ...

Indonesia appears to be interested in 15 Eurofighters that are now part of the Austrian air force inventory.
Austria’s Die Presse reported on 18 July that Austrian defence minister Klaudia Tanner had received a letter from her Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto expressing interest in the 15 aircraft.
Copies purported to be of the letter soon emerged on social media. 
In it, Subianto writes that to help modernise the Indonesian air force he would like to enter “official deliberations” to buy all 15 examples.
“I am fully informed concerning the Eurofighter topic and the impact it had until today in Austria, and I am entirely aware of the sensitivity of that matter,” he adds. 
“Nonetheless, I am sure that my proposal offers a promising change for both sides.”
Munich’s deal for 15 Eurofighters was mired in controversy. 
In February 2018, Airbus agreed to pay a $99.5 million fine to conclude a six-year-old investigation by the Munich Public Prosecutor into allegations of bribery involving the 2003 sale of the Typhoons.
The settlement allowed Airbus to resolve the investigation with no finding that the company had bribed Austrian officials directly or through intermediaries to select the Eurofighter over other bidders.
In 2017, Munich said it would retire its of fleet Tranche 1 jets in 2020 amid a row with the four-nation consortium over the cost and capability of its aircraft.
Cirium fleets data lists all 15 jets as still being in service, with an average age of 13.5 years.
For several years Jakarta has been shopping around for new fighters. 
In November 2019, Indonesian state news agency Antara quoted the air force chief of staff Marshal Yuyu Sutisna as saying that two squadrons of Lockheed Martin F-16Vs would be obtained, and that a long delayed deal to buy Sukhoi Su-35s would go through.
In August 2017, Jakarta said it would buy 11 Su-35s for $1.14 billion; a cash and barter deal that would likely include a mix of local farm products such as palm oil and coffee. 
However, concerns about USA’s CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) legislation against Russia, Iran, and North Korea appear to have made Jakarta think twice about buying Russian aircraft.
Jakarta is also junior partner in the Korea Aerospace Industries KF-X fighter programme, although it continues to squabble with Seoul about costs related to the type’s development.
News of Jakarta’s interest in used Eurofighters comes two weeks after a surprise announcement by the US government that Jakarta had been cleared to buy eight Bell Boeing MV-22 Block C Osprey tiltrotors in a deal valued at $2 billion.

?? ??

Ultime dal Canada ... saranno tre le aziende in competizione per la fornitura dei nuovi caccia ...

Quote

The bids are in for Canada’s fighter competition, and three companies will go head-to-head for the chance to build 88 new jets.
The Canadian government on Friday confirmed that the field is down to two American entrants — Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet — as well as Swedish aerospace manufacturer Saab’s Gripen E. 
All companies submitted proposals before the July 31 deadline.

... defensenews.com ... These three companies submitted bids for Canada’s fighter competition ...

?? ... ?? ??

Articoli sul Rafale nei mercati asiatici :

https://eurasiantimes.com/rafale-jets-or-eurofighter-typhoons-why-india-opted-for-rafales-while-indonesia-is-keen-for-typhoons/

https://eurasiantimes.com/no-buyers-for-rafale-jets-why-almost-every-country-dumped-french-rafales-except-india/

 

Quote

As reported earlier by EurAsian Times, Russian aviation experts had claimed that Rafale jets would have been useless against the Chinese Airforce (PLAAF). The maximum speed of the Rafale jet is about Mach 1.8 compared to Chinese J-16s at Mach 2.2.

The Rafale’s practical ceiling is also lower than the J-16s. Even in engine thrust, the Chinese J-16s aka Russian Su-35s are far superior to the French combat aircraft. Even if the Indian Air Force (IAF) was to deploy all 36 of its newly acquired jets, the technical superiority would still be on the side of China, claimed the Russian expert.

Si vabbè, per carità, numeri, costi e prestazioni non sono certo il punto forte del Rafale, ma l’esperto russo (che ovviamente tira acqua al suo mulino e preferisce che l’India compri Su-30 invece che Rafale...) dovrebbe sapere che a mach 2.2 gli aerei russi e le loro copie cinesi col cavolo che ci arrivano in configurazione armata. Dovrebbe poi sapere che il Rafale indiano ha un radar AESA e non PESA, una traccia radar bassa abbinata a contromisure piuttosto sofisticate e missili Meteor che sono meglio di certi sigaroni russi che se la sono vista male anche con gli AIM-120 (e proprio gli indiani ne sanno qualcosa...).

Della serie certi vagoni volanti potrebbero venire aperti in due in aria prima che i loro piloti possano pensare di fare qualcosa...

Modificato 3 agosto 20206 anni da Flaggy

https://www.google.it/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/pauliddon/2020/08/11/where-can-turkey-buy-stopgap-fighter-jets-for-its-aging-air-force/amp/

Analisi dell'intreccio tra elezioni turche e americane nelle scelte sul futuro della prima linea dell'aviazione di Ankara.

 

F16 a Tawan

Lunga vita all f16!

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.agi.it/estero/news/2020-08-15/taiwan-acquista-caccia-f16-usa-9422419/&ved=2ahUKEwiB7qX52J_rAhVLzaQKHWKqBewQFjADegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw15itWtpwSXJ2db9rIO0_Yx

29 minuti fa, maxiss ha scritto:

F16 a Tawan

Lunga vita all f16!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.agi.it/estero/news/2020-08-15/taiwan-acquista-caccia-f16-usa-9422419/&ved=2ahUKEwiB7qX52J_rAhVLzaQKHWKqBewQFjADegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw15itWtpwSXJ2db9rIO0_Yx

E' la notizia in testa alla pagina dei contratti del DoD del 14 Agosto ... https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2313931// ...

Stampa taiwanese ... taiwannews.com.tw ... https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3987859 ...

?? ??

La risposta cinese alla ventilata vendita di nuovi F-16V a Taiwan ...

Quote

Foreign media reported on Saturday that the island of Taiwan has officially signed an agreement with the US to buy 66 F-16V fighter jets. 
Chinese mainland military analysts said that if a reunification-by-force operation breaks out, the PLA would destroy Taiwan's airfields and command centers, giving the F-16Vs no chance to even take off, and giving those already in the air no place to land.

... globaltimes.cn ... Indigenous airborne munitions dispenser can paralyze airfield in one shot ...

Anche qui ... globaltimes.cn ... F-16 fighter jet deal deemed another US provocation amid rising Taiwan Straits tensions ...

Impagabili questi Cinesi ... stanno attuando una vasta politica espansionistica in varie zone del Mar Cinese Meridionale e in molte altre parti del mondo e quando qualcuno, sentendosi a rischio, tenta di prendere contromisure per la propria protezione ... si mettono a strillare e a proferir minacce ...

?? ? >>> ?? ??

Modificato 17 agosto 20206 anni da TT-1 Pinto
***

A proposito dell'arma anti-aeroporti appena svelata dalla Cina ... un articolo (con video) fornisce ulteriori dettagli ...

Quote

China has unveiled a new “smart” glide dispenser weapon that closely resembles the Raytheon AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW). 
In a video posted by state-run China Central Television, or CCTV, this weekend, an orange-painted example of the weapon was shown, loaded on a trolley in what was reportedly a People’s Liberation Army Air Force storage facility.

 ... thedrive.com/the-war-zone ... New Chinese Air-Launched Glide Weapon Designed To Be An Airfield Killer ...

??

Competizione HX in Finlandia ... i costi della pandemia non comporteranno ripercussioni negative sulla prosecuzione del programma ...

Quote

The Finnish government’s budget proposal for 2021 has allayed concerns of delays or reduced funding for the Armed Forces’ (FAF) HX Fighter Program. 
The plan will effectively increase the military’s budgetary framework in 2021 by $2 billion to $5.8 billion to meet phase one of the project’s procurement costs.
The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced Finland to significantly increase international borrowings and further load national debt, was feared to have a negative bearing of the fighter replacement project, particularly against the backdrop of a potential economic recession and grim forecasts of an 8 to 10 percent drop in GDP in 2020.
Instead, the 2021 budget both protects and moves forward the $12 billion national security capital investment.
The HX Fighter Program will have a “substantial effect” on the FAF’s budgetary position and finances from 2021, said the HX Program’s Director, Lauri Puranen.

... defensenews.com ... Finland’s $12 billion fighter plan dodges the post-pandemic budget ax ...

??

Ricordo che quando in italia si parlava di 8000 posti di lavoro legati al programma F-35 (beninteso prima di tagli e rimodulazioni...) si alzò un coro di critiche che definivano le stime esagerate.

Per la gara in Canada RID riprende una stima già letta altrove relativa a 150000 posti...Francamente questi sembrano troppi.

https://www.portaledifesa.it/index~phppag,3_id,3751.html

1 ora fa, Flaggy ha scritto:

Ricordo che quando in italia si parlava di 8000 posti di lavoro legati al programma F-35 (beninteso prima di tagli e rimodulazioni...) si alzò un coro di critiche che definivano le stime esagerate.

Per la gara in Canada RID riprende una stima già letta altrove relativa a 150000 posti...Francamente questi sembrano troppi.

https://www.portaledifesa.it/index~phppag,3_id,3751.html

Da RID ... "... la svedese Saab parteciperà in partnership con le canadesi IMP Aerospace & Defence, CAE e Peraton Canada ..."

Da un comunicato del Governo Canadese datato 31 Luglio ... "United States Government - The Boeing Company with Peraton Canada Corp., CAE Inc., L3 Technologies MAS Inc., GE Canada and Raytheon Canada Limited Services and Support Division" (https://www.canada.ca/en/public-services-procurement/news/2020/07/government-of-canada-receives-proposals-to-replace-its-fighter-jets.html)

 

i serbi valutano l'acquisto del boeng/saab T7A come caccia leggero anche se l'aereo ancora non esiste, mentre il M346FA pare non venga neanche preso in considerazione, sarà solo per questioni di velocità o rispetto al concorrente l'aereo nostrano ha altre deficienze?