Thales has offered Starstreak MANPADS to Singapore as replacement for RBS70

Thales Executive Vice President Alex Cresswell said he company has offered the Starstreak MANPADS to Singapore in a tender to replace the RBS70.

Photo: Graeme Main/MOD [OGL], via Wikimedia Commons

Source: Thales has offered Starstreak MANPADS to Singapore as replacement for RBS70

First KC-46 flight set for Sept. 25; F-16 will be first to refuel from it

The first functional version of the KC-46 (EMD-2) will make its maiden flight on Sept. 25, Brig. Gen. Duke Richardson, executive officer for Air Force tanker programs, said.

Photo: Boeing

The crucial refueling tests will start sometime early next year and the F-16 will be first to receive fuel. The following aircraft (in order) are scheduled next: C-17, F/A-18, A-10, KC-46A and AV-8B. It is not known when other aircraft types such as the F-15, F-22, F-35, B-2 and B-52 will be certified to work with the new tanker.

Source: First KC-46 flight set for Sept. 25; F-16 will be first to refuel from it

Dutch air force chief says Future Vertical Lift not ambitious enough

Lt. Gen. Alexander Schnitger, head of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF), has criticized the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift program for not being ambitious enough.

“Sure, requirements call for a helicopter that is twice as fast and can fly twice as far as the current generation, but both solutions are based on ’80s technology, refreshed a little bit,” Schnitger said at the DSEI global security conference
Schnitger said what he wanted to see was “a disruptive vision of the vertical-lift capabilities that is ready for any operation in 2040.”
Bell has offered its V-280 Valor tiltrotor and the Sikorsky/Boeing team has come up with the SB-1 Defiant, a coaxial rotor and pusher prop design.

Source: Dutch air force chief says Future Vertical Lift not ambitious enough

Carlisle: F-35 will have an advantage against all 4th gen. fighter except in a close maneuvering fight

Commander of Air Combat Command, Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, told attendees at the Air Force Association’s 2015 Air and Space Conference that the F-35 has an advantage against any fourth-generation aircraft except when placed in a close maneuvering fight.

By United States Air Force [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Source: Carlisle: F-35 will have an advantage against all 4th gen. fighter except in a close maneuvering fight

Boeing’s 2040C upgrade package doubles F-15C missile load to 16

Boeing has unveiled an upgrade package for the company’s F-15C air superiority fighter that it hopes to keep the jet relevant till 2040.

Graphic: Boeing

The effort, dubbed 2040C by Boeing, would double the air-to-air missile payload from 8 to 16 using quad pack weapon racks. The jet will have conformal tanks as standard to boost its endurance or range.
On the sensor front, the old radar will be swapped out for a APG-63(v)3 active synthetically scanned array (AESA) radar and a long-range infrared search and track (IRST) will be mounted.

Source: Boeing’s 2040C upgrade package doubles F-15C missile load to 16

Giraffe AMB radar can detect low, slow and small targets

During a U.K-government sponsored trial in Scotland this April, Saab demonstrated that its Giraffe AMB radar was able to detect low, slow and small targets.

Photo: Peter Liander/© Saab AB

During Bristow 15, the Giraffe AMB radar’s Enhanced Low, Slow and Small (ELSS) function was able to consistently detected, classified and tracked low, slow and small Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) vehicles despite hundreds of birds and a demanding background of sea and ground clutter.

Source: Giraffe AMB radar can detect low, slow and small targets

First flight of L-39NG

The new L-39NG jet trainer, powered by a new Williams International FJ44-4M engine, made its maiden flight on Sept. 14 with Miroslav Schützner and Vladimír Kvarda as the crew.

Photos: AERO Vodochody

Company president Ladislav Šimek was pleased with the achievement as the jet took to the air less than three weeks upon receiving the engine from Williams.

Source: First flight of L-39NG