Il mercato dei caccia ....

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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.

 

[mo-mo]

E' passato quasi un anno e di contratti...pochi pochi... Gripen per la Flygvapen svedese, F-16 per gli EAU, poi...

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Dubai Airshow .... si apre la stagione della caccia .... o meglio .... dei caccia ....

 

AW&ST .... "It’s Open Season For Defense Sales To UAE" .... http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_11_11_2013_p64-632992.xml

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Il Belgio si accinge a intraprendere il (probabilmente lungo) percorso che lo porterà alla scelta di un successore per i propri F-16 ....

 

Belgium to launch F-16 replacement process ....

Belgium’s defence ministry will issue a request for information in early 2014 to potential suppliers of a replacement for its air component’s Lockheed Martin F-16s, says chief of staff Col Frederik Vansina.

The Belgian military has a current active fleet of 54 F-16A/Bs, with a further five being kept in flyable condition as an attrition reserve, Vansina says.

Flown from its Florennes and Kleine Brogel air bases, these are the retained examples from Brussels’ original acquisition of 160 of the type.

Fonte .... http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/belgium-to-launch-f-16-replacement-process-393103/

 

 

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Al salone di Dubai si riaccende la competizione per la fornitura di un nuovo caccia agli Emirati Arabi Uniti ....

 

"DUBAI: UAE fighter contest heats up" .... http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dubai-uae-fighter-contest-heats-up-393120/

 

.... anche se il CSM delle forze aeree emiratine non si sbilancia ....

 

"DUBAI: Continued investment key to security, says UAE air force chief" .... http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dubai-continued-investment-key-to-security-says-uae-air-force-chief-393121/

 

Maj Gen Mohammed Bin Suwaidan Saeed Al-Qamzi ....

 

La Gran Bretagna, comunque, non sta a guardare ....

 

"DUBAI: UK prime minister David Cameron makes surprise visit" .... http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dubai-uk-prime-minister-david-cameron-makes-surprise-visit-393124/

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Eurofighter Typhoon .... speranze in crescita .... nel Golfo ....

 

"Eurofighter Typhoon Hopes Rise as UK’s Cameron Jets into Dubai Airshow" .... http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/dubai-air-show/2013-11-16/eurofighter-typhoon-hopes-rise-uks-cameron-jets-dubai-airshow

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Quale influenza potrebbe avere la scelta effettuata dalla Svizzera su quelle future che dovrebbero provenire da parte di alcune monarchie medio-orientali?

 

Swiss Battle Could Be Euro-Canard Turning Point ....

First it was Dassault with the Rafale and then it was Eurofighter with the Typhoon that competed for the favor of the UAE Air Force.

In Oman, it was the Saab Gripen against the Typhoon.

In Qatar, who knows?

Around the world, Europe’s three rival fighters have been locked in virtual combat.

For Europe this is not necessarily a good situation, but the result of Switzerland’s evaluation of the three–in which it first favored the Rafale and then selected Saab’s Gripen, could prove pivotal in other competitions.

 

Fonte .... http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/dubai-air-show/2013-11-15/swiss-battle-could-be-euro-canard-turning-point

[mo-mo]

Segnalo innanzitutto la decisione del regno del Bahrein di modernizzare, a partire dal 2014, la flotta di venti esemplari di F-16 C/D e di sostituire gli F-5 Tiger II con... F-16 E/F Viper, oppure Efa, oppure Rafale.

Che la valutazione svizzera del 2008 possa essere utile per una scelta all'estero può anche far piacere nella Confederazione. Avevo scritto anni fa sull'argomento, anche in questo forum, suscitando curiosità. perplessità e reazioni negative. Per regolamento e d'accordo con i produttori concorrenti non sono stati ufficializzati né i dettagli delle prove, né la classifica. Però il risultato, non smentito, è stato: 1° Rafale, 2° Efa, 3° Gripen C/D. La scelta politica è stata innanzitutto di carattere finanziario, SAAB ha consentito di costruire una nuova versione molto migliorata. L'acquisto di 22 Gripen, in Svizzera, appare però ancora molto, molto lontano. Certo che nelle monarchie del Golfo la situazione è ben diversa, lo Stato si identifica con le famiglie al potere. Per gli acquisti di materiale bellico il ruolo di Paese esteri (GB per esempio) può essere determinante. Il consorzio Efa, in più dichiarazioni, aveva dichiarato che la partecipazione alla valutazione svizzera era di indubbia importanza, strategicamente rilevante: ci si riferiva soprattutto a problemi di immagine. Una vittoria in CH significava paginate di articoli e di foto anche sulle prime pagine dei giornali non solo della Confederazione ma anche della Germania. Vorrei però citare il presidente di Pilatus Schwenk il quale affermava in un'intervista che per fare affari in quei Paesi occorrono...pazienza e, soprattutto, conoscenza della mentalità locale e credibilità. Vincere un contratto laggiù può anche dipendere da argomenti difficilmente spiegabili o definibili.

[Scagnetti]

In questi giorni si parla oltre che di forniture per gli EAU, anche della fornitura di un massimo di 72 jet per il Quatar: http://www.defensenews.com/article/20131110/DEFREG04/311100014/

 

Bids to supply the Qatari Air Force with up to 72 jets were meant to be lodged with the Defense Ministry in Doha in September. BAE Systems, offering its Typhoon, and Dassault Aviation, offering the Rafale, complied with the bid schedule. The US, however, with a foreign military sales proposal involving the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and the F-15 Strike Eagle sought, and were granted, a three-month extension.

The Pentagon is now expected to submit its offer in December after the sales effort had been slowed by what executives, who asked not to be named, said were procedural issues at the US State Department.

...

Qatar was hoping to decide on a winning contractor as soon as the end of the year, but with the process slowed by the US, naming a winning contractor has likely been delayed to at least the second quarter of 2014.

Qatar’s request was for 36 jets plus 36 options to replace an aging fighter force of 12 Dassault Mirage 2000Ds and a handful of combat-capable Alpha Jet trainers.

Several industry executives said it’s possible Qatar may opt to split the buy and take a similar route to Gulf Cooperation Council partners Saudi Arabia and UAE with part of the Air Force being supplied by the US and the other part by Europe.

“What I think they may well end up doing is buy 18 and 18 from two separate suppliers,” one executive said. “You stand up two operational squadrons, get in the support and training infrastructure required and then exercise options to bring two further squadrons of similar aircraft.”

Some executive see the procurement as part of a build up in the long-term hope of getting F-35 joint strike fighters cleared for sale to the Arabian Gulf nations.

 

 

Oltre ai Paesi del Golfo, lontano dalla fiera di Dubai, anche la Colombia potrebbe fare acquisti, non solo di fascia più alta, ma anche per la seconda linea: Colombia looks to procure new fighter type

 

The Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Colombiana - FAC) is looking to procure a new fighter aircraft type "over the next three to four years" to enhance its top-end air combat capabilities, a senior service official said on 14 November.

Speaking at the IQPC International Fighter Conference in London, Brigadier General Carlos Bueno, Air Operations Commander, FAC, said that the air force is considering a number of modern fighter types, such as the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, Sukhoi Su-30 'Flanker', Dassault Rafale, Dassault Mirage 2000, Saab JAS 39 Gripen, "and some more".

 

Given the potential candidates named by the general, it looks likely that the FAC will be looking to procure surplus aircraft rather than new-build. With the exception of the Rafale and Gripen, there are numerous used examples of the other types that might suit Colombia's needs.

 

Colombia has already embarked on an effort to replace its aging Cessna A-37 Dragonfly and Rockwell OV-10 Bronco ground attack platforms. Initial candidates include the Alenia/Embraer AMX, Aero Vodochody L159 ALCA, and BAE Systems Hawk.

 

 

Io personalmente non credo che si potranno vendere AMX alla Colombia, la linea di produzione è chiusa da tempo, e quelli rimasti in servizio in Italia mi sembrano belli spremuti.

E soprattutto, perché la Colombia non risolve i suoi problemi con un unico tipo? Il candidato ideale mi sembra l’F-16.

Modificato 17 Novembre 2013 da Scagnetti

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Oltre ai Paesi del Golfo, lontano dalla fiera di Dubai, anche la Colombia potrebbe fare acquisti, non solo di fascia più alta, ma anche per la seconda linea: Colombia looks to procure new fighter type

 

Io personalmente non credo che si potranno vendere AMX alla Colombia, la linea di produzione è chiusa da tempo, e quelli rimasti in servizio in Italia mi sembrano belli spremuti.

E soprattutto, perché la Colombia non risolve i suoi problemi con un unico tipo? Il candidato ideale mi sembra l’F-16.

 

A meno che .... non decidano poi, proprio per questioni di costi, di rimanere fedeli al 'vecchio amore' nella forma però di "Block 60" .... http://www.iaf.org.il/4399-41016-en/IAF.aspx

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Anche il Bahrain ....

 

Bahrain moves closer to Typhoon deal ....

Bahrain’s interest in acquiring the Eurofighter Typhoon appears to be building further, with UK defence secretary Philip Hammond having met with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah at the Dubai air show to discuss the potential deal.

“We continue to have very fruitful discussions with Bahrain about Typhoon, and we very much hope that Bahrain will decide soon to join the Typhoon family,” Hammond told journalists after their meeting on 17 November.

“I think those discussions are very positive, and I look forward to a good outcome in due course.”

 

Fonte .... http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dubai-bahrain-moves-closer-to-typhoon-deal-393154/

 

Se dunque questa ipotesi si dovesse concretizzare.... e ragionando in termini di standardizzazione fra le forze aeree dell'area .... anche gli Emirati Arabi Uniti avrebbero tutto l'interesse ad orientarsi in questa direzione ....

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E' complicato ....

 

DUBAI: UAE fighter talks 'complex', says UK minister ....

Expectations that the United Arab Emirates could confirm an order for the Eurofighter Typhoon before the end of the Dubai air show appear to have been played down by a senior UK government official.

“We’ve had a number of meetings, lots of other discussions going on, with lots of other strands of cooperation between the UAE and the UK,” says defence secretary Philip Hammond, who visited the show on its opening day.

Prime minister David Cameron’s surprise visit to Dubai the previous afternoon not only included a tour of the exhibition site, but “a series of very important meetings”, he adds.

 

Fonte .... http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dubai-uae-fighter-talks-complex-says-uk-minister-393156/

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La corte sfrenata della Gran Bretagna agli Emirati Arabi Uniti ....

 

Britain Woos UAE As Fighter Decision Nears ....

The British government’s efforts to help broker a deal to supply Typhoon fighters to the United Arab Emirates extend far beyond the Dubai air show.

Changes to visa requirements and support for Dubai’s Expo 2020 bid form part of a comprehensive campaign to deepen defense ties between the Gulf state and the U.K.

It may yet turn out to be a forlorn hope, but if the U.K.-led effort to secure a contract to sell around 60 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters to the UAE ultimately fails, it will not be for want of trying.

No announcement is expected during the air show on what will be a complex deal involving extensive industrial and military collaboration, but the lobbying has been every bit as multifaceted and intense.

 

Fonte .... http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_11_18_2013_p0-637734.xml

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F/A-18 .... l'ottimismo di Boeing ....

 

Boeing Executives Upbeat About Future Of F/A-18 Fighter ....

Top Boeing executives are upbeat about the future of the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet and see a good chance of winning additional U.S. and international orders that would keep the production line running past 2016.

Boeing Chief Executive Jim McNerney told reporters at the Dubai Airshow it was difficult to predict future orders given continued uncertainty about the U.S. budget.

“I can’t predict the future exactly, but I think there is a good chance of more orders from the U.S. government,” McNerney said.

 

Fonte .... http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_11_18_2013_p0-638273.xml

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OT ....

 

Vento vento .... portami via con te ....

 

Strong Winds Wreck Air Show Flying Display ....

By Angus Batey .... Source: AWIN First - November 18, 2013

A sandstorm caused the cancellation of almost all of the flying display at the Dubai air show yesterday, as high winds and low visibility hit the show’s new site at Dubai World Central/Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Centre.

The weather intervened as Al Fursan, the United Arab Emirates Air Force aerobatic team, were concluding the opening display of the day.

Winds had been predicted, but not with the strength that hit the air show.

Disruption around the region was extensive, with unexpectedly heavy winds hitting Dubai.

There were delays and cancellations to scheduled services at Dubai International Airport.

Ibrahim Ali, vice chairman of the Dubai air show’s Flying Control Committee, told ShowNews that the extreme weather had caused disruption as far away as Doha.

The forecast for today is good - but so was the prediction for yesterday.

“Unfortunately, meteorology is not the most exact of sciences,” Ali said.

A full program of flying is planned: whether the weather permits it remains to be seen.

 

E allora .... già che ci siamo .... beccatevi dunque il "Reuccio" ....

 

 

 

 

[-{-Legolas-}-]

maddai... Claudio Villa, sarò un millennio che non ne sento parlare. Sei antico

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maddai... Claudio Villa, sarò un millennio che non ne sento parlare. Sei antico

 

Ce ne hai messo ad accorgertene ....

[TT-1 Pinto]

E Lockheed rivendica il fatto di essere la più idonea ....

 

DUBAI: Lockheed lays down the law on F-16 upgrades ....

Lockheed Martin believes that its status as the original manufacturer of the world’s F-16 fleet gives it an edge in the competitive market to upgrade the venerable type.

In an interview with Flight Daily News in the Lockheed chalet, F-16 business development executive William McHenry said that his company has a unique insight into the design of the aircraft, which allows it to better assess the possible ramifcations of decisions involved in major upgrading.

“Lockheed has delivered over 1,000 F-16 upgrade kits,” he says. “F-16s are our heritage.”

 

Fonte .... http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dubai-lockheed-lays-down-the-law-on-f-16-upgrades-393270/

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Gli Emirati non hanno fretta ....

 

No Hurry For New UAE Fighter ....

The UAE is in no immediate hurry to acquire a new fighter, although it is anxious to fully contribute to the security of the Gulf countries, according to Major General (ret.) Khaled Abdullah Al Bu-Ainnain, former commander of the UAE Air Force.

Khaled told AIN here yesterday that, “it takes years to negotiate a new fighter contract.”

His comments will dampen expectations of a near-term order or MoU for the Eurofighter Typhoon that have been raised by the British diplomatic and industrial offensive here this week.

 

Fonte .... http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/dubai-air-show/2013-11-18/no-hurry-new-uae-fighter

[Flaggy]

Francamente non credo che qualsiasi affermazione o sparata fatta al salone sia degna di iteresse.

Certe decisioni sono ben lungi dall'essere prese.

Modificato 19 Novembre 2013 da Flaggy

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Dubai 2013 ....

 

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I prossimi (probabili) acquirenti del Lightning II ....

 

Gulf buyers eye future purchases of Lockheed's F-35 jet ....

Gulf buyers are nearing decisions to buy more current generation fighter jets, but the buzz at the Dubai Airshow was about Lockheed Martin Corp's radar-evading F-35 fighter - a plane not yet operational and not even on display there.

The U.S. government sent a big delegation to this year's show, eager to reassure Gulf leaders about their continued commitment to the region despite policy differences over Syria and Iran and signs that Egypt is looking at buying Russian weapons after a slowdown in U.S. military aid.

For the first time, U.S. government and industry officials also spoke about the process under way to allow the sale of the Lockheed jet to the Gulf - probably about five years after Israel receives its first F-35 fighter jets in 2016.

 

Fonte .... http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/21/us-airshow-dubai-fighters-idUSBRE9AK14Z20131121

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Dubai 2013 .... 2.0 ....

 

Eurofighter is showing conformal fuel tanks for the first time on the full-scale model here at the Dubai Airshow.

The company described the addition of new weapons and avionics that will make the aircraft truly swing-role in the future ....

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Dubai 2013 .... ricapitolando ....

 

Dubai Airshow Wrap-Up: Defense Stories ....

 

The heavy rain that forced organizers to cancel the last day of the Dubai Airshow was a metaphor for the main defense story of the week.

The prospect of the UAE ordering a new fighter–specifically the Eurofighter Typhoon–had been talked up by UK officials in particular, and reinforced by an eve-of-show visit by the British Prime Minister.

But the former UAE Air Force commander dampened speculation by telling AIN that the Emirate is in no hurry to conclude a deal.

However, this absence of urgency could ultimately help the Typhoon, which is making progress toward multi-role capability.

The French were keeping quiet about the Rafale’s prospects both here and elsewhere in the Gulf, but Boeing was pushing the Advanced version of the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

 

Fonte .... http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ain-defense-perspective/2013-11-22/dubai-airshow-wrap-defense-stories

[Scagnetti]

Intanto, per le prospettive a lungo termine, più o meno verso il 2040 quando Rafale, Typhoon e Gripen saranno al capolinea, ci sono alcune considerazioni del generale a riposo, Jean-Georges Brevot, ex responsabile delle operazioni dell'Armée de l'air francese, che assieme ad altri alti papaveri di oltralpe ha finalmente scoperto l'acqua calda a fine 2013: Opinion: Europe Faces Smaller Role Without Next-Gen Fighter

 

“If we do nothing, in 20 years from now, this [European combat aircraft] industry will be dead.” Adds Gen. Denis Mercier, the French air force's chief of staff: “Combat aviation is the indispensable tool required for the affirmation of our sovereignty.” Academy officials reinforce such a claim, asserting that emerging countries, pursuing technological autonomy, in the next 10-15 years will produce and export advanced fighters, such as Russia's T-50 and China's J-20 and J-31.

 

 

Says Brevot: “We are at a crossroads; the situation is worrying; we need a tighter Europe. Currently we are not following the right track.” He sees the European defense industry rapidly approaching a point of no-return and feels action is urgently needed. Before developing a plan, a unified vision of air combat should be devised, including a European vision of future theaters of operations, an assignment that could be given to the European Defense Agency (EDA), as a prerequisite to a joint requirement.

 

 

Parbleu!

In Francia ci si rende finalmente conto che la scelta di procedere a 3 diversi Eurocanard sovrapponibili per ruolo, e dissanguandosi economicamente non è stata proprio lungimirante!

Ci si rende persino conto che i 3 diversi bagni di sangue hanno lasciato pochi fondi e strada a futuri progetti, tranne i dimostratori Taranis e Neuron. E che per il futuro si paghrà pegno per queste scelte.

 

In the absence of having any next-generation combat aircraft currently under development, Europe faces the risk of strategic downgrading, according to the France-based air and space academy.

 

Despite increasingly tight defense budgets, three competing combat aircraft programs are in production: the four-country Eurofighter Typhoon, French Rafale and Swedish Gripen. But no initiative is being planned for successors, despite statements about the urgent need to reconcile operational requirements, coordinate funding and establish a realistic work-sharing agreement.

 

 

 

 

Chissà chi avrà avuto mai la responsabilità primaria di lasciare il consorzio EFA nel 1985, per procedere allo sviluppo autonomo della "Raffica", e di conseguenza allo sviluppo in Europa di 3 aerei molto simili e alla conseguente fase corrente in cui i 3 si scannano per ogni gara, prima che gli F-35 saranno resi disponibili anche ai Paesi del golfo, e allora non ci sarà più alcun contratto per gli europei.

 

Forse tra qualche anno i cugini di oltralpe metteranno su un altro gruppo di studio che riuscirà finalmente a rispondere anche a quest'ultima domanda, scoprendo l'esistenza dell'acqua tiepida, dopo la stupefacente recentissima scoperta di quella calda.

Modificato 4 Dicembre 2013 da Scagnetti