Monday, May 7, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Protecting Anti-Jamming Technology
Protecting Anti-Jamming Technology
April 2, 2012: The U.S. and Britain are having a rather heated but hushed argument over whether British developed smart bombs with American anti-jamming technology should be exported to Saudi Arabia. The smart bomb in question is the Paveway IV, which is a dual guidance (laser/GPS) kit that is attached to an unguided bomb. The 50.5 kg (111 pound) Paveway kit contains guidance electronics, computers, and battery powered winglets. But to work the carrying aircraft must have a fire control system that enables the pilot to get the GPS data (received from troops on the ground) into the Paveway IV equipped bomb.
The Paveway IV system is actually a guidance kit that, once attached to a one ton, half ton, or quarter ton bomb, can achieve precise (within a meter or less) accuracy using a laser designator, or use GPS guidance to land within ten meters (31 feet) of the aiming point. The U.S. firm that manufactures the Paveway bombs, Raytheon, has produced over 250,000 kits so far, of which about twenty percent have been used in combat with great success.
Earlier versions of Paveway did not have GPS. Most just only had laser guidance. While more accurate, laser guidance requires that someone on the ground or in the air be shining a laser on the target. The Paveway then homes in on the reflected laser light (of a particular frequency). GPS guided bombs can hit the target under bad weather conditions and only have to worry about jamming of the GPS satellite signal.
The Paveway IV was developed in Britain and is not used by the U.S. Air Force or Navy. In the U.S. JDAM and other GPS-only weapons are much more popular. The U.S. has taken the lead in developing jamming-resistant GPS systems for smart bombs and apparently does not want to risk someone in Saudi Arabia paying a large bribe to get hold of the American anti-jamming technology. The Saudis are very upset about this, but corruption is quite widespread through the region, not just in Saudi Arabia. If a potential enemy got access to details of the anti-jamming technology they could more easily develop techniques to defeat it.
From: http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htecm/articles/20120402.aspx
Friday, March 30, 2012
Vietnam Builds A UAV Factory
Vietnam Builds A UAV Factory
March 29, 2012: A Russian UAV manufacturer is helping Vietnam design and build a new, 100 kg (220 pound) UAV for civilian (and later military) use. This UAV will probably be a smaller version of the Irkut 200, which is itself still in development. The Irkut 200 is a 200 kg (440 pound) aircraft with a 50 kg (110 pound) payload and 12 hours endurance. The radio link can control the UAV up to 200 kilometers from the operator. Cruising speed is 140 kilometers an hour. The 200 can fly up to 5,000 meters (15,500 feet) but it normally operates at 500 meters (1,550 feet). The Irkut 200 has a wingspan of 5.34 meters (16.5 feet) and is 4.53 meters (14 feet long). It lands and takes off like an aircraft and can do so on 250 meters (775 feet) of straight road.
The technology transfer and assistance deal will cost Vietnam $10 million. Irkut already has a similar deal with Belarus, where the Irkut 10 (an 8.5 kg/18.7 pound) is built.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Turkey Exports UAVs
Turkey Exports UAVs
March 19, 2012: Qatar has become the first export customer for the Turkish Bayraktar Tactical UAV. This is a 450 kg (990 pound) aircraft with an endurance of ten hours. It enters service this year. The price for ten Bayraktars Tactical UAVs sold to Qatar was reported to be $25 million.
There is also a Bayraktar Mini UAV which is a 4.6 kg (9.9 pound) aircraft that is battery powered and hand launched. Endurance is 60 minutes and the Bayraktar can operate up to 15 kilometers from the operator. The Turkish Army has been using the Bayraktar Mini for the last six years.
Another Turkish firm has produced the Anka UAV. Looking very similar to the American Predator, the Anka is a 1.5 ton aircraft propelled by a rear facing propeller. Payload is 200 kg (440 pounds) and endurance is 24 hours. A UAV like this would sell for over $2 million each. The Turkish Army is to receive its first Anka this year.
Turkey's government has been booming during the last decade, as a new government made good on its pledge to crack down on the corruption that had long crippled the economy. As the economy grew the government sought to make Turkey more self-sufficient in military equipment.
March 19, 2012: Qatar has become the first export customer for the Turkish Bayraktar Tactical UAV. This is a 450 kg (990 pound) aircraft with an endurance of ten hours. It enters service this year. The price for ten Bayraktars Tactical UAVs sold to Qatar was reported to be $25 million.
There is also a Bayraktar Mini UAV which is a 4.6 kg (9.9 pound) aircraft that is battery powered and hand launched. Endurance is 60 minutes and the Bayraktar can operate up to 15 kilometers from the operator. The Turkish Army has been using the Bayraktar Mini for the last six years.
Another Turkish firm has produced the Anka UAV. Looking very similar to the American Predator, the Anka is a 1.5 ton aircraft propelled by a rear facing propeller. Payload is 200 kg (440 pounds) and endurance is 24 hours. A UAV like this would sell for over $2 million each. The Turkish Army is to receive its first Anka this year.
Turkey's government has been booming during the last decade, as a new government made good on its pledge to crack down on the corruption that had long crippled the economy. As the economy grew the government sought to make Turkey more self-sufficient in military equipment.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Israel Faces The C Music
Israel Faces The C Music
March 7, 2012: Israel has ordered two local airliners to stop using ATR 72 and ATR 42 twin prop transports because these models are too small to be fitted with anti-missile defenses that all Israeli air liners are equipped with. The ATR 72 is a 22 ton transport, while its predecessor, the ATR 42 is a very similar looking 18 ton aircraft. About a thousand of these aircraft have been built in the last three decades and most are still in service.
Israel is speeding up equipping its airliners with anti-missile systems. The recent collapse of the Kaddafi dictatorship in Libya allowed several Libyan arms depots to be looted, and Israel believes arms smugglers have moved shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles to Gaza and sold them to Hamas (who would use them against Israeli aircraft). Military aircraft already have anti-missile defenses (which detect the launch of the missile then blinds its guidance system with a laser).
For its civilian airliners Israel is using the locally made C Music system. A typical airliner missile defense system has two components. First, there are six or more ultraviolet detection sensors (weighing 3-4 kg/6-9 pounds each) mounted on different parts of the aircraft to detect an approaching missile. These sensors are linked to a 3-5 kg (7-11 pound) computer that contains software for determining that the object is indeed a missile and where it is headed. The detection computer is hooked to a countermeasures system that uses a laser to confuse the missiles guidance system (that is homing in the heat of the aircraft's engines). The C-Music system weighs 50 kg (110 pounds).
March 7, 2012: Israel has ordered two local airliners to stop using ATR 72 and ATR 42 twin prop transports because these models are too small to be fitted with anti-missile defenses that all Israeli air liners are equipped with. The ATR 72 is a 22 ton transport, while its predecessor, the ATR 42 is a very similar looking 18 ton aircraft. About a thousand of these aircraft have been built in the last three decades and most are still in service.
Israel is speeding up equipping its airliners with anti-missile systems. The recent collapse of the Kaddafi dictatorship in Libya allowed several Libyan arms depots to be looted, and Israel believes arms smugglers have moved shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles to Gaza and sold them to Hamas (who would use them against Israeli aircraft). Military aircraft already have anti-missile defenses (which detect the launch of the missile then blinds its guidance system with a laser).
For its civilian airliners Israel is using the locally made C Music system. A typical airliner missile defense system has two components. First, there are six or more ultraviolet detection sensors (weighing 3-4 kg/6-9 pounds each) mounted on different parts of the aircraft to detect an approaching missile. These sensors are linked to a 3-5 kg (7-11 pound) computer that contains software for determining that the object is indeed a missile and where it is headed. The detection computer is hooked to a countermeasures system that uses a laser to confuse the missiles guidance system (that is homing in the heat of the aircraft's engines). The C-Music system weighs 50 kg (110 pounds).
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Poland Upgrades Its F-16 Weapons
Poland Upgrades Its F-16 Weapons
February 14, 2012: Poland is upgrading the armament of its 48 F-16 fighters by purchasing $447 million worth of American missiles and smart bombs. The deal includes 93 AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder Block II heat seeking air-to-air missiles, Sidewinder Air Training Missiles (with no warhead or rocket motor), 65 AIM-120C-7 radar guided air-to-air AMRAAM missiles, 42 GBU-49 227 kg (500 pound) Paveway II bombs (dual GPS/laser guidance), 200 JDAM dual GPS/laser guidance bomb kits, 127 MK-82 227 kg bombs, 642 BLU-111 bunker buster 227 kg bombs, 80 BLU-117 bunker buster 909 kg (2,000 pound) bombs and four MK-84 Inert 909 kg training bombs (each with a smoke spotting charge inert weights instead of explosives.) Several other items of bombing training equipment are included in the deal, as well as five years of support.
From:
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htairw/articles/20120214.aspx
Friday, February 10, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Brown Out Beaten
Brown Out Beaten
February 1, 2012: The U.S. Army is equipping ten of its UH-60 helicopters in Afghanistan with a new 3-D radar. The HALS (Helicopter Autonomous Landing System) weighs 45 kg (99 pounds) and gives the pilots a 3-D picture of what's in front of the helicopter, no matter what actual visibility is. Snow, dust, sand, fog, and night can all hide small obstacles (especially wires or poles) that can cause a crash as a helicopter is taking off or landing. In the last decade about 20 percent of army helicopter crashes have been caused by storms because the pilots could not see obstacles. In Iraq, the most common danger was "brown out" (sand storm). Fog and, in Afghanistan, snow only add to the problem.
HALS has been in development for nearly a decade and has been undergoing testing for the last four years. The ten helicopters being equipped with HALS in Afghanistan are carrying out the first sustained test of the system under combat conditions.
The manufacturer is also developing a version of HALS for use in UAVs.
From:
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htecm/articles/20120201.aspx
February 1, 2012: The U.S. Army is equipping ten of its UH-60 helicopters in Afghanistan with a new 3-D radar. The HALS (Helicopter Autonomous Landing System) weighs 45 kg (99 pounds) and gives the pilots a 3-D picture of what's in front of the helicopter, no matter what actual visibility is. Snow, dust, sand, fog, and night can all hide small obstacles (especially wires or poles) that can cause a crash as a helicopter is taking off or landing. In the last decade about 20 percent of army helicopter crashes have been caused by storms because the pilots could not see obstacles. In Iraq, the most common danger was "brown out" (sand storm). Fog and, in Afghanistan, snow only add to the problem.
HALS has been in development for nearly a decade and has been undergoing testing for the last four years. The ten helicopters being equipped with HALS in Afghanistan are carrying out the first sustained test of the system under combat conditions.
The manufacturer is also developing a version of HALS for use in UAVs.
From:
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htecm/articles/20120201.aspx
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