By Journalist 2nd Class Vanessa Wood, Naval Media Center Norfolk Public Affairs

CHERRY POINT, N.C. (NNS) -- Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were tested June 12-21 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point to see if the different services’ vehicles can work together in joint settings.

The Joint Operational Test Bed System (JOTBS), which led the exercise, Forward Look, is a group of professionals who can fly the aircraft, experiment with them in operational settings and test them while keeping the joint environment in mind.

Forward Look was designed to test the interoperability of UAVs Shadow, Predator and Scan Eagle, which are operated by three different branches of the Armed Services -- Army, Navy and Air Force.

“Predator is an endurance-type UAV that operates at medium altitiude, 15,000 to 20,000 feet and can stay airborne for more than 24 hours, said Frank Roberts, U.S. Joint Forces Commands’s JOTBS director. Shadow is a tactical UAV that operates below 10,000 feet and in the neighborhood of five to six hours maximum in the air. Scan Eagle [is such a small UAV] that essentially one person can pick it up and carry it around. [Scan Eagle] operates in the 2,000-foot regime or lower.”

With these drones working at different elevations for different amounts of time, JOTBS is able to get a bigger picture of what is going on in a certain area.

“Because the Predator is high altitude, his camera has a very broad footprint on the ground, therefore, we can use him for a large area search, said Gerald Hull, mission coordinator, Joint Forces Command Project Forward Look. When he sees something in a large area, we can bring in the medium altitude UAV to go ahead and pinpoint it for us. Then we bring in the smaller UAV to sit on top and stay there until we can get some weapons on the target.

This could make the picture of future warfighting more clear.

“The UAVs have really proven their utility in combat and we’ve had a tremendous proliferation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. All of the services, now, have their own air vehicles. All have different capabilities. What we’re trying to do through U.S. Joint Forces Command is to develop a system through which we can get collaborative efforts of those UAVs together,” said Hull.

According to Roberts, one of the considerations of this test was to take the input from the UAVs and put it into a common format in a common place.

“What we provide for this overall experiment is the capability to take video imagery from the Predator or the Shadow UAV platforms, for example, and bring that in and process it to make its position more accurate, and provide some different displays to give the operator and analyst a better situational awareness of what a target is,” said Pete Raymore, senior operations analyst for the Video Imagery and Capability Enhancement Program at the U.S. Air Force C-2 Battle Lab.

This experiment proved for the first time these drones could be successfully programed to work in harmony with one another, which could change future combat environments and help save lives.

“The name of the game in the end is always to be able to find where the bad guy is quickly so we can take that enemy target out and enemy personnel out before they injure our people. That’s the bottom line of the capability we are trying to accomplish,” said Raymore.

by Tech. Sgt. Brian Davidson
Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center Public Affairs

6/30/2004 - DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFPN) -- The first production A-10 Thunderbolt II was delivered here in October 1975. Fifteen years later, the A-10 was called the most formidable weapon system of its type while flying combat missions during Operation Desert Storm.

Today, more than 30 years after beginning service, many of the Air Force’s A-10s are reaching the end of their predicted 8,000-hour service life.

Because there is no replacement for the A-10, aircraft technicians working on a service-life extension program at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center here are trying to double the aircraft’s operational lifespan.

Although the aircraft are undergoing countless upgrades, center specialists are discovering new ways to enhance aircraft repairs and encountering unexpected problems along the way.

Recently, mechanics discovered a crack in one of the mounts that connect the center assembly to the outboard wing. The crack was hardly noticeable to the naked eye.

“There had never been any inspection criteria established because this was an unpredictable problem,” said Sam Smith, A-10 wing production branch chief.

The mount was designed to prevent landing-related stress from transferring to the wing. It did the job, but not knowing how much more stress a cracked mount could take was a major concern to the A-10 team.

“There is no way to really know if a cracked (mount) could lead to failure in the aircraft, but our job is to make sure every A-10 is returned to the warfighters in perfect condition,” Mr. Smith said. “Every A-10 wing in the inventory is now inspected for cracks in the (mount). As a result of this unexpected finding a special team of technicians (here) has developed inspection and repair procedures to address the problem.”

Even with the new technology and procedures used to replace the wing mounts, each replacement takes two technicians more than 120 hours.

The team creates a template for each mount that meets tolerances within three-thousandths of an inch -- a degree of error that is about equal to the diameter of a human hair.

“Once the first crack was discovered, we began the search for technical guidance on what to do,” said Mark Perrodin, a wing structural mechanic. “There were no technical orders to address the (mount), and there was no history to show that the problem had been discovered before. It appeared that the mount was supposed to last the life of the airframe. But since our goal is to double its lifespan, we had to find a way to replace (them).”

Technicians found that new mounts were available, but each one had to be custom-milled to fit each wing set.

To solve this problem, the team turned to structural mechanic and expert machinist Tommy Rollins. Starting with a 3-foot-long block of aluminum, he went to work, inventing a tool that could be used to customize each wing mount.

“We needed a way to make each new mount match the old one exactly,” Mr. Rollins said. “We were able to design and manufacture a specialized tool to accomplish the task.”

Mr. Rollins and the mount team not only developed the tool to repair the wing mounts, they also wrote the procedures for other A-10 teams to follow when repairing these cracks.

At the A-10 systems manager’s request, the tool was shipped to Ogden Air Logistics Center A-10 Depot at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It is currently being used to repair similar anomalies there. Within a week, Mr. Rollins was in the machine shop making another tool for regeneration center workers here.

Once the new mount is milled to exact specifications, mechanics begin installing it.

First, a template is made to match the exact location and angle for each of the original 14 mounting holes.

With surgical-like skill, a technician installs the old mount, marks the location for one hole, replaces the old mount with the new one and transfers that mark. The procedure must be repeated 24 times to duplicate each individual hole.

Once the new mounts are installed, the wing continues along the line for work on its hydraulics, electronics, fuel cells, sheet metal and under-wing hardpoints used to mount weapons.

When completed, each overhauled wing set is rated for up to 8,000 hours of flight time and installed on an A-10 fuselage that has also undergone a complete refurbishment and upgrades.

俄羅斯駐印度大使卡達京近日接受印度媒體訪問時透露，俄、印兩國正在考慮邀請中國參與製造第五代高性能、多用途戰鬥機。由於卡達京為俄羅斯外派大使，一般認為他不可能隨便發言，因此，不同於以往俄媒體根據「專家透露」、「半官方消息」的報導。

「北京環球時報」報導，卡達京於六月廿七日在新德里接受該報採訪時，出人意料地宣布以上消息。他表示，俄印決定共同開發研製的第五代戰鬥機，不僅是一個新型作戰機器，也是一個龐大的工程，需要大量的資金和智力投入，因此兩國考慮邀請中國參與。

報導說，俄羅斯的這一邀請計畫引起了國際軍事觀察家的廣泛關注。美國軍方對此也高度重視。美方認為，俄羅斯計畫中的第五代戰鬥機，將對美國「構成嚴重挑戰」﹔更為重要的是，中國若加入這項計畫，將對中國空軍提升實力大有幫助。

九十年代中期，美國開始研製第五代多用途戰鬥機－聯合攻擊戰鬥機。俄軍有感於現有的第四代戰機綜合作戰性能無法相比，有了相當的緊迫感，也擔心廿一世紀上半葉的戰鬥機市場將被美國囊括。

據俄羅斯軍方人士透露，俄方正在研製的第五代戰鬥機具有超凡的威力：起飛重量在廿噸左右，具有超機動性、超音速巡航、超視距空戰和隱身能力，能在三百至四百公尺的短距離上起降，在一百至一百五十公里範圍內發現目標，在五十至七十公里內對目標進行定位，在四十公里內精確測定並最終確定威脅最大的八個目標；可以攜帶各類遠、中、近程空對空導彈，並能摧毀空中預警機和戰略轟炸機等。此外，每架飛機的價格還不超過三千萬美元。

報導說，俄羅斯所以要邀請中國參與研製第五代戰機，主要著眼於資金。據專家估計，研製第五代戰機，起碼需要八十至一百億美元，但印度只能提供十五億美元，而俄羅斯自己卻窮得捉襟見肘。

近年來印度與中國的關係雖然有所改善，但印度絕
不會忘記巴基斯坦一事。中印俄合作研發戰機無疑代表
印度下代戰機性能曝光給主要及次要敵人。

俄國為了維持軍火工業不斷輸出科技給中國，
但該國同樣對中國仍有防備之心。這種事俄國高層
是否同意﹖…

再者，中國本身也有自己的下代戰機計劃，他們
也從未表露出任何跟印度合作軍事研發的意願。

【信息時報】 F-15“鷹”戰機已經在世界軍機較量中稱雄多年，雖然俄羅斯的專家一直聲稱其研制的Su-30戰機就是針對F-15來的，但美國從未在公開場合讓其向SU-30“示弱”。然而，部門利益和巨大的軍工巨頭的利益終於使這一稱雄多年的戰機走入暮年。上周，美國空軍將領公開向媒體承認F-15的性能不如Su-30，終使一代名“機”的名聲毀於一旦。

F-15“鷹”雄遲暮

俗話說“舍不得孩子套不住狼”，美國空軍為了爭取在換裝計劃中得到最大利益，不惜以一代名“機”的名聲為代價。F-15在美國空軍中被稱呼為“鷹”，這只“鷹”稱得上是當代殲擊機的精品。空軍部門為了自身以及其幕後軍工巨頭的利益最終承認它的性能存在不足使之提早走入暮年，但這依然掩飾不了它曾經取得的榮耀。

F-15問世不久，即在中東地區大顯神威，1991年海灣戰爭中更是出盡風頭。在“沙漠風暴”行動中，F-15共擊落伊各型飛機33架，占全部被擊落敵機的87%，而自已無一受損。最令人嘆為觀止的是，從它參加各種空戰至2003年，共擊落各種飛機96架，而自己無一被擊落。直到2003年4月6日，一架F-15E在伊拉克上空被擊落，這是F-15E首次戰斗損失。由於F-15的價格實在太昂貴，即便是美國富甲一方，也難以大批量釆購，但與其後美國新開發的昂貴軍機相比，它在現今的戰機中算得上是性價比比較高的，因為除了SU-系戰機外，能夠在性能上超出它的并不多。而蘇-30能在性能上超出 F-15，關鍵是其裝備了雙向推力矢量發動機，它產生的推力可根據需要隨時改變方向，極大提高了戰斗機的機動性。目前，世界上只有另外兩種型號的戰機裝備有這種高級發動機，美國的F-22既是其中一種，這也許是F-15的支持者唯一不能反駁的地方。

其實，美國歷次作戰觀念的的升級以及軍事裝備的換裝都是伴隨著大規模的口水戰進行的，F-15替代第二代戰機時也遇到同樣情形。在作戰部門力圖保持絕對優勢的思維和軍工產業利益的壓力下，美軍定期換裝的習慣將使一部分戰機面臨絕境。目前與F-15一樣依然還能在戰場上占據優勢的F-14熊貓戰機和F-16都面臨類似情形。F-14由於要給F-18超級大黃蜂騰位置，已經在美國海軍裝備中逐漸減少，雖然來自一線飛行員依然認為兩者的性能并無太大的區別。而F-16也遭到了空軍的冷遇，美國空軍在未來的釆購計劃中曾透露已經拋棄F-15和F-16，轉而全部依靠F-22和JSF聯合戰斗機，不過，由於F-16在性能上還是優於F-15，目前在國際軍機市場上是美國的主力，才沒有遭到同F-15一樣的霉運。

歡迎廣大讀者就您所喜愛的軍事話題來函討論。聯系方式：zhangz＠xxsb.com。

美軍一向對自己的實力自信而不謙虛，尤其是海空軍，早已習慣了“稱霸”的感覺。但是，美國空軍空中作戰司令部司令霍恩伯格將軍近日接受《今日美國》釆訪時承認，美國空軍主力F-15戰機性能不如俄羅斯制造的蘇-30多功能殲擊機。霍恩伯格的這一表態讓人不禁納悶，美國國防部門和企業炫耀他們的先進武器從來都是不遺余力，尤其在面對國際軍火市場上的“仇人”俄羅斯時，更是不甘示弱，此時此刻為何做出這番滅自家志氣長他人威風的事來。

面子和利益使美國強撐

霍恩伯格的說法主要是針對F-15與Su-30在今年2月中旬印度上空的一次對抗演習，在這場名為“對抗印度04”的美印聯合軍事演習中，印度大膽作出決定，派出其裝備的最先進戰機Su-30MKI與美國的F-15C做一次模擬實戰的對抗，以檢驗雙方戰機的性能。一個是當今軍事力量最強大的美軍的主力裝備，一個是自詡全球軍事排名第三的印度空軍的裝備王牌，這場對抗當然讓人期待，更何況這也是兩種戰機的全球首次對陣。沒想到對抗的結果竟是美國的主力戰機不敵印度的蘇式裝備。對於這次印度有史以來最大規模的聯合空戰演習，這樣的結果當然令印度十分滿意，其國內媒體更是大肆宣揚，而美國一方則保持相當的低調，似乎是為了保住面子不愿對此多加評論。

有關美國F-15戰機性能不如俄制Su系戰機的說法一直以來都存在，但主要是來自俄羅斯的專家和選擇Su系戰機裝備的國家的說法，美軍高層、甚至其歐洲盟友從來沒有公開承認過這一點。

Su系戰機的東家蘇霍伊公司曾經透露，上世紀90年代初期，前蘇聯解體後，俄空軍接受美方邀請，曾由俄空軍利佩茨克飛行訓練中心主任哈爾切夫斯基少將親自率隊，駕駛Su-27殲擊機前往美軍在大西洋的基地，與美空軍F-15戰機進行了較量。對抗演習就在大西洋美軍基地上空進行。據哈爾切夫斯基少將透露，對抗演練中，根據事先制訂的戰斗條件，先是Su-27戰機尾追美軍F-15進行攻擊，然後交換位置，進行第二次較量。結果，在兩次較量中，Su-27都輕松勝出。參加對抗演練的俄空軍王牌飛行員認為，俄戰機獲勝的主要原因是由於Su-27具有超強的機動性能和高拉重比性能，F-15無法象蘇-27那樣在上升段飛行時就急劇增速，美軍飛機必須經過一個短暫的、有特色的階段，在某一時刻平行飛行一段時間後才能增速，這一弱點被俄飛行員充分利用。雖然美軍的F-15經過這些年也做了些改進，但俄羅斯更是在SU-27基礎上改裝出蘇-30，并稱就是針對F-15，因此在性能上超越F-15當然就不是什麼大問題。

美國方面則并不這樣認為。這其中的原因，一方面是面子上的因素。作為美軍的主力裝備，美國國防部當然不想讓別人認為他們的武器遜過其他國家的裝備，更不希望由此產生對美軍作戰能力的懷疑，減少對美國在干涉國際事務中的“信任”度。但最重要的原因是美國需要在國際軍火市場維護美軍戰機的名聲，否則將意味著美國軍工企業每年損失數十甚至上百億美元的國際定單。

美國空軍戰機的裝備已處於臨近飽和的狀態，早已不是F-15的東家波音公司的大買家，為了維護在公司位於美國聖路易斯的生產線，波音公司力圖在國際市場中尋求買家，2000年，為了一單來自韓國的40億美元的合同，甚至請來美國國務卿鮑威爾親自上陣游說韓國軍方。

印度熱炒美國低調藏貓膩

霍恩伯格沒有透露對抗演習時印度上空到底發生了什麼，印空軍飛行員是如何操縱蘇式戰機取得優勢并擊敗美軍飛機的，但建議媒體不要對此進行過多的評論。霍恩伯格認為，一些擁有Su-30MK多功能殲擊機的國家空軍，在對抗美軍戰機時具有一定的優勢，并會在將來對美軍奪取制空權構成威脅。他表示，美軍飛機并非如一些人所想象的那樣，超出世界其它國家飛機許多。

一方面是印度大肆宣揚“戰果”，一方面是美國軍方故意保持低調，這其中的玄機耐人尋味。

對於這次對抗演習，美軍主動要求印度出動Su-30，而印度軍方內部則是幾經爭吵才做出決定，如果美國要求雙方對對陣結果保密，應該不是什麼難事，但最終結果卻是首先通過印度媒體向世界傳播。從消息傳出的時間來看，演習早在2月已經結束，演習結果也是明擺著的，印度為何沒有在演習結束後立刻把這個好消息告知國民，這才是其一貫的作風。很明顯，通過印度方面的報道，美軍高級將領巧妙地“公開承認”了美軍現役殲擊機的弱點。

美國空軍的這種做法實在是煞費苦心，但目標也十分明確──說服國會批准空軍購置F-22(F／A-22)“猛禽”以替代F-15的高昂計劃。

F-15作為美空軍的主力裝備畢竟已有了30年的歷史，隨著美國的F-16、俄羅斯的SU-27、SU-30在國際軍火市場上的走俏，以及歐洲戰機的浮出水面，F-15已是明日黃花，沒有什麼競爭力可言。近年來，不但美國空軍對其完全失去了興趣，國際市場上的買家也都把目光集中在了幾種型號更新，性能也更優的戰機上。此種形勢下，再死死抱住這棵行將枯死的老樹，美國的軍工巨頭顯然撈不到什麼好果子吃。要想讓納稅人的錢流到軍工企業的腰包，辦法只有一個，為F-15升級換代。而作為已投入數百億美元進行了10多年研制的F-22“猛禽”早已被美國空軍定為F-15的換裝替代機型，其研制和試驗項目就要結束，并且已經形成了初步的裝備能力。

F-22的主承包商洛克希德-馬丁公司認為美國空軍計劃至少需要381架F-22戰斗機，而一架F-22目前價格在1.3億美元左右，這遠遠超出了國會能夠批准的預算額，也引起了部分議員的不滿，認為F-22的試驗還未完成，許多重大性能還未驗證，因此研制費用還將增加，美國空軍沒有必要這麼著急換裝。即便批准換裝計劃，也不能完全依照國防部的要求，要多少給多少，議會能夠接受的數字是180∼227架，這顯然不能滿足空軍和軍工巨頭的胃口。目前，如何說服美國議會批准價值400億到500億美元的換裝計劃成為軍火巨頭們公關的重中之重。

“猛禽”出山斷送“老鷹”前途

近兩個月來，關於F-22戰機的消息不斷。五角大樓在謀求世界軍事巨無霸的野心驅使下，在軍工巨頭的壓力下，為奪取未來戰爭制空權，積極研制超現代化戰機，以爭取較多的預算撥款，同時推動戰機出口謀取高利潤，幾乎已成為其另外一項專職工作。而基本手段不外有二：鼓吹新式武器的威力和貶低舊式裝備的性能。

對於貶低舊式裝備的性能，再也沒有什麼比實戰結果更令人信服，這也是美軍在演習開始之前，強烈要求印度出動SU-30的原因。由此，不難理解美軍為何在此時透露F-15不敵Su-30的“實情”。而在鼓吹新式裝備的性能絕對是軍方的拿手好戲。

美國空軍認為，制空權是未來戰爭的首要法寶，而F-22能夠帶來這一優勢。由於潛在的敵方正利用高新技術以及常規的地對空導彈和雷達編織防護鐵幕，使美軍無法接近目標。而F-22不但能夠穿透這種鐵幕，而且有能力越過和摧毀鐵幕下的地方系統，為後續部隊打開大門。

美空軍高層官員5月下旬在安德魯斯空軍基地舉行的航展上，也重點向到訪的記者和參觀人員盡力吹捧正在發展的F-22猛禽優越性能。空軍部長羅奇向公眾描述說，他們用5架F-15鷹與一架F-22猛禽對戰，只用了3分鐘就結束戰斗，猛禽在模擬環境打下5架F-15，而5架F-15甚至連猛禽的影子都沒發現。因為猛禽飛得高，隱身性好，所以即使F-15擁有非常高性能的雷達，但自始至終也沒有一架F-15能發現和確定F-22在何處，而F-22卻時刻盯著5架F-15。同時，F-22的研究單位也拿出一系列對比數字證明納稅人的錢沒有白花。一句話，一架F-22抵得上5架F-15，不換實在說不過去。

不過，對於美國空軍吹噓的這些優點，在另外一些軍事專家眼中一錢不值。

美國傳奇戰斗機飛行員、飛機設計師里克斯奧尼日前發表論文指稱，美國空軍應該廢止F-22戰機計劃，F-22戰斗機被改進為戰斗轟炸機使用并不正確。F-22最初被設計為隱形超音速戰機，但是這一設計目標卻成為F-22改進成轟炸機的最大障礙。原因在於隱形轟炸機必須將其機載炸彈裝備藏於機身內部，但是F-22內置武器艙只設計用於掛載空對空導彈，由於內部武器艙空間有限，F-22最多只能掛載兩枚1000磅的炸彈以及一些空對空導彈。 而F-22“猛禽”戰斗機與F-117“夜鷹”戰斗機相比，兩者都是技術含量高的隱形戰斗機，但是F-117戰斗機可以掛載兩枚2000磅炸彈，這是F-22載荷的兩倍，而且F-117戰斗機的造價僅是F-22的一半。

美國“監督政府項目部”也對此空軍堅持釆購F-22表示不解，執行官布賴恩認為國防部再一次試圖發展一種高價格、不需要的武器系統，最後的結果是只有承包商可以獲利。而美國國會部分議員則認為，美軍目前根本用不著這樣的高性能戰機，因為潛在的敵方戰斗機其性能近二十年來沒有多大變化，而美國的戰斗機在近年來的幾次局部戰爭也幾乎沒有什麼損失。在過去15年中美軍戰斗機共出動了40萬戰斗架次，而只損失了39架飛機，生存率達99.9%，而且損失的飛機中沒有一架是在空中格斗中被擊落的。

與空軍和洛克希德﹒馬丁公司的專家相比，這些議員似乎太缺乏想像力。空軍部長羅奇告訴國會議員說，可以設想出，可能的敵人從俄羅斯那里購買飛機，然後裝備上以色列研制的電子干擾機、法國產的導彈以及高性能的雷達，那麼美軍將無法對抗這種飛機，解決的途徑只有一條，裝備“猛禽”。

由於F-22已是國防部長拉姆斯菲爾德下令要審查的項目，面臨可能的軍費預算削減，美空軍和洛克希德-馬丁公司立即披露了F-22“猛禽”的部分研發內幕，希望以此讓國會了解，從而繼續投資購買該戰斗機。而一份尚未公布的有關印度空軍蘇-30MK和F-15對抗演習結果的報告更凸顯了軍方和軍工企業論點重要性，在處於如此劣勢的情況下，空軍不能繼續抱著老樹，換裝是必然的選擇。

Su-30戰斗機

俄羅斯蘇霍伊公司在蘇-27基礎上發展的重型戰斗機，1992年首飛。蘇-30MK是雙座雙發多用途重型戰斗機，該機具有遠程截擊、對地攻擊和指揮單座蘇-27作戰的三位一體作戰功能。印度派出與F-15C對抗的既是此種型號。

動力：兩台渦扇發動機，單台最大加力推力122.6千牛。

尺寸：長21.935米，高6.43米，翼展14.7米。

性能：最大起飛重量38000公斤，最大速度2.0馬赫，最大航程3000公里，作戰半徑2300公里，最大探測距離100公里，最大載彈量為8000公斤，可以同時跟蹤10個目標，并保證對其中1個最危險的目標優先攻擊。

F-15“鷹”式戰斗機

美國麥道公司(現已并入波音)研制的重型制空戰斗機。主要有A、B、、D、E共5個型號，其中A、C為單座型，B、D、E為雙座型。這次參與對抗的為F15-C。

動力：兩台渦扇發動機，單台最大加力推力128.9千牛。

尺寸：長19.43米，高5.63米，翼展13.05米。

性能：最大起飛重量36741公斤，最大速度2.5馬赫，最大航程3200公里，作戰半徑1270公里。最大探測距離150公里。最大載彈量11113公斤。

F-22“猛禽”戰斗機

美國洛克希德-馬丁公司研制的新一代雙發重型制空戰斗機，將取代現役的F-15戰斗機，成為美國空軍21世紀初的主力戰機。1997年首飛，該機釆用隱形外形設計，在結構上大量使用復合材料，具有隱身性和超機動性雙優品質。

動力：兩台渦扇發動機，單台最大加力推力155.6千牛。

尺寸：長19.06米，高5.03米，翼展13.57米。

性能：最大起飛重量27215公斤，最大速度2.1馬赫，最大航程4830公里，作戰半徑1800公里。最大探測距離200公里，可同時跟蹤30個目標，并能攔截巡航導彈。

聽說老美壓在箱底的法寶並沒拿出來，有裝AESA 的F-15 並沒有參加…

>>這些優點，在另外一些軍事專家眼中一錢不值。
>>美國傳奇戰斗機飛行員、飛機設計師里克斯奧尼日前發表論文指稱，
>>美國空軍應該廢止F-22戰機計劃，F-22戰斗機被改進為戰斗轟炸機使用
>>并不正確。

Riccioni 的批評並非毫無爭議性…

F-22 自然是個錢坑，但錢丟下去畢竟還是有好處。
F-117 儘管有 F 在它名字內，其防衛能力相當薄弱。以速度、
航程、生存率、出勤率來說 F-117 都比不上 F-22 。

我對 PAK-FA 還是不怎麼清楚，該計劃用什麼樣層次的科技
我也沒看到官方有任何詳細的描述。

不過，這畢竟是短期內唯一受到俄國政府大力支持、投資的
研發。目的當然是維持俄國航太工業的技術，我想也不會
太差吧。

原文在此﹕
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/
F/A-22 Raptor Has No Role As a Bomber, Legendary Fighter Pilot Says
(Source: Project On Government Oversight; dated June 17, web-posted June 22, 2004)

Plans by the U.S. Air Force to make the F/A-22 tactical fighter more politically appealing by creating a bomber version of the aircraft should be scrapped, former legendary fighter pilot, aircraft designer, strategic bomber analyst, Air Force Colonel Everest Riccioni says in an upcoming paper supporting these views. His comments come as the Senate and House tussle over funding for the program.

There is no proper, “justifiable niche” for the F/A-22 fighter aircraft to be modified for an air-to-surface/ground support role, or bomber, Riccioni argues in his paper. Riccioni, now retired, has no financial associations with any defense contractors, including his former employer Northrop Grumman.

“The F-22’s original design for stealth and supercruise makes it singularly resistant to modification,” writes Riccioni, the legendary fighter pilot, member of the so-called “Fighter Mafia,” and pioneer of supersonic cruise technology in the 1970s and the Lightweight Fighter Program. “Bombs must be carried internally on stealthy aircraft. The internal weapons bay of the F–22, designed to contain only air-to-air missiles, is necessarily small and it can carry at most only two 1,000 lb, bombs together with a few air-to-air missiles.”

“This puts the Raptor squarely in competition with the very accurate, highly specialized, proven, stealthiest strike aircraft in the world, the F-117 Nighthawk. But the F-117 carries two 2,000 lb bombs - twice the bomb load of the F-22 - at half the F-22’s cost.”

“Here we go again,” said POGO Executive Director Danielle Brian. “The Pentagon is once again trying to make an overpriced and unneeded weapons system more appealing to the public by adding bells and whistles. The only winners are the defense contractors who fatten their bottom lines.”

Among the other conclusions of Riccioni’s soon to be released paper, “History of the USAF F-22 Raptor Acquisition: A National Tragic-Comedy”:

--The F/A-22 Raptor originally was expected to cost “not a dollar more than the F-15C,” according to Riccioni. (In March 2004, the General Accounting Office estimated that the Air Force would only be able to purchase 218 F/A-22’s with the $72 billion total cost of the program. Based on those numbers, the aircraft would cost roughly $330 million each to develop and build.)

--The F/A-22 has no role that can’t be filled by today’s current U.S. fighter aircraft. “Al Qaeda doesn’t train, enlist, or use fighter pilots,” Riccioni writes. “Terrorists do not employ fighter forces. There is no need for new air superiority fighters.”

--The reduced numbers of F/A-22 aircraft will adversely affect the Air Force mission. “Most important - 175-250 fighters do not allow for multiple, simultaneous missions like the thousands in our F-15, F-16, and F-18 fleets can perform,” his paper concludes.

--The F-22 was defined and conceived during the Cold War to penetrate deep into Russia, achieving air superiority, to break up the expected large formations of Warsaw Pact bombers that were to enter and destroy Europe. Now the threats have been removed, Riccioni argues.

The U.S. Senate version of the 2005 Defense Authorization bill cuts $280 million from the F/A-22 fighter aircraft program and “is a step in the right direction,” Brian added.

Debate on the Senate version of the 2005 Defense Authorization is expected as early as this week. The House version of the bill would fully fund the Air Force request for 24 F/A-22s at a total cost of $4.2 billion while the Senate’s would cut the number to 22 aircraft, or $3.9 billion, giving the Air Force time “to improve its production delivery schedule.”

不過，美國空軍的想法應該是用 F-22 替 B-2 / F-117 開道。
從這角度來看 F-22 載彈量比不上專門的攻擊機反而沒那麼重要。

最接近王道的方案，大概只有換裝F-22戰機用發動機的波音集團改良型B-1R計劃了

http://www.kojii.net/jdw/jdw040616.html

Modified B-1, B-2 top interim strike options

2015 年頃に実用可能にする長距離ストライク・プラットフォームに関する、
米国防総省の RfI (Request for Information) に対して、米 Boeing 社と米
Northrop Grumman 社が、B-1B と B-2A の改修機など、全部で 6 種類の提案
を行なっている。いずれも、空軍が要求している対応能力、持続性、生存性、
攻撃力、ネットワークへの接続性、取得性に関連する変更を取り入れている
もの。
Boeing 社が提案しているのは B-1B の改修機で、B-1R (Regional) と仮称さ
れている。これは、新型の電子走査アレイになると思われる新型レーダーや
FLIR といった新型センサーに加えて、高速データ通信能力を付加して、コッ
クピットにいる搭乗員に強力な状況認識能力を与えるもの。
兵装としては、自衛用の AIM-120 AMRAAM を機外のハードポイントに搭載す
る。START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) の規定を遵守するため、機
内・機外ともハードポイントに核兵器を搭載することはできないようにする。
また、B-1R では F101-GE-102 エンジンを F/A-22 用の F119 エンジンに換
装してパワーアップを図り、B-1B の巡航速度 M0.85、ダッシュ速度 M1.2 か
ら、最高速度を M1.6 に引き上げる。
Northrop Grumman 社では、B-2A の改修機、B-2A GSCI (Global Strike Capa-
bilities Initiative) を提案している。改修のポイントはコンピュータのアッ
プグレードと光ファイバー通信網の導入、衛星通信リンクの性能強化といっ
たもの。また、SDB (Small Diameter Bomb) などの新型兵装を搭載可能にす
るほか、飛行中に動的な目標設定変更を可能にする。さらに、低高度飛行に
備えて GATM (Global Air Traffic Management) のアップグレードを実施す
る。
Northrop Grumman 社は、この GSCI を空軍の RfI に先立ち、今後数十年に
わたって B-2A が生き残れるようにするための発展性を持たせるために提案
していた。それが、空軍からの RfI 発行によってぴったりと噛み合った格好。
米空軍が 4 月末にメーカー各社に提示した Global Strike/Global Persis-
tent Attack 能力は、2030 年頃に次世代ストライク・プラットフォームが
実用可能になるまでの間、暫定手段として手持ちの爆撃機戦力に対して能力
強化を図るもの。要求されている能力としては、

・戦域と離れた場所からでも作戦できる能力
・敵性空域に侵攻できる能力
・強力に防護された施設を含む各種ターゲットに対する攻撃能力
　(核兵器と通常兵器の両方)
・精密誘導兵器と非誘導兵器の両方を運用できる能力

といったものが挙げられていて、改修された爆撃機によって、これらの要求
を実現できるよう求めている。
また、Boeing 社と Northrop Grumman 社の両方とも、選択肢のひとつとして
通常弾頭装備の ICBM を提示している。Boeing 社は Prompt Global Strike
Missile と称して、退役したピースキーパー ICBM のブースターを再生して、
兵装ペイロードとして CAV (Common Air Vehicle) を、再突入時に保護可能
な状態で搭載する提案を行っている。一方の Northrop Grumman 社は、Rapid
Global Attack と称して同種の提案を行っており、これをテコにして、同社
の Force Application and Launch from the Continental US 計画を推進し
ようとしている。
また、両社とも UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle) を大型化した爆撃
機バージョンを提案している。Boeing 社が提案している X-45D は 2,268kg
のペイロードを搭載可能な機体で、各種航空機オプションの中では、もっと
も生存性が高いとされる。Northrop Grumman 社は、X-47B から派生した、
Unmanned Regional Attack なるものを提案している。
このほか、Boeing 社はブレンデッド・ウィング・ボディを持ち、多数のスタ
ンドオフ攻撃兵装を搭載してロイターすることで「空飛ぶ兵器庫」の役割を
果たす機体を提案している。最大のものでは、265 発の巡航ミサイルを搭載
するとの由。また、同社はレーザー兵器を使って遠隔地の攻撃を可能にする
ため、反射鏡を搭載した飛行船を使用する構想も提案している。
Northrop Grumman 社は、公表された提案以外のものについてコメントするこ
とを拒否しているが、同社は空軍に対し、低速のものから高速のものまで、
広範囲にわたる選択肢を提示しているとの由。
一方、アメリカの航空宇宙業界で三番手にある米 Lockheed Martin 社では、
F/A-22 ラプターのステルス性と速度性能を維持した派生型などを提案してい
る。ただ、ラプター派生型では搭載量と航続性能の増大と引き換えに、機動
性が低下すると、同社の関係者はいっている。

為了迎擊洛馬黑暗王朝的FB-22提案，波音與諾葛提出了一堆五花八門的提升與開發方案，以爭取老美空軍2015~2035過渡時期全球打擊轟炸兵力開發計畫．

最實際的是對現有重轟炸機的升級改良，波音提出B-1R計畫，將現有的B-1B換上新型AESA雷達，新型高速資料通訊網路，加裝FLIR，改裝F-119發動機，增加AIM-120的使用能力等等.....................預定改裝之後的B-1R，將擁有1.2馬赫級的超音速轟炸巡航能力，極速1.6馬赫級．諾葛則提出B-2全球打擊能力性能提升計畫．

此外，雙方也利用現有待除役ICBM的彈體與火箭馬達開發的極高速全球轟炸系統，波音的計畫被稱為Common Air Vehicle，諾葛的計畫則稱為Rapid　Global Attack．

王道的UCAV計畫自然也要參上一腳，雙方各自呈上現有UCAV計畫的大型轟炸版：X-45D與改良自X-47B的Unmanned Regional Attack方案．

Washington Watch
May 2004 Vol. 87, No. 5
F/A-22 Ups and Downs; the Tacair Debate; Beyond Goldwater-Nichols; Long Range Strike
http://www.afa.org/magazine/May2004/0504watch.asp

前略

Long-Range Strike Takes Steps Forward

The Air Force is speeding up its plans to acquire a new long-range strike capability by about a decade. Two new service offices—one at Air Combat Command and one at Air Force Materiel Command—have been set up to help quicken the pace toward finding a successor for today’s bombers.

The offices will develop an analysis of alternatives and manage acquisition of a future long-range strike capability, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, USAF vice chief of staff, told the House Armed Services Committee in March. He said that the Air Force planned to have a new system in service by 2025.

That is more than a decade sooner than USAF’s previous plan, which called for a bomber replacement to come online around 2037.

The two offices were funded out of the $100 million Congress inserted in the Fiscal 2004 defense authorization bill specifically to begin work on a successor to USAF’s bomber fleet. (See “Washington Watch: On to the Next Bomber,” January, p. 8.) Congress was concerned that USAF was not moving fast enough.

Moseley did not limit the new long-range strike system to a specific platform; instead he said USAF was considering a “portfolio of options that includes manned and unmanned systems, air breathing and space systems, and a wide mix of munitions connected to a network backbone of command and control that facilitates global strike.”

However, he noted that the service is still thinking about a “bridge capability” to provide more deep strike choices while the new system is developed.

To form this bridge, the Air Force is considering an F/A-22 variant, called an FB-22, to serve as a “regional” bomber, in the words of Secretary Roche. It would have a theater capability but not global reach. The FB-22 would have a range of about 1,800 miles, with a payload of up to 30 small diameter bombs. The aircraft would not have all the maneuvering capability of the F/A-22, but would retain stealth and high speed.

************
有關interim bomber 競爭者的舊文﹕
US Air Force sets sights on interim bomber fleet

Flight International
11-May-2004

The US Air Force has invited industry to propose ideas for a new bomber force that will be capable of striking more of the most difficult targets and be delivered two decades before a next-generation aircraft arrives in 2037.

A tailless, larger version of the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F/A-22 Raptor - dubbed the F/B-22 - is a leading contender, but competing concepts also are being developed by Boeing and Northrop Grumman. The X-45C unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV)is expected to be the focus of Boeings proposal, which could set up one of the first competitions between a manned an unmanned platform. Northrop Grumman plans to offer a range of options that borrow from the companys work on quiet supersonic technology, the B-2A stealth bomber and the X-47B UCAV.

The companies have 30 days to respond to a request for information posted on 29 April. The invitation, which is open only to US companies, was released by the capability planning division at the Aeronautical Systems Center, which manages the air forces fighter and bomber programmes.

The request could pave the way to a development effort beginning in 2006, followed by initial operational capability in 2015, with all deliveries to be completed by 2020. 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.

The goal is to be able to operate at extended distances with a flexible payload, including nuclear and conventional munitions, and be able to strike hardened and deeply buried targets. A new or modified bomber aircraft is considered the most likely option, but the air force is open to other ideas.

Marvin Sambur, assistant secretary to the air force for acquisition, says the F/B-22 is one of the options the air force wants to review.

Responses to the request for information are required to include the magnitude of resources necessary to field this capability in 2015, the USAF says. Desired attributes are responsiveness, persistence, survivability (including lethal self-protection), lethality, connectivity and affordability.

美軍重新考慮加油機的租借案，因為KC-135可能不用那麼早退，另外邪惡的LM也偷偷地推銷闇黑鑽石翼的全新設計。

龍捲風F3正在進行AMRAAM中途資料鍵的改良案，將允許其具有攻擊四個機動目標的能力。

Ａ：.......山田西南機計畫又出了啥鳥狀況是嗎？？？？

相對於印度從俄羅斯與法國不斷取得先進的第四代戰機，巴基斯坦迫切地需要BVR戰力，這正是JF-17最重要的貢獻。JF-17將帶來SD-10中程飛彈，而巴國也對J-10表達了興趣。不過巴國空軍司令說：「J-10仍要很久以後才會成熟，所以我們仍在尋找其他選擇」...外銷通常是科技的洩漏管道....儘管這十多年來中國提出的JF-17、J-10與相關航電武裝的發展方案讓巴國有縮短與印度差距的機會，但巴國也承認，中國的科技仍有一段距離，因此仍要推動現有戰機的改良，包括J-7PG的Grifo雷達改良案（使其具有夜戰能力，我猜應該是該雷達可以協助IR飛彈鎖定），F-16的F-100引擎推力升級，以及收購各國退下來的幻象三（巴國已經成為全球最大的幻象三操作國）...

Ａ：幻象三在歐洲地區只剩下法國空軍的實驗單位還有一架，而且也快除役矣；不明白小巴空軍何苦今日還要收購這些與F-104同輩，也無啥後續升級改良計畫可言的老古董來湊數，難不成要和老印米格二十一鬥摔機失事率不成？？

巴國的處境真是很像十幾年前的台灣啊！（如果有人還認為我們不該緊抱美國的大腿，應該走自己的路的話，可以參考巴國的下場。所謂的強權就是你聽他話的話，的確只有喝湯的份，但是不聽話的話....嘿嘿嘿）

巴基斯坦的 Mirage III / Mirage V 一部份經過1992 年SAGEM 提出
的 ROSE (Retrofit of Strike Element) 計劃提昇，其他則是依ROSE-II
標準修改。兩者皆為航電方面的提昇，包括裝配 IN 、HUD、
空中影像帶記錄系統、RWR 等。唯一的差別為 ROSE 裝了
能發射 AIM-9L 的 Griffo-M 雷達，ROSE-II 則以 FLIR 替換。

目前巴基斯坦約有 20 架 Mirage V ROSE-II 以及約 50 架的
Mirage III / V ROSE 。其餘的未經提昇，且有部份可能已封存。

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid;=1534&ncid;=1534&e;=7&u;=/afp/20040705/wl_sthasia_afp/pakistan_military_libya_040705124704

Pakistan buys fleet of Mirage jets from Libya
Mon Jul 5, 8:47 AM ET

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan has turned to old ally Libya to purchase a fleet of Mirage fighter jets and spare parts, an air force spokesman said.

Libya had a fleet of Mirages which was grounded for over a decade. We have purchased that fleet at a very reasonable price, Air Commodore Sarfraz Khan told AFP on Monday.

The deal has been finalised, the shipment has started.

Khan would not reveal the price or the number of craft in the fleet, but press reports said the purchase included 50 jets and 150 engines.

All the jets will be scrapped for spare parts to maintain Pakistans existing fleet of mirages.

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is going to reduce the Mirages to spares and use them in maintaining our already existing fleet.

The PAF currently operates 180 Mirage jets, according to international defence research organisations.

Khan would only put the number at more than 100, but he said Pakistan was the biggest user of the French-manufactured Mirage III and V models.

Pakistan first purchased the sleek fighter jets in 1968. Its current fleet is a mixture of used Mirages purchased from Australia and freshly produced models from France.

Mirage IIIs are high-speed, all-weather, delta wing, long-range fighter-bombers, used by the Pakistan Air Force as a multi-role fighter.

The Mirage V was designed as a ground-attack and reconnaissance aircraft. It is also used by the PAF in an anti-ship role armed with Exocet anti-ship missiles.

The Mirage is considered one of the worlds most elegant aircraft, with a wing span of 8.22 meters (26 feet) and top speeds of up to 2,350 kilometers per hour.

美國國會參議院要求五角大廈對STOVL的升力風扇進行研究
2004-7-05

　　[據美國《每日防務》2004年7月1日報導稱]　　隨著目前對F-35聯合打擊戰機（JSF）重量問題的關注不斷增加，美國國會參議院正要求五角大廈尋找增大短場起飛/垂直著陸（STOVL）型JSF的升力風扇推力之方法。

　　在2005財政年度國防預算法案的一份附屬報告中，美國參議院要求五角大廈用1500萬美元對STOVL的升力風扇進行研究，以期獲得提高其推力之能力。問題是如何使美海軍陸戰隊及美空軍希望購買的這種STOVL型飛機最佳地滿足其主要性能參數要求。

　　目前，JSF的主要合約商洛克希德﹒馬丁公司也在對傳統起降型及艦載型JSF進行研究，但是，STOVL型飛機的設計被認為是該計畫項目最大的工程挑戰。

　　上周，五角大廈代理採購主管Michael Wynne批准了一個期待已久的、數十億美元的JSF計畫更改計畫--重新規畫戰略（re-plan strategy），該計畫包括延後首飛和初步外場實驗。新計畫為減輕STOVL飛機的重量留出了時間。

　　目前，該型飛機大約超重1089kg，並且按目前的估計，它也很難滿足其他幾個主要性能指標要求，其中包括航程。

　　但是，五角大廈的官員對STOVL飛機的減重表示樂觀，並認為該飛機無需增加發動機的推力就能滿足這些要求。上周，美海軍採購長官John Young說：發動機公司始終表示有能力增大發動機的推力，但是，在一些情況下，對燃油的消耗也有一定影響。

　　他說，目前的目標是使已經安裝的發動機之推力達到最大。例如，透過使進氣口空氣流量達到最大來達到這個目的。我們希望為這種飛機的未來發展留些餘地--這正如我們在F-15、F-16、F/A-18飛機的發展中所做的那樣，有可能提升發動機的性能。

Gripen + Erieye 肯定比 J-10 + Y-8 AEW 的總體效益好
(A-50改巴基斯坦弄不到)。不過就算不論瑞典的態度，
我想巴國軍方鐵定不喜歡 Gripen 內有其他國的系統。
F-16 的經驗…

“鷹獅”欲替代F-5“幻影”和“米格”(圖)

由瑞典薩伯公司和英國的BAE系統公司聯合建立的鷹獅國際聯合股份有限公司在得到南非和匈牙利JAS-39的訂單后， 欲將市場戰略定位在替換亞洲、南美和歐洲的中部及東部地區老齡化的諾斯羅普o格魯門公司生產的F-5、法國達索公司生產的“幻影”以及俄羅斯生產的米格-21和米格-29飛機。鷹獅國際聯合股份有限公司銷售主管說：像馬來西來、泰國、菲律賓這些國家是“鷹獅”理想的銷售市場。

南非於1999年購買了28架“鷹獅”戰斗機而成為第一個出口客戶，爾后匈牙利在2001年決定從瑞典空軍租賃14架“鷹獅”，而放棄了從美國、比利時和土耳其分別租賃F-16飛機。2003年年2月，匈牙利簽署了對其租賃的14架“鷹獅”進行改進的協議。

捷克曾於2001年決定向瑞典購買24架JAS-39戰機，然而由於洪水氾濫，災後重建工作造成資金短缺而沒有成交。之後捷克一度考慮租賃或購買英國二手”龍捲風F3”空中防御戰斗機或是比利時或美國的二手F-16來替換其老化的米格-21飛機，但到最後還是決定向瑞典租借14架JAS-39 C/D戰機，且計劃於上個月月底正式通過定案。

此外，“鷹獅”還希望替代超過2000架的“幻影”III和“幻影”V，目前這些飛機主要在阿根廷、巴西、智利、哥倫比亞、加蓬、巴基斯坦、秘魯、南非和委內瑞拉服役。在南非的替換合同已經成功，目前正爭取得到巴西的合同，並希望能在阿根廷和委內瑞拉取得成功。

除了匈牙利和捷克共和國以外，鷹獅國際公司還希望尋求機會替代其它北約正在服役的米格-21和米格-29，如斯洛伐克、保加利亞和羅馬尼亞。

RAF公佈，遠征新加坡中的山田西南機彩照．．．．．．．．．

中國目前已知下單購入78架Su-27SK/UBK和76架Su-30MK（最終可能超過100架）系列，並且獲得授權生產200架以上的殲十一，因此最終中國所擁有的側衛戰機數量，當介於350~450架之間．

Inside The Air Force
June 4, 2004
Pg. 1
USAF

Indian Exercises Showed Need For F/A-22, Changes In TrainingA recent exercise with the Indian Air Force is causing U.S. Air Force officials to re-evaluate the way the service trains its fighter pilots while bolstering the case for buying the F/A-22 as a way to ensure continued air dominance for the United States, according to service officials.

The surprising sophistication of Indian fighter aircraft and skill of Indian pilots
demonstrated at the Cope India air combat exercise Feb. 15 through 27 at Gwalior Air Force Station, India, should provide a reality check for those who had assumed unquestioned U.S. air superiority, service officials who participated in the exercise said this week. The event was the first-ever air combat exercise involving the U.S. and India and the most active bilateral military exchange in over 40 years, according to these officials.The major takeaway for the Air Force is that our prediction of needing to replace the F-15 with the F/A-22 is proving out as we get smarter and smarter about other [countries] capabilities around the world and what technology is limited to in
the F-15 airframe, said Col. Mike Snodgrass, commander of the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, AK. Weve taken [the F-15] about as far as we can and its now time to move to the next generation. Snodgrass, who has been selected to receive his first star, and two other wing officials spoke with Inside the Air Force June 2.

The Air Force has been arguing the absolute necessity of the F/A-22 since the program began. But the performance of the Indians in direct competition against the Air Forces best fighter, the F-15C, was particularly striking evidence of an endangered U.S. lead in air combat capability, the statements of service officials indicate.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper told the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee in March that the results of Cope India were very revealing, although he declined to elaborate in a public forum. Privately, other senior service officials have pointed to Cope India as evidence that continued U.S. air superiority is dependent on
the F/A-22.

Although service officials have been reluctant to detail how the Indians performed against the six F-15Cs from the 3rd Wing that participated in Cope India, Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA) said in a Feb. 26 House Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing that U.S. F-15Cs were defeated more than 90 percent of the time in direct combat exercises against the IAF.

Officials from the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf did not provide specifics about how their aircraft fared, but said the experience is causing the service to reevaluate the way
it trains its pilots for air-to-air operations.What happened to us was it looks like our red air training might not be as good because the adversaries are better than we thought, Snodgrass said. And in the case of the Indian Air Force both their training and some of their equipment was better than we anticipated.

Red air refers to the way the Air Force simulates enemy capability in air combat
training. Because the service has assumed for years that its fighters are more capable than enemy aircraft, the U.S. pilots that simulate the enemy, known as red forces, in air combat training are required to operate under rules that constrain their combat capability.We have always believed that our technology was superior to everyone elses technology, that we would fight a somewhat inferior adversary, so we have had to supply a simulated adversary from our own resources; we call that red air, Snodgrass said.

As a result, Air Force pilots are used to flying against an enemy whose combat capability is deliberately limited.There are maneuvering limits as well as weapons employment limits, what we believe enemy aircraft may be able to do with their weapons systems, so we try to simulate that in our own airplane with our own weapons, Snodgrass explained. It becomes very complex because instead of using the airplane the way it
was designed, you now have to come up with rules of thumb that limit what you do and cause you to not perform . . . the way we really would want to in combat.

The Cope India exercises consisted of air combat maneuvers in which pilots would practice their fighter tactics and fly against each other one-on-one, as well as simulated combat scenarios. It was during this simulated combat, which included both offensive counterair and defensive counterair scenarios, that the Indians proved the most formidable, according to the 3rd Wing officials.

In the offensive counterair scenarios, a small number of F-15Cs would attempt to intercept an enemy strike aircraft en route to a target that was guarded by a larger number of Indian fighters. In the defensive counterair missions, the F-15s would attempt to defend a target against Indian fighters.

In these offensive and defensive missions, four F-15Cs were usually flying against 10 or 12 of the same model Indian fighter, according to Col. Greg Neubeck, deputy commander of operations for the wings 3rd Operations Group and exercise director for Cope India. The 3rd Operations Group is responsible for the 3rd Wings flying mission.The Indians flew a number of different fighters, including the French-made Mirage 2000 and the Russian-made MIG-27 and MIG-29, but the two most formidable IAF aircraft proved to be the MIG-21 Bison, an upgraded version of the Russian-made baseline MIG-21, and the SU-30K Flanker, also made in Russia, Neubeck said. He emphasized the fact that U.S. forces were always outnumbered in these scenarios, but said the missions proved more difficult than expected.

What we faced were superior numbers, and an IAF pilot who was very proficient in his aircraft and smart on tactics. That combination was tough for us to overcome, Neubeck
said.One reason the Indian pilots proved so formidable is that their training regimen does not include a concept of red air. Instead, they fly pretty much blue-on-blue . . . [a] full-up airplane with no restrictions against somebody elses airplane with no restrictions, and that leads to more proficiency with your aircraft, Neubeck
said.

In addition to reinforcing the need for the F/A-22, therefore, Cope India demonstrated that the service might be able to immediately improve its air combat capability by changing the way Air Force pilots train.The Air Force is re-examining, from what I can
understand, our concept of red air and how we might be able to provide red air to our fighter forces so that we get [the best] training we can afford, Snodgrass said.Neubeck said the service probably needs to take off the handcuffs that we put on our red air
training aids and allow them to be more aggressive and make the red air tougher than we have in the past.Although India is a friendly nation, the lesson of Cope India is that almost any nation could surpass the United States air combat capability if the Pentagon does not continue to invest in better training and technology, the Elmendorf officials said. At last count, for example, there were over 5,000 MIG-21s active in air forces around the world, Snodgrass said.

Even American fighters, such as Boeings F-15, are being sold in upgraded versions to countries around the world.I believe what this demonstrates is that the capacity exists out there for any nation with the appropriate resources and the will to acquire technology and to train their aircrews to be very, very capable, said Col. Russ
Handy, commander of the 3rd Operations Group. In the long term this could occur in nations outside of the Indian Air Force.The Air Force will get another chance to test its capabilities against the Indians in July, when the IAF will bring its Jaguar fighter-bomber aircraft to Eielson AFB, AK, for the Cooperative Cope Thunder exercise. The
3rd Wing officers said their pilots had not yet flown against an Indian-piloted Jaguar.

Transcript by:
Federal News Service
Washington, D.C.

Biggen
Mar 29, 2004

There are some serious misconceptions out there about how air combat training is conducted so I’ve decided to write a post about how it really happens. Everybody seems to want to cite a particular exercise as proof of their point, when in reality, they have no contextual reference for these results they are referencing. Realize that I am writing from a USAF/USN/USMC/NATO perspective. If anyone else can provide some information about how it’s done elsewhere, please chime in.

Air-to-air combat is an extremely complex and dynamic undertaking. The combination of speed and the ability to maneuver in three dimensions creates an environment that is constantly changing and rarely allows any of the participants to see and understand the entire picture at once. In order to be successful in this environment, participants must be highly skilled, (reasonably) intelligent individuals who fight in these types of battles regularly.

Fighter pilots from countries all over the world are expected to use hardware purchased with national treasure to defend their homeland against attackers or attack others as directed by their leaders. In order to effectively accomplish those missions, pilots must regularly train for air combat. Air combat skills are perishable and even the best pilots are not as keen as they might be if they haven’t flown in a while – especially when flying in large force exercises where one decision may be the difference between success and failure.

Definitions: Air Combat Training (ACT) is a term used to describe a battle between similar aircraft. If 2 F-16s are fighting against 2 other F-16s, this would be an ACT war, whereas 2 F-15s fighting 2 F-16s would be termed Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT).

When planning a DACT exercise, planners typically will build an Offensive Counterair (OCA) strike package and Defensive Counterair (DCA) package with appropriate aircraft - this was displayed in the Cope India exercise when a strike package consisting of SU-30s, Mirages, and Jaguars attacked a target defended by F-15s. Besides designating types of aircraft and missions, planners will also draw up objectives for the exercise. These objectives can be very specific or quite broad depending on the situation.

A broad objective may be stated as “building trust between countries” or “familiarize pilots with other air forces.” More specific objectives may be “effectively integrate air forces for lane defense.” In order to accomplish these objectives, rules of engagement (ROE) will also be set.

ROE consist of weapons load, identification criteria, maneuvering limitations, tactics restrictions, and just about anything else you can think of. ROE can be pretty liberal or very restrictive, depending on the objectives, experience level of the pilots, or number and type of aircraft involved. If the objective is to “build trust” between nations, you can bet your ass that the rules are going to be damn restrictive to try to ensure there will be no accidents/dangerous or stupid stunts that would embarrass one side or the other or result in needless loss of life. This is why briefings are conducted, and “pickup games” are not allowed. (This is also the reason why an article about the Typhoons getting “bounced” by F-15Es is absolute bollucks.) Regardless of the particular ROE established, somebody needs to be the bad guy.

In most exercises there will be a threat aircraft and weapons designated as the training aid for the other side. In U.S. exercises such as Red Flag, this will be something like a MiG-29 with aa-10s and aa-11s, and will be referred to as “opfor” or “red air.” Red air will usually consist of F-15s or F-16s (or whatever they can get) and will do their best to simulate that threat by limiting their radar modes, lock ranges, tactics, etc. “Blue air” will fly with their normal weapons loadout and will normally not have any restrictions other than operating their systems in a training/peacetime mode. There may be other restrictions imposed based on the objectives. Typically, the threat capabilities will start out low – short range missiles and very benign tactics, then increase as the exercise continues, as long as the blue air players are learning something and they are ready to progress to the next level. If the blue air fighters are getting their butts handed to them, the threat level will remain low, but if they are doing well, the threat capability will increase so the training is useful.

Notice that the red air players are training aids. They are supposed to follow the rules and die like men when blue air is executing well. If, however, the blue air screws something up and they have an opportunity to kick some tail, they are expected to do so. Violating the ROE by using a capability that is restricted, shooting beyond a specified range, or not adhering to an established ID criteria is considered a training rule violation and is dealt with severely. Several pilots have been sent home from exercises and have even been reassigned because they didn’t like to follow the rules.

By now it should becoming clear why one side or the other in these exercises often has a larger kill:loss ratio than the other. Red air is supposed to die – even if there are more capable aircraft on the red side. This is how many of the “surprising” results occur in large exercises – the threat level is tailored to the training needs of the blue air so they can learn from their mistakes in the debrief.

When conducting the debrief, kills must be assessed in order to find out what really happened. In order to do this, pilots must review the recording of the mission so they can evaluate their targeting and weapons employment. Red and blue air will get together, exchange data, and together decide who shot who and when. This is often an inexact science, however, with ACMI monitoring and extensive recording equipment in the aircraft, it is getting better. With results in hand, the blue fighters can then determine what they did wrong, and how to do better next time. This training is very effective for the blue air, but it usually sucks for red. What about exercises with real “threat” aircraft like MiG-29s, MiG-25s, etc? This is obviously the best training there can be, however, there is a problem.

When participating in an international exercise, both sides are probably going to hold some information back. This is not a “you show me yours, I’ll show you mine” game. In many cases, the shot data/weapons performance is classified, and not releasable to those on the other side. This is exactly the case in Cope India 04.

How do you debrief an engagement when neither side wants to say what really happened? Nobody is going to walk into the debrief and say “I shot that guy at this time and this range with this missile,” because they are basically giving away their capabilities. There are a couple of ways to deal with this, one of which is to not relay any of the shot information, but to merely say “that guy is dead at this time.” In that situation, no information (other than the f-pole) is released to the other side. However, astute people on the other side can extrapolate the data and figure out approximately when the shot was fired and can have a pretty good idea as to the performance of the missile. The other thing you can do is to establish a theoretical missile, with a nominal range to be used by both sides. This levels the playing field and rewards the side which executes better, rather than the side with the longer range missiles.

July 13, 2003
T-50 Trainer Begins High Angle-Of-Attack Flight Testing
http://www.lmaeronautics.com/news/programnews/combat_air/t50/t50pr040713.html

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/findPage.do?dsp=fec&ci;=15352&rsbci;=0&fti;=111&ti;=0≻=400
AIR FORCE AND LOCKHEED MARTIN PROTOTYPE CONNECTS LINK 16-EQUIPPED FIGHTERS WITH AOC
DLARS Successfully Demonstrates Net-Centric Capabilities at JEFX04
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO., July 7, 2004 -- The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] have developed a prototype system that horizontally integrates Link 16-equipped fighter aircraft with the Air Operations Center (AOC), automatically delivering near real-time mission information from pilots to air combat planners. Developed in just four months and slated for operational deployment in early 2005, the Data Link Automated Reporting System (DLARS) creates an unprecedented link between tactical fighters and the AOC, significantly enhancing the Air Force’s ability to manage missions as diverse as close air support and long-range strike.

“DLARS provides a critical combat capability to decision makers in the AOC. Weve always known the data existed it was just a matter of getting it to the right people at the right time to make the right decisions,” said Colonel Bruce Sturk, Commander of the Air Force Command and Control Battle Lab, Hurlburt Air Force Base. “The machine-to-machine data exchanges enabled through DLARS significantly enhance the kill chain process and give operators unprecedented levels of situational awareness throughout the battlespace.” The Battle Lab, the centerpiece of innovative air combat technologies and concepts, led the development of DLARS.

The system routes Link 16 information on aircraft location, mission status, available weapons, and current fuel to a number of air command and control databases through the Theater Battle Management Core Systems (TBMCS), the Lockheed Martin-developed “engine of the AOC.” TBMCS then automatically updates the Air Operations Database with the latest data on the fighters and mission status. DLARS enhances the Air Force’s ability to perform a wide variety of missions, including Joint close air support, time-critical targeting, blue force tracking, maintenance and refueling.

DLARS was recently showcased at the 2004 Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment (JEFX) Spiral 3, where it demonstrated full functionality with live fighters and a working AOC at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The system was also flown on the Paul Revere aircraft, an advanced airborne command and control test bed. DLARS was designed, developed and delivered as a JEFX initiative in just four months, and is now planned for delivery to operational AOCs worldwide as part of TBMCS in six to eight months.

“One of the biggest shortcomings in Air Force C2 is that once the canopy closes, pilots are reduced to voice communications with the AOC, which is slow, tedious and imprecise,” said Doug Barton, Director of Network-Centric Programs and Technology for Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems and Solutions. “DLARS is a perfect example of applying horizontal integration to solve a pressing problem quickly, effectively and affordably. With the Battle Lab’s leadership, we took two systems that did not talk to each other and, in just four months, developed, deployed and tested a machine-to-machine link that gives AOC planners a real-time window into tactical operations.”

The DLARS application is an outgrowth of Lockheed Martin’s Total Integrated Warfare (TIW) initiative. TIW is a research and development effort to integrate strategic planning, operational battle management, and tactical execution into a more fluid, seamless enterprise, enabling commanders and pilots to better read, react and respond to changes on the battlefield. At the first TIW exercise last December, the company demonstrated technology that allows AOC operators and fighter pilots to collaboratively change and execute missions while the pilot is in flight.

TIW and DLARS are based on state-of-the-art net-centric technologies such as machine-to-machine data links, publish and subscribe interfaces, and platform-independent services. These technologies enable information sharing at an up-to-the-second pace providing timely information to decision makers. Lockheed Martin is currently planning a second TIW exercise that is slated for the fall of this year.

http://www.aermacchi.it/Company/1.htm
FIRST FLIGHT SUCCESSFULLY PERFORMED
BY THE AERMACCHI – FINMECCANICA M-346
NEXT GENERATION ADVANCED/LIFT TRAINER

Venegono (Italy) – July 15th, 2004

The Aermacchi M-346 next-generation advanced/lift military trainer flew for the first time on add dateThursday, July 15th 2004. The aircraft took off from the Venegono airfield in Italy at 8,30 hours local time (7,30 GMT) and returned at 9,25 (8,25 GMT). The flight was controlled in real time by Aermacchi flight test team operating from the company telemetry facilities.

The maiden flight pilot was Olinto Cecconello, Aermacchi Experimental Chief Test Pilot. The M-346 was chased by two Aermacchi’s MB-339CD aircraft, piloted by Capt. Alessandro Sciaburri of the Italian Air Force Flight Test Centre and by Maurizio Cheli, Alenia Aeronautica’s Chief Test Pilot for combat aircraft.

The pilot’s comments on the flight characteristics were very positive: “The M-346 confirmed its high thrust to weight ratio, outstanding field performance with a take-off run of 400 m and a landing distance of 520 m. The digital Flight Control System allowed smooth and precise manoeuvres”.

This first flight sets a key milestone in the development effort performed by the M-346 Integrated Product Team led by Massimo Lucchesini, M-346 Programme Director, and marks the beginning of a comprehensive flying test campaign consisting in 700 flights based on three instrumented aircraft for full flight envelope assessment and for Type Certification.

Background information

The M-346 Programme was launched by Aermacchi in early 2000, after a phase of in-depth studies, market surveys and benchmarking.

In order to optimise the training effectiveness and the life cycle cost, the aircraft combines the latest “design-to-cost”, “supportability” and “lean manufacturing” concepts with performance, handling qualities and man-machine interface fully representative of the latest front line fighters generation, as Eurofighter, F-35 and Rafale.

The M-346 integrates technologies, systems and competencies of several Finmeccanica companies.

The aircraft exploits non-conventional features and advanced technologies: vortex lift aerodynamics with full authority care-free handling digital Fly-by-Wire Control System by BAE Systems/Teleavio, allowing full controllability up to 40° degrees angle of attack.

The two Honeywell/Avio F-124 turbofans provide the M-346 with a 1 to 1 thrust to weight ratio and optimum energy management capabilities.

http://www.flightinternational.com/fi_issue/is_display_free.asp?txtId=184091&txtSnip;=&Code;=102&txtPageNo;=1&txtPageSize;=10&txtTotalPages;=2&txtTotalRecs;=13
Northrop Grummans forgotten advanced tactical fighter leaves museum and could be heading for bomber contest

Northrop Grummans long-abandoned YF-23A advanced tactical fighter (ATF) is emerging as the possible basis for a surprise contender for the US Air Forces interim bomber requirement.

The company recently retrieved the second of the two YF-23A Black Widow II prototypes (PAV-2) from the Western Museum of Flight in Hathorne, California, ostensibly for repainting for display at a forthcoming Northrop Grumman-backed air fair in August. However, the restoration is also thought to include several changes, including new cockpit displays and other possible cosmetic modifications.

Northrop Grumman confirms restoration of the General Electric YF120-powered PAV-2 is taking place, but declines to comment on whether the revived YF-23A is linked to any USAF proposal. But sources close to the studies, which were kicked off by the USAFs recently issued request for information, say Northrop Grumman now includes a YF-23-based regional bomber concept among its raft of proposals and that the USAF is interested.

Until now, the companys offerings are known to include an upgraded B-2, X-47B unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) -based studies and possible designs based on its quiet supersonic technology programme. The distinctive, rhomboid-winged YF-23A lost out to Lockheed Martins YF-22 in the ATF competition in 1991, but proved a valuable technology testbed for Northrop Grumman, which gave it all-aspect stealth. The company says it drew upon a wide range of experience for its response to the interim bomber RFI, and the YF-23 is one.

Other contenders include a Boeings B-1R (regional) re-engined bomber studies and a larger D-model version of its X-45 UCAV, while Lockheed Martin is considering various derivatives of the F/A-22. These include single- and two-seat, re-winged and tailless versions dubbed the FB-22, the larger of which would be able to cruise at Mach 1.8 and have 75% of the range of the B-2 carrying up to 30 115kg (250lb) small-diameter bombs. Lockheed Martin is also understood to be offering a variety of other manned designs, including a flying-wing concept.

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2004/07/12/daily49.html
LATEST NEWS
4:28 PM EDT Friday
GE ready to start testing engine for Joint Strike Fighter
General Electric Aircraft Engines, and its partner Rolls-Royce, will next week begin ground testing a new engine being developed for the Joint Strike Fighter program.

GEAE said the fully assembled F136 engine is now installed in a test stand at the companys headquarters in Evendale, and engineers are completing the check of instrumentation. Testing will begin July 23 and last for about 200 hours, through December 2004. Then in early 2005, the same engine will undergo another 200 to 300 hours of endurance tests. A second development engine is scheduled to undergo short take-off vertical landing testing in early 2005 at an outdoor testing center in Peebles, Ohio.

GE is one of a handful of companies competing for the JSF project, which is expected to replace the governments fleet of F-16s. GEs early development work is being funded by a four-year System Development and Demonstration contract that runs through 2005, and the company said it is continuing proposal work in anticipation of a new multiyear SDD contract award in 2005.

If development proceeds as planned, the GE/Rolls-Royce team expects to run the first full engine test in 2007, with delivery of the first production engine in 2011. GE is responsible for 60 percent of the development program, including the core compressor and turbine system components, controls and accessories.

Aging C-5A Still Has Plenty Of Life, Air Force Panel Says
By Marc Selinger
07/16/2004 09:15:26 AM

http://www.shephard.co.uk/Rotorhub/Default.aspx?Action=745115149&ID;=aa8a17d0-bf63-4931-af00-8d0c54639536
V-22 Program Update regarding nacelle blowers

Subject: V-22 Program Update regarding nacelle blowers

Date: 15-Jul-04

News Release Number: E200407151

News Release Copy: At approximately 1715L on June 28, while hovering over the flight deck conducting interaction testing with Osprey No. 10 turning on Spot 9, Osprey No. 22 experienced a componenet failure in the right nacelle. The pilots landed and secured the aircraft. The initial evidence pointed to a failure of the right hand nacelle blower, which cools drive system components. Following normal protocol, HX-21 classified the incident as a Class B mishap (damage cost between $200K and $1 million).

Initial engineering investigation revealed like wear on several other blowers, and as a result, the blowers will be changed once they reach 100 hours of use and every 100 flight hours thereafter until either additional investigation mitigates the periodicity or the blower design is changed. In either case, there should be no near-term impact to developmental or operational test. The full investigation will take some weeks to complete. In the meantime, V-22 flight operations continue.

In spite of the incident, the shipboard suitability period was deemed a success and included several firsts:

- First time V-22s landed on Spots 5 and 6.

- First time for V-22/V-22 interaction testing (roll-on-deck phenomenon fixed).

- Envelope expansion operating from Spots 2 and 4.

哈哈哈，雖然復活希望渺茫，不過能看到究極超美形的傢伙再度出現實在是太令人快樂了，也向我夢想的 Black Morpheus 又接近一步。

1. 文中有段不知是真是假，但是頗有意思：台灣是目前除老美外唯一積極表達採購F/A-22興趣意願的國家

2. 另外在新加坡F-X採購案方面，達梭提出的最終方案是在2008~2009年之間先運交八架RAFALE F3構型，再於2011~2012年間運交後續十二架使用AESA雷達與流星AAM的F4構型

俄羅斯：
目前據信仍擁有400架MIG-23, 600架MIG-29, 300架MIG-31, 350架SU-24以及400架以上的SU-27系列；目前該國空軍旗下的SU-27系列正在接受SU-27SM升級計劃，配備有改良型現代化人機介面，擁有GROUND MAPPING, MTI與NCTR能力的N-001V雷達，並且可使用發射RVV-AE中長程AAM（標準佩掛數六枚），最大起飛重量可達30,450公斤，未來還預定使用AL-31F-M2提昇型發動機；此外為了因應未來外銷競爭需要，一些縮減機體雷達截面積，強化提昇機體氣動性能乃至更新發動機（最大後推147KN級的AL-41F發動機計劃）等研究計劃方案亦在進行中。

首批五架SU-27SM已經於2003年交付俄國空軍使用，此外預定作為SU-24後繼者的SU-32（SU-27IB）重型戰鬥轟炸機採購計劃也於該年三月確定，預定在2006~2010年間進入量產成軍階段，目前其有九架原型機在進行飛試中。

中國大陸：
自1991年起至今，俄羅斯向中國運交與授權量產的側衛系列計有：
A. 38架SU-27SK與12架SU-27UB。
B. 授權中國生產200架SU-27SK（殲十一），首架於1998年年底出廠，根據估計截至目前應該已有一百架以上交貨成軍。
C. 兩批各38架的Su-30MKK戰機以及一批（根據某些消息說法，未經完全確認的28架SU-27UBK戰機。
D. 最新一批計24架的Su-30MKK-2戰機，據稱是供中國海航使用。

大陸方面目前據信正和俄羅斯談判授權生產Su-30MKK的事宜，同時也對將現有早期型側衛系列進行性能提昇表現出極大興趣。

（換言之，目前中國解放空軍擁有不下250架現役側衛戰機系列，且當目前已知計劃全數完成之後，其所擁有的側衛戰機數將高達350~378架之間；再考慮Su-30MKK授權生產計劃…………未來側衛戰機在中國成軍的總數很可能比在俄國本土成軍的數量還多∼俄羅斯軍方“若以傳統武力而論，今日的中國人民解放軍其實業已超過俄國”之憂懼，其實並非無的放矢。）

印度：
在購入18架SU-30K與32架SU-30MKI之後，俄羅斯授權印度生產140架世上第一批擁有向量推力的量產型超音速戰機SU-30MKI，整個計劃預定在2017年之前完成。

美國空軍對於Su-30MKI抱持高度的興趣與關注，因為根據先前多次電腦模擬，Su-30MKI簡直是把老美的F-15C當狗般的壓倒性痛扁修理，因此老美空軍急於想知道在真實世界中是否也會如此，因此最後促成了於今年舉行的美印聯合軍演；然而據信印度空軍在這次軍演中只願派出次一級的SU-30K上場，不過比試結果已經足夠讓老美空軍回國後拉高向元老院爭取更多猛禽戰機之喊話分貝。

印尼：
印尼於2003年購入兩架SU-27SK與兩架SU-30MKK，並且於今年再度表達採購六架SU-27SK與兩架SU-30MKK的意願；根據印尼空軍的長期建軍計劃，其希望最終能購近24~36架，約兩中隊的側衛系列。

臺灣也是除了美國外唯一要獨力應付百架以上 Su-27 的國家。

這樣子計算有點籠統。Su-27SK與蘇聯本土的Su-27的BVR戰力應該是F-4E->F-15A左右的年代，而Su-30MKK的BVR戰力則達到F-15C的一對多能力。兩種應該分開比較，雖然蘇聯擁有較多的早期Su-27，但對於一對多BVR水準的MKK等級則仍在成軍階段。因此在戰機素質上，中國可以得到質的優勢。

我認為目前看來最有可能的是B-1R (quick solution)，第二可能應該是一路撐到UCAV出來，第三可能才是YF-23

YF-23構型已經成熟而且更適合該RFI的需求，F/B-22..改的幅度跟塑膠蟲->垃圾蟲一樣，從頭來比較乾脆一點，元老院有了垃圾蟲的經驗應該不會蠢到又上一次賊船吧(垃圾迅猛龍?)

前言：
Craig Penrice，1959年出生，1981年加入皇家空軍，在戰鬥飛行員生涯期間飛過鷹式教練機，閃電攔截機，F-14／F-15／F-16／F-18乃至P-51野馬等等；1998年自皇家空軍退役後，其出任BAES集團首席測試飛官一職，擔任評估測試歐洲颱風戰機之重任迄今．以下是其對未來颱風戰機作戰景況形態所作的描述：

任務：
在遙遠的國度裡，緊張的情勢正在節節昇高中，在空中，四架敵方的先進戰機正朝國際和平部隊本部近逼，在地面，游擊隊戰士正往一處重要的難民收容所進襲；而在此關鍵時刻，原本擔任CAP任務的盟國戰機又因為系統故障問題，必須返回基地維修（無庸置疑，這架盟軍戰機一定是法國貨……XDDD），因此真正的英雄∼兩架歐洲颱風戰機此時臨危授命，準備隆重登場矣．

前置作業：
就在飛行員於任務室聽取任務簡報，地勤人員忙於為戰機加油掛彈時，中隊任務官正在電腦工作站將本次作戰任務的重要資訊與指示輸入大小只有錄影帶一半大的PORTABLE DATA STORE中，再將此一渾名“磚塊”的小玩意兒與戰機任務電腦相連結，供其下載任務資訊；而在另一方面，有關本次作戰任務的無線電頻率，Call Sign以及敵我識別碼等，則由中隊operations staff負責輸入，於作戰飛官logged into任務支援系統時自動完成．在前置作業所輸入的眾多資訊中，其中十分重要的一環為飛行員的聲紋template，其能使戰機上的DVI系統分辨識別飛官的語音語意，從而接受其指令．

登機起飛：
飛行員接獲出擊命令，直奔座機，在攀上可收折機梯登機前，其戴上HMD頭盔，按下開關啟動戰機APU系統，等到其近入座艙就位時，APU系統已經達到全速運轉狀態；將HMD頭盔上的連線插入戰機上的相關介面，啟動位於右側儀表板上的一個gang bar，此時戰機引擎啟動前所有所需次系統的開關均已開啟，各次系統均有自我診斷檢查功能，如果發現系統異常，戰機電腦會直接接手介入處理乃至關上發動機，無須飛行員逐次檢查處理．在透過節流閥正式啟動發動機之後，飛行員再啟動另外一個gang bar便能將戰機上其它所有次系統全數開啟，此時飛行員已能透過戰機資料鍊，與同樣尚處於地面上的僚機飛行員“shaking hands”；之後飛行員只要再按下一個鈕與戰機飛控系統取得連線，接著鬆煞車便能將颱風戰機駛往起飛跑道待命．根據估計，從飛行員爬進座艙至接令起飛，整個流程所需時間僅三分鐘不到，只有時下一般其它戰機所需光陰的一半左右．

起飛∼駛抵目標區：
接獲起飛命令後，戰機以20節的初速滑行，在後燃全開並加速至100節時，飛行員後拉操縱桿，使戰機在達到時速120節時升空，接著飛行員會保持後燃開啟的狀態直到戰機加速至時速八百公里左右，之後如果不關掉後燃器或是把戰機爬升角度拉至60度以上，戰機將一路飆至超音速以上．

戰機在40,000呎左右的高度，超音速巡航至目標區上空；在這段期間裡，自動駕駛系統可以全面掌控戰機的飛行，自動檢偵系統則全面且全時的監控戰機上各次系統的運作狀況，一有問題出現立即提出語音警告．因此飛行員能把全付精力擺在詳細任務規劃，乃至於開始選取攻擊目標之上．

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/client/modele.pl?session=dae.4357804.1090334076.QP0te8Oa9dUAAB9mj3Q&modele;=jdc_34

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/07/15/043.html
Thursday, July 15, 2004. Page 5.

Sukhoi to Generate $1.5Bln, Export 40 Fighter Jets in 04

By Lyuba Pronina
Staff Writer Sukhoi will export 40 fighter jets this year, maintaining its place as Russias No. 1 arms exporter, the company chief executive said Wednesday.

The delivery of 40 jets and the parallel modernization of craft for the domestic Air Force will allow us to keep our leading position in the medium term, Mikhail Pogosyan, general director of Sukhoi, told reporters.

Pogosyan refused to elaborate on either the type of aircraft or the countries that will receive them.

China and India have been prime purchasers of Sukhoi fighter jets. The details of arms deals are traditionally shrouded in secrecy and subject to guesswork by analysts.

China has yet to receive 24 naval Su-30MK2s from a 2003 contract and Vietnam four Su-30MKs, said Konstantin Makiyenko, deputy head of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. Among the 40 planes, Pogosyan must also be counting the 10 Su-30MKIs to be delivered to India later this year by privately owned Irkut, Makiyenko said.

Additionally, about nine Su-24s remain to be delivered to Algeria from a 2000 contract for 22 jets, said Marat Kenzhetayev, an expert at the Center for Arms Control.

Pogosyan refused to comment on a report in Janes Defense Weekly earlier this year that Sukhoi is close to finalizing a new deal with China for another 24 Su-30MK2s.

Last year a total of 36 Sukhoi jets were exported, including 12 Su-30MKIs delivered to India by Irkut, which also manufactures the plane.

Last year Sukhoi and Irkut reported earnings of $1.5 billion and $500 million, respectively. This year Sukhoi expects revenues to remain at the same level.

Work continues on the next-generation combat fighter, Pogosyan said, with designs to be presented to the Air Force later this year. Research on an unmanned combat aerial vehicle is also continuing, he added.

Last year Sukhoi agreed with Frances Dassault Aviation and European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. to cooperate on developing fifth-generation jets and unmanned aircraft. Pogosyan said that it will take another year for Sukhoi to decide on the scope of its cooperation with the Europeans.

The creation of the Unified Aircraft-building Corp., which is to bring Sukhoi, Irkut, MiG, Ilyushin and Tupolev under one roof, is stalled, Pogosyan said.

>which page???

該網站提到有關F-35系列的空重數據：

F-35A：12,426公斤

F-35B：13,924公斤

F-35C：13,888公斤

在英國佬的全力搗蛋與不配合下，第二批次的量產合約很可能無法在本月底之前簽定，如此一來颱風戰機生產線將出現斷層，而代價將是∼額外的十至二十億歐元彌補預算

此外，具備對地打擊能力的第二批次型遲遲無法定案，也將嚴重影響其在新加坡，希臘，沙烏地阿拉伯等國外銷案上的勝算

http://www.eurofighter.starstreak.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=912

FARNBOROUGH 2004 • JULY 19, 20, 21

Eurofighter wants production pact

by Chris Pocock

Eurofighter is pushing the four European partner nations to sign the Tranche 2 production contract for the Typhoon by the end of this month. Otherwise, it says, long-lead funding of many suppliers will run out, leading to increased costs down the line. The governments have delayed a decision due to a mix of budget problems, differing priorities for weapons integration, haggling over prices and their desire that the EF consortium demonstrate greater progress in maturing the aircraft.

Introduction to service has taken longer than was agreed to back in 1998 when the Tranche 1 production contract was signed. All four nations (Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) have now received production two-seaters, but none of them have yet progressed beyond operational evaluation and instructor pilot training. Early production aircraft have lacked some key functionalities. On the other hand, the nations have been particularly fussy over the acceptance process.

Production Typhoons are outwardly identical to the development aircraft (DAs), the first of which began flying in 1994, but there have been many internal changes. The jet had to be “productionized.” The fatigue life of the DAs is only 600 hours versus 6,000 hours for the production aircraft. The front fuselage was significantly redesigned to help reduce weight. The wing root was strengthened to allow for the carriage of heavier weapons.

There have been many avionics changes, some due to obsolescent hardware. The nav-attack computer was changed, and so was the computer symbol generator. Some 25 percent of the utilities control system (UCS) has changed, and the fuel computer has been totally redesigned.

The fuel system is especially critical on the Eurofighter, since the aircraft has the highest aft cg of any fourth-generation fighter. This provides excellent maneuverability, especially at supersonic speeds. But the aircraft is aerodynamically unstable in pitch at subsonic speeds, and although the electronic flight control system should compensate, it still requires careful monitoring and transfer of fuel to maintain the aircraft’s balance as fuel is burned or weapons are dropped. A few years ago, the manufacturer decided to move the fuel gauges within the wing to get more accurate readings. That has meant delaying production of the first single-seaters, which are only now taking to the air. The 1,000-liter tanks which flew on the DAs have been redesigned to pump fuel rather than pressure-feed it, and they are not yet qualified for the production aircraft.
（非常有意思的一段）

Since the Eurofighter is being produced to a fixed-price contract, there have been many arguments between industry and the customer over who pays for these changes, and whether certain items are “fit for purpose.” In a four-nation program, the process can become very bureaucratic. It may be a Mach 2 airplane, but in the world of the Eurofighter Typhoon, nothing on the ground happens quickly.

Whereas Germany caused most of the problems leading up to the Tranche 1 contract, the UK has been blamed for the delay in signing Tranche 2. The Brits have funding problems and are also seeking compensation for the delays to service introduction. But they also want to hurry the process of making the jet multirole. Most of the 148 aircraft in Tranche 1 will be capable only of air-to-air missions, but the Royal Air Force is pushing for laser/GPS-guided bombs (Enhanced Paveway II) and a designator pod (Litening) to be integrated on its last batch of Tranche 1. As originally agreed to in the 1998 contract, Batch 5 jets would have been able to drop “dumb” bombs, but in today’s precision-guided world, no one sees the need for this. The UK also wants the big Storm Shadow air-surface missile and the Brimstone anti-armor missile to form part of the weapons fit for Tranche 2.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

歐洲山田西南機計畫再度陷入麻煩的旋風中
在英國佬的全力搗蛋與不配合下，第二批次的量產合約很可能無法在本月底之前簽定，如此一來颱風戰機生產線將出現斷層，而代價將是∼額外的十至二十億歐元彌補預算

此外，具備對地打擊能力的第二批次型遲遲無法定案，也將嚴重影響其在新加坡，希臘，沙烏地阿拉伯等國外銷案上的勝算

http://www.eurofighter.starstreak.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=912

FARNBOROUGH 2004 • JULY 19, 20, 21

Eurofighter wants production pact

by Chris Pocock

Eurofighter is pushing the four European partner nations to sign the Tranche 2 production contract for the Typhoon by the end of this month. Otherwise, it says, long-lead funding of many suppliers will run out, leading to increased costs down the line. The governments have delayed a decision due to a mix of budget problems, differing priorities for weapons integration, haggling over prices and their desire that the EF consortium demonstrate greater progress in maturing the aircraft.

Introduction to service has taken longer than was agreed to back in 1998 when the Tranche 1 production contract was signed. All four nations (Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) have now received production two-seaters, but none of them have yet progressed beyond operational evaluation and instructor pilot training. Early production aircraft have lacked some key functionalities. On the other hand, the nations have been particularly fussy over the acceptance process.

Production Typhoons are outwardly identical to the development aircraft (DAs), the first of which began flying in 1994, but there have been many internal changes. The jet had to be “productionized.” The fatigue life of the DAs is only 600 hours versus 6,000 hours for the production aircraft. The front fuselage was significantly redesigned to help reduce weight. The wing root was strengthened to allow for the carriage of heavier weapons.

There have been many avionics changes, some due to obsolescent hardware. The nav-attack computer was changed, and so was the computer symbol generator. Some 25 percent of the utilities control system (UCS) has changed, and the fuel computer has been totally redesigned.

從發展驗證機（DA）到量產型戰機所歷經的結構設計修正：
1. 機體結構疲勞壽命從600小時延長至6,000小時
2. 前部機身大幅設計修正以減輕結構重量
3. 機翼翼根強化以承擔重型武器裝載
4. 更換導航／攻擊任務電腦
5. 更換電腦符號產生器
6. 25%utilities control system (UCS) 變更
7. 燃油控制電腦系統重新設計
--> 結果：戰機空重增加約1,000公斤左右，外掛籌載也提升1,000~1,500公斤上下

The fuel system is especially critical on the Eurofighter, since the aircraft has the highest aft cg of any fourth-generation fighter. This provides excellent maneuverability, especially at supersonic speeds. But the aircraft is aerodynamically unstable in pitch at subsonic speeds, and although the electronic flight control system should compensate, it still requires careful monitoring and transfer of fuel to maintain the aircraft’s balance as fuel is burned or weapons are dropped. A few years ago, the manufacturer decided to move the fuel gauges within the wing to get more accurate readings. That has meant delaying production of the first single-seaters, which are only now taking to the air. The 1,000-liter tanks which flew on the DAs have been redesigned to pump fuel rather than pressure-feed it, and they are not yet qualified for the production aircraft.

歐洲戰機擁有西方第四世代戰機中最高的aft cg值（以前說僅次於猛禽，如今連猛禽都被比下去了乎？？？），這為其帶來絕佳的超音速運動性能，但也因此為其帶來顯著的次音速pitch不穩定性，需要飛控系統持續小心監測內載燃料與外掛武裝重量變化，並且適時適度調控燃料在機身分佈的狀態予以平衡才成；幾年前，歐洲戰機設計者經研究後認為有必要將機翼內的燃油gauges予以移除，以求得更精確的內載燃料重量數值變化監測，結果導致戰機主翼幾乎必須重新設計，也造成單座型戰機的成軍服役之明顯延宕．

Since the Eurofighter is being produced to a fixed-price contract, there have been many arguments between industry and the customer over who pays for these changes, and whether certain items are “fit for purpose.” In a four-nation program, the process can become very bureaucratic. It may be a Mach 2 airplane, but in the world of the Eurofighter Typhoon, nothing on the ground happens quickly.

Whereas Germany caused most of the problems leading up to the Tranche 1 contract, the UK has been blamed for the delay in signing Tranche 2. The Brits have funding problems and are also seeking compensation for the delays to service introduction. But they also want to hurry the process of making the jet multirole. Most of the 148 aircraft in Tranche 1 will be capable only of air-to-air missions, but the Royal Air Force is pushing for laser/GPS-guided bombs (Enhanced Paveway II) and a designator pod (Litening) to be integrated on its last batch of Tranche 1. As originally agreed to in the 1998 contract, Batch 5 jets would have been able to drop “dumb” bombs, but in today’s precision-guided world, no one sees the need for this. The UK also wants the big Storm Shadow air-surface missile and the Brimstone anti-armor missile to form part of the weapons fit for Tranche 2.

Cuts threat to Typhoon Tranche 3 programme

UK participation in Eurofighter and even the Joint Strike Fighter programme may be scrapped to meet the procurement targets of the Strategic Defence Review. At risk is believed to be the entire Tranche 3 production of Eurofighter.
Figures buried in the recent UK Defence Review indicate major cuts to future aircraft procurement programmes will be needed. Although the review contains no explicit references to the number of Eurofighter Typhoons required, its appendices point to a need for 20 air defence aircraft and 64 deployable offensive support aircraft to support the review’s central planning assumptions.

This contrasts with equivalent figures of 87 air defence and 154 offensive support aircraft in the 2001 Strategic Defence Review – a discrepancy of 157 aircraft.

The aircraft available to provide this SDR force level included 88 Tornado F3s, 86 Tornado GR4s, 57 Harrier GR7s and T10s and 32 Jaguars, with 13 additional reconnaissance Jaguars and 24 reconnaissance Tornados – a total of 300 aircraft.

Before the review was published, the MoD was aiming to procure 232 Eurofighter Typhoons (to support a long-term fleet of 137) and 150 Joint Strike Fighters, together with an undefined number of platforms to meet the Future Offensive Aircraft requirement.

[英國《防務新聞》2004年7月19日報道] 本周四，義大利馬基(Aermacchi)公司的M-346新一代高級教練機進行了首飛。飛機於當地時間8點30分從義大利的Venegono機場起飛，並於9點25分返回。

馬基飛行試驗組在公司的遙測設施上即時控制整個飛行過程。擔任該次首飛的試飛員是馬基公司的首席實驗試飛員Olinto Cecconello。由義大利空軍飛行試驗中心的Alessandro Sciaburri上校和阿萊尼亞航空公司的戰鬥機首席試飛員Maurizio Cheli分別駕駛一架馬基公司的MB-339CD飛機對這架M-346教練機進行追逐飛行試驗。

試飛員對M-346飛機的飛行特性大加贊許，認爲M-346證實了其高的推重比和突出的機場性能：起飛滑跑400米、著陸距離520米。飛機的數位式飛行控制系統便於飛機平穩和精確地機動飛行。

本次首飛成功表示由M-346專案主任Massimo Lucchesini領導的綜合産品組承擔的M-346研製工作通過了一個關鍵里程碑--標誌著由700次飛行構成的全面飛行試驗活動的開始。這700次飛行試驗活動將由三架儀錶飛機負責完成飛行剖面全面評估和型號取證。

Ａ：
無視於RAF連在現有規模（88 Tornado F3s, 86 Tornado GR4s, 57 Harrier GR7s and T10s and 32 Jaguars, with 13 additional reconnaissance Jaguars and 24 reconnaissance Tornados）下都已經作戰調度透支的現實，英國工黨政府與財政部最近又提出最新的RAF有人戰機滅絕計畫，發表未來英國空軍將只需要20架一線本土防空戰機與64架前線打擊戰機（不包括訓練維修庫存備用機）便足以因應需求的驚人聲明．

如果此一計畫確定的話，颱風戰機與聯打機的訂單將可能會砍掉六七成以上，所有的美洲虎攻擊機與獵鷹垂直起降攻擊機亦有可能在2010年以前被砍得一架不剩．

一些英國軍武同好們業已在網路上發起搶救皇家空軍行動.........XDDDD

http://www.eurofighter.starstreak.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=912&start;=0
http://www.eurofighter.starstreak.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=912&start;=10
http://www.eurofighter.starstreak.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=919
http://www.eurofighter.starstreak.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=920

1. 首度試飛：F-35A 2006年／F-35B 2007年／F-35C 2008年

2. 達到IOC（在美國）階段：F-35B 2012年／F-35A 2013年／F-35C 2013年

3. F-35B英國型何時能達到IOC階段目前尚未確定，不過製造商聲稱若英國佬願意屈就於較低性能的初始量產型的話，則同樣也可以在2012年進入IOC階段

4. 在超重部份，目前F-35B仍有1,130公斤的超重有待克服，而F-35A與F-35C則各超重680公斤；在F-35B方面，據稱已經無法在保持所有原訂目標性能的狀況下完成減重，但是研發團隊將設法力保八大基本性能要求不失，而以犧牲其它次要性能（例如Trimming approach paths after a wave-off on landing）需求來完成減重計畫．

5. 基於維持引擎操作壽限起見，以推力超限提升以彌補超重的方案，目前已被放棄．

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996200

Fighter pilots could command drone swarms

13:21 26 July 04

NewScientist.com news service

Jet fighter pilots could command a whole swarm of planes from the air, using a system developed by a British aerospace company.

QinetiQ - formerly the UK governments Defence Evaluation and Research Agency - has developed technology that would allow a pilot to control up to five aircraft during a mission, without needing to constantly keep a check on them.

So far, the system has been demonstrated as part of a new simulator developed by QinetiQ, modelled on the Eurofighter. The system allows a pilot to program a group of up to five unmanned planes to perform a simple task, like searching an area for enemy vehicles.

The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) under the pilots control use software agents to carry out their mission. These agents are given a goal - to find enemy targets, for example - and can independently deal with the various variables involved.

Stealthy bombers

The UAVs have to be intelligent enough to do the right things without having to refer to a human operator, says Jon Platts, technical manager for autonomous air vehicles at QinetiQ.

In the case of a search and destroy mission the UAVs would locate a potential target and send an image of it back to the pilot, who could give the command to attack it or continue the search. But a pilot could also override the UAVs autonomous behaviour and even control individual planes by hand if necessary.

If the link between the UAVs and the fighter should fail, they must also be able to continue their mission independently or return to base.

From micro spies to stealthy bombers, UAVs are making the vision of unmanned aircraft a reality, says Peter Birkett, managing director of the spin off company that developed the simulator, called cueSim.

Birkett says the simulator brings to life a future combat environment where a fast jet is controlling a whole package of UAVs, thereby delivering greater firepower and reconnaissance capability.

The simulator connects two cockpits over a network, allowing two pilots to fly in tandem. The system in fact uses some off-the-shelf software technology more commonly found in computer games.

Platt is confident the technology can be easily transferred from simulator to real life. He says the technology could be implemented in real fighter planes within the next 10 years, but the main obstacle would be to rigorously demonstrate its safety to regulators.

RAF官方雜誌夏季號，有關颱風戰機的專題報導~2

空對空作戰：

透過保密資料鏈與AWACS和ASTOR密切合作，颱風戰機可以在雷達不開機的匿電磁蹤模式狀況下充分掌握目標區上空與地面的敵我情勢動態，甚至達到當敵機首度得以RWR發覺颱風戰機之存在，是在業已遭飛彈主動雷達尋標器鎖定之時的理想境界．

經由使用節流閥上的滑鼠裝置或是聲控系統，長機飛行員開始標定其預定攻擊目標，並將結果以語音資料鏈告知僚機飛行員，接著僚機飛行員也將其所標定目標的決定以語音資料鏈告知長機；目標分配決定完成後，飛行員可從HUD或是HMD上獲知一切必備作戰相關資訊，一個”Target Designer BoX”將會被投射在頭盔螢幕上，指出被鎖定的敵方戰機目前所在空域方位，並且隨著雙方逐漸逼近，Box會越來越大，最後當目標進入本機主戰中長程AAM的無逃脫射程或最佳開火時機範圍時，一個Bracket將會投射在目標上，通知飛行員可以放心開火．

Craig Penrice透露：在配合聯合網路作戰，先進敵我識別與新一代流星級中長程AAM的神威下，颱風戰機最遠可望在200公里外開火迎敵，並且最多能同時接戰八個獨立空中目標．

Craig Penrice聲稱，現代的BVR空戰有如多人棋賽般的複雜多變，在主動雷達尋標器開起前，戰機飛行員仍必須讓戰機伴隨導控BVRAAM，因此如何在敵機察覺或有效反擊前，在適當的時機將所發射的BVRAAM切換成自主終端導引模式，讓本機能及時急轉彎機動並朝低空大氣濃厚處超音速俯衝（英國佬飛官稱此戰術為”manoeuvre running away bravely”），將敵人戰機AAM反擊成功率減至最低，是目前BVR空戰領域中最重要的課題．

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20040808wo01.htm

Govt to stop procurement of F-2 fighter

Yomiuri Shimbun

The Defense Agency plans to discontinue procurement of the F-2 fighter within a few years, an agency source said Saturday.

The plan, which is part of the review of the Air Self-Defense Forces fighter units, will be incorporated into the new five-year Defense Buildup Program that is to be drawn up by the end of this year.

The agency has concluded that the F-2 is the least cost-effective of all available options, making it necessary for the agency to procure an alternative aircraft.

The F-2 was jointly developed by Japan and the United States, with Tokyo originally planning to deploy 130 of the aircraft. In a rare move for Japan, procurement will now cease well short of that number.

The move comes after the Defense Agency decided to scrap its division of fighters into two categories--interceptors tasked with combating enemy aircraft, and fighter-bombers designed to attack land and sea targets. Instead, the agency plans to have future fighter aircraft assume various roles, including reconnaissance.

Under the new defense plans, to be drawn up under the new National Defense Program Outline, the agency also intends to shift from the current three-model fighter system--the F-15, F-4, and F-2--to a two-model system.

As the result of study made on the basis of these plans, the agency concluded that:

-- The F-2 had become too expensive after development delays caused its unit price to rise from the originally projected 8 billion yen to about 12 billion yen, or about the same as the larger, more capable F-15.

-- While the F-15 is being upgraded, there is little room to upgrade the F-2 with new equipment because of its smaller size.

-- The F-2 can carry only a limited number of weapons.

Based on these conclusions, the agency has decided to discontinue procurement of the F-2, but to make a rapid start on selecting an aircraft to succeed the F-4 fighter, which will reach the end of its service life in the near future, the source said.

In 1995, the Security Council of Japan decided to buy 130 F-2 fighters--a decision approved by the government.

So far, however, only 76 of the aircraft are either deployed or under construction. Next fiscal year, new contracts to purchase an additional 10 to 20 units will be made, marking the end of the procurement.

The plan to introduce the F-2 was incorporated in the Defense Buildup Program of 1985, with the aircraft intended to succeed the domestically manufactured F-1 fighter.

In selecting the model, Tokyo indicated it wanted a domestically developed aircraft, despite pressure from Washington to buy U.S.-made fighters to help cut Japans trade surplus with the United States.

目前日本發展自製戰機的障礙關鍵和當年一樣卡在發動機，不過倒有一點不同的是當年開發FSX戰機計畫的時候在發動機上只有美帝可靠（蘇聯當年是敵人，歐洲國家當時的軍用引擎科技則嫌技術與推力均不足），所以註定只有被美帝吃乾抹淨的份兒。

F-2A/B才剛成軍，少說也應該會用到2025~2030年以後，也就是說F-4EJ與F-15J最終當由同一種戰機取代（自製？？F-22J？？F-35J？？）

無論上述方案那一種最後獲選，大概都至少還需要10~15年才能進入部署成軍階段；如果日本空中自衛隊要在短期之內替換F-4EJ的話．．．．．．．．．．．．．

英國佬再度將其獨步全球的軍武KUSO藝術，發揚至更上一層樓的極致....................

（聯合報930814）

編譯王麗娟／報導

英國每日電訊報網站十三日報導，英國國防部為了省錢，準備讓英國皇家空軍採購的兩百卅二架「颱風」型歐洲戰機雖配備有機砲，卻無砲彈可用。

英國國防部五年前決定，空軍「颱風」戰機不配備機砲，以便從一千零五十億英鎊（一千九百卅三億美元）的軍購案省下九千萬英鎊（一億一千五百七十四萬美元）。

First Prototype of Sapsan Laser Pod to Be Installed on Combat Airplane by End of this Year

The first prototype of Sapsan [peregrine] laser pod will be installed on a combat airplane by the end of this year. A second prototype will be manufactured next year. This pod is made in accordance with the same technical assignment for Su-27 and MiG-29 airplanes, the chief designer of the Uralsk Optical-Mechanic Plant (UOMZ), Nikolay Rakovich, announced to ARMS-TASS at the Farnborough-2004 air salon.

According to him, recently aircraft podded targeting systems have enjoyed broad development in the world, therefore, we needed to revise the technical and economic task for the Sapsan pod in the direction of an essential increase in a number of characteristics. Right now we are summarizing the requirements of potential Su-35 customer orders. The creation of a pod for this airplane will be the next stage of development in Russia of this direction of work. A number of parameters will be increased several times. Cooperation on the pod for the Su-35 also will be broadened appreciably.

Of the new systems at Farnborough-2004, the UOMZ presented the GOES-520 flight gyro-stabilized optoelectronic system which is intended for installation on Mi-28, Ka-50 and Ka-50-2 helicopters. Right now, according to N. Rakovich, the UOMZ is starting to market these systems to other types of forces- ground forces and the navy. In particular, the UOMZ is working on an upgrade program for the Shturm-SM land complex and the Kredo [credo] reconnaissance vehicle. The upgrade of the Palash [broadsword] complex and the Bark [bark] circular scan and targeting systems are the main directions in the naval theme.

The creation on the basis of the helicopter GOES systems for the protection of especially important objects which provides around-the-clock detection of unsanctioned penetration beyond the perimeter of an object being guarded is another direction of the operations. This system already has been presented at Domodedovo airport.

Answering an ARMS-TASS correspondents question about cooperation with European countries, the UOMZ representative said that work is underway on the upgrade of a the Byelorussian armed forces fleet of Mi-24 helicopters. Right now upgrade is underway of a master helicopter on which flight tests of the GOES-321M surveillance and targeting system is undergoing tests. As a result of tests, a decision will be made about the installation of this system onto other Byelorussian military Mi-24 helicopters.

UOMZ is participating as a subcontractor in the upgrade of the Polish militarys fleet of Mi-24 helicopters. Right now the main batch of helicopters is undergoing upgrade. Preliminary discussions are underway also with the Czech Republic, Hungary and Bulgaria.

The main volume of UOMZ product accounts for export orders. The state defense order for the upgrade of helicopters and the equipping of them with optoelectronic surveillance or surveillance and targeting systems is extremely small. Last year only 15 helicopters were upgraded according a line item of the ministry of defense and other force authorities. There is no state order for the upgrade and equipping of helicopters with UOMZ systems this year.

英國軍武同好分享的資訊，根據最新一期AFM的內文記載，上個月御駕親征新加坡的雙座型颱風戰機，帶給RSAF相當深刻的映像．

在展示過程期間，颱風戰機曾在此熱帶氣候地區的中午時分，展現1.21馬赫級的超音速巡航實力．

文中亦記載道：”颱風戰機的雷達性能表現，亦是無與倫比”

勤儉建軍，自立自強，不向美帝低頭的典範：巴基斯坦，儘管擁有了全球最大的幻象機隊，仍然持續進行其阿里山計畫之希馬拉雅山脈版：向利比亞收購了50架中古幻象五以及150具引擎。這使得這支全球最大的幻象機隊達到245架。

英國為了加強對地攻擊能量，考慮向美國購買Lightening III導引莢艙給EF-2000，這似乎顯示之前一直發展的TIALD的末路，雪上加霜的是，英國甚至也考慮購買一批給龍捲風GR4使用。英國表示，未來的EF-2000將以多任務方式部署，每支部隊都擁有對空與對地能力，加上改良完成的龍捲風GR4與即將開始的Harrier GR9，除龍捲風F3之外全面具有對地攻擊能力的新一代RAF將提早淘汰現有的美洲虎。

一張照片顯示，日本航空自衛隊司令與美國第五空軍司令分別駕駛F-2與F-16進行纏鬥對抗，當然勝負並未公佈。

韓國媒體報導，韓國考慮增購40架F-15K，使F-15K機隊達到80架之譜（F-15+F-16真是王道：日本、韓國與以色列）

Evergreen（長榮航空不是？！）與Omega航空聯合成立了全球加油服務公司，提供全球空中加油的需要。Omega航空原本操作B707支援美國海軍的空中加油，而新公司則收購了前日本航空的DC-10成為KDC-10，預計投入成長中的空中加油市場。

於MMA計畫得標的波音的B737-800ERX可能命名為P-8A（好感動....差一點以為又要出現P-737），不過國防部還未批准。

Evergreen INternational Aviation
http://www.evergreenaviation.com/

This company was alleged to be related with CIA

南韓空軍在1981年12月，我國連F-16 J-79與F-20的申購請求都被雷根政府拒絕的時候，向美國申購第一批F-16 C/D Block30/32戰機成功，此一交易計畫代號為”和平之橋Ｉ”，南韓方面先是於1982~1987年間陸續引進30架Ｃ型機與6架Ｄ型機，後來又於1988年以計畫剩餘預算引進4架Ｄ型機（足可氣死我方之事一）．

到了1989年，南韓空軍展開韓國戰機計畫，原本這個計畫是由F/A-18C/D大黃蜂戰機得標，但是因為預算不足之故，大黃蜂戰機到手的鴨子最後硬是被價格較低廉的F-16 C/D Block50/52給搶去．

這個計畫後來以”和平之橋ＩＩ”為名繼續進行，南韓空軍透過此計畫引進了120架F-16 C/D Block50/52，其中Ｃ型機80架，Ｄ型機40架．首批12架戰機由美方原廠提供，之後36架由美方提供套件，運至南韓由Samsung航太企業集團方面負責組裝，最後72架則授權全在南韓當地生產（足可氣死我方之事二），首架由南韓方面負責組裝的F-16C（KF-16）於1995年11月7日正式出廠面世．

這批戰機擁有完整的防空與精準對地打擊／ＳＥＡＤ功能，配備使用AIM-120，HARM以及LANTIRN導航／標定莢艙，AN/ALQ-165自衛Jammer等先進行頭（足可氣死我方之事三）．

到了2000年，南韓方面與美方簽定”和平之橋ＩＩＩ”計畫，獲得授權再行生產20架F-16 C/D Block50/52，其中Ｃ型機14架，Ｄ型機6架，總價值約七億美金，計畫則正好在幾天前順利完成，並號稱高達78%的機體零組件都由南韓方面自行製造生產（足可氣死我方之事四）．

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/client/modele.pl?session=dae.4745259.1093358515.QStTs8Oa9dUAAGzvlb8&modele;=jdc_34

Air Force Has Finished Posting 140 KF-16 Jet Fighters For Active Service

(Source: Korea Information Service; issued Aug. 24, 2004)

The Korean Fighter Program (KFP), the largest project for the build-up of air-force war potential in the nations history, has been completed successfully.

The Air Force has taken over 140 KF-16 jet fighters from the Korea Aerospace Industries on Aug. 20 and posted them to airborne combat units.

This has brought the first-phase KFP project that produced 120 KF-16 fighters from 1991 to 2000 to a close, and the second-phase project that has built 20 more fighters since 2003.

Under the KFP project, the nation has not imported fighter jets as finished products, instead introduced technology from the United States and produced them here under license, helping to strengthen the war potential of the Air Force as well as establishing the growth of the domestic aerospace industry.

The Air Force and KAI have succeeded in licensed production of F-16 fighters for the first time in the world, accumulating the core technology for the independent development of aircrafts and upgrading national competitiveness as an aircraft builder.

F-15E改

F/A-18E/F

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NO:251_83伊雲 　於　2004/08/25 22:09
Re:2004 第三季各國軍用機動態及評論

好處來自於飛彈的雷達比飛機爛！

(1) Fronrtal RCS:
Raptor: 0.0005~0.001m2
Typhoon: 0.05~0.1m2
F-16: 1.2m2
F-15: 10m2

(2) Empty Weight:
Raptor: 15,175~16,000kg
Typhoon: 10,995~11,150kg

(3) Internal Fuel:
Raptor: 10,500~11,500kg
Typhoon: 4,600~4,996kg

(4) Standard weight of Air-combat (60% internal fuel, MRAAM*6, SRAAM*2):
Raptor: 22,775~24,370kg
Typhoon: 15,200~15,600kg

(5) Max. Thrust:
Raptor: 35,000~39,000Ib*2
Typhoon: 20,250~21,250Ib*2

(6) Max. Air-combat T/W ratio [(5)/(4)]:
Raptor: 1.30~1.56
Typhoon: 1.18~1.27

(7) Wing Surface area:
Raptor: 78m2
Typhoon: 50m2

( Air-combat wing loading [(4)/(7)]:
Raptor: 292~312kg/m2
Typhoon: 304~312kg/m2

(9) Super-cruise for air-combat:
Raptor: 1.68 Mach
Typhoon: 1.2~1.3 Mach

(10) Max. range of detection of radar (Fighter/Bomber):
Raptor with AN/APG-77: 230km/460km
Typhoon with Captor: 185km+/370km+

(11) Max. TWS ability of radar:
Raptor with AN/APG-77: 100 targets (Not confirmed)
Typhoon with Captor: > = 20 targets

Rafale測試了500磅LGB的三聯裝掛架，也可掛發展中的AASM。以往次音速使用的2000L油箱則提升到1.6馬赫。而發展中的Meteor則將可掛載四枚（兩個進器道後側，兩個主翼下），但另外翼尖與機腹還可再掛四枚MICA。

Harrier GR9出海進行測試。這款改型未來將取代空軍的GR7與海軍的FRS2。

俄羅斯空軍接收了第一批的五架Su-27SM，未來將繼續接收20架以上。

ａ：
有關三聯彈掛載與流星雲母配之構型，請見：
http://new.isoshop.com/dae/dae/gauche/sponsors/sponsor_rafale/img/fox3_6.pdf

推重略有不如，翼型和進氣道設計又非為高速空戰而生的疾風要是能掛著兩具2000L還能同樣飛1.6M的話，未免太不思議矣；不過若是只掛一具的話，或許較有可能．

亦或這是在M88-3引進後才有的能力，目前只是在未雨綢繆爾？？？

http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2004/september/09_03_4.html

EUROFIGHTER WOOS TURKEY

ANKARA [MENL] -- European Union nations have been wooing Turkey to purchase the Eurofighter.

Turkish officials said the Eurofighter consortium has held meetings with Turkeys Defense Ministry and air force for the supply of the Eurofighter Typhoon. The officials said the consortium has presented the Eurofighter Typhoon as an interim aircraft until Turkey receives the first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter from the United States in 2015.

有關九月號AFM月刊對颱風戰機新加坡戰記的全文報導網路盜貼版：

1. 英國佬再度將軍武廣告宣傳技巧提昇到新的顛峰，依照”可靠消息”說法，兩架雙座型颱風女神戰機在新加坡的表現，讓新加坡空軍健兒們如痴如醉，如登極樂。

2. 據說在新加坡展示期間，颱風雙嬌示範了28架次，總計35飛行小時的作戰飛行示範，其中包括與新加坡空軍的模擬對抗∼先是兩架F-16C/D，之後是六架F-16C/D與F-5S聯軍（不過文中未講明是兩架颱風齊上，還是只派一架出場料理）；至於比試結果雖未講明，不過根據”可靠相關人士”聲稱：”新加坡空軍健兒們目瞪口呆，颱風在各方面的表現皆超越所有預期，把他們的戰隼紛紛吹洛天空！！”......猛禽老大，不要以一敵五斬烤雞就是當世無雙啊..................XDDDDD

3. 英國佬聲稱，颱風戰機無論在整體多用途戰力表現，後勤補保維修的便利性與經濟性，還是全壽命週期操作成本之低廉，都是三大參賽者之首；使用第四代科技的EJ-200渦扇發動機，在沒有裝置Inlet guide vanes的情況下，仍能在吸入一磅的鳥／砂／水／草或是一群麻雀大小的小鳥之後，繼續維持推力至少三十分鐘。

4. 不過英國佬也承認，在三大競爭者中，EF-2000將是最後才能享受AESA雷達科技者，不過其強調（或著該說強辯.........-_-!!!）道：”是戰機雷達的整體性能，而非雷達天線型號，決定最後的勝負；而主動陣列雷達科技至今依然相對未熟，貿然使用的話產生問題風險的可能極高，特別是對於小型噴射戰機而言”（如果再把日本F-2A/B的教訓拿來引證，這段廣告說辭就更完美矣.........XDDDD）

5. 另外一項讓新國佬，甚至連法國佬都如痴如狂（當然，這同樣也是引述某權威約翰牛士的聲稱）的表現，就是颱風戰機傳聞已久，不見人來的舒跑克魯斯能力：一架颱風遠征機在一個典型的熱帶炎熱上午，飆出了馬赫1.21的舒跑克魯斯

前者的設計結構要求壽限只有六百飛行小時，而且無須考慮泰多重裝掛載問題，而後者則必須結構強化以保證六千飛行小時壽限以及7,500~8,000公斤最大外掛籌載攜行能力，更何況量產雙座機的空重據信也比量產單座機重上550~700公斤..................

美國陸軍與海軍的電偵機採購案也落幕，由LM與巴西合作的ERJ-145改得標，取代陸軍的RC-12與海軍的EP-3。陸軍將採購38架，而海軍則預計12-19架。

瑞典公布了進行中的四大UAV展示計畫：
Neuron：雪風...嗯不是，是UCAV，雙引擎，極速0.8M，空重3.5噸，有兩個彈艙可以投擲GPS炸彈
FILUR：匿蹤偵察型，由碳纖做成，主要測試匿蹤科技
EuriMale：由法國主導的一個類似掠奪者的偵察機，滯空24小時，航程4500公里
TUMAV：應該是類似Shadow 200的戰術UAV

NG的X-47B將採用F-100-PW-220U引擎，重達19噸，並可攜帶兩顆2000磅炸彈降落航艦。利用GPS導航降落。

義大利的M346教練機試飛，其目前採購的F-124-200引擎為Honeywell與漢翔聯合的ITEC所提供，採用全新的雙重FADEC，並可讓M346達到1:1的推重比。

韓國預計採購300架攻擊型I Dont Fly韓語版：T-50，以取代現有的F-4與F-5。

Alenia-Marconi of Italy has developed a new family of Precision Guided Munitions (PGM) conceptually similar to the US AGM-130, consisting of a rocket-boosted bomb with glide fins, midcourse guidance system with a command update capability, and a terminal seeker system giving a CEP of two meters (less than 7 feet). Cruciform fins are fitted to the tail, while a pair of small winglets are fitted to the nose.
義大利的Alenia-Marconi集團推出一款類似美國AGM-130設計的”精確導引彈械”家族設計，其以火箭動力推進，擁有飛行中途指令更新能力，以及一款可讓武器命中精度達到CEP 2公尺範圍內的終端尋標器。

The company offers two versions of the PGM, including the PGM-500, which is unsurprisingly a 500 kilogram (1,100 pound) weapon sized for smaller fighters, and the PGM-1000, which is a 1,000 kilogram (2,200 pound) weapon. Laser-homing, TV, and imaging infrared seekers are offered. The PGMs are intended for platforms such as the Dassault Mirage 2000, F-16, Northrop F-5, and BAE Hawk. The United Arab Emirates apparently obtained PGMs in the mid-1990s, naming the weapon the Hakim.
目前該家族有兩位主要成員：彈重500公斤，適合小型戰機用的PGM-500，以及彈重1000公斤，適合中大型戰機用的PGM-1000。在終端尋標器選擇上，其可選擇雷射導引，光電導引，或是影像紅外線導引系統，並且可以在幻象兩千，F-16，F-5，鷹式戰鬥教練機等西方戰機上使用。阿拉伯聯合大公國於1990年代中期引進這款武器系統，並將其命名為Hakim。

* South Africas Kentron developed a jet-powered stand-off weapon named Multi-Purpose Stand Off Weapon (MUPSOW), leading to a long-range derivative designated TORGOS, where the acronym meaning is unclear.
南非的Kentron集團推出一款名為”多用途距外遠攻武器系統”(MUPSOW)的渦輪噴射動力遠攻飛彈家族，並且由此衍生出增程衍生型∼TORGOS遠攻飛彈。

http://www.edefenseonline.com/default.asp?func=article&aref;=08_01_2004_OM_01
Su-27SM

The current Su-27 modernization effort represents the first phase of a planned program (divided into so-called small modernization and big modernization) that is to enhance the aircrafts combat capabilities at minimum development risk and cost. The second phase will enable the aircraft to serve until the Sukhoi T-50 is available in numbers, around 2015-2025. The stated aim of the modernization is not to match the US F/A-22 Raptor point for point but to narrow the quality gap between Russian aircraft currently in service and fourth-generation fighters until the T-50 takes over.

The first phase of the modernization, with the aircraft designated the Su-27SM, includes a glass cockpit, improved fire-control systems, and the ability to carry a greater variety of weapons. The Su-27SM will be able to perform not only air-to-air missions but also daytime air-to-ground, all-weather suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) and tactical air support for maritime operations. The fire-control systems include a new radar (a slightly modified version of the N001M radar found on Chinese Su-27MKK2 aircraft), enabling the aircraft to perform ground- and sea-target detection. Air-to-air engagements are handled by the SUV-V system (a modified SUV-27 from the standard Su-27), while air-to-ground targeting is handled by the separate SUV-P system with its own computer. The SUV-P is a modification of the SUV-30 unit used on the Su-30MKK. It enables precision bombing using a laser rangefinder and an inertial-navigation system for digital impact-point calculation. It also enables use of TV-guided weapons, such as Kh-29T missiles and KAB-500Kr and KAB-1500Kr bombs. The laser can illuminate targets for the Kh-29L missile, the only laser-guided weapon used by the Su-27SM. The SUV-P can also process radar for passive SEAD targeting with Kh-31P missiles and targeting maritime targets working in active and passive modes for Kh-31A missiles. The aircraft ECM package remained untouched, with the SPO-15 RWR, Sorbtsya active jamming pods on the wingtips, and APU-50-2 chaff/flare dispensers with a capacity of 96 50mm cartridges.

The Su-27SM was first flown in December 2002. In late February 2004, the first five Su-27SMs, modernized Su-27 (T-10S) fighters, for the Russian Air Force were delivered to the 23rd Fighter Wing (IAP) at Tsentralnaya Uglovaya, near Vladivostok, after intensive tests of their new avionics and armaments at the 968th Research Instructional Air Wing (IISAP) at Lipetsk. The 23rd Fighter Wing belongs to 11th Air and Air Defense Force of the Russian Far East.

The modernization is considered a great success, and the entire Su-27 fleet is to be thus upgraded, including the Su-27UB aircraft, to be designated the Su-27UBM. The KnAAPO factory at Komsomolsk on Amur, which conducted the modernization program, had reportedly taken 20 Su-27s from the Russian Air Force as of the end of 2003 for refit to the Su-27SM standard. The remaining aircraft of this batch are to be modernized and handed over to the Air Force before the end of 2004. The next batch of 20 Su-27s is due to arrive at Komsomolsk for modernization in 2005. Altogether, two wings are expected to be operating with Su-27SMs by the end of 2005. The modernized aircraft is also offered for export as the Su-27SK but as newly produced units. Indonesia has already ordered two of them, as an initial batch for its order of the Su-30MK.

Su-35BM

In December 2003, after the Su-27SM modernization program had been deemed a success, Russia announced that it would proceed with the so-called big modernization program. The modernized aircraft is called the Su-35BM (also T-10BM) by Sukhoi, but it is not yet known what name will be adopted by the Russian Air Force. The Su-35BM program is to be a deep modernization of existing airframes, not newly produced aircraft.

The main new feature of the aircraft is to be a new radar. It has not yet been decided whether it will be the Phazotron-NIIR N031 Sokol or the Tikhomirov NIIP Irbis. The first is actually the well-known Zhuk radar with a passively scanned phased array, while the Irbis is a version of the N011M Bars-M, also with a passively scanned phased array. In 2003 a new phased-array antenna was tested for Indian Su-30MKI aircraft, but it achieved only +/-45 degrees of horizontal field of view, instead of the planned +/-70 degrees. The remaining angle of 25 degrees was achieved mechanically via a hydraulic servo, which was an unsatisfactory solution. The Irbis is to differ from the Bars-M by having quick servos that are tightly synchronized with the radar electronics to achieve the 70 degrees of scan on either side of the fighters axis. Sources says that NIIPs solution is preferred by the Russian Air Force, since NIIP radar sets were all proven in service. The radar is to have similar capabilities to the N011M Bars-M. The detection range of a fighter airplane (170 km) and a destroyer-sized naval target (300 km) more or less matches the N011Ms performance.

The Su-35BM is also to receive a small radar in a tail stinger to monitor the rear hemisphere. It is to be a NIIR N012 Kopyo-DL with a passively scanned phased-array antenna with a range of about 50-70 km. The unique arrangement indicates that Russia does not plan to rely as heavily on data exchange networks to maintain situational awareness, although the Aist data-exchange system for the Air Force is under development.

The weapons set for the Su-35BM is to be the same as the Su-27SM. Among the new weapons in development is a long-range air-to-air missile with required range of 300 km. Since the range is beyond radar range, external information is required to prepare the missile for launch. Two or four such missiles are to be carried. The missile is to be developed from either the Novator KS-172 technology demonstrator or the Vympel R-37M missile, also proposed for the MiG-31. Sukhoi prefers the first solution, and one can say that it is part of Sukhois long-standing strategy to prompt the Air Force to kill the MiG-31s and replace them with the Su-27 family of aircraft.

The Su-35BM is also to receive a totally new self-protection system. It was developed by KNIRTI (Zhukov near Kaluga, Russia) and is designated the L-175M Khibiny-M. It has an integrated electronic-support-measures system of high accuracy, a separate display in the cockpit, a digital processor, and an integrated active radio-frequency jammer with pods on the wingtips. Probably in the future, the aircraft will also receive a missile-approach-warning system and a towed decoy (for example, the Lobushka). The aircraft will have RAM coatings and some internal changes to increase stealth features, such as a new windshield and canopy of slightly different shape covered with radar-absorbent material.

With Weight Issues Resolved, F-35 Focus Turns to Production

(Source: Lockheed Martin; issued Sept. 14, 2004)

A:
根據後來英國國防部進一步的對外說明解釋之後，這則消息有訂正的必要：
英國國防部所謂的”20架一線防空戰機與64架前線打擊戰機”，指得是在對外遠征作戰時最多能動員部署這樣數量規模的戰機，並不包括本土防衛，訓練以及維修升級儲存用機．

不過這樣的能力追求所需的戰機兵力規模還是比皇家空軍目前的兵力規模要小些，因此皇家空軍將於短期內將旗下所有美洲虎攻擊機除役，並且淘汰部份龍捲風F3防空戰機．

獵鷹機與海獵鷹機的部份最終會由F-35B所取代，而EF-2000則主要是用於取代龍捲風F3與美洲虎戰鬥攻擊機的任務部份；至於龍捲風GR4的部份，目前看來將由EF-2000與F-35升級改良，配合上類似X-45或X-47之流的UCAV，以及數架可能來自C-17, A-400M或C-130J改裝而來的巡航飛彈火力機之搭配所取代．

在扣掉美洲虎與海獵鷹戰機，且空軍海航的獵鷹戰機中隊共用一體之後，皇家空軍與海航的有人戰機規模總數約是255架，個人相信這也將是未來皇家空軍與海航有人戰機的數量上限．

The F-124 engines of Aermacchi M.346 may be replaced by R&R;/Turbomeca ADOUR Mk.951 engines at almost the same thrust class, slightly under 3,000kgw. Since ADOUR Mk.951 is the only engine in this class made in Europe, dont expect too much to M.346.

因為次世代猛禽戰機高貴量稀之故，老美空軍打算在未來相當一段時日內，繼續保持一定數量的F-15於陣營中賣老命．．．．．．．．．．．

F-15C/D：
在大部份成員換裝AN/APG-63(V)1與JHMCS + AIM-9X之後，老美空軍打算繼續保有約200架上下的F-15C/D機隊服勤，直到2025年以後．
（順便年年出訪有側衛與颱風戰機的友邦進行模擬友誼SM，以年年提醒元老院的大佬們讓帝國空軍擁有更多猛禽戰機的重要性................XDDDDD）

F-15E：
在加裝使用小直徑精靈炸彈使用能力（F-15E最多可掛十六枚），使用新型夾艙，以及未來（可能）換裝新型AESA雷達之後，總數224架的F-15E打擊鷹戰鬥轟炸機隊預定將服役至2035年以後．
（看來老美空軍對FB-22成真的可能性並沒抱持多少希望．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．）

http://www.kojii.net/jdw/jdw040908.html

US Air Force F-15 fleet prepares for arrival of F/A-22

米空軍が保有する F-15 戦闘機は、F/A-22 の就役に伴い、支援任務への転換
を図る。米空軍に F-15 が就役したのは 1970 年代のことで、アップグレー
ドによって 2025 年までは運用を継続する予定。また、米空軍では F-15 の
制空戦闘機としての優勢が、Su-30 などの新型戦闘機によって脅かされてい
る点についても承知している。

Wright-Patterson AFB で F-15 の SPO (System Programme Office) に勤務
する Terrence Feeham 大佐は「F-15 が敵の尻を蹴飛ばせるかって ?　もち
ろん可能だとも」といっているが、F-15 パイロットがこれまで享受してきた
技術面・訓練面での優越が減少してきている、ともいっている。
F/A-22 ラプターは、2005 年末から就役を開始することになっている。F/A-
22 はステルス性・機動性・先進的なセンサー・統合アビオニクス・超音速巡
航といった機能により、他の戦闘機に対して段違いの優越を確保している。
米空軍では 381 機の F/A-22 を導入したい考えだが、現時点での予算で調達
可能なのは 224 機だけ。

Feehan 大佐によると、F/A-22 の就役後も米空軍は 200 機の F-15C/D を維
持する考えで、これらの機体には、JHMCS (Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing
System) 追加などのアップグレードを実施する。また、保守性を改善した
AN/APG-63(V)1 レーダーについては、179 機のうち 133 機に装備を終えてい
る。

より新しい複座の対地攻撃機、224 機の F-15E ストライクイーグルについて
は、2035 年まで運用を続ける。また、ストライクイーグルは GBU-39 SDB
(Small Diameter Bomb) を初めて搭載する機体となる予定で、その場合には
16 発の SDB を搭載する。さらに、新型のターゲティング・ポッドや、AESA
(Active Elctronically Scanned Array) レーダーの装備も検討されている。
F/A-22 も対地攻撃能力を備えているが、F-15E は全天候下で昼夜を問わずに
対地攻撃を行う能力があるため、今後も縦深阻止攻撃の主力は F-15E となる。
それに対して、F/A-22 は本質的に制空戦闘機であり、特に手強いターゲット
に対して、対地攻撃「も」行える機体と位置付けられる。

2004/08/31~2004/09/06 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL週刊報導：

洛馬集團JSF計劃執行副總裁Bob Elrod表示：原本空重重達13,600公斤的F-35B STOVL戰機經過減重計畫之後，空重可望降低至12,420公斤．

不過減重計畫所付出的代價是：

1. F-35B的內掛彈艙將只能攜帶兩枚千磅級炸彈，無法如F-35A與F-35C般攜帶兩枚兩千磅級炸彈

空重：12,420公斤，約比單座型EF-2000重上11~13%

內載燃油：介於6,050∼6,350公斤之間，燃料分率約33~34%，比起歐洲雙風（28~32%）也似乎高明有限

引擎推力：和現行颱風戰機約略相當或略低，但是在若屆時颱風戰機完成相關引擎推力升級計畫，估計最多可在最大軍推上高出20~27%，後推方面高出約12~15%

1. 它能短場垂直起降，對於某些被成百上千BM／CM指著腦袋的盟邦空軍而言，這點很有吸引力

2. 它的腿最短，是家族中”腿型”最為近似歐洲雙風與超級蟲，侵略攻擊性質最低者。

http://www.eurofighter.starstreak.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=950&start;=10

(From Western Daily Press)

The Chairman of UKIP Exeter chooses to attack the Eurofighter, or Typhoon as it is called in RAF service, not because it is a bad, expensive warplane but because it is a way of attacking European co-operation (WMN, August 24).

There have been problems with the development of this aircraft, due to the changing nature of combat and the shift from a single Cold War enemy to multiple threats from hot-spots around the globe.

This is true also of many other major defence programmes. David Challice fails to mention that the US-led Joint Strike Fighter is overweight and is suffering cost and schedule overruns. Nor does he address fears that the US is squeezing the UK out of involvement in key technologies on the project. Despite investing US2 billion in JSF development, the UK is still the junior partner on JSF, not the equal partner it is in European co-operation.

http://www.f4hq.com/temp/F-22_CTF_Video.wmv
http://www.f4hq.com/temp/High-AOA.wmv

只要你的IR飛彈SEEKER可以上下左右轉頭而飛行員又有頭盔瞄準具就可以做到了，IRST與高偏軸攻擊能力無必然的關係。

伊朗首次公開其自製戰機：Saeghe。儘管資訊不多，但從照片中仍然可以明顯看出其為一架雙垂直尾翼....的F-5E。想來當年台灣政府如果有心培植航空工業，嚴拒美國插手的話，那我們大概也有三引擎版的F-5E跟伊朗相互輝映。據說完全逆向工程，改配備RD-33引擎，加大版的F-5F也在發展中（謎之聲：這真是我們心目中的理想戰機啊.....）

美國JHMCS開始量產，除了美國現役戰機之外，澳洲、希臘（F-16）、波蘭與瑞士的訂單也包括其中。

澳洲訂購12架NH-90，歐洲直昇機工業再度擊敗美國。

1. 轉頭遠比轉飛機快。

2. 離軸鎖定的奧義是，即使敵機在將近本機的三點鍾或九點鍾的方向，照樣可以直接透過轉頭鎖定－扣板機（嚴格說來是要按兩個鈕，第一道鈕將飛彈尋標器鎖定頭盔瞄準裝置所看到的目標，第二道鈕發射飛彈），在第一時間（自發現目標至開火，約2~3秒）內開火。

Answers found to F-35 weight problem

問題になったのは STOVL 型の F-35B で、重量超過状態のままでは、兵装と予備燃料を残した状態で短距離離陸と垂直着陸を行なえなくなってしまう。この問題が判明した後、国防総省では F-35 の開発スケジュールを引き延ばして、問題解決のための時間を稼ぐことにした経緯がある。

今回、提案されることになった設計変更により、合計 2,700lb (1,224kg) の重量軽減が可能になり、推進効率改善、抵抗低減、といった効果が得られて、要求仕様通りの性能を発揮できる状態になる。Lockheed Martin 社によると、設計変更の対象になったのは、以下の内容。

・空気取入口と排気部分の設計改良
・中央胴体セクションの設計変更
・主翼桁の配置を変更して間隔を詰めることで、外板の厚みを低減
・首脚収容部扉を二分割して、横風の影響を低減
・垂直尾翼の小型化
・兵器倉の高さ全体にわたる隔壁の新設
・バッテリの小型化
・外部モールド・ラインの拡張による燃料搭載量増加

なお、重量超過が問題になったのは STOVL 型の F-35B だけだが、同じ設計変更が CTOL 型の F-35A と CV 型の F-35C にも反映されることになっている。それについて、時間的問題はないとのこと。

このほか、当初は AMRAAM×2 発と 1,000lb 級 JDAM×2 発を搭載するはずだった F-35B の兵器倉が拡大されて、F-35A/C と同様、2,000lb 級 JDAM の搭載を可能にすることになった。

こうした設計変更作業が進められている一方で、空軍では F-35B に機関砲を内蔵して、さらにフライング・ブーム方式の空中受油装置を取り付けることを考えている。もともと F-35B は海兵隊向けに開発される機体だが、空軍では F-35B を配備する考えを、今年の 2 月に表明している。また、空軍参謀総長を務める John Jumper 大将も、陸軍や海兵隊に近接航空支援を提供する部隊に、数百機程度の F-35B を導入するといっている。

この件については、現在、Lockheed Martin 社と空軍が共同で実現方法を検討しているところ。F-35B の原設計では、機関砲は外部ポッド装備で、空中受油装置はプローブ・ドローグ方式となっている。これらを空軍の要求仕様に合わせて変更するのは難しい作業で、機関砲を機内装備にするだけでも燃料搭載量が 700lb 減ってしまう。さらに空中受油装置まで変更するのは難しいとの由。

なお、現時点での F-35 の単価は、CTOL 型が 4,500 万ドル、CV 型が 5,500万ドル、STOVL 型が 6,000 万ドルとなっている。

A:
JSF目前單價估計：
空軍型：4,500萬美金一架；海軍型：5,500萬美金一架；短場垂直起降型：6,000萬美金一架

欣喜若狂的皇家空軍健兒們把其興奮之情在最近的歐美多國與北約空軍共襄盛舉的Maple Flag 演習中展露無疑：在演習過程中，龍捲風F3 + AIM-120的”風之牆”組合獲得高達九比一的模擬獵殺交換比．．．．．．．．．．．．

http://www.kojii.net/jdw/jdw040922.html

Maple Flag演習：楓葉旗演習

(Source: French Ministry of Defence; issued Sept. 24, 2004)

(Issued in French only; unofficial translation by defense-aerospace.com)

法國國防部於本月22日宣佈，將斥資31億歐元（約38.4億美元）訂購最新一批次計59架的疾風戰機．

這批戰機將包括11架空軍雙座B型機，36架空軍單座C型機，以及12架海軍單座M型機， 且均為具備全功能戰力的F3構型．

在加入這批生力軍之後，目前法國方面確認訂購疾風戰機總數已達120架，其中空軍型82架，海軍型38架．

Designed to be the most advanced of its kind in the world by any standards, the Arie (Lion), would give the IAF a reliable option to the advanced US F-15 and F-16. Although it has never came through, the Arie became the cornerstone of another future and most ambitious project ever, an Israeli breakthrough to develop and produce the Lavi, the Israeli dream aircraft to outmatch the F-16.


Background

In response to the French embargo forced upon Israel after the Six-day war in 1967, a decision was made to strive for independence in the development of major weapons systems.

The commander of the IAF (1982-1987), Gen. Amos Lapidot: “The essence was to create a technological infrastructure to develop and manufacture weapons systems in the three major weapons systems platforms – tank, aircraft and ship. Behind that concept, were three basic rationales: First, Israel should not, and could not rely on foreign countries so volatile foreign policies. Secondly, the Israeli air force always striving to develop and use new war tactics and strategies, was in constant need of new equipment to fulfill those operational objectives. Third, a national strategy to promote Israel s and IAIs state-of-the-art technological accomplishments.


Development

In 1974, an IAI team was set up to begin the Arie project. As no government approval had yet been received to produce it, the program was codenamed “R&D; project”. Ovadia Harrari, who would later become head of the Lavi program, was to lead that endeavor.

The IAI decided to develop the Arie based on the technological knowhow acquired from the Kfir project, particularly from the Kfir-Canard program – Its improved version. In fact, the first proposal which was put on hold by the air force, was to develop an aircraft to be be named “Super Kfir” – a regular Kfir whose original J79 engine was replaced by an F100 model, same as in earlier F-15/F-16s versions. That new engine would substantially increase the Super-Kfirs flying performance. However, due to the Air Forces strict specs requirements, a new draft was called for, inspite of the Kfir/Aries visual similarities.

Over thirty different configurations were evaluated. The IAI tested several engine models, including the European RB-199, which powered the Tornado aircraft. Soon, the options were reduced to two. The F-100 single engine plane, or a twin-engine version.

The later, codenamed Light Weight Fighter-4 (LWF-4), was to be powered by two General-Electric F-404 engines as in the F-18. “Looking at the different designs of the Arie, one can notice that it is an extensively modified Kfir” explains Harrari ,“ the aircraft is visually different, but its roots are based on the Kfir”.

The new future fighter aircraft, which was now codenamed “Hadish” (innovative), could be described as a single seat light fighter, capable of reaching 2.4 Mach speed, a 75,000 ft altitude ceiling, with a 480 km combat radius. Armamment: 30-mm cal. gun and medium range air-to-air missiles. Avionics would include a radar, a helmet sight and an integral electronic warfare system. In addition, the aircraft would have low optical and radar signatures. Even the US F-15 and F-16 could not match these features at that time.

The outstanding factor: An air-to-air fighter, or an air-to-ground attack aircraft?

During its initial phases, the 1973 Yom-Kippur war broke out, and the Israeli air force focused its attention on the battle proven air-to-air configuration concept, as air power and air superiority consist basically of air-to-air combat missions. Therefore, about 90 percent of the “Hadish” capabilities would be directed for air-to-air combat.


Technologies and Avionics


The Arie had several technological breakthroughs. It was designed to be the first Israeli aircraft to deploy digital fly-by-wire flight control system (at that time, point technology). This fly-by-wire concept, permitted the engineers to design an aerodynamically non-stable platform. Hence, they could achieve a smaller and highly maneuverable aircraft.

In the air-to-air version, to cope with enemy intruder aircrafts, and keeping its air-superiority capabilities, the Arie would be equipped with advanced avionics and special ordnance systems: a highly sensitive Israeli Radar capable of acquiring low-altitude flying targets. Advanced electro-optical systems would enable the Arie to locate ground targets at night.

Another breakthrough, was the pilots option to use his helmet mounted sight, easing his combat workload. In the mid-70s these systems were nearly nonexistent. For example, it would take another ten years for the helmet mounted sight to become operational in any type of combat aircraft.

The Aries cockpit resembles to a great extent, that of the F-16s early versions. Besides the Head-up Display (HUD), a Monochromatic Display was mounted in the cockpit for Radar data display.

Pilots view was close to 360º visibility– a life and death factor in air combats.

The Aries ordnance would include a 30-mm improved Dapa cannon, assorted air-to-air missiles, iron bombs, and TV and Laser guided ordnance. Max. military load:7 tons.

Although that aircraft was not meant to be a stealth aircraft, some primitive stealth capabilities were studied to give it the option to strike heavily fortified missile zones. This objective was based on the lessons learned during and after the 1973 Yom-Kippur war, when Israeli fighters had to face a huge number of SAMs. The Arie would also be equipped with an advanced Electronic-Warfare system produced by Israel , giving that aircraft an early warning signal to lock on in enemy threats and jam them.

Studies were made to drastically reduce its radar signature, making it extremely difficult to be detected by enemy radar. For example, its bomb load was to be stowed inside a conformal ventral capsule, to reduce its radar cross section.


A Papers Lion

According to the program timetable, the Aries initial development phase should be completed by mid 1979. Until then, the IAI would have to complete flight test, select and define all the contractors.

By years end, an initial test flight was scheduled for the first of three prototypes.

In mid 1980, 10 pre-production aircrafts should be completed, with regular production to begin in the following two years. The Air Force should be receiving the first production Arie by the end of 1983. Delivery of 100 aircrafts would be completed by the end of 1985.

Meanwhile, the IAF was leaning towards the US aircraft option. Rumors indicated that the USA would finally agree to sell Israel F-15s and F-16s. Finally, a decision was made to order the US aircrafts.

In august 1975, the IAFs chief, the (late) Gen. Benny Peled realeased a document defining the IAFs policy in relation to the Arie project. The document favored the US F-15s and F-16s. Based on his assessment, the IAF began a procurement program of F-15s to be delivered by 1976. Moreover, it had been determined that the F-16 in principle, answered Israel s operational needs for an air superiority aircraft for the 80s. As a result of intense pressure on the IAF, Gen. Benny Peled decided to respond with a letter on May 10, 1976 , stating the reasons not to select the Arie: The US would agree to sell Israel F-16s. It had also been agreed that the US would sell Israel the F-100 engine, and there were no sufficient funds to keep the project moving.

“The fundamental knowledge that led to the development of the Lavi relied on the experience acquired from the “Hadish” and Arie”, says Gen. Lapidot, who created the Lavi project board, and commanded the Israeli Air Force by the time the project was canceled. “It can be definitely stated that the Arie, the Nesher and Kfir programs, added significantly to the development of the Israel Aircraft Industry (IAI), so that when we gave the “go ahead” for the Lavi, we already had a complete infrastructure in place and ready to work. In 1980, we decided to build a smaller version of the Arie. It is not by coincidence that it was named the Lavi. Lavi is a Lion (Arie), although a very young and smaller one”



Type Single-seat, multi-role aircraft
Max. speed 2.4 Mach
Max. altitude 75,000 feet

以色列向來喜歡以年輕的獅子作為自製戰機的命名，無論Kfir, Arie還是Lavi，指得都是未成年的獅子，但卻是截然不同的以色列自主戰機開發計畫，為了避免混淆，我們一般稱Kfir為”幼獅”，Lavi為”少獅”，而Arie..........姑且可稱之為”小獅”

Kfir幼獅機是以法製幻象三為基礎，換裝美製J-79引擎以及以色列自製航電雷達與武器系統而成的混血拼裝自製戰機，雖然並非多麼先進與高性能，卻十分實用，曾替以色列空軍立下不少汗馬功勞．

Arie小獅機計畫是以色列1970年代提出的先進空優戰機計畫，其可說是Kfir的脫胎換骨改良型，其升級幅度甚至可能比F-5E --> F-20還大；其預定使用一具F100引擎，極速據估計可達2.4Mach，實用升限高達75,000英呎，而且預定配備HMD，光電追蹤系統，以及擁有雷達低可視度外型設計等在當時而言，屬於極其先進，連當時新進成軍的西方新銳機種（F-15, F-16.......）都未能做到的設計概念．

不過後來隨著老美向以色列傾銷F-15和F-16之後，Arie尚在紙上談兵的階段便慘遭取消，無疾而終．

以色列本土飛機製造商並不因此灰心喪志，再接再厲推出一款性能級數檔次較低，但也因此更實際可行的自主戰機計畫：Lavi少獅機

根據最初設計需求，Lavi是一款使用單發F404引擎，用於取代IAF A-4天鷹機的密接支援攻擊機計畫，然而以色列仍不能忘情研發自主高檔貨的誘惑，仗著美援，其設計著設計著，最後把Lavi少獅搞成一款使用單發PW1120引擎，載彈量高達7,260公斤（其空重不過七噸，就在下所知，在所有古往今來的噴射戰鬥機裡，聲稱外載重能比本身空重更高的，至今也只有Lavi一家爾），足以力壓F-16C，與當時還在研發中歐洲三劍客互別苗頭的先進高檔貨∼這下可把老美的逆鱗觸犯至最高點：拿著老美的資金技術，開發出足以威脅戰隼王朝霸業的危險貨色，真是孰可忍，孰不可忍也．

http://www.eurofighter.starstreak.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=962

Buoyed by the contract to supply Advanced Jet Trainers to the Indian Air Force, a team from a British military equipment export organisation that is in New Delhi is offering to sell the Eurofighter Typhoon.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a four-nation — the UK, Italy, Germany and Spain — effort and still in the development stage but the offer signals that global companies are trying to prise open the race to bag a contract that could be in the region of Rs 30,000 crore to replace India’s ageing and casualty-ridden MiG-21 fighters.

The Indian Air Force is looking to replace about six squadrons of its MiG-21 air defence fighter aircraft. The French Dassault Aviation’s Mirage 2000-V is said to be the frontrunner in the race. The contract for an estimated 120 aircraft to be delivered — part off-the-shelf and mostly through co-production with the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited — over a five- to seven-year period could run into many thousands of crores.

節錄：

(From Western Daily Press)

In a recent competition run by Singapore to find a replacement for its F16 fighters, Typhoon was up against the American F15E and the French Rafale. Typhoon won all three combat tests, including one in which a single Typhoon defeated three RSAF F16s, and reliably completed all planned flight tests. According to one observer, neither competitor aircraft could claim the same (Defence Analysis August 2004).

英國太陽報記者雙座型颱風戰機試飛記

節錄：

1. Typhoon，身價五千萬英鎊

2. Top speed：1,500mph（Mach 2）／Ceiling height：above 65,000ft

3. An explosion of power and noise sent our jet, call sign Monkey One, hurling down the runway. After just 700ft we were airborne（輕裝下，颱風戰機可以在滑行200~250公尺後便行升空）

4. The two EJ-200 kick out 40,000lbs of thrust - almost twice as powerful as latest Harrier jump jets. With a weight of just 35,000lbs, the aircraft can do anything without fear of stalling or going out of control. After igniting the jets furious afterburners. Our plane turned into a rocket and we shot up in a vertical climb, hitting 12,000ft in six seconds（空戰輕裝颱風戰機低空垂直爬昇性能：六秒鐘內爬昇約3,660公尺）

5. Typhoon is so speedy we could have flown from John OGroats to Lands End in under 30 minutes, if laws allowed.

6. At a cruising speed of 700mph, we headed south over the Isle of Man at 40,000ft.

不過一般相信，Rafale N被取消的主要理由是因為預算經費之故，將先前26M + 34N的組合改為60M，將可望節省高達四億八千萬美金的開支．

不過在法國空軍方面，目前依舊按照原訂採購計畫：134架雙座B型，100架單座C型進行，未受任何影響．

http://www.kojii.net/jdw/jdw040929.html

Navy to receive only single-seat Rafales

フランスの Michele Alliot-Marie 国防相は、「海軍が行うミッションでは
2 人のパイロットは必要ない」という理由で、フランス海軍向けの複座型ラ
ファール、ラファール N の調達を行わない決定を下したと発表した。パイロッ
トの訓練については、空軍の複座型ラファールを使用することで代用する。
当初、フランス海軍では調達を予定する 60 機のラファールのうち 34 機を、
複座のラファール N にする計画だった。これを単座型だけに統一することで、
4 億ユーロ (4 億 8,000 万ドル) の経費節減が図れるとの由。

これまでにフランス海軍が受領している単座型ラファール M は、合計 10 機。
複座型については、空軍に 2 機を納入済み。現行の調達計画では、空軍が調
達を予定している 234 機のラファールのうち、134 機が複座型のラファール
B とされている。複座型は任務によって、パイロットを 2 人乗せる場合と、
後席に兵装システム士官を乗せる場合がある。