Just Another Defense Technology Blog

Apologies for Not Posting Lately

2007-01-24T21:15:00.000-05:00

After the holidays I was approached by my boss and was asked to take part in a temporary program that will require that I not post to internet blogs while on site. Considering this will have me "on site" for an extended period of time, I will not be posting for a while.

In the mean time however, my husband who is also involved in "the industry" now will post anything that he deems interesting until my return.

Natalie~

15 Stealth Fighters Deployed to S. Korea

2007-01-09T21:18:00.000-05:00

The United States deployed Stealth fighters and some 300 airmen to South Korea beginning this week to maintain its deterrent posture and presence in the region.

According to the public affairs office at Holloman AFB, NM the 49th Fighter Wing's squadron of F-117A Stealth fighters will be deployed for 4 months.

The deployment is supposedly not related to a particular threat but is part of ongoing measures to maintain a credible deterrent, which to me sounds like the deployment is definitely related to a specific threat - namely Kim Jong Il.

This is the 4th time stealth fighters have been sent to S. Korea since 2003.

X-51A, X-53... What and Where's the X-52?

2006-12-19T12:49:00.000-05:00

So here's a question brought up in conversations at work.

Although X-plane designations are not necessarily released in numerical sequence by the USAF/XPPE, whenever there is a glaring hole in the sequence it sends X-plane enthusiasts into a frenzied search for clues. This is just such a case.

Late in 2005 the X-51A designation was given out to a hypersonic scramjet technology demonstrator.

Then in December of 2006 the USAF announces the X-53 designation being granted to the Active Aeroelastic Wing technology demonstrator, essentially an F-18 with morphing wings.

The glaring hole being exposed is of course the X-52;

Does it exist?

What would it be?

If I had to guess with no further information at my disposal, I would probably go with a revisit to the Turbojet/Ramjet Combined Cycle Engine. Some of you enthusiasts may recall that the SR-71's PW J-58's were Turbojet/Ramjet Combined Cycle Engines.

Combined cycle engine technology is being refreshed and refined for the Falcon project - and recently it was announced that the Falcon HTV-1 was not going to fly but the HTV-2 was being developed for flight. The purpose being to have one air-breathing unit take the vehicle from take-off to subsonic flight to a speed fast enough to ignite a scramjet.

Could such an X-plane demonstrator be in the works?

If there is an X-52, what do YOU think it is?

X-53: The Future of Morphing Aircraft?

2006-12-19T11:27:00.000-05:00

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio

Air Force Research Laboratory researchers recently received word that the Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW) flight demonstrator has been assigned the Mission Design Series number X-53. The designation makes it the first successful X plane initiated within the Air Vehicles Directorate since the X-24 lifting body concept, which was later employed on the Space Shuttle.

The AAW flight demonstrator, a joint effort between AFRL’s Air Vehicles Directorate, NASA Dryden and The Boeing Company, is a highly-modified F/A-18 fitted with AAW technology.

AAW is a novel wing concept that integrates air vehicle aerodynamics, active controls, and structures to maximize air vehicle performance. AAW technology seeks to use aeroelastic effects, which are normally detrimental to an aircraft’s performance, to the benefit of the vehicle.

Traditionally, air vehicles have been designed with stiff geometry in order to minimize aeroelastic instabilities such as aeroelastic control effectiveness. The AAW concept turns aeroelastic flexibility into a net benefit by exploiting the wings’ aeroelastic twist. AAW control surfaces control the wing aeroelastic shape at high speeds and maneuver loads at high wing strain conditions to provide large amounts of control power, or can minimize aerodynamic drag at low wing strain conditions.

Receiving the X-53 designation is an important step forward in AAW technology. The X-53 moniker gives the vehicle a higher recognition factor and will likely generate greater interest in the concept from a technology transition perspective.

The AAW concept may play a crucial role in future aircraft, such as future strike unmanned aerial vehicles and global engagement bombers.

Additional details can be found at "George's View From Below" blog.

More on B-2 Potential Upgrades

2006-12-08T00:05:00.000-05:00

High-energy laser weapons are a potential future upgrade for the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bomber, which is expected to remain in service beyond 2050.

Improved passive and active stealth techniques are also expected to be needed beyond 2020 to keep the type viable as a penetrating bomber, the company says.

A US Air Force advanced concepts simulation exercise in November evaluated use of a solid-state laser system for positive combat identification and self-defence.

The design concept deploys the laser from the aircraft's internal weapons bay, says Northrop programme manager Dave Mazur, and also uses its optics for target identification, as the only imaging sensor the B-2 carries is its radar.

New Hints on Lockheed's LRS Entry

2006-12-08T00:01:00.000-05:00

Last year, the air force flirted with a proposal for a manned regional bomber based on Lockheed Martin’s FB-22 concept, but this has been discarded. A recent Lockheed press release included this artist's impression of LM's most recent supersonic LRS concept study.

At first glance I thought it was a Northrop Grumman FB-23 concept, but no - it's a Lockheed LRS UCAV concept.

The US Air Force has set aside $2 billion over the next several years to launch the accelerated development of a next-generation bomber that is almost certain to be unmanned and unlike anything on the ramp today.

Air force officials are confident full-scale development of an unmanned vehicle can start from 2008-10. The plan is to accelerate air vehicle technologies under development for the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems programme, but the Boeing X-45C and Northrop Grumman X-47B designs are considered inadequate for the new bomber requirement.

High Speed Cutting Lasers go to USAF

2006-12-05T18:34:00.000-05:00

Cincinnati Inc. has sold four high-speed laser cutting systems this year exclusively for aerospace use. The latest system, the CL-707, features interchangeable 8 X 20-ft. cutting tables, which are twice the size of competing systems, according to the company. The CL-707 operates with a 5,000-watt GE Fanuc laser resonator that generates the cutting beam.
The laser can slice through 18-gauge steel at up to 1,000 inches per minute.
The U.S. Air Force has acquired one laser cutting system and has a second on order. Other buyers were not identified.

Future B-2 Upgrades Proposed

2006-11-29T23:34:00.000-05:00

The USAF's B-2 fleet is not getting any younger, equipped with 1980's analog electronics, ancient radar and limited bandwidth comm systems, and to that end, David Mazur, Northrop Grumman’s VP of LRS initiatives, has proposed upgrades to the B-2 to keep moss from growing on it's north side.

Electronics upgrades proposed call for the B-2's older electronics systems to be replaced with a radar similar to the Raptor's APG-77 and a comm upgrade to Link 16 which will enable the B-2s to share data with other planes, ground stations, vehicles or ships as well as enabling extremely high frequency satellite communications.

Stealth upgrades include replacing the old RAM coatings with newer “Alternative high frequency materials” which require far less maintenance and will eliminate the need for radar-absorbing tape that currently covers access panels and fasteners on the B-2’s wings. Using “Alternative high frequency materials” will also eliminate the required 36+ hours for application and curing the stealth coating in use now.

Weapons upgrades consists the ability to carry and deliver 80 independently-targeted 500-pound smart bombs. Currently, each B-2 can only accommodate 16 smart bombs.Another upgrade will enable the B-2 to carry two 30,000-pound conventional bunker buster bombs, able to punch through over 60 feet of reinforced concrete.Small diameter bombs with the ability to glide 60 miles to target as well as long range A2A systems are also planned.

I guess it remains to be seen if the US congress has the stomach to pay for these upgrades, but if the plane is to remain flying it would be nice to update it's electronics and other capabilities.

Source: "USAF, Northrop Have 40-Year Plan for B-2"; Defense News.Com - November 29, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-20T14:25:00.000-05:00

I will not be posting until the week after Thanksgiving.
Thank you for coming by and I hope you come again!

SonicBlue's "Fussion" UAV

2006-11-15T12:28:00.000-05:00

Here's a little something that has me intrigued. It's the beginning stages of a next generation UAV.

Introducing the Sonic Blue Fusion:
Fusion is designated as an Unmanned Combat Hybrd Armed Vehicle (UCHAV) currently entertaining proposals for funding by the DOD and the Air Force in 2007. The Fusion is considered the first fully integrated deep strike supersonic VTOL UAV with integrated solid state laser weapon technology and the ability to take off and land on unprepared surfaces, ship helipads or the back of an army truck.

Sonic Blue has plans to show off a halfscale "Fusion" at the Unmanned Vehicle Systems International 2007 Convention in June 2007. A flying full scale advanced tech demonstrator in underway and could fly as early as July 2009. The Fusion weighs in at 12,000 lbs and under fully autonomous flight and operations should have a range of 750 miles initially, and the ability to fly at supersonic speeds.

The Aircraft:
The aircraft itself is a triangular shape, stealthy due to both shape and coatings, with lift fans for vertical lift that can close rotating like camera shutters to help with Mach + aerodynamics. The craft also touts vectored thrust to provide additional lift when taking off or landing in vertical fashion.

Word is payload can be either ISR, conventional weapons, ie: missiles and small diameter bombs or a solid state laser.We know from disussions on the F-35 potentially getting a solid state laser as the cooling issues are remedied, that an engine such as the F-135 and F-136 can easily generate over 27,000 horsepower to power lasers and electric fans without disturbing the overall performance of the aircraft by much.

The Engine:
Apparently the engine is a Rolls Royce JSF F-136, 40,000+ lb thrust turbofan to be redesigned with electomagnetic polar opposites keeping certain parts from contacting other parts in the aircraft thus eliminating wear and tear on parts as well as solving cooling issues due to friction. The company fully anticipates licensing and/or distributing the HILAPS (hybrid, integrated, lift and propulsion system) turbofan to other aircraft companies.

The company plans to develop the HILAPS engine into a integrated dual cycle combustion powerplant, designed to provide a single vehicle the ability to do a single-stage, horizontal takeoff to low earth orbit flight with a military only cruising speed of Mach 12.

Will it Happen?
In this wacky world of defense aerospace there are so many variables, some political in nature, others in corporate competition and still other variables including the finances to do the research.I beielve a worst case scenario for the Sonic Blue effort will be the development of an oiless jet turbine that rotates free of friction thanks to electromagnetic polar opposites being manipulated within the engine itself. Marketing of such an engine, what with the savings in maintnenance and operational weight could bode well for the young company whether the Fusion actually takes off or not.

Professional History of Team:
Although little is known about aerospace startup Sonic Blue headquartered in Portland, Maine, it's team includes illustrious names in aerospace research like, Richard Lugg, CEO who was co-program manager on the NASA X-33 Reusable Launch Vehicle as well as the NASA X-43 hypersonic research vehicle that attained a speed of Mach 10. Some of Richard's other credentials include assistant Technology Director on the Lockheed JASSM cruise missile prototype, developing 3D advanced composite upgrades for the Eurofighter Typhoon as well as having been a member of the Rocketdyne/Boeing hypersonic scamjet engine design build team.

Also on the Sonic Blue team is Dr. Paul Lagace, the Chief Technical Advisor for Sonic Blue's programs. His credentials include being the Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He serves as Director of the Technology Laboratory for Advanced Composites which is closely linked to among other government entities, the FAA.

Another team member is Dr. Kassakian, Professor of Electrical Engineering at MIT and Director of the MIT Laboratory for Electrmagnetic and Electronic Systems. Considered an expert in power electronics and electromagnetic systems, he will no doubt have some resposibility in developing the HILAPS.

Industry Partners Lend Resources and Validity to Sonic Blue's Efforts:
Perhaps the most crucial to Sonic Blue's success will be their partnership with Rolls Royce of North America. RR is also a partner on the JSF as well as the alternative gas turbine F-136 for the F-35. Rolls has thus far provided critical preliminary design and engineering support.

Other industry supporting roles:
SatCon a cutting edge company leading the way on high density electric motors and and generator technologies. Bihrle Applied Research who provides aerodynamic design and flight sim software. Avid LLC has provided lift fan design.QinetiQ for the STOVL automated control software and hardware modules.

Final Thoughts:
At any rate, the Fusion's team is quickly becoming very familiar with NASA's Langley Research Center and best of luck to them in their endeavor!
Anyone have any comments on this one?

US & Aussie Hypersonic Collaboration

2006-11-11T01:58:00.000-05:00

Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and the United States Air Force have signed an agreement to advance research into hypersonic (Mach 5 or higher) flight.

The program is scheduled to last for 8 yrs and the combination of projects under this effort makes for one of the largest collaborative ventures to ever be undertaken between the two nations.

Programs that will benefit from this collaborative effort are DARPA's FALCON, which is hoped to provide lower-cost satellite launches and an obvious lead-up to various military spaceplane projects.

Other hypersonic programs to benefit are the RATTLRS project and the Aussie HyFly project.
It sounds like the US and Australia have shifted hypersonic strike research into high gear.

Sources:
"AUSTRALIAN-US COLLABORATION ON HYPERSONICS RESEARCH"; Australian Defense Ministry Media Release, Nov 10, 2006

Predator B to get new SDB (Small Diameter Bomb)

2006-11-09T22:10:00.000-05:00

The Predator B is now slated to be armed with the new 250 lb Small Diameter Bomb. This bomb is GPS guided and generally hits within 1.5 meters of it's intended target. Also, the SDB is reported to have a 60 mile stand-off glide range thanks to a set of diamond shaped wings that deploy from the bomb's sides after it's release.

The timeframe for the Predator's new armament will be 2009 or just after all 217 F-15E Strike Eagle's are fitted to carry the SDB. As a comparison, the F-22 will be able to carry 8 SDB's and the B-2 will carry 64.

Source:
C4ISR Journal, Nov/Dec 2006 issue, pg 15

Rumsfeld Resigns

2006-11-09T08:26:00.000-05:00

Every other blog has something to say about this so I suppose I will too.

Bush screwed the pooch by not canning Rummy at a strategic point prior to the mid-term elections. For this mistake he cost the Republicans both houses of Congress.

Why do I care? Am I an evil torture-lovin' Neo-Con or an America-hating Progressive?

No, I care because the Republicans buy defense products keeping my job secure, the Democrats? I'm not so sure about in that category.

But I digress - back to Rummy.

Good riddance! The policy on Iraq was not working. The men on the ground said it wasn't, the General's said it wasn't... and Rummy just kept on the same course. We needed a fresh policy on this 2 years ago. Even if it was just a percieved difference - Rummy was a liability.

I welcome Gates and hope he has something better for the troops on the ground. I also hope he does not abandon high end acquisitions thinking as the democrats do that defense acquisitions should only be for fighting a war of incursion. If that happens we will certainly be unprepared and lose many more lives the next time we have to take on a country rather than some nomadic group of terrorists.

That is all.

F-117A Nighthawk: Retiring after 25 years, or is it?

2006-11-04T02:13:00.000-05:00

On October 29th a "Silver Stealth" ceremony was held at Holloman AFB in New Mexico, commemorating the 25th year that the F-117 Nighthawk had been in service. The ceremony was bittersweet in that it also marked the beginning of the retirement of the legendary stealth "fighter".
Over the next 2 years the 52 F-117's at Holloman will be phased out and replaced by F-22 Raptors.

So what is to become of the F-117's?
Will they be the prime attraction at museums?
Will they be used for target practice for anti-stealth air defense weapons?
Will they be buried somewhere in the desert, taking with them artifacts that are still top secret to this day?

No.

While some may make it to museums, there has been much talk around the the USAF of making drones out of them, that's right - UCAVs. In fact an article in the April 2006 US Air Force "Aim Points" entitled, "Air Force explores unmanned version of F-117 stealth fighter aircraft" explicitly laid out the plan, and then supposedly just recently that article was "updated" with multiple reasons as to why the F-117 will never become a UCAV.

Lets explore some of their reasons why the F-117 will not be a UCAV.

Quote: "The reason we want to retire the F-117 is because of the cost of operating it... If we unman it, we don't save any of that cost."

Oh come on now. Is unmanning and maintenance on an F-117 more expensive than a Boeing X-45, a Northrop X-47 or a Lockheed Polecat, plus the support and maintenance for any of those systems?
And what of the void that retiring the F-117's leave? The Raptors are not yet available in sufficient numbers, the first F-35 JSF off the assembly line isn't flying as of this writing and it will be 5+ years before they are available in sufficient numbers.

Quote: "One aspect of the unmanned Nighthawk concept that is known is that the converted F-117's would not have an in-flight refueling capability like their manned counterparts."

Ok, that's just wrong. On August 30th, 2006 a a DARPA/NASA/AFRL F-18 conducted the first autonomous air refueling ever.

Quote: AF Sec Michael Wynne indicated at a congressional hearing in February that the aircraft which relies on 1970's era stealth technology, is becoming more vulnerable."

That's right, which is why there is wisdom in retaining the services of the F-117 but taking the pilot out of harms way. You have to bear in mind that the F-117 is still more survivable that an F-15E Strike Eagle in heavily defended airspace and for kicking down the door on the first day of hostilities an unmanned F-117 just makes tons of sense.

I point out these fallacies in the article to demonstrate that if truth is embraced rather than misdirection, it should be plain that at least some of the retired F-117's are going to become stealth UAVs; basically unmanned bombers.

Sources for: F-117A Nighthawk: Retiring after 25 years, or is it?

2006-11-04T02:03:00.000-05:00

Sources:
"UAVs: Autonomous Air Refueling (AAR)"; Just Another Defense Technology Blog, Friday, September 15, 2006
"Air Force explores unmanned version of F-117 stealth fighter aircraft"; US Air Force Aim Points, April 21, 2006
"F-117: A long, storied history that is about to end"; Air Force Print News, October 28, 2006

F-15E+ "Super Eagle" - revisited

2006-10-31T00:04:00.000-05:00

Ok, I have noticed that I have been recieving a large number of page views on my article concerning the Boeing F-15E+ Super Eagle.

Due to this apparent large interest I think I'll revisit this and give a bit more in depth detail on this latest offering of "new tech" meets "old school".

Suggested as a gap filler, not an alternative for the delayed F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (I still can't get used to calling it the "Lightning"), Boeing has offered to produce 100 to 150 "Super Eagles" at a $60 million per unit price tag.

The Reasoning:

Not meaning to be a threat to the acquisition of the F-22 and F-35, the F-15E+ is conceived to fill the gap should the F-35 get delayed - which we all know will happen.

It is understood by Boeing that the F-22 and F-35 are first wave attack aircraft, intended to "kick the door down" by stealthily reducing enemy air defenses to ashes. The role the F-15E+ Super Eagle would play is to keep the door down by continued supression of enemy air defenses via persistent coverage/area denial.

Granted the Super Eagle will not be a stealth asset as the F-22 and F-35 are, although there is a chance it could have LO (low observable) features like the F-18 Super Hornet.

The Features:

So what is known about the F-15E+ Super Eagle's features and specs?Basically, the Super Eagle concept is an enhanced combination of the F-15K (South Korean version with 15 weapons stations) and the F-15SG (Singapore version with advanced radar).

The advanced radar mentioned for the Super Eagle is the Raytheon APG-63 v3 AESA with an option to go with the v4 which would utilize F-22 type advanced functionality, auch as air to ground attack mode, enhanced air to air abilities including cruise missile detection and attack, plus a variety of electronic attack options and netcentric war fighting capacity.

Conclusion:

Will the Super Eagle be built? That remains to be seen, if congress were to be controlled by the Democrats you can almost be assured the F-35 acquisition timeline would suffer, and if that happens the probability of a Super Eagle buy becomes more likley.

None of this is really taking into concern how a slowdown in the F-35 production will affect it's international partnerships. That would not be good on many different levels.

FALCON Hypersonic Test Vehicle Update

2006-10-29T01:13:00.000-05:00

DARPA and Lockheed will not build the two planned HTV-1 craft (hypersonic test vehicles) because one of the subcontractors, C-CAT experienced delamination issues with the curved leading edges of the carbon-based aeroshell.

DARPA and Lockheed will now shift their efforts to a different HTV-2 design whose multi-piece aeroshell has thinner leading edges and will be easier to build because it's less of a technical stretch.

Meanwhile, thermal protection research must continue, as well as research into scramjet propulsion.

Also, on Oct 25th a $33.2 million addition to the FALCON prototypes agreement, that enables continued development and demonstration of the Hypersonic Technology Vehicle portion of the Falcon program. Work will be performed in Palmdale, CA (Skunkworks), Philadelphia, PA, and Fort Worth, TX. The HTV-2 ptototype is expected to be completed in September 2008.

Could a Morphing UAV already be a reality?

2006-10-25T22:26:00.000-05:00

A blog-friend of mine, George Dunn reports on Lockheed Martin's morphing UAV and presents some truly thought provoking information.
Excerpt: "In an article for Janes Defence Weekly in June 2005, Nick Cook writes that the Morphing UAV is three weeks from its first flight yet no confirmation of an actual flight is available. In the same article Cook describes a system similar to the one in the above patent but doesn’t go into as much detail and quotes manager of Lockheed Skunkworks, Frank Cappuccio saying that such a system will be tested in the following six to nine months. If Lockheed kept to this schedule the technology should have finished testing by April 2006."
I highly suggest you check out his article: "Morphing UAV to be Launched from Submarine"

USAF Considers U-2 UAV

2006-10-21T00:41:00.000-05:00

An interview featuring Secretary of the Air Force, Michael Wynne aired on CSPAN, October15th, 2006. In that interview Wynne said that the program to enable the Global Hawk to replace the U-2 Dragonlady has been delayed by Congress.

The original timetable set in 2005 was to have the USAF's 33 U-2's retired by 2011. The issue seems to be that the Global Hawk is not yet able to do all that the U-2 can. Apparently the GH cannot deliver the same quality of broad area synoptic imagery that the U-2 can.

These static photos taken from as high as 90,000 can cover an enormous area with intricate details of troop placements, with subsequent passes showing direction of troop movement. This is a feature that satellites can not provide either. Satellites passing over an area of interest can only show a smaller area in each shot and then the follow-up shots taken on different passes (read at differing times) must be put together like a mosaic.

One of the problems facing the USAF concerning the U-2 is persistence and loiter time over the area of interest. The extreme conditions of flying at 70-90,000 feet limits how long a pilot can fly the aircraft.

"One of the things that we find is... the airplane can outlast the pilot." said Wynne, he then noted that the USAF is looking into ways of extending the flight time of the U-2, and one option being considered is to "automate the U-2", or make it an unmanned vehicle.

Source:
US Air Force considers pilotless U-2; UPI

2006-10-17T23:57:00.000-05:00

Russia continues to develop new models of its Pchela-1T UAV. By Western standards, it's a pretty limited system. The UAV weighs 304 pounds, carries day and night cameras, but can only stay in the air for two hours at a time.

The Pchela takes off with the aid of two rockets, and lands via parachute. It's cruising speed is 120 kilometers an hour, and it can operate up to sixty kilometers from the operator. Russia sells the Pchela-1T as a system (two trucks, control and launch gear, and ten UAVs) for about $5.5 million.

The system has been used successfully in Chechnya, but its short endurance takes away the one major advantage of UAVs; persistence. With only two hours endurance, and a complicated take off and landing procedure, you're not getting much for your money when you buy Pchela, which must be why Russia is the only user.

Russia has tried to find foreign buyers, but has had no luck because of the Western competition.

Stats:
Radius of action, km.....60
Flight altitude range above sea level, m.....100 to2500
Flight speed, km/h.....120 to 180
UAV takeoff mass, kg.....138
Control:- automatic flight, programmed;- remote, manual.
Measurement error of UAV coordinates in:- range, m.....150- azimuth, deg .....1
Start altitude above sea level, m.....2000
Altitude range of optimumreconnaissance over underlying surface, m..... 100 to 1000
UAV angular rate of turn, deg/s .....3, minimumIntegrated system deployment time, min.....20
TV camera field of view in pitch, deg.....5/-65
Endurance, hours.....3.5
Maintenance personnel training period, hours.....200
Wind velocity at UAV start, m/s.....10
Wind velocity at UAV landing, m/s.....8

Source:
StrategyPage.Com
Airshow.RU

Legalities may prevent DoD from giving autonomy to armed drones

2006-10-16T07:29:00.000-05:00

A proposal, unveiled publicly in September but never before publicised, would give "armed autonomous systems" the authority to shoot to destroy hostile weapon systems but not suspected combatants. Accordingly, any people killed or injured in the attack would be considered the collateral damage of a successful strike on a legitimate target. "

If you stop and think about what this is, it really is a new paradigm for conducting warfare," John S Canning, a chief engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center and one of the authors of the proposal, told Jane's on 3 October.

However, experts on the laws of war contacted by Jane's were not persuaded that the group's proposal would pass legal review. The chance that innocent civilians or even a disproportionate number of combatants could be killed by the misjudgment of a robotic system would still be the over-riding factor. "You better have a human looking through that screen", before the unmanned system takes a shot, said Gary Solis, who recently retired as the law of war professor at the US Military Academy.

The laws of armed conflict require that for any attack to be legitimate, the attacker must be able to discriminate between combatants and civilians, as well as avoid creating damage that is disproportionate to the threat.

Source: Janes Defense Weekly

Ukraine Developing Light Laser Guided SAM

2006-10-15T13:51:00.000-05:00

During the recent MSPO-2006 military exhibition in Kielce, Poland, the SpetsTechnoExport Ukrainian State Trade Enterprise (a subsidiary of the Ukrspetsexport company) released preliminary information on a new short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. The new missile is being developed by the Luch Design Bureau in Kiev. During the Soviet era, Luch developed missile subsystems but the organisation is now working on its own missile concepts.

The new missile is 1.625 m in length and 108 mm in diameter. It is of simple cylindrical shape with an ogival nose cone, four small cruciform wings located about 70 per cent down the length of the fuselage and two aerodynamic control surfaces. The wings and control surfaces are folded, allowing the round to be packed into a tubular transporting/launching container. At launch, the missile weighs 34 kg.

Source: Janes Defense Weekly

Comment:
Unless this is a free electron laser with varible frequencies, (which it's not) it could prove problematic in targeting an object through clouds of dust, smoke or moisture; so I do not see this as being a long range or high altitude system but rather a peril for helicopters and close air support craft like A-10's. And of course the size of the missile is also indicative that it isn't a long range-high altitude system.

Retired RAAF Vice-Marshal: Abandon F-35, Buy F-22s

2006-10-15T00:53:00.000-05:00

Retired RAAF air vice-marshal Peter Criss has put aside usual conventions to openly question the wisdom of Canberra spending about $16 billion for the F-35 Lightning, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter. The Government committed an initial $300 million to become an early partner in the JSF program, with a final decision to be made by 2008. But Mr Criss says the RAAF should, in fact, consider buying the F-22 Raptor.

Read more here...

Boeing Begins Flight Tests and Laser Firings for Laser Gunship Program

2006-10-15T00:06:00.000-05:00

Boeing has begun flight testing for the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) program and has generated "first light" of ATL's high-energy chemical laser in ground tests, achieving two key milestones in the laser gunship development effort.

During the "low-power" flight tests, which began Oct. 10 and conclude this fall, the ATL ACTD system will find and track ground targets at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. A low-power, solid-state laser will serve as a surrogate for ATL's high-power chemical laser.

To prepare for the tests, the ATL aircraft, a C-130H from the U.S. Air Force 46th Test Wing, was outfitted with flight demonstration hardware at Crestview Aerospace Corp. in Crestview, Fla. The hardware includes the beam director and optical control bench, which will direct the laser beam to its target; weapon system consoles, which will display high-resolution imagery and enable the tracking of targets; and sensors.

Boeing fired the high-energy chemical laser for the first time in ground tests on Sept. 21 in Albuquerque, N.M. -- an achievement known as "first light." Ground tests of the laser will conclude this fall. By 2007, Boeing will install the device on the aircraft and fire it in-flight at mission-representative ground targets to demonstrate the military utility of high energy-lasers. The test team will fire the laser through a rotating turret that extends through an existing 50-inch-diameter hole in the aircraft's belly.

"ATL will transform the battlefield by giving the warfighter a speed-of-light, precision engagement capability that will reduce collateral damage dramatically," said Pat Shanahan, vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems. "The start of flight and laser testing shows that Boeing is making solid progress toward making this revolutionary capability a reality."

Boeing is developing ATL for the U.S. Department of Defense through an ACTD program.

ATL will destroy, damage or disable targets with little to no collateral damage, supporting missions on the battlefield and in urban operations. ATL will produce scaleable effects, meaning the weapon operator will be able to select the degree and nature of the damage done to a target by choosing a specific aimpoint and laser shot duration. For example, targeting the fuel tank of a vehicle could result in total destruction of the vehicle, while targeting a tire might result in the vehicle stopping without injury to the driver.

Japan: New FIghters Desired... But Which One?

2006-10-09T23:59:00.000-05:00

In the face of North Korean nuclear brinkmanship and China's continued military buildup, Japan's new leadership has renewed efforts to further strengthen their military.

Though this effort is actually across the entire spectrum of their military, there are two main focal points; that is the acquisition of a new fighter and missile defense.

Japan's attempts to secure a buy of Lockheed Martin F-22's to replace it's ancient F-4's have so far been met with little or no support from Washington. (Exports of the F-22 are restricted by US law).
However, US Gov't officials and Lockheed have offered the F-35 Lightning. Boeing is most likely going to offer the updated F-15 EX Super Eagle as it's being called along with the F-18 Super Hornet.

Japan has also considered the possibility of building their own stealthy fighter similar to the F-22. Researchers have in fact been working on a design for the F-X concept.

So whats it going to be?

An indigenous fighter, the F-15 Super Eagle, the F-18 Super Hornet or the F-35 Lightning?

My money is on the Lightning but I would love to see the Super Eagle get some buys.

It would also be interesting to see what kind of stealthy aircraft Japan could come up with.

F-35 First Flight Coming Soon

2006-10-07T00:15:00.000-05:00

First flight of the Lockheed F-35 Lightning is imminent according to sources. At this point the 1st F-35 is in need of the final paint job, but other than aesthetics the aircraft is basically ready to fly.

Test runs of the engine have been made, even with afterburner. Testing continues with the electronics systems and as soon as they get a thumbs up on that it will probably take flight.

Cheif Test Pilot for the F-35 program, Jon Beesley has been selected to fly the Lightning on it's maiden flight.

The F-22 Raptor and Red Flag 2007

2006-10-04T20:32:00.000-05:00

Sources tell me that the F-22 Raptor will be participating in Red Flag 2007 which begins it's first leg in January.
This will be the first time that the Raptor will take part in an exercise where foriegn countries are represented. It is unclear as to whether the Raptor will fly with any aircraft other than US aggressor squadron F-15 and 16's.

Moseley Orders UAV Study

2006-10-02T23:59:00.000-05:00

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley has ordered a study to determine the USAF's future unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) force needs.

Of particular interest is the future of the medium-altitude UAV mission, now handled by the General Atomics Predator. Congress has earmarked money for more Predator A's and the more powerful B models, exceeding USAF requests.

Moseley has expressed a desire to pursue more widespread UAV operations.

"I think we have enough experience with these things that we can begin to develop a true operational concept [for] unmanned systems above 3,000 ft.," Mosely was quoted as saying. "Let's get at this problem as a theater commander would. There has not been any reduction in appetite for these things."

Source: AW&ST; Oct 2, 2006

Sounds to me like Congress is trying to ram UAV's down the throat of the "Fighter Mafia" Don. :P

Long Range Strike will start off "Black"

2006-09-29T22:42:00.000-05:00

Ok, now that I've rested up from the Air & Space Technology Exposition in DC, I thought I'd relate some of highlights as I have time. One thing that came out of the expo that may hit the press are comments made by General Ron Keys who is the Air Combat Command Chief for the US Air Force.

According to Keys the Long Range Strike initiative will "probably start out just like a number of of our high end technical programs, it will start as a "Black" program..."

Keys went on to say that the existence of the program and even it's costs will not be kept secret but details of the program's specifications and capabilities will; "...Details of what it is going to look like, how fast it's going to go, how far it is going to go, what it's real capabilities are... I'm not sure we are interested in letting a lot of people know what those will be".

Keys also said that he doesn't think a bomber version of the F-22 would fit the requirements of the Long Range Strike program.

There has been much speculation among enthusiasts that the Long Range Strike aircraft will be hypersonic, but Keys expressed his doubts that by 2018 a hypersonic bomber would be fielded. Instead, Keys suggested that by 2018 we would "take the engines you already have, your aerodynamic capabilities...and you can make the next gen Long Range Strike" aircraft.He also noted that a hypersonic platform could be fielded by 2030 but not by 2018.

Sources:
* Inside the Air Force
* Eye witness accounts of the statements.

Air & Space Technology Exposition

2006-09-28T00:38:00.000-05:00

Well, to those of you who check my blog, I apologize for not posting for the last week, but I had to go to the Air & Space Technology Exposition in DC. I had a pretty good time, it was nice being back in the DC area and seeing so many friends.

Out of the 3 day (2.5 actually) conference the most interesting highlights were the following dialogs:
1. Morphing Technologies for Future Aircraft - Anna Maria McGowan, Project Manager, NASA
2. the Future of Air and Space Power by General T. Michael Moseley
3. F-35 and What it Does - Brigadier General Charles R. Davis, Deputy Program Executive Officer for the F-35 Lightning II Program Office

More later, I'm very tired and slightly inebriated... ;-P

VTOL UAV with SAR & Mini-Gun?

2006-09-19T01:12:00.000-05:00

Yet another UAV is coming out from under wraps, this time from a relatively new company in the UAV field, American Dynamics.

The BattleHog close air support vertical takeoff and landing unmanned vehicle first took flight in January 2005 and has been in development since 2001.

There is apparently some mystery as to how a little known company making high speed marine stabilisation technologies wound up developing such a seemingly formidable ISR/attack platform but all the comapny CEO will say is that they had "investors".

So is the company worth it's salt?
Well it's certainly not a Stavatti clone. For those who don't know the Stavatti story, it's apparently a bogus company that started out as a drum manufacturer and somehow turned into an aerospace company with a web site claiming they had "6th Generation" fighter aircraft designed and ready to be built. Problem is - no one has yet to define what attributes "6th Gen" aircraft would possess. Several years back they also said they had particle beam rifles, etc. Pretty crazy stuff actually, and certainly not realistic... but I digress.

Truth be known these guys at American Dynamics sound like they are "company" owned. They've got flying demonstrators and major financing from ghost investors. Pretty interesting...

Well, back to the BattleHog.

The BattleHog 100X has actually had test flights and was first shown to the public at the recent Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems North America conference in Orlando, FL in late August 2006.

Specs and other info are as follows:
* Currently powered by a Rolls Royce T63-A720 turbine engine but may be revised to a Pratt & Whitney PW206
* FLIR Systems combined infra-red and daylight camera system located in an under fuselage turret
* Miniature synthetic aperture radar
* a modified Northrop Grumman APG-68(V)5 radar
* Narrow band satellite communications links
Armaments:* 2 Lockheed Martin AGM-14K Hellfire missiles
* M134 7.62 calibre minigun
* Hydra-70 folding fin rockets

The BattleHog 350X will be a larger version with a 40 foot wingspan, Weapons load is expected to include carriage of J series guided bombs and the Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM missile, carried in internal bays, and a 20mm machine gun.

The BattleHog sounds survivable enough with a carbonfiber and kevlar composites that make it impervious to 7.62mm fire.

Read more at Flight International.

UAVs: Autonomous Air Refueling (AAR)

2006-09-15T21:16:00.000-05:00

On August 30th history was made in the skies over Edwards AFB by an autonomously programmed F/A-18 and a Boeing 707-300 tanker performing the first-ever autonomous probe-and-drogue airborne refueling operation.

The importance of this development has far reaching implications on the DoD's vision for affordable unmanned global strike, long range strike and persistent ISR & area denial missions.

The GPS based system coupled with an optical recognition and tracking program goes by the name Autonomous Airborne Refueling Demonstration (AARD). This system provides precision positioning enabling an airborne tanker's fuel probe to hit the center of a 32 inch basket dangling in the airstream.

Although this is a DARPA/NASA/AFRL initiative, several other public institutions are involved as well, most notably CalTech and the Israeli Technical Institute, also some programming was done by Smiths Aerospace.

The MQ-9 Reaper

2006-09-15T21:10:00.000-05:00

The Predator "B" has a new name, now dubbed the USAF's first hunter-killer UAV the MQ-9 will henceforth be known as the "MQ-9 Reaper". The MQ-9 is larger and more powerful than the original Predator "A" MQ-1.

Where the Predator could carry 2 Hellfire missiles the "Reaper" is able to carry 14 Hellfire II anti-armor missiles. It can also deliver a 500 lb JDAM and carries twice the sensor load the Predator "A" carried.

It is also able to stay aloft for 14 hours and cruise above 50,000 feet at 260 knots.The Reaper will provide persistent area denial and quality ISR data thus making it the first UAV that can truly complete the six-stage target cycle of Find, Fix, Track, Target, Engage, and Assess, also known as F2T2EA, or, more simply, the “kill chain.”

General Michael Moseley USAF must be pretty proud right about now...

(picture of Reaper taxiing at Creech AFB, NV:
Note the weapon pylons on the wings)

Aurora: Another article by Bill Sweetman

2006-09-10T23:59:00.000-05:00

Bill Sweetman is at it again.

In the October 2006 issue of Popular Science Bill Sweetman once again attempts to bring into focus the blurry, hazy world of top secret planes at the Groom Lake facility on the northern Nellis Range, aka "Area 51".

The article is entitled "The Top-Secret Warplanes of Area 51" with the sensationalistic byline; "Stealth jets? Hypersonic bombers? What's really being developed at the military's most famous classified base?"

Sweetman admits that his entire article is but "an educated guess, arrived at by analysis of the available evidence, at the tantalizing designs being cooked up on the sly at Area 51, including a radical special-forces transport, a stealthy UAV, an agile new bomber, and my own white whale—the mythical, hypersonic dragster and presumed source of those faux earthquakes: Aurora."

Ah yes, "Aurora". The wet dream of every Area 51/Military aviation enthusiast the world over. I should have known Bill would still be ranting about Aurora, he wrote a book about it 13 years ago.

Ok, well by now you may gather that I'm not a Sweetman fan, but you would be wrong as I certainly appreciate the research and thought that goes into his theories and conjecture - it is primarily the sensationalism that goes along with his articles that I find distasteful.

You may read my musings and say, "Ok smartass, Do you think the Aurora exists?" and my answer would have to be a qualified "Yes". Of course there is no advanced tech aircraft that goes by the literal name "Aurora", but I do believe that there is an advanced, very high supersonic (but not necessarily hypersonic), ISR platform that succeeded the SR-71.

Is it a pulse detonation engine as some contend? Well it would explain the "donuts on a rope" contrails seen across western US skies, but high winds and turbulence could also explain such contrails. Fact is I don't know.

What I do know is this; there are more instances of people witnessing this "Aurora" and other black aircraft than reaches the media and even the web, as there are military people and civilian workers who have seen them and have been told in no uncertain terms to forget what they saw.

Bill Sweetman, for all the sensationalism that goes along with his articles, presents a very well thought out conjecture in this Pop Sci article and it is certainly worth a read. That said, don't be tempted to go off and believe everything you read on the web regarding the Aurora, other black project aircraft and even the B-2, (no it does not use antigravity).

Some of the best discussions on the web regarding the Aurora and other such aircraft can be found on the "Above Top Secret" website. You will find a rather even blend of conspiracy theorists, realists and debunkers. Go there, enjoy.

X-37: Precursor to US Military Spaceplane?

2006-09-05T22:45:00.000-05:00

With all this talk about the hypersonic FALCON & RATTLRS programs, let us not forget another program which has been progressing quietly at Boeing's Phantom Works and the Dryden facility.

The Boeing X-37 is planned to be a Mach 25 single stage to orbit space plane, intended to take off and land on a runway and is most likely a candidate for an orbital space plane/bomber. It is a near certainty that advanced propulsion technologies developed for FALCON & RATTLRS may eventually find their way to the X-37 program or an eventual offshoot of the program, although right now the basic "get it off the ground" concept is for a rocket-powered plane.

Historically, the X-37 program was publicly put on hold by NASA in 2004 because the project "no longer fit NASA's long term agenda", and was even seen by the media and industry watchdogs as having ended by proof of extensive layoffs of project personnel.

However, that demise of the X-37 was apparently an incorrect assumption by the media and industry watchers and the X-37 project was actually transferred in the early weeks of 2004 from NASA/USAF and is now alive and well under the exclusive and classified umbrella of DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). (Bear in mind, the X-37 project is not a "black" special access program, it is however an acknowledged classified program.)

There are 2 X-37 variants - the atmospheric drop test vehicle and the orbital test vehicle.
The first of which has to date accomplished 7 drop test-flights from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. The orbital vehicle is due to undergo tests on a shuttle flight at some as yet unspecified point in time.

The X-37A's "mothership" for atmospheric drop tests is the Scaled Composites "White Knight", carrier of the "SpaceShip One" X-Prize winner. Planning for flight tests started in early 2005 and the X-37 atmospheric test vehicle currently has undergone several flights docked to the "White Knight" mothership as well as one free glide flight.

The first free glide flight took place in April 2006, and was a success but the landing experienced some unpleasant bumpiness which led to the test vehicle running off the runway and damaging the front landing gear.

(Pictured above, the X-37A is docked to the Rutan designed "White Knight")

Current status of either vehicle are unknown but what is known is that there is money being spent on extensive wind tunnel tests under the heading of the X-37 budget.

ABL Test: Target Tracking on Track

2006-09-02T16:46:00.000-05:00

The US Missile Defense Agency recently conducted a test with the Airborne Laser (ABL). The ground test demonstrated the weapon's ability to track and terget a ballistic missile.

The test involved using a simulated boosting ballistic missile, the lower power illuminator laser tracked the target and with returns from the illuminator, computations were made for atmospheric anomallies that could distort the ABL's performance.

The ABL which is behind original schedule but considered highly worth the effort is now scheduled to be installed on a 747-400 in 2007 and the program's first attempted shootdown should take place in 2008.

RATTLRS Successfully Tested

2006-09-02T09:41:00.000-05:00

LockMart's Skunkworks has successfully demonstrated submunitions dispensing from a supersonic sled test vehicle performed under the US Office of Naval Research's Revolutionary Approach To Time-critical Long-Range Strike (RATTLRS) program. The RATTLRS test vehicle dispensed inactive submunitions while travelling at nearly 1,400 miles per hour (600 meters per second).

RATTLRS R&D is tailored to explore the technology for hypersonic weapons delivery for the USAF's Long Range Strike program.

The tests for RATLLRS are taking place at Holloman AFB in New Mexico, flight tests for the turbine powered Mach 3 + vehicle are set for sometime late in 2007.

Regarding the New Bomber

2006-08-31T01:34:00.000-05:00

Not meaning to over sensationalize the previous article from Inside the Air Force but there were a couple of points that stood out to me that I'd like to disect.

The Quadrennial Defense Review 2006 states that the USAF should "Develop a new land based penetrating long range strike capability to be fielded by 2018 while modernizing the current bomber force."

Further elaboration on this development schedule revealed that, "this scheduling approach is intended to serve as a bridge between the existing bomber force, which includes 21 B-2As, about 60 Rockwell B-1Bs and about 90 Boeing B-52Hs, and a next-generation long-range strike platform planned for 2037. The interim capability would not be used as a replacement, but would supplement the existing fleet with new upgrades."

So there it is, a USAF defined schedule of 2018 for the interim bomber and 2037 for the "next generation long range strike platform".

Interim Bomber - 2018

Possibilities as you are aware include but are not limited to a revamped Northrop Grumman B-2, a B-1R (regional bomber) with 4 F-119 turbofans (Raptor engines), and the more popular ideas of creating a tailess delta winged FB-22, bomber version of the Raptor or a larger bomber version of the F-23.

Next Generation Strike/Bomber - 2037
Concepts and technologies being looked at here include hypersonics, visual stealth, morphing or oblique flying wings and unmanned autonomous strike craft.

Now let's look at the 2nd paragraph in the report from "Inside the Air Force"; "This robust commitment ... would accelerate bomber modernization by two decades...".

So wait a minute! Accelerating bomber modernization by 2 decades? Originally we were to start development of the interim bomber in 2006, then field it in 2018 - then 20 years or 2 decades later have the Next Generation Strike/Bomber fielded.

Are they saying that instead of the interim bomber concept the DoD is just going to fast-forward to the Next Generation Bomber?

That would take some serious advanced technology development would it not?

It absolutely would, and yet there in the 4th paragraph of the "Inside the Air Force" report is this statement; "Some of it may be ‘very advanced' research,” the source said. “There really is a desire to get to a fly-off or a downselect and have a real competition among the aerospace companies.”

So which is it?

Are we going to have an "interim bomber" fielded by 2018 or are we going to have a next generation strike vehicle accelerated in it's development by 2 decades and fielded by 2018?

I think I know the answer - do you?

$5 Billion for Future Bomber

2006-08-31T01:27:00.000-05:00

The Air Force is proposing a $5 billion down payment for a next-generation long-range strike aircraft, money the service hopes will propel research and development needed to meet the Pentagon’s goal of fielding a new bomber fleet by 2018, according to sources familiar with new Air Force investment plans.

This robust commitment -- detailed in the Air Force’s proposed six-year spending plan, which was submitted to the Office of the Secretary of Defense earlier this month -- would accelerate bomber modernization by two decades in a bid to augment the effectiveness of U.S. air power in the Asia-Pacific region.

Source:

"Gen. Moseley: New long-range bomber on horizon for 2018"; Inside the Air Force

Interim Strike Options

2006-08-26T13:21:00.000-05:00

Back in 2004 AW&ST magazine published an article in which they described the possibility of the interim bomber Long Range Strike system as being a bomber version of the F-22 Raptor.
It was also stated that visual stealth could be a viable technology for such an aircraft.

Here's the article link:
"USAF Weighs Four Skunk Works Designs for Interim Strike"; AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY, 11/28/2004

EXCERPT:
"Lockheed Martin designers are taking the wraps off four concepts they're offering to the U.S. Air Force to meet its requirements for an interim long-range strike platform to fit in between the B-2 and whatever will replace the 21 stealth bombers in the 2035 period.

Buried in those presentations are options--some acknowledged by the company and some not--for employing jamming devices, intelligence-gathering sensors and directed-energy weapons, say a number of military and aerospace industry officials with insight into future strike planning. Other proposals involve mounting low-observable external weapons pods and pylons, introducing morphing wing skins for carrying addition fuel, and changing aircraft skin colors for visual daytime stealth.

Air Force analysts had asked for concepts that could be fielded by 2010. Notional requirements for the interim strike capability include fielding an operational vehicle by 2015 with a range of 1,500-2,000 naut. mi. and a 5-15-ton payload. "

F-35 UCAV in the (Skunk) Works

2006-08-24T23:36:00.000-05:00

Lockheed has revealed that they have been studying unmanned derivatives of the F-35 Lightning II in yet another in a steady stream of news releases as it mounts a PR campaign to establish itself in the unmanned systems market. Concepts studied by Lockheed's Skunk Works include both optionally piloted and dedicated unmanned versions.

Frank Mauro, deputy director unmanned aeronautical systems has stated that there have been behind the scenes discussion on unmaned versions of the F-35 for 2-3 years. Both an optionally piloted and dedicated unmanned Lightning II have been thoroughly conceptualized and designed, but getting the 3 manned versions of the F-35 flying before pursuing the idea any further.

It has been discussed that a fuel tank could replace the cockpit thus extending range, however the cost of the propulsion, avionics and most of the sensor systems should not change from a manned to an unmanned system according to Mr Mauro.

Operationally Lockheed has developed a swarming concept in which four unmanned Lightning II's would be controlled by two manned F-35's, or F-22's, sharing sensor information via an airborne datalink.
This would allow the sensors to be removed from the unmanned F-35s, which would be used as weapon carriers, reducing cost to about 72% that of the manned aircraft 30-35% of the cost is in the sensors.

Boeing's F-15E+ "Super Eagle"

2006-08-24T22:24:00.000-05:00

US Aerospace giant Boeing has designed a major revision for the F-15 Eagle, known as the F-15E+ "Super Eagle". Boeing is offering the Super Eagle to the US Air Force as an interim solution should the Lockheed F-35 encounter further production delays such as the 14 month delay proposed by the US Navy.

The F-15E+ Super Eagle will closely match the technology on board South Korea's new F-15K and Singapore's F-15SG, (incidently, these versions will keep Boeing's F-15 production lines busy until around 2010). The South Korea and Singapore versions are the most technically advanced F-15's on the planet, or at least they were before the F-15E+ Super Eagle.

According to Boeing represenatives the Super Eagle should cost $60 million and includes enhancements such as Raytheon's APG-63 Version 3 AESA radar featuring electronic attack and broadband communications capabilities, the most advanced ground attack software, a new radar warning receive and 15 "smart stations" under the wing enabling it to carry more weaponsthan ever before.

These "Super Eagle" technologies could also be retrofitted onto the existing F-15E fleet. The Air Force has 217 F-15E Strike Eagles.Boeing reps say an additional wing or two of F-15E+'s, somewhere around 100-150 aircraft, would fill the long range strike role until F-35 Lightning II fighters reach combat units in sufficient numbers.

So will the Super Eagle ever take flight? It's a very political issue, since any USAF move to buy an interim force of F-15E+s could send an unintentional message to international F-35 Lightning II partners that the USAF is backing away from its JSF commitments. Congress, the State Department and Lockheed will most likely not let this happen. However, foreign friends have expressed interest in the Super Eagle.

My Opinion:
I personally feel that they should retrofit all the existing Eagles with the Super Eagle package. I say this because I agree that a buy of completely new airframes would be a provocative move politically with our F-35 partners.

A Change of Command

2006-08-18T20:41:00.000-05:00

Lieutenant Colonel Dave Raggio has relinquished command of the 59th Test and Evaluation Squadron to Lt. Col. Dan Holmes who was previously the director of operations at the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron. The 59th TES is responsible for testing, evaluating and reporting on newly procured and improved weapon systems and avionics in support of the warfighter.
It was under Raggio's command that the F-22 Raptor went through it's Force Development Evaluations. Systems such as the F-22's operating software and air-to-ground attack module were all heavily tested by the 59th at the USAF Warfare Center at Nellis prior to getting the thumbs up.

Best of luck to you Lieutenant Colonel, you will be remembered well by those who had the pleasure of working with you.

Lockheed Martin and NextGen Aeronautics & morphing UAVs

2006-08-18T00:37:00.000-05:00

Below is an article posted in Flight International magazine/web site. Anytime there is new information on UAVs you can count on me posting it here.
Those of you who know me, know my professional history with Raytheon and that much of that professional history centered around UAVs and to a lesser degree airborne DEW applications.

Most people who follow UAV/UCAV development are more than aware of Lockheed's work on morphing aerial vehicles, the following article is a bit of an update on the progress of that effort.

"Lockheed and NextGen to demonstrate aggressive flight manoeuvres in next phase" , Flight International - Aug 15, 2006

Following successful in-flight tests of a shape-changing wing, two teams have been funded to demonstrate aggressive manoeuvring using fast morphing. Unmanned air vehicles built by Lockheed Martin and NextGen Aeronautics will use rapid changes in wing shape to perform steep climbs and tight turns following an attack on a target.

NextGen, with funding from Boeing Phantom Works, demonstrated its flexible-skin morphing wing in flight on 1 August, using a subscale remotely piloted vehicle called the MFX-1. Changes in area of 40% and span of 30%, with sweep varying from 15° to 35°, were achieved in flight at speeds of around 100kt (185km/h).

Torrance, California-based NextGen says the flights, at the Camp Roberts test range in California, were the first of a wing whose area, chord, sweep and aspect ratio can be changed in flight. Lockheed's Skunk Works abandoned efforts to fly its folding-wing morphing design after the subscale autonomous vehicle crashed twice during take-off attempts because of flight-control software issues.

The tests rounded out Phase 2 of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) morphing aircraft structures programme. This is demonstrating technology for an unmanned "hunter-killer" combining the loiter endurance of a surveillance platform with the high-speed dash of an attack aircraft in a single shape-changing vehicle.

Phase 2 included successful windtunnel tests of large-scale half models of the competing morphing wing designs (Flight International, 6-12 June).

A revised third phase is taking a slightly different tack, with DARPA funding Lockheed and NextGen to demonstrate the advantages of fast symmetric and asymmetric wing morphing for specific flight manoeuvres. One is a rapid pop-up to gain altitude after a high-speed attack. The other is a limited-radius turn after the attack to inspect or re-attack the target.

"The challenge is morphing quickly, and having the flight-control system keep up," says Dr Terry Weisshaar, DARPA programme manager. The test will involve 90kg (200lb)-class turbojet-powered unmanned air vehicles capable of rapid morphing between two wing shapes. NextGen's flight tests have been scheduled for January, at Camp Roberts, and Lockheed's for February, at the company's Helendale facility in California.

Boeing Phantom Works has joined NextGen as a subcontractor on its MFX-2 UAV, a larger twinjet version of the MFX-1 with improved flexible-skin wing design. Windtunnel tests start in November. Lockheed's design is based on its unsuccessful "Yellow Bird" folding-wing UAV, with a larger engine and new flight-control system supplied by Athena Technologies.

The small UAVs will use battery power to morph between two wing shapes "a couple of times" on each 30min flight, says Weisshaar. Controlling an aircraft that morphs during manoeuvres is challenging because conventional flight-control laws assume the vehicle's shape is constant.

"Vehicle state now includes geometry. Flight control is highly non-linear and rapidly time-variant," he says. "We have to prove we can control the aircraft during rapid manoeuvres."

Israel: MTHEL & Skyguard

2006-08-14T17:39:00.000-05:00

In 2004 the US Army and their partner, the IDF chose to cancel the Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser program after having spent $400 million and being told that it would take another $400 million to get the thing operational and in the field.

The purpose of the planned MTHEL program was to develop and test the first mobile Directed Energy weapon system capable of detecting, tracking, engaging, and defeating Rockets/Artillery/Mortars (RAM), cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

In 2004, the MTHEL shot down about three dozen airborne targets in succession, including Katyusha rockets and mortars. It was very successful in that regard - the main drawback was the amount of money that it would take to get the system in the field and operational as well as it's size and cost of individual units once R&D was done.

Now it's 2006 and Israelis have once again been running for cover as air raid sirens wail warnings of incoming Katyusha rockets. Perhaps it's time to reflect now that there is a ceasefire ... I wonder if the damage to property and people in Israel is in excess of the $400 million it would have taken to get units in the field?

Had the MTHEL program continued, some of Hezbollah's rockets may have gotten through, but many more would have been vaporized in flight. Yitzhak Ben Yisrael, chief of research and development for the Israeli military until 2002, recently said the system could have been battlefield-ready by now and he regrets that it was discontinued.

Well all is not lost.

Northrop Grumman last month unveiled their "son of MTHEL" system called the "Skyguard laser defense system". Building on the company's Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) program, Skyguard can protect ground troops, cities, etc from Rockets/Artillery/Mortars (RAM), the effective range is 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). Weather can degrade the system but not nullify it.

Northrop Grumman is in negotiations with the US services about using Skyguard to protect deployed forces, air bases or other military installations. It is also speaking with Israel, which co-sponsored THEL development, about buying Skyguard. Can Israel truly afford NOT to get the NGC Skyguard?

Sources:
* Northrop Grumman intracompany business watch memo - July 27, 2006
* Israelis differ on missile defense: SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, Saturday, August 5, 2006
* Mobile / Tactical High Energy Laser (M-THEL) Technology Demonstration Program: Defense Update . Com
* Northrop Unveils Skyguard Laser Air Defense System: Aviation Week, 07/13/2006

Stealth Radar signals resembles random noise

2006-08-13T13:31:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting tidbit regarding a new stealthy radar technology. It seems to take the general concept of the F-22 Raptor's AN/APG-77 radar and build on it. The "77" is considered stealthy because it generates seemingly random RF and that is not easily detected by the enemy's SIGINT assets.
This new concept is however a bit different and I must say, sounds intrguing...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University engineers have invented a radar system that is virtually undetectable, because its signal resembles random noise.
The radar could have applications in law enforcement, the military, and disaster rescue.

Eric K. Walton, senior research scientist in Ohio State's ElectroScience Laboratory, said that with further development the technology could even be used for medical imaging.

He explained why using random noise makes the radar system invisible.
"Almost all radio receivers in the world are designed to eliminate random noise, so that they can clearly receive the signal they're looking for," Walton said. "Radio receivers could search for this radar signal and they wouldn't find it. It also won't interfere with TV, radio, or other communication signals."

The radar scatters a very low-intensity signal across a wide range of frequencies, so a TV or radio tuned to any one frequency would interpret the radar signal as a very weak form of static.

"It doesn't interfere because it has a bandwidth that is thousands of times broader than the signals it might otherwise interfere with," Walton said. Like traditional radar, the "noise" radar detects objects by bouncing a radio signal off them and detecting the rebound. The hardware isn't expensive, either; altogether, the components cost less than $100.

The difference is that the noise radar generates a signal that resembles random noise, and a computer calculates very small differences in the return signal. The calculations happen billions of times every second, and the pattern of the signal changes constantly. A receiver couldn't detect the signal unless it knew exactly what random pattern to look for.

The radar can be tuned to penetrate solid walls -- just like the waves that transmit radio and TV signals -- so the military could spot enemy soldiers inside a building without the radar signal being detected, Walton said. Traffic police could measure vehicle speed without setting off drivers' radar detectors. Autonomous vehicles could tell whether a bush conceals a more dangerous obstacle, like a tree stump or a gulley.

The radar is inherently able to distinguish between many types of targets because of its ultra-wide-band characteristics. "Unfortunately, there are thousands of everyday objects that look like humans on radar -- even chairs and filing cabinets," he said. So the shape of a radar image alone can't be used to identify a human. "What tends to give a human away is that he moves. He breathes, his heart beats, his body makes unintended motions."

These tiny motions could be used to locate disaster survivors who were pinned under rubble. Other radar systems can't do that, because they are too far-sighted -- they can't see people who are buried only a few yards away. Walton said that the noise radar is inherently able to see objects that are nearby.

"It can see things that are only a couple of inches away with as much clarity as it can see things on the surface of Mars," he added.

That means that with further development, the radar might image tumors, blood clots, and foreign objects in the body. It could even measure bone density. As with all forms of medical imaging, studies would first have to determine the radar's effect on the body.

The university is expected to license the patented radar system...

Ohio State ElectroScience Laboratory