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.

 

 

Il 25/6/2021 in 19:35 , TT-1 Pinto ha scritto:

Mica tanto ... se hai letto bene l'articolo ... vi si afferma che "il Consiglio Federale deve ancora discutere questa decisione" ... e non solo ... è anche in vista una consistente battaglia politica con tanto di referendum popolare incluso ... quindi, prima di cantar vittoria, aspetterei l'evoluzione dei fatti ...

Se poi la cosa si concretizzasse ... dove verrebbero prodotti i velivoli ... negli USA o a Cameri che, si può dire, è a pochi passi dai confini con la Confederazione ?

 

..mi correggo,la Svizzera ha preso f35..

 

https://www.rid.it/shownews/4260

3 ore fa, maxiss ha scritto:

.. mi correggo,la Svizzera ha preso f35 ..

https://www.rid.it/shownews/4260

Comunque sia ... nel settore "News Aviazione" c'è una discussione dedicata ... inutile quindi trattarne qui ...

Filippine ... un acquisto di F-16 ancora in dubbio ...

Quote

On June 24 the U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of 12 F-16 Block 70/72 fighters to the Philippines, following a request from the government in Manila as its searches for a Multi-Role Fighter (MRF) to defend the nation's airspace and surrounding seas. 
However, a day later the Philippine defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzano, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the F-16 package was too expensive, and that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) was examining other options. 
The front-runners for the MRF requirement are the F-16 and Sweden's Saab Gripen.
Valued at an estimated $2.43 billion, the potential sale covers 10 single-seat F-16Cs and two F-16D two-seaters, along with related equipment, spares, and training.

... ainonline.com ... https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2021-06-28/green-light-too-expensive-philippines-f-16-purchase ...

🇵🇭

 

Typhoon : mancato il colpo in Svizzera , si tenta in Finlandia : 

https://www.milanofinanza.it/news/eurofighter-non-passa-in-svizzera-ma-e-ben-posizionata-in-finlandia-202107011204031010

... purchè non siano i tedeschi a trattare l'affare  🍻😰

Indonesia ... la Russia spera ancora di venderle i Sukhoi Su-35 nonostante recenti informazioni indichino un interesse verso i Boeing F-15EX ...

Quote

Russia is still intent on selling 11 Sukhoi Su-35 fighters to Indonesia, despite pressure on Jakarta to abandon the long-troubled sale.
Speaking at the MAKS air show outside Moscow, Valeria Reshetnikova of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said Moscow is still ready to execute the deal, which has been held up for several years.
“From the very beginning, the project on supplying 11 multirole Su-35 fighters to Jakarta has attracted the world community’s close attention,” says Reshetnikova, quoted by Russia’s state news agency Tass.
“It’s no surprise that after signing [the deal], the Indonesian side has come up against extensive pressure from representatives of certain states. At all possible levels, Jakarta was ‘strongly recommended’ to abandon the project. However, we confidently assert that the Russian side is intent on fulfilling this contract.”

... flightglobal.com ... https://www.flightglobal.com/defence/russia-still-sweet-on-indonesia-su-35-sale/144704.article ...

🇮🇩

Kazakhstan ... cresce la dotazione di caccia multi-ruolo Su-30SM ...

Quote

La force de défense aérienne du Kazakhstan (KADF) va réceptionner quatre avions de combat multirôles Sukhoi Su-30SM « Flanker-H » d'ici la fin de 2022, a déclaré le directeur du Service fédéral russe de coopération militaro-technique, Dmitry Shugayev. 
Actuellement le pays dispose de 20 appareils de ce type en service.

 ... psk.blog.24heures.ch ... http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2021/08/29/un-second-escadron-de-su-30sm-pour-le-kazakhstan -871594.html ...

🇰🇿

Don't cry for you Argentina ... 
Ovvero ... come la Cina potrebbe mettere piede nel paese latino-americano per interposta persona ... 🇵🇰 & 🇨🇳

Quote

Le feuilleton argentin du futur avion de combat est-il en phase de trouver son épilogue ? 
C’est possible, car le Congrès national s’est vu présenté cette semaine un projet de budget de 664 millions de dollars us en vue de l'acquisition d'avions de combat JF-17 « Thunder » Block III pour le budget de défense 2022. 
Cette proposition semble donc écarter définitivement les propositions russes, indiennes et Sud-coréennes. 
Selon la proposition, la demande fait état d’une possible commande portant sur 12 JF-17 « Thunder » dans son standard le plus récent et le plus moderne, soit le Block III. 
De plus, il semble que cette offre dispose d’un soutien sans condition de la Force aérienne, qui n’a de toute manière pas trop le choix. 
Reste cependant à savoir si le Parlement va avaliser cette demande. 
En effet, le crise économique du pays pourrait venir freiner cette acquisition.

... psk.blog.24heures.ch ... http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2021/09/17/l-argentine-se-dirige-t-elle-en-direction-du-jf-17 -871720.html ...

🇦🇷 

Modificato 20 settembre 20215 anni da TT-1 Pinto
***

14 ore fa, TT-1 Pinto ha scritto:

Don't cry for you Argentina ... 
Ovvero ... come la Cina potrebbe mettere piede nel paese latino-americano per interposta persona ... 🇵🇰 & 🇨🇳

Infatti ...

Quote

Dietro la vittoria pachistana si nasconde però la, non tanto oscura, mano cinese. 
Sono molte infatti le pressioni che Pechino continua ad esercitare sui Paesi Sudamericani, tentandoli con progetti e acquisizioni a prezzi notevolmente competitivi pur di erodere l’influenza occidentale, ed in particolare statunitense, nel “nuovo continente”.
Il THUNDER è infatti per il 58% di produzione pachistana (Pakistan Aeronautical Complex - PAC) che include la fusoliera, le ali e gli stabilizzatori verticali, il restante 48% è invece prodotto in Cina (Chengdu Aircraft Corporation of China) e riguarda principalmente l’avionica e la tecnologia sensoristica di bordo.

... rid.it ... https://www.rid.it/shownews/4398 ...

🇦🇷 & 🇨🇳 

Don't cry for you Argentina ... 
Ovvero ... riuscirà il Regno Unito a bloccare la vendita al paese latino-americano dei caccia cino-pakistani? 🇨🇳 & 🇵🇰

... defensenews.com ... https://www.defensenews.com/global/the-americas/2021/09/28/could-britain-stop-argentina-from-buying-the-jf-17-warplane/ ...

🇦🇷

Tecnicamente no , dato che non ci dovrebbe essere componentistica occidentale negli aerei .

Può solo impedire l'installazione di munizionamento e sistemi d'arma americani o inglesi.

Politicamente , agli UK non conviene piantare una grana : il JF 17 non dovrebbe essere un grosso problema per un Typhoon ; il problema sarebbe se l'Argentina e altri paesi sudamericani si avvicinassero alla Cina o alla Russia come reazione.

Modificato 29 settembre 20215 anni da engine

A Taiwan ... ha effettuato il volo inaugurale il primo esemplare di produzione del velivolo da addestramento avanzato "AIDC T-5 Brave Eagle" ...

Quote

 

First two planes to be delivered by end of 2021, a total of 66 jets in service before 2027

In a significant step forward for Taiwan’s indigenous defense industry, the “Brave Eagle” Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) conducted its official inaugural flight Thursday (Oct. 21).
With China stepping up its intimidation of Taiwan by sending its warplanes into the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on an almost daily basis, Taipei has emphasized local production of a wide variety of weapons systems, from submarines to missiles.

 

... taiwannews.com.tw ... https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4321382 ...

🇹🇼

KAI sta negoziando ...

Quote

South Korea’s sole aircraft manufacturer, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is negotiating with the Slovakian Government for the sale of ten KAI FA-50 fighter/attack aircraft to the Vzdušné sily Ozbrojených sil Slovenskej Republiky (SAF, Slovak Air Force). 
A possible contract is valued at USD 500 million.
The SAF wants to replace its ageing fleet of L-39 Albatros trainer aircraft. Currently, the air force operates six L-39 trainers, two L-39ZAM and four L-39CM.

... scramble.nl ... https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/will-slovakia-buy-kai-fa-50 ...

🇰🇷 & 🇸🇰

F-35 ... sono in corso trattative con alcuni paesi in vista di nuovi ordini ...

... psk.blog.24heures.ch ... http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2021/11/06/l-espagne-et-la-tchequie-en-discussion-pour-l-achat-de-f-35 -872014.html ...

🇺🇸 🇪🇸 🇨🇿 🇬🇷

 

F-35 ... la Spagna smentisce ... 

Quote

Spain has no interest in the American F-35 fighter jet and is solely committed to the Future Combat Air System that it is pursuing with France and Germany, a defense spokeswoman told Reuters (*).
The statement comes after Spanish officials at a defense exhibition in Madrid last week said the Lockheed Martin-made plane was a least a theoretical contender for the Spanish Navy and, if the sea service were to select it, the Air Force.

... defensenews.com ... https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/11/09/spains-ministry-of-defense-denies-interest-in-the-f-35/ ...

(*) ... reuters.com ... https://www.reuters.com/world/spain-has-no-plans-buy-us-f35-fighters-defence-ministry-says-2021-11-09/ ...

🇪🇸

La vendita degli F-35 agli Emirati Arabi Uniti ... sembra non essere un affare semplice ...

Quote

These are some of the pressure points involved in negotiations between the United Arab Emirates and the United States as the former seeks a fleet of F-35 aircraft. 
But buying what is arguably the most advanced fighter jet involves more than a simple commercial transaction; it’s like “renewing the marriage vows” between Abu Dhabi and Washington, said Danny Sebright, president of the U.S.-UAE Business Council.
That has put the UAE at a crossroads: renew its military vows with the U.S. or turn eastward toward Russia and China.

... defensenews.com ... https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/dubai-air-show/2021/11/08/abu-dhabis-dilemma-will-the-uae-ever-operate-the-f-35/ ...

 

F-35 ... la Spagna smentisce ... ma Lockheed Martin ribadisce ... 😲

Quote

A Lockheed Martin executive says discussions continue with the Spanish government about a potential future order of F-35Bs and F-35As despite a firm denial by Madrid. 
“They have an aircraft carrier, and they’re going to have to replace the Harrier, so our approach into Spain is really through that,” Lockheed Executive Vice President Greg Ulmer told ShowNews on Nov.16 at the Dubai Airshow. 
“Obviously, we see the [F-35] B-model to be that,” Ulmer added, referring to the short-takeoff and vertical-landing variant. 
“We’re also talking to them about potentially A-models as well.”

... aviationweek.com ... https://aviationweek.com/shownews/dubai-airshow/lockheed-re-affirms-spanish-f-35-talks-despite-madrid-denial ...

🇪🇸 & 🇺🇸

La vendita degli F-35 agli Emirati Arabi Uniti ... 

Gli Stati Uniti rimangono "pienamente impegnati" ...

Quote

The U.S. remains “fully committed” to a proposed sale of advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates, despite the Biden administration slowing down the deal, a senior American official overseeing arms exports said Tuesday.
Mira Resnick, a deputy U.S. assistant secretary of state in the Biden administration, also told the Associated Press at the Dubai Air Show that Gulf Arab partners are not looking to purchase weapons from Russia as a hedge over American concerns about human rights in the region.
A high-level Russian delegation met Tuesday with Abu Dhabi’s powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the air show, which prominently featured Moscow’s competitor to the F-35, the Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate.

... defensenews.com ... https://www.defensenews.com/air/2021/11/16/american-official-us-fully-committed-to-f-35-sale-to-uae/ ...

🇺🇸 & 🇦🇪

Il Salone di Dubai diventa il palcoscenico dello scontro commerciale fra Russia e Stati Uniti ...

Quote

A global competition for influence played out among the exhibit stands and static displays thronging the Dubai Airshow, with U.S. and Russian officials openly vying to strengthen ties with the United Arab Emirates’ powerful military.
Russian officials, led by Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov and United Aircraft Corp. General Director Yury Slyusar, sought to build on a 2018 strategic partnership agreement with the UAE government, flogging offers for prime development and production roles in the new Sukhoi Checkmate fighter concept and the MS-21-300 airliner while securing a letter of intent from the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) defense and security acquisitions authority for 100 Russian-origin, light single VRT-500 helicopters.
Meanwhile, a 300-strong U.S. government delegation led by Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Q. Brown, Jr., and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mira Resnick came on a reassurance mission, seeking to prevent gains by competitors despite ongoing talks over critical security details of implementing an agreement to sell 50 Lockheed Martin F-35As to the UAE.
“Our presence and our relationships with Middle East partners help prevent efforts by Russia and China to extend their influence into the region,” Resnick told journalists in Dubai on the sidelines of the air show.

... aviationweek.com ... https://aviationweek.com/shownews/dubai-airshow/dubai-airshow-becomes-stage-russia-us-competition ...

🇷🇺 vs. 🇺🇸

Il 10/11/2021 in 01:17 , TT-1 Pinto ha scritto:

F-35 ... la Spagna smentisce ... 

... defensenews.com ... https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/11/09/spains-ministry-of-defense-denies-interest-in-the-f-35/ ...

(*) ... reuters.com ... https://www.reuters.com/world/spain-has-no-plans-buy-us-f35-fighters-defence-ministry-says-2021-11-09/ ...

🇪🇸

Della serie "siamo convintissimi a smentire"...Janes, che ne aveva inizialmente dato notizia, insiste:

Quote

“[The] Spanish MoD is studying possible candidates for Hornet and Harrier replacement, and has sent a request for information about F-35A and F-35B to the US government,” the ministry told Janes on 22 November,

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/berlin-security-conference-spain-considers-eurofighter-f-35-for-hornet-harrier-replacement

Ma, successivamente, avevo anche scritto: "F-35 ... la Spagna smentisce ... ma Lockheed Martin ribadisce" ...

Modificato 25 novembre 20214 anni da TT-1 Pinto
***

Qui a ribadire è il ministro della difesa spagnolo e si direbbe averlo fatto dopo LM.

Smentita di pura convenienza.

Evidentemente la Spagna deve e può guardarsi intorno, non solo valutando F-35B, oggi unico possibile sostituto del Harrier, ma anche F-35A (il programma FCAS potrebbe sempre incontrare qualche intoppo).

https://aresdifesa.it/boeing-fuori-dalla-competizione-canadese-per-il-nuovo-caccia/

E che dire del CSM Aeronautica Militare che prevede/auspica la fusione dei programmi Tempest e FCAS ?

... it.insideover,com ... https://it.insideover.com/difesa/cosi-il-csm-aeronautica-goretti-tempest-e-fcas-destinati-a-confluire.html ...

C'entra forse qualcosa il trattato Italia-Francia firmato oggi sotto i fumi colorati delle rispettive pattuglie acrobatiche ?

... theaviationist.com ... https://theaviationist.com/2021/11/26/frecce-patrouille-joint-flyover/ ...

🇮🇹 & 🇫🇷

Certo che c'entra ...
Iprogrammi non si fonderanno perchè UK e Francia non vorranno , ma noi li finanzieremo entrambi .

🤣🇫🇷  +😂 🇬🇧 = 😱  🇮🇹 

Tanto a noi basta la pattuglia acrobatica 🥳

 

 

Modificato 26 novembre 20214 anni da engine