Russian Air Force Ready To Get 100 Su-35 & Su-34 By 2015

The Russian Air Force will receive up to 100 Sukhoi fighter jets by 2015, the Defense Ministry spokesman said on Sunday.

Three state contracts with the Sukhoi design bureau on the supply of the jets have been already signed, Vladimir Drik said.

Fifty advanced Su-35 Flanker-E multirole fighters, billed as "4++ generation using fifth-generation technology," more than ten advanced Su-27SM Flanker multirole jets and five Su-30M2 Flanker-C multirole fighters are among the aircraft to be supplied.

The Russian Air Force will also receive twenty-five new Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers in the next few years, the spokesman said.

SOURCE 

F-35 Stealth Fighter Jet The Most Expensive Weapons Program Ever

The F-35 fighter jet, set to replace a large part of the US warplane fleet, has become the most expensive weapons program ever, drawing increased scrutiny at a time of tight public finances.

Following a series of cost overruns and delays, the program is now expected to cost a whopping 382 billion dollars, for 2,443 aircraft.
The so-called 5th generation fighter was built with features designed to help avoid enemy radar and ensure American supremacy in the skies for decades.

But there is now the potential for competition from China, which this week unveiled its first radar-evading combat aircraft and fueled a sense of a military rivalry between the two powers.

At home, the Lockheed Martin F-35 is getting increased criticism even from some at the Pentagon.

Defense officials say the original cost estimates have now doubled to make each plane's price tag reach some 92 million dollars.
At the same time, the contract awarded in 2001 had been planned to last 10 years, but has been extended to 2016 because of testing and design issues.

Lockheed Martin, which is working with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems, is developing three versions of the aircraft, which are being designed for ground attack as well as reconnaissance missions.
The F-35A is designed to replace the F-16 and A-10 of the US Air Force, while the F-35C is designed for deployment on aircraft carriers to supplant to F-18, and the F-35B would have a vertical takeoff capacity and replace Harrier aircraft.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has warned the cost overruns cannot continue and expressed particular concern over the short take-off and vertical landing variant.

"The culture of endless money that has taken hold must be replaced by a culture of restraint," he said recently.

For the short-takeoff version, Gates has ordered "the equivalent of a two-year probation," adding that "if we cannot fix this variant during this time frame and get it back on track in terms of performance, cost and schedule, then I believe it should be canceled."

As part of a cost-saving drive, the Pentagon chief has decided to delay the purchase of 124 of the 449 units of this version until 2016.
Another bone of contention is a second engine being developed for the fighter by General Electric and Rolls Royce in case the Pratt & Whitney engine is not up to par. Gates contends this second engine is "unneeded."

Private analysts say the whole F-35 program is becoming a money pit.
"The incredibly unfortunate phrase 'too big to fail' applies to this aircraft more than any other defense program," said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace industry analyst with the Teal Group.

"It's difficult to think of a civil or military program in the past decade that hasn't experienced similar delays and cost overruns."

Still, it may be hard to make many changes to the F-35 program because Britain and seven other countries have been closely involved in its development.

The United States is covering 90 percent of the cost of the development but has participation from Britain, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Australia. 

Other nations, including Israel and Singapore, have signed contracts to buy the plane.

"The US wants a globalized JSF program for a combination of strategic and economic reasons," said Aboulafia.

"It greatly simplifies logistics, training and doctrine for coalition warfighting. Dominating the military aerospace export business is certainly a strong draw, too. It's as much an industrial policy as a fighter."

Indian Tejas Multi-Role Light Combat Aircraft Gets Its Operational Clearance:IOC

India has joined the select club of countries making a fighter jet from scratch, receiving operational clearance for its first lightweight indigenous multi-role Light Combat Aircraft.

Dubbed Tejas, the new fighter was handed over to the Indian air force this week by Defense Minister A.K. Antony.

Describing the hand-over as a "historic occasion," Antony said the state-of-the-art aircraft would enhance national security and the country's aspirations of buildings it own warplane capability.

The project is said to have been conceived 27 years ago as a replacement for the air force's aging MiG-21 fleet. It was conceived and designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency of the Defense Research and Development Organization's and manufactured at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

 "After accomplishing a series of milestones of envelope expansion, sensor integration and weapon delivery in over 1,500 sorties, the country is poised for a major turning point with the declaration of the IOC," Antony said during the hand-over ceremony.
The Indian air force is expected to roll out as many as 140 Tejas aircraft by the end of the decade.

The test stage of the new fighter jet was started in January 2001 and it has completed 1,508 flight tests using various variations, including a two-seat trainer version.

Reportedly, development of the jet suffered because of sanctions by the United States after India carried out nuclear tests in May 1998.
Bent on bolstering its defenses and becoming a regional superpower, India intends to spend up to $30 billion on its military by 2012. In recent months, also, it inducted a long-range, nuclear-tipped missile into its armed forces, unveiling a defense spending budget spiked by 24 percent since last year.

The moves have Pakistan fretting, with leading officials billing India's drive a "massive militarization."

Defense ministry officials say that the first batch of aircraft with international operational clearance will be handed over to the country's air force will be handed over by March, while two more will be inducted by the end of the year.

"These will be part of the consignment of 20 aircraft that the Indian air force has ordered," The Hindu daily reported. "The rest will be delivered progressives until 2013."

Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik said final operation clearance would require two years.

To earn the final clearance, experts say the aircraft will have to go through Mach-speed and weapon systems checks by the government's Defense Research and Development Organization.



The aircraft is powered by the U.S.-built GE 404 engine. The government defense organization short-listed General Electric last year against Eurojet in the competition to build a higher thrust engine to power the next lightweight version, billed the Mark-2.

India has joined the select club of countries making a fighter jet from scratch, receiving operational clearance for its first lightweight indigenous multi-role Light Combat Aircraft.

Dubbed Tejas, the new fighter was handed over to the Indian air force this week by Defense Minister A.K. Antony.

Describing the hand-over as a "historic occasion," Antony said the state-of-the-art aircraft would enhance national security and the country's aspirations of buildings it own warplane capability.

The project is said to have been conceived 27 years ago as a replacement for the air force's aging MiG-21 fleet. It was conceived and designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency of the Defense Research and Development Organization's and manufactured at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

"After accomplishing a series of milestones of envelope expansion, sensor integration and weapon delivery in over 1,500 sorties, the country is poised for a major turning point with the declaration of the IOC," Antony said during the hand-over ceremony.
The Indian air force is expected to roll out as many as 140 Tejas aircraft by the end of the decade.

The test stage of the new fighter jet was started in January 2001 and it has completed 1,508 flight tests using various variations, including a two-seat trainer version.

Reportedly, development of the jet suffered because of sanctions by the United States after India carried out nuclear tests in May 1998.
Bent on bolstering its defenses and becoming a regional superpower, India intends to spend up to $30 billion on its military by 2012. In recent months, also, it inducted a long-range, nuclear-tipped missile into its armed forces, unveiling a defense spending budget spiked by 24 percent since last year.

The moves have Pakistan fretting, with leading officials billing India's drive a "massive militarization."

Defense ministry officials say that the first batch of aircraft with international operational clearance will be handed over to the country's air force will be handed over by March, while two more will be inducted by the end of the year.

"These will be part of the consignment of 20 aircraft that the Indian air force has ordered," The Hindu daily reported. "The rest will be delivered progressives until 2013."

Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik said final operation clearance would require two years.

To earn the final clearance, experts say the aircraft will have to go through Mach-speed and weapon systems checks by the government's Defense Research and Development Organization.

The aircraft is powered by the U.S.-built GE 404 engine. The government defense organization short-listed General Electric last year against Eurojet in the competition to build a higher thrust engine to power the next lightweight version, billed the Mark-2.

US Concern Over Chinese Latest Hi-Tech Weapons

 

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Saturday voiced concern over China's latest hi-tech weaponry and called for an improvement in uneasy military relations with Beijing to help defuse tensions.

Speaking to reporters en route to Beijing for three days of talks, Gates said the Chinese appeared to have made more progress in building their first stealth fighter jet than previously thought, and that an anti-ship missile posed a potential threat to the US military.

"They clearly have the potential to put some of our capabilities at risk. And we have to pay attention to them, we have to respond appropriately with our own programmes," Gates said.
But he said the advances in weaponry underlined the importance of building a dialogue with the Chinese military, and added he hoped his visit starting Sunday would lay the ground for deeper defence ties with Asia's rising power.

"My hope is that, through the strategic dialogue that I'm talking about, that maybe the need for some of these capabilities is reduced," Gates said.
With Chinese President Hu Jintao due in Washington for a pivotal state visit on January 19, both sides are anxious to show progress in defence ties, which China has repeatedly suspended over US arms sales to Taiwan.

"It's pretty clear the Chinese wanted me to come before President Hu visits Washington," Gates said.

"My own view is a positive constructive, comprehensive relationship between the United States and China is not just in the mutual interests of the two countries, it's in the interest of everybody in the region and I would say across the globe."

Days before the US defence chief's highly symbolic trip, photographs appeared showing a prototype of China's first stealth fighter, the J-20, at an airfield in the southwest.

"We knew they were working on a stealth aircraft," Gates said when asked about the warplane.

"What we've seen is they may be somewhat further along in the development of that aircraft than our intelligence had predicted," he said.
But he added "there is some question about just how stealthy" the new fighter really is.

Gates also said he had been concerned about China's pursuit of "anti-ship, cruise and ballistic missiles ever since I took this job" four years ago.

He also said the development of China's anti-ship missile was at an advanced stage but it was unclear whether the weapon was fully operational.

Due to the potential threat posed by Chinese missiles and other hardware, Gates said his proposed defence budget unveiled on Thursday placed a priority on technology designed to counter "anti-access" weapons.

The proposed Pentagon budget for 2012 calls for funding for a new long-range nuclear bomber, electronic jamming devices for the Navy, improvements to radar for F-15 fighters, a satellite launch vehicle and an unmanned naval "strike-and-surveillance aircraft".

Although China may be years away from fielding fully-capable anti-ship missiles or warplanes, analysts say that it is gaining ground and that the country's military leaders are displaying an increasingly assertive stance.
Aware of the Asian power's growing economic and military might, the United States for years has appealed to China to back a more "durable" dialogue -- similar to US-Soviet exchanges during the Cold War -- to avoid miscalculations.

But China has instead opted to break ties in order to register its displeasure with Washington, particularly over billions of dollars in weapons deals to Taiwan.

Gates, who last visited China in 2007, has yet to persuade the Chinese to embrace a permanent military dialogue and acknowledged that top leaders would likely raise the issue of weapons sales to Taiwan during the trip.
The Pentagon chief is due to meet Hu and his Chinese counterpart, General Liang Guanglie, as well as visit the army's Second Artillery Corps headquarters outside of Beijing, which is China's nuclear command center.

The talks were also expected to cover recent tensions on the Korean peninsula, including China's role in helping to ease a recent crisis that began after Pyongyang shelled a South Korean island.

"We recognize that China played a constructive role in lessening tensions on the peninsula in the latter part of last year," Gates said.

British Military Scientists Developing An Army Of Invisible Tanks

British military scientists say they're working to develop an army of invisible tanks ready for use on the battlefield within five years.The armored vehicles will use a technology known as "e-camouflage" that would let images on the vehicle's hull change to match their environment, The Sunday Telegraph reported.
Sophisticated electronic sensors attached the tank's hull would project images of the surrounding environment back on the outside of the vehicle, helping it blend into the landscape and evade attack, the report said.
Until recently such ideas were thought to be the stuff of science fiction, but scientists at the British defense company BAE Systems now think near invisibility will soon become reality.


BAE scientists are also looking at other battlefield innovations to increase troop protection while making vehicles more lethal.
Scientists at BAE are said to be close to developing a form of transparent armor -- much tougher than bullet-proof glass -- which could be used in turrets on the sides of armored vehicles to improve visibility.
A technology called "biometric integration" uses advanced computer programs to analyze crowds and search for potential threats by analyzing suspicious behavior in groups or individuals, the newspaper said.

IAF To Get 42 More HAL-Produced Su-30MKIs Fighters

Hindustan Aeronautics expects the Indian air force to order an additional 42 locally produced Sukhoi Su-30MKIs.

The possible order would come on top of the 180 Su-30MKIs HAL is already producing for the air force, says company chairman Ashok Nayak.

About 105 aircraft from the 180-strong order have been delivered so far, Nayak says. In addition, in mid-2010, India ordered 40 Su-30MKIs as flyaways from Russia's Sukhoi.

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Indian Navy's Elite Marine Commandos Armed With Israeli TAR-21 Tavor Assault Rifles

  

 The Indian Navy's elite marine commandos will this month be armed with Israeli assault and rifles that will enhance their operational capability as a force trained for special operations. A consignment of over 500 TAR-21 Tavor assault rifles and another 30 Galil sniper rifles worth over Rs.15 crore ($3.3 million) and Rs.2 crore respectively was delivered to the MARCOS (marine commandos) in December 2010, a defence ministry official told reporters. 

A team from the Israeli Military Industries (IMI), the manufacturer of the specialist weapons, will be in India to carry out joint inspection of the consignment's post-delivery quality to ensure the weapons are in fighting-fit condition. "The lot of over 500 Tavor and 30 Galil rifles has arrived and the Israeli team will be here to jointly inspect the delivered weapons and for assembling them. The MARCOS will begin using these rifles and start training on them from this month," the official said. He did not wish to be identified because of ministry rules.

 

The defence ministry had placed the orders for the rifles for the MARCOS - their actual strength is classified - in 2008. The two weapons are already in use with the Indian Army's special forces and the Indian Air Force's Garud special forces units. The army's special forces got about 3,000 of the Tavors and another 1,000 of the Galils some time in 2004, for which they had placed orders in 2002.

The Tavor, a 5.56mm calibre weapon of NATO specifications, is a 21st century assault rifle from IMI. The MARCOS have been using the indigenous INSAS rifles and the Russian Kalashnikov variants. The Tavor would also be a standard weapon for the force from now. The Galil is a 7.62mm sniper weapon, again manufactured by IMI, popularly known as Galatz in the Israeli defence forces.