Airbus: FSTA Tests Succeed, Boom Tests on Hold

LONDON - Airbus Military said it successfully tested the final hose-and-drogue system destined for Britain's Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) program by refueling two Spanish Air Force F/A-18 fighter jets while in flight on Jan. 21.
A company spokeswoman also confirmed that Airbus has, for the time being, ceased test flying using its new flight refueling system. Part of the equipment broke off during contact with a Portuguese Air Force F-16 during Jan. 19 tests on an aerial refueling plane built for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

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On Jan. 21, the Cobham-designed fuselage-hose-and-drogue refueling unit was tested in a series of "wet contacts" with the F/A-18s during a three-plus-hour sortie by the A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft, Airbus said.
Situated on the fuselage, the system is similar to the Cobham units fitted under the wings of the British-bound refueling plane, but with a higher rate of fuel transfer. The wing systems have already been tested.
Airbus parent EADS is leading a consortium to supply 14 A330 tanker planes for use by the U.K. Royal Air Force as part of a private finance initiative.
The first aircraft is to be handed over at year's end.
Meanwhile, investigations continue into the loss of part of the new Airbus-designed aerial refueling boom system during testing on the A330 destined for the RAAF.
The spokeswoman said Airbus could not give any details of the incident at this time. She said it was not unusual for aircraft equipped with boom flight refueling systems to suffer a break.
The first of the RAAF jets is earmarked for handing over next month, and discussions are underway between Airbus and its customer as to whether the delivery will go-ahead on schedule.
Australia has purchased five A330 MRTT planes and will become the first operator of the airliner-based system, which also has been sold to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the U.K.
The A330 and boom system is currently embroiled in a competition with Boeing to supply the U.S. Air Force with a new tanker plane.

Canada Signs Deal For New Radar Systems

OTTAWA - Canada on Jan. 25 announced a C$55.6 million ($55.7 million) contract to modernize two military radar systems said to play a major role in defending North American airspace.
The deal, announced by Defense Minister Peter MacKay, is part of a major effort by Canada to upgrade its Air Force, a drive that includes the acquisition of new F-35 fighter jets.

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The radars will replace aging systems in Alberta and Quebec, providing "long-range air surveillance and aerospace control capability" in support of military operations in Canada and abroad, a statement said.
They will be delivered starting in February 2013.
MacKay also announced the purchase of 14 aircraft cargo loaders for C$5.6 million ($5.6 million) from TLD America.

Russia's Mistral Deal Worries Scandinavians

HELSINKI - Russia's decision to purchase four Mistral assault ships from France has raised fears in Sweden that at least one of the vessels could be deployed in the Barents Sea. Swedish Defense Minister Sten Tolgfors warned that such a deployment would heighten security tensions in the High North at a time when relations between Russia and its Nordic neighbors were improving.
"Mistral will add to the development of Russian military capability and we will need to take note of this as well. A stronger Swedish Air Force with sea-targeting capabilities, together with the modernization of our submarine fleet, are some of the decisions that I see as relevant when the effect of the Mistral is discussed," Tolgfors told the Society and Defense National Conference in Stockholm on Jan. 21.

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The Norwegian government has yet to respond officially to the Mistral purchase.
Norway has been steadily improving contacts with Russia and has launched a range of common cooperation projects since 2008. These include joint naval exercises, air and sea rescue operations, and new cooperation covering border controls.
Military reports in Sweden suggest that Russia will locate at least one Mistral-class helicopter carrier in Severomorsk, the main base for Russia's Northern fleet on the Kola Peninsula and which borders the Barents Sea.
"The Swedish government needs to ask, and our military need to know, just what implications Russia's purchasing of Mistral-class vessels will mean for this country's defense, as well as security in the Baltic Sea," said Mikael Oscarsson, a member of the Parliamentary Defense Committee of the Riksdag, Sweden's parliament.
Tolgfors said that a higher proportion of Russia's annual budget is being directed at modernizing its military into a smaller, but more mobile and better trained force with greater firepower.
"Russian military power is a fraction of its Soviet predecessor. In the late 1980s, the Soviet Union had 78 Army divisions and two brigades in our region. Now it has a bomber division and seven brigades. It had 20,000 tanks in our neighborhood. Now they have 300. Russia had 120 primary surface vessels. Now it is 15. It had over 160 submarines. Now it has 24," said Tolgfors.
Sweden, and its Nordic and Baltic neighbors, have very good reason to question Russia's acquisition of Mistral attack ships, said Tolgfors.
"Today, Russia has only the ability to conduct a limited attack on an unskilled opponent over the land border in its immediate neighborhood. Sweden's defense research agency, FOI, believes that Russia, by 2015, will have the ability to conduct sporadic military operations against smaller neighbors, and sporadic minor military operations far beyond its own territory using its naval and air force assets," said Tolgfors.

U.S. May Allow India to Join JSF Effort

The United States is open to Indian participation in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, and eventual purchase of its fifth generation F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, Pentagon acquisitions Chief Ashton Carter said Jan. 26.

Pentagon acquisitions Chief Ashton Carter said there is "no principle" that would prohibit India from participating in the JSF program. (Senior Aiman Julianne Showalter / U.S. Air Force)

"There is nothing on our side, no principle which bars that on our side, Indian participation in the Joint Strike Fighter. Right now, they're focused on these aircraft which are top-of-the-line fourth-gen fighters," Carter said.

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However, the decision to pursue the F-35 is India's alone.
In a follow-up email, Pentagon spokeswoman Cheryl Irwin said, "If, at some point down the road, India were interested in purchasing JSF from us, then we would engage the Indians in an open, transparent manner at that time. But this would obviously be something that the Indian government would have to decide it wanted or needed."
Carter was speaking at the release of a report by the Carnegie Endowment's Ashley Tellis on India's Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program. The Indian contract calls for the purchase of 126 fighters and is valued at more than $10 billion, Carter said. Competitors include the Lockheed Martin F-16IN Super Viper, Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, Saab JAS-39 Gripen and the Mikoyan MiG-35.
Carter touted the American-built F-16 and F/A-18 as being the most technologically advanced aircraft in the competition.
"I think that, without saying anything disparaging about the other entrants, both F/A-18 and the F-16 offers include the best technology," he said.
Tellis echoed Carter's comments, saying the two U.S. competitors offered the best capability for the lowest price. Of particular interest to India are the American fighters' Active Electronically Scanned Array radars (AESA), he said. The European and Russian aircraft do not currently have operational AESA radars available. The U.S. military, meanwhile, is currently operating its second generation of AESA radars.
The most important factors in any Indian decision will likely be technology transfer and industrial participation, Carter said. Carter also stressed the importance of lifecycle costs because 70 percent of a weapon's total cost resides in not in the initial purchase price, but rather in sustainment. According to Tellis, both the F-16 and F/A-18 offer the lowest lifecycle costs out of the aircraft on offer.
Carter also stressed the importance of transparency.
"I'm committed to in our process, both with respect to India and in our own internal processes, an open and transparent process, and I think we can promise the Indian government that," he said.

Aero India 2011: India to showcase attack copter

Bangalore: India’s first indigenous attack helicopter, the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) developed by HAL and due for induction into the Indian Air Force by 2012-13 , will make its first flight during Aero India from February 9 to 13. Its first test flight was in March last year. 

The second and third flights were in April and May 2010 and as of now, over 20 test flights have checked various parameters. These have paved the way for testing with weapons. 

While the first prototype could fly at the air show, the second prototype, which will be weaponized, is expected to be unveiled too. Two more prototypes are under construction. HAL commenced work on the LCH in 2006.

The copter is an attack variant of the HAL Dhruv, which has been inducted into the armed forces. The copter was designed using a successful and proven helicopter as the base platform. HAL has tentative orders to deliver 65 LCHs to the IAF and over 100 to the Army. 

China Is Developing Electro-Magnetic Railgun

The only Giant in EAST ASIA

HTMS Chakri Naruebet (Thai จักรีนฤเบศร, meaning "In honour of the Chakri Dynasty"^[1]) is the flagship of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), and Thailand's first and only aircraft carrier. Based on the Spanish Navy's Principe de Asturias-class design and constructed by Spanish shipbuilder Bazán, Chakri Naruebet was ordered in 1992, launched in 1996, and commissioned into the RTN in 1997.
The carrier is equipped with an air group of V/STOL aircraft and helicopters, and was intended for patrols and force projection in Thai waters, disaster relief, and amphibious warfare support. However, a lack of funding brought on by the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis means that the carrier has spent much of her career docked at the Sattahip naval base. The carrier has been deployed on several disaster relief operations, although her other departures from port consist primarily of a single training day per month, and transportation of the Royal Family of Thailand, leading to claims that the ship is merely an oversized royal yacht.

Design

When Typhoon Gay hit Thailand in 1989, the Royal Thai Navy, as the main unit responsible for search and rescue missions, found that its ships and aircraft were unable to withstand the rough weather at sea.^[3] Moreover, the Royal Thai Navy needed a new, high-technology ship to modernize its fleet.^[3]
The original plan was to acquire a 7,800 ton vessel from Bremer Vulcan, but the Thai government cancelled the contract on 22 July 1991.^[2] A new contract for a larger warship to be constructed at Bazán's shipyard in Ferrol, Spain, and was signed by the Thai and Spanish governments on 27 March 1992.^[2] The proposed vessel was based on the design of the Spanish Navy aircraft carrier Principe de Asturias, which in turn was based on the United States Navy's Sea Control Ship concept.^[4][5]

Chakri Naruebet (top) underway with the United States Navy supercarrier USS Kitty Hawk, showing the size difference between the two ships.

Chakri Naruebet is the smallest aircraft carrier in operation in the world. She displaces 11,486 tons at full load.^[1] The carrier is 164.1 metres (538 ft) long between perpendiculars, and 182.65 metres (599.2 ft) overall.^[1] She is 22.5 metres (74 ft) wide at the waterline, with a maximum beam of 30.5 metres (100 ft), and a draught of 6.12 metres (20.1 ft).^[1] The warship has a ship's company of 62 officers, 393 sailors, and 146 aircrew.^[1] Up to 675 personnel can be transported; commonly soldiers of the Royal Thai Marine Corps.^[1][6]
Chakri Naruebet is propelled by a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) system.^[1] Each of the two, five-bladed propellers is connected to a Bazán-MTU 16V1163 TB83 diesel engine (providing 5,600 brake horsepower (4,200 kW), used for cruising speed), and a General Electric LM2500 gas turbine (providing 22,125 shaft horsepower (16,499 kW), used to reach top speed for short periods).^[1] Chakri Naruebet has a maximum speed of 25.5 knots (47.2 km/h; 29.3 mph), although she can only reach 17.2 knots (31.9 km/h; 19.8 mph) with the diesels alone.^[1] She has a maximum range of 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) with a constant speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), and 7,150 nautical miles (13,240 km; 8,230 mi) at 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph).^[1]

Armament and aircraft

Chakri Naruebet is fitted with two 0.5-inch machine guns, and three Matra Sadral sextuple surface-to-air missile launchers firing Mistral missiles.^[2][6] The missile launchers were installed in 2001.^[2] The vessel is also fitted for but not with an 8-cell Mark 41 Vertical launch system for Sea Sparrow missiles, and four Phalanx close-in weapon systems.^[5]
The carrier's standard air group consists of six to eight AV-8S Matador V/STOL aircraft (an export version of the Harrier acquired secondhand from the Spanish Navy) and four to six S-70B Seahawk helicopters.^[1][4][6] By 1999, only one Matador was operable.^[7] Chakri Naruebet is also capable of carrying up to fourteen additional helicopters; a mix of Sikorsky Sea King, Sikorsky S-76, and CH-47 Chinook.^[1] There is only enough hangar space for ten aircraft.^[2][6]
The flight deck measures 174.6 by 27.5 metres (573 by 90 ft).^[2] A 12° ski-jump is fitted to assist the Matadors in taking off.^[2] There are two aircraft lifts, each capable of lifting 20 tons.^[2]

Sensors and countermeasures

The sensor suite of Chakri Narebet consists of a Hughes SPS-52C air search radar on the E/F band, and two 2 x Kelvin-Hughes 1007 navigational radars.^[2] There are provisions to install an SPS-64 surface search radar and a hull-mounted sonar, but neither has been fitted as of 2008.^[2][6] Fire control facilities are also yet to be fitted.^[2]
The carrier is equipped with four SBROC decoy launchers, and an SLQ-32 towed decoy^[6]

Construction

Work on the Thai carrier commenced in October 1993, although it was not until 12 July 1994 that the hull was laid down.^[2][5] Chakri Naruebet was launched on 20 January 1996^[5] by Queen Sirikit.
Sea trials were conducted from October 1996 to January 1997, the latter part of which was in coordination with the Spanish Navy.^[2][5] This was followed by aviation trials at Rota, Spain.^[2] The carrier was handed over on 27 March 1997, when she was commissioned into the RTN.^[1][2] She arrived in Thai waters at the start of August 1997, and formally entered service on 10 August.^[5]
Chakri Naruebet cost US$336 million to build.^[7]

Role and operational history

Chakri Naruebet is the first aircraft carrier to be operated by a South East Asian nation.^[5] She is assigned to the Third Naval Area Command, and her intended duties include operational support of the RTN's amphibious warfare forces, patrols and force projection around Thailand's coastline and economic exclusion zone, disaster relief and humanitarian missions, and search-and-rescue operations.^{[1][2][4][5][7]} However, at the time the carrier entered service, the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis prevented the necessary funding to operate the ship from being available.^[5][7] The limited defensive armament compounded the problem; consequently, Chakri Naruebet is usually only operational for a single day per month for training, with the rest of the time spent alongside as a "part-time tourist attraction".^[1][5][7] The ship rarely leaves the proximity of the Sattahip naval base, and when she does, it is usually to transport and host the Royal Family of Thailand.^[1][5] Naval commentators consider Chakri Naruebet to be less an aircraft carrier and more the world's most expensive royal yacht, while the Thai media have nicknamed the ship "Thai-tanic", and consider her to be a white elephant.^[5][7]

Stern view of Chakri Naruebet

Between 4 and 7 November 1997, Chakri Naruebet participated in disaster relief operations following the passage of Tropical Storm Linda across the Gulf of Thailand and the Kra Isthmus.^[8] The carrier's main task was to search for and assist any fishing vessels affected by the storm.^[8]
Flooding in the Songkhla Province resulted in the carrier's mobilisation in late November 2000.^[8] Chakri Naruebet was anchored at an island marina off Songkhla, and used as a base for helicopters and small boats transporting food, supplies, and wounded.^[8]
In January 2003, anti-Thai riots were sparked in Phnom Penh by incorrect news reports of a claim by a Thai actress that the Angkor Wat temple complex belonged to Thailand, not Cambodia. Chakri Naruebet was sent to help with any evacuation of Thai citizens from Cambodia.^{[clarification needed][8]}
Following an undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean, tsunamis struck multiple regions around the Indian Ocean, including the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand. The personnel of Chakri Naruebet were part of a 760-strong response by the Thai military to the disaster.^[8] This task force was involved in search-and-rescue around Phuket and the Phi Phi Islands, treatment of wounded and handling of dead, and repair work to schools and government facilities.^[8]
During the August 2005 filming of Rescue Dawn, a dramatised biographical film of US Navy pilot Dieter Dengler and his capture during the Vietnam War, the flight deck of Chakri Naruebet was used to represent the carrier USS Ranger.^{[citation needed]}
In 2010, it was involved in flood relief.^[9]