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.

 

 

La prossima mossa sarà la scelta di un partner estero che possa contribuire, con la propria tecnologia, alla realizzazione di un motore locale .....

I tedeschi ?

Modificato 25 novembre 20178 anni da engine

I tedeschi ?

 

Non sembrerebbe ... nell'articolo vengono citate soltanto R-R e P&W ... e non vedo quale particolare apporto tecnologico motoristico i Tedeschi possano fornire, al momento attuale, al programma turco ...

Croazia ... Israele presenta la sua offerta ...

Israel's defence ministry is offering to supply Croatia with a mix of 12 second-hand Lockheed Martin F-16s, facing competition from Saab Gripens being promoted by Sweden.

Current Israeli air force F-16C/Ds are now being offered, with the service to retire some of its examples as more Lockheed F-35I Adirs enter use.

The Israeli proposal also could include a mix of C/D-model aircraft and already-retired F-16A/Bs which it has previously pitched to the Croatian government.

Fonte: flightglobal.com ... Israel offers Croatia mixed fleet of F-16s ...

Dodici aerei in quattro versioni diverse ? Un bel minestrone. Quelli dei blocchi A e B dovrebbero comunque essere ricondizionati a causa dell'usura e ringiovaniti nell'avionica.

L'offerta sarebbe più furba se venissero offerti solo i C / D.

 

Se l'offerta è posta nel modo indicato da flightglobal, è meglio standardizzare sul Gripen.

Dodici aerei in quattro versioni diverse?

Un bel minestrone.

Quelli dei blocchi A e B dovrebbero comunque essere ricondizionati a causa dell'usura e ringiovaniti nell'avionica.

L'offerta sarebbe più furba se venissero offerti solo i C / D.

 

Se l'offerta è posta nel modo indicato da flightglobal, è meglio standardizzare sul Gripen.

 

Penso che alla fine la Croazia deciderà sulla base delle proprie disponibilità finanziarie ...

 

Alcuni articoli di fonte croata ...

 

https://www.total-croatia-news.com/politics/19995-croatia-buying-new-fighter-aircraft

 

https://www.total-croatia-news.com/business/23423-saab-to-open-innovation-centre-in-croatia

 

https://www.total-croatia-news.com/politics/23493-swedish-gripen-and-israeli-f-16-top-candidates-for-new-fighter-aircraft

Eurofighter Typhoon ... dopo l' ordine del Qatar ... cosa c'è dietro l'angolo?

Thanks to the Qatar order, BAE Systems has stretched out Typhoon production for the partner nations and this buys time for a potential Saudi deal.

Despite an upbeat message from Eurofighter on prospects closer to home in Belgium (the nuclear role is likely to play a part again here) and Finland, further business with Saudi Arabia would appear to represent the main potential for significant Typhoon sales in the future.

Despite a requirement to replace its Tornado IDS, this is unlikely to materialize for several years to come.

However, thanks to the UK’s Project Centurion that adds MBDA’s Storm Shadow, Meteor and the Brimstone anti-armor missile, it positions Typhoon ideally for this - mirroring plans in the UK with Typhoon ultimately replacing the Tornado GR4 in 2019.

Fonte: combataircraft.net ... What next for Typhoon ? ...

Canada ... è tempo di uccidere ...

The Canadian government is poised to walk away from a deal with Boeing to buy 18 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet jets, a major blow for the future of the Boeing jet.

Canada’s Liberal government will announce next week plans to proceed with an interim buy of used F/A-18 Hornets from Australia, dashing Boeing’s hopes of a Super Hornet sale, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters, according to a Dec. 5 report.

Fonte: defensenews.com ... Canada to kill Boeing Super Hornet deal ...

Altri 12 'Rafale' per il Qatar ...

Qatar will operate a future fleet of 36 Dassault Rafale fighters, having signed an option to boost a previous commitment for 24 of the type.

Announced by the manufacturer on 7 December, the development builds on a contract signed in May 2015 covering the provision of 18 single-seat Rafale EQs and six two-seat DQ-model trainers.

Dassault has not disclosed whether the fresh order for 12 units will contain any additional trainers.

Fonte: flightglobal.com ... Qatar adds a dozen more Rafales to order ...

Eurofighter Typhoon ... formalizzato l'accordo col Qatar ...

Qatar has entered a deal to obtain 24 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters just days after confirming an order for 12 additional Dassault Rafales.

BAE Systems, the Eurofighter campaign lead for Qatar, says that the deal is valued a £5 billion ($6.7 billion).

Deliveries are to start in late 2022, subject to BAE Systems receiving the first payment, which is due "no later than mid-2018."

Fonte: flightglobal.com ... Qatar formalises deal for 24 Eurofighters ...

L'ufficialità ... gov.uk/government ... Defence Secretary in Doha as multi-billion pound jet contract with Qatar is signed ...

Canada ... è deciso ... arriveranno i 'tappabuchi' dall'Australia ...

Canberra has confirmed that it will sell 18 Boeing F/A-18 A/B Hornet fighters to Canada for an undisclosed amount.

The first two "classic" Hornets will delivered to Canada in 2019, when the Royal Australian Air Force's transition to the Lockheed Martin F-35A will be well underway, says defence minister Marise Payne.

Fonte: flightglobal.com ... Australian 'Classic' Hornets to fill Canada capability gap ...

... minister.defence.gov.au ... Sale of Australian Classic Hornets to Canada ...

Il Qatar ha in corso acquisti massicci di velivoli da combattimento ... ma ora dovrà affrontare un grosso problema di organico ...

Qatar’s launch of a huge air power buildup has raised a series of questions about the country’s ability to incorporate systems into its military amid a crisis faced with the Gulf nations.

On Sunday, Britain signed a deal with the small Gulf country to supply 24 Typhoon fighters after two consecutive agreements with the U.S. to purchase 36 Boeing F-15QA and France to receive 12 additional Dassault Rafale fighters.

One industrial source with knowledge of the matter stressed expanded capabilities provided by the three new jets, noting that “the air force will now have a total of 96 new aircraft, compared to its current Mirage-2000 fleet of a dozen.”

“The problem faced here is the lack of Qatari armed forces personnel to operate three top-line fighter types,” he added.

“In order to compensate for staffing shortage, Qatar will inevitably have to recruit foreign forces.”

Fonte: defensenews.com ... A huge military buildup is underway in Qatar. But who will man the systems? ...

Il comunicato di Boeing sulla decisione dell'acquisto, da parte del Canada, di caccia 'F/A-18 Classic Hornet' australiani di seconda mano ...

... Boeing statement on the Canadian Interim Fighter Capability Project and free and fair competition ...

Dal comunicato " ....Boeing is fortunate to have an outstanding 100 years of partnership with Canada, which had culminated in our $4B annual economic impact in Canada, and we look forward to partnering for the next 100 years. ... " . Addirittura 100 anni ? . Forse fra trenta i canadesi compreranno dei Super Hornet di seconda mano australiani ?

Dal comunicato " .... Boeing is fortunate to have an outstanding 100 years of partnership with Canada, which had culminated in our $4B annual economic impact in Canada, and we look forward to partnering for the next 100 years ...."

Addirittura 100 anni ? .

 

Si tratterà probabilmente di un'espressione di gratitudine per l'acquisto, avvenuto in tempi ormai lontani, dei missili BoMARC ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIM-10_Bomarc#Canada

 

Qatar ... arriveranno anche gli F-15QA ...

Qatar’s air force will receive 36 Boeing F-15QA fighters under a $6.17 billion deal announced by the US Department of Defense on 22 December.

The contract requires all deliveries before 2023, the DOD’s announcement says (*).

Fonte: flightglobal.com ... Qatar orders 36 F-15QAs to complete fighter shopping spree ...

(*) ...

The Boeing Co., Defense, Space, & Security, St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $6,173,500,000 undefinitized contract action contract for the F-15 Qatar program.

This contract provides for the foreign military sales (FMS) requirement to procure 36 new F-15QA aircraft for the Qatar Emiri Air Force.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, with an expected completion date of Dec. 30, 2022.

This contract involves FMS to the State of Qatar, and is the result of a sole-source acquisition.

FMS funds in the amount of $3,019,750,000 are being obligated at the time of award.

Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8634-18-C-2701).

Quatar : un paese grande quanto uno sputo di cammello, più piccolo del Veneto e con una popolazione ( servi della gleba inclusi ? ) che è la metà di quella dei polentoni ( irregolari esclusi ) ; la sua forza aerea possiede i C-17 ed è basata su quattro tipi di aerei di prima linea ( compresi quelli in ordine ) , tre se regala i pochi Mirage al Canada.

E' vero che si son arricchiti con il petrolio, ma vi sembra " smart procurement " una politica del genere ? Dove diamine le mette le officine per fare la manutenzione di modelli così diversi ?

Meglio non pensarci e godersi i soldini che arrivano dalla vendita dei Typhoon .

Modificato 27 dicembre 20178 anni da engine

A proposito dei recenti, massicci acquisti di aerei da caccia da parte di paesi del Medio Oriente ...

Following the confirmation last month by BAE Systems that Qatar had signed an order for 24 Eurofighter Typhoons, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) revealed details of a training package.

Meanwhile, Eurofighter reported that final production of the 28 aircraft ordered by Kuwait in 2016 is underway, and that they would be “the most advanced variant of the fighter jet ever made.”

The Qatar contract extends the final production line at BAE’s Warton facility, which was running down, into the 2020s.

BAE said that the contract is worth approximately £5 billion ($6.8 billion) and is still “subject to financing conditions,” with the first payment expected in mid-2018.

But the MoD gave a value of “around £6 billion” for what it described as “the biggest export deal for the Typhoon project in a decade.”

Fonte: ainonline.com ... Qatar and Kuwait Eurofighter Sales - More Details Revealed ...

La Nigeria acquista tre esemplari del caccia cino-pakistano JF-17 ... esterma evoluzione del MiG-21 ...

Nigeria's proposed 2018 budget document confirms that the African nation will obtain the Chengdu Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17 fighter.

The nation's 2018 budget allocation document indicates that N13.1 billion ($36 million) will be earmarked as partial payment for three JF-17s.

The payment will also cover support equipment and spares.

This makes Nigeria the first buyer of the type to be officially named, although programme officials have long said there is strong interest for the type in the developing world.

Fonte: flightglobal.com ... Nigeria to acquire three JF-17 fighters ...

Ciao a tutti

voi cosa avreste preso al posto dei JF-17 con 30-40 milioni?

Pane e vino.

Cosa si pretende di fare con tre ( 3 ) aerei ?

2017 ... Dassault fa il consuntivo ...

Dassault ended last year with a firm order backlog for 101 Rafales, after delivering nine of the type during 2017.

In a financial overview released on 8 January, the airframer says it shipped eight Rafales to Egypt and a single example to the French air force last year, in line with its planning expectations.

Additionally, it returned one Rafale M for service with the French navy, after upgrading it to the latest F3 operating standard.

Fonte: flightglobal.com ... Dassault details Rafale order backlog ...

Pane e vino.

Cosa si pretende di fare con tre ( 3 ) aerei ?

Hanno 9 vecchi F7 cinesi in non si sa quali condizioni

3 JF-17 dovrebbero poterli sostituire

Tanto comunque li vicino non ci sono aeronautiche pericolose x dire il Ciad credo sia quello messo meglio con 3 MIG 29 e meno di una decina di SU-25 (+5 elicotteri da attacco)

Allora diciamo così :

1 aereo per lo squadron OCU, 1 aereo come hangar queen ( = da cannibalizzare ) , 1 aereo operativo

Su-35 per l' Indonesia ... la firma del contratto si avvicina ...

Jakarta could finalise its order for 11 Sukhoi Su-35 fighters in the coming months.

In an interview with Indoneisan television, the nation's new air force chief of staff Yuyu Sutisna says that concluding the long-awaited acquisition is "something on our plate" and could be formalised in the coming months.

In August 2017, Jakarta confirmed that it will buy 11 Sukhoi Su-35 fighter aircraft for $1.14 billion, with a major component of the deal involving agricultural commodities (*).

Fonte: flightglobal.com ... Jakarta inches closer to Su-35 order ...

(*) ... defensenews.com ... "Sukhois for palm oil: Russia and Indonesia announce new barter arrangement" ...

Il Dipartimento di Stato USA approva l'eventuale vendita al Belgio di 34 F-35A ...

The US State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale of 34 Lockheed Martin F-35As to Belgium worth an estimated $6.53 billion, the agency announced this week (*).

Lockheed still needs Congressional approval, but the State Department blessing moves Lockheed once step closer in its bid to replace Belgium’s aging fleet of 59 F-16A/Bs.

Fonte: flightglobal.com ... State Department clears potential F-35A export to Belgium ...

(*) ... dsca.mil ... Belgium – F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft ...