08 Desember 2011

Erieye AEW&C (photo : quintinsmith_ip)

Defence and security company Saab has signed an Industrial Cooperation teaming agreement with DRB-HICOM. The purpose is to offer the most competitive and attractive proposal to the Government of Malaysia regarding delivery of a high performance and cost efficient Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system.

Saab serves the global market with world-leading solutions, products and services ranging from military defence to civil security. DRB-HICOM is a leading company in the Malaysian automotive and defence industry. The companies combined competencies and capabilities will ensure that the most cost efficient solution will be offered to the Government of Malaysia.

The agreement between Saab and DRB-HICOM will include offering of technology transfer, bringing employment and expertise to Malaysia.

Malaysian Defence Minister Dato’ Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi witnessed the signing of the teaming agreement at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) in Malaysia. The agreement was signed by Gunilla Fransson of Saab and DRB-HICOM’s Abdul Harith Abdullah.

"I'm delighted that we today are formalizing our long lasting relationship. With this teaming agreement, Saab is further reinforcing its long term commitment to the Malaysian defence and civil security market", says Gunilla Fransson, Senior Vice President and head of Saab business area Security and Defence Solutions.

Saab has a long history of supplying high performance, cost efficient defence systems to the Malaysian Armed Forces. Systems like navy and army radar systems, airborne self-protection systems for helicopters and fighters, naval command and control systems and army support weapons, including anti-tank weapons.

Saab's world class, long range Erieye AEW&C system have the capability of early detection of air and sea objects. The sophisticated Erieye radar can also detect and track small objects. This includes unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles, as well as wooden fishing vessels and jet skies.

These capabilities give authorities full control of military and civilian airspace and movements at sea. The Erieye system further enhances the possibilities to monitor activities on the sea such as illegal fishery, illegal immigration, smuggling, piracy and also protection of oil and gas installations.

(Saab Group)

25 November 2011

The pod-housed system has already undergone a trial fit on an AW101 Merlin helicopter (photo : Lockheed Martin)

Malaysia's long-held requirement to field an airborne early warning (AEW) capability will see Lockheed Martin UK Integrated Systems formally launch a product in the country in December.

Dubbed "Vigilance", the system combines mission equipment developed for the UK Royal Navy's AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin HM2 multi-role helicopter upgrade with active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar technology provided by Northrop Grumman.

The latter draws on the company's APG-80 radar developed for the Lockheed F-16 Block 60 fighter and the APG-81 scaleable agile beam radar, being offered as an upgrade option for earlier versions of the type.

"We bring the same performance as a fighter radar, although it will be an APY- [AEW sensor] in function" said George Riley, Northrop's manager for surveillance systems business development.

Vigilance sensors will be mounted in self-contained pods and be capable of supporting tasks such as AEW, fighter control, and maritime and border surveillance, said Neil Morphett, system solutions engineering group manager for Lockheed Martin UK.

LM Vigilance PodLM Vigilance Pod on AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin HM2 multi-role helicopter (photo : Lockheed Martin)

"We are aiming to be as minimally disruptive to the aircraft as possible. We just need power on the aircraft and a hard point for mounting the sensor," he added.

Each pod will contain its own cooling system and other equipment, while a system interface panel will allow for the rapid integration of additional sensors, such as an electro-optical/infrared camera. Pod installation should take less than 4h, Morphett said.

Carrying one pod mounted on either side of its fuselage, a medium utility helicopter such as the Mil Mi-17 would be able to provide 360° radar coverage, with each AESA sensor's field of regard being expanded by the use of using a mechanical positioner.

The Vigilance Pod contains a Northrop Grumman AN/APG 81 active electronically scanned array (AESA), missions can include airborne early warning and control, anti-surface warfare, battlefield surveillance and search-and-rescue. (photo : Northrop Grumman)

Other potential host platforms could include the Airbus Military CN-235 and Lockheed C-130 transports, with these to be equipped with roll-on, roll-off mission stations for up to four operators. Rotorcraft are likely to be equipped with one operator station, and the ability to downlink data to analysts or commanders on the ground.

One radar has recently undergone vibration testing at Northrop's Baltimore site in Maryland, with this to undergo three months of industry-funded flight trials in the UK from the first quarter of 2012, using a prototype pod installed on a "medium-size" helicopter.

The first production-standard system is now in manufacture, and customer deliveries could commence within two years, said Younus Mustafa, Lockheed's capture manager for the Vigilance product. The company will launch the Vigilance product at a Tangent Link conference in Malaysia in late November, before promoting the system at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition.

(FlightGlobal)

01 November 2011

Russia’s new AWACS plane enters service (photo : Osdu)

A modernized A-50U airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft entered service with the Russian Air Force on Monday, an AF spokesman said.

The aircraft has an advanced onboard computer, satellite communication and radar systems, Col. Vladimir Drik said.

It now has the capability to detect various types of flying targets, including helicopters, cruise missiles and supersonic aircraft, he said.

The Beriev A-50, based on the Ilyushin Il-76 transport, first flew in 1978. It entered service in 1984, with about 40 produced by 1992.

The A-50 can track up to 10 fighter aircraft for either air-to-air intercept or air-to-ground attack missions.

(RIA Novosti)

03 Agustus 2011

Boeing 737-700 Peace Eye AEW&C (photo : Airliners)

South Korea has received the first of four Boeing 737-700 Peace Eye airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft.

The aircraft was delivered to Gimhae air force base, 450km (250 miles) southeast of Seoul, after a flight fromBoeing's production facility in Seattle, said the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

DAPA will conduct flight tests on the aircraft before passing it to the Republic of Korea Air Force in September.

The aircraft has already undergone mission system flight testing in the US. The remaining three aircraft are being modified by Korea Aerospace Industries at its Sacheon facility. They will be delivered in 2012.

"The 737 AEW&C gives Korea a powerful capability for airborne surveillance, communications and battle management," said Boeing. "It also provides increased security for the Korean peninsula against today's threats and threats in the future."

The 737 AEW&C features Northrop Grumman's unique approach to achieving 360° radar coverage. The multi-role electronically scanned array (MESA) radar includes two side-looking arrays, as well as a top-hat array that uses "endfire" techniques to steer the radar beam forward and aft of the aircraft.

"The so-called 'top hat' portion of the MESA radar provides a practical solution for fore and aft coverage, while maintaining the low drag profile of the dorsal array system," said Boeing. "This allows the system to be installed on the mid-size 737-700 platform, without significant impact on aircraft performance."

According to DAPA, a single Peace Eye can monitor the entire Korean peninsula. It can track up to 1,000 airborne or surface targets simultaneously, while also directing combat operations. It carries a flight crew of two and a mission crew of six to 10.

Seoul signed a $1.6 billion deal for the four aircraft in 2006. It is the second customer for the AEW&C variant of the 737-700 commercial airliner in the Asia Pacific region, after Australia.

Australia obtained four of the type under its Wedgetail programme, with initial operating capability expected in December.

Turkey has also purchased four of the aircraft under its Peace Eagle programme.

(FlightGlobal)

19 Mei 2011

C295 in AEW version (all photos : Airbus Military)

Airbus Military is to perform a three-month test campaign aimed at demonstrating the C-295 transport’s suitability as an airborne early warning aircraft, the company has revealed.

A C-295 development aircraft had a dummy rotodome installed above its fuselage at Airbus Military’s San Pablo final assembly site near Seville, Spain, on 17 May. Roughly 6m (19.7ft) in diameter, this will be assessed during flight tests to commence later this month, said Miguel-Angel Morell Fuentes, senior vice-president engineering.

“We want to see the aerodynamic effects of carrying the rotodome and identify any requirements for fuselage and cooling power changes,” he said. Study work on the concept started in the second half of 2010, with the rotodome design having been selected due to its ability to provide 360° surveillance coverage.

Windtunnel testing has already been conducted at DNW in the Netherlands using a 1/12th-scale model in two configurations: with and without winglets also installed (below). This followed computational fluid dynamics work intended to find the optimal position and angle for the rotodome to minimise its effect on the transport’s vertical fin.

If advanced, the AEW programme could deliver an aircraft with between four and six onboard operator consoles and an unrefuelled mission endurance of 7-8h, according to the company’s early estimates. The engineering work so far has not considered possible candidate radar systems for the C-295, however.

Assessment of the rotodome design could also have utility for any future AEW adaptation of the Airbus A319 or A320, said Airbus Military.

(FlightGlobal)

02 Mei 2011

RNZAF welcomed home the first upgraded P-3K2 Orion (photo : Janner88)

The Air Force's new Orion will be officially welcomed into service today.
The new P-3K2 will be shown off at the air base at Whenuapai, after being upgraded in the United States.

The other five Orion's are to be upgraded in Blenheim where they will be given a new data management sensor and communications and navigation systems.

The upgrade is considered a significant milestone for the New Zealand Defence Force because the planes will be able to do more than just marine patrols.

The Government's forking out 373 million to upgrade the six Orion's, in the hope they will be able to keep flying for another 15 years.

(NZ Herald)

23 April 2011

P3K2 Orion of the RNZAF (photo : RNZAF)

Today’s arrival in New Zealand of the first upgraded Royal New Zealand Air Force P3K2 Orion aircraft represents a quantum leap forward for the Air Force, Defence Minister Wayne Mapp says. The aircraft landed at the Whenuapai air force base in Auckland from the United States late this afternoon.

Dr Mapp said that the Government has made the delivery of the Orion upgrade a top priority since taking office.

“The poor management of the previous Government led to substantial delays. The project has taken far longer than we wanted.

“This project means a great deal to the RNZAF and the Ministry of Defence. Today is a significant milestone for them,” he said.

The $373 million upgrade includes improved surveillance, reconnaissance, navigation and communication systems. The upgrade project will also deliver crew trainers, and software testing and integration tools.

“This puts the Air Force at the forefront of technology. The Orion will now have vastly more capability across its whole range of missions, from military operations through to search and rescue, supporting our Pacific relationships and effective monitoring of our Exclusive Economic Zone," the Minister said.

“This also enables a significant and fundamental expansion in the Orion’s role. Along with its traditional maritime focus, it will now have tremendous capability for overland operations.

"The systems upgrade complements the earlier airframe upgrades. Together, they will see the Orion through to 2025.”

This aircraft was upgraded by L3 Systems and sub-contractors based in Greenville, Texas. The second and subsequent aircraft will be completed by Safe Air in Blenheim, and the first of those will be delivered in about three months.

(Beehive)

26 Maret 2011

EMB 145 AEW&C : one of candidates for RMAF AEW&C (photo : Indiaforum)

ALOR SETAR: The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) wants to have the Airborne Warning and Control System (Awacs) at its disposal to ensure the sovereignty of the air space for maximum security.

Air Force chief Gen Rodzali Daud said although the ownership of Awacs involved huge expenditure, the air force needed to have full control of air surveillance for tactical and defensive missions.

"We had sought the asset in the 7MP (Seventh Malaysia Plan) and is still awaiting it in the 10MP,” he told reporters after presenting flight wings to 43 trainees who attended various courses at the Air Force College, Kepala Batas, here today.

He said the RMAF was currently equipped with the ground radar and land command in the country’s air surveillance system.

In addition, he said, ownership of assets such as Eurocopter (EC725) from 2013, and strategic transport aircraft, Airbus A400M in 2015 would enhance the integrity of the air force.

“However, the ownership will not completely replace old aircraft. Instead they will complement existing aircraft such as the Nuri,” he said.

“To replace the Nuri, the RMAF requires 27 E725 aircraft. However, only 12 aircraft will be delivered by 2014,” he added.

(Bernama)

08 Februari 2011

Saab 340 AEW Erieye (all photos : Phairat Tonguthaisri- TAF)

After decades of trying, last month in December 2010 the early warning plane Saab 340 AEW and Saab 340B model transport aircraft was landing at Wing 7 Surat Thani.

This is one of history's new Royal Thai Air Force because the Saab 340 AEW became the first pre-warning aircraft of the Royal Thai Air Force, and the Royal Thai Air Force is just one of the two Southeast Asian nation of Singapore Air Force aircraft, ordered the advance early warning.

Saab 340 AEW is a virtual eye on the sky to the Royal Thai Air Force, and the army of other Thai military with the ability to detect the radar system Erieye installed on the fuselage, which provides a radius of detection beyond 350 miles to make it able to detect the target and the target in the air on the surface and on the ground, such as aircraft, unmanned aircraft, ship or ground units, and can detect targets more than one thousand simultaneous targets.

The Saab 340 AEW can also send the information to be detected within the immediate unit commander. The commander can see the movement of the battle fully and timely.

On the afternoon of February 8 during a visit to the availability of operational and arrangements authorized fighter a Gripen's Wing 7 Surat Thani TAF have the opportunity to monitor and record Saab 340 AEW during practice mission in the sky. We captured some opportunity to leave all of you.

(Thai Armed Force)

02 Februari 2011

Royal Thai Army's airship (photo : thaiza)

The leak in the army's troubled 350 million baht surveillance airship has been fixed, the army says, with plans underway for a test flight next month.

Thanadet Laungthongkham, the director of the military support coordination division of the Army Logistics Department, said a sub-contractor of the airship's US manufacturer, Aria International, had replaced a leaked part, called an "envelope".

The change of envelope would enable the airship to function properly, he said.

The replacement was made under the airship's one-year warranty.

This was proof that the company did not go bankrupt or fail to comply with the airship purchase contract as alleged, he said. Col Thanadet said a test flight would be conducted next month to prepare it for use and the army believed the airship would operate well.

The army returned the airship to the US supplier last August when it developed major leaks.

(Bangkok Post)

01 Februari 2011

RNZAF P3K Orion (photo : Chris Nielsen)

WELLINGTON - The final phase of acceptance testing on a New Zealand Air Force upgraded P-3K Orion prototype has begun at L-3 Communications Integrated Systems' facility in Texas.

The flight integration phase has taken considerably longer than planned, but completion is now within sight, Ministry of Defence project managers here said.

Originally, flight-testing for the 352 million New Zealand dollar ($272.4 million) project was to be completed within approximately six months. However, a series of unexpected problems stretched this phase to 18 months.

Among these concerns were the prototype aircraft's stall performance and anomalies with its digital indicated airspeed display during take-offs.

Flight-testing also has been hampered by problems unrelated to the systems upgrade.

The prototype P-3K2 Orion was unable to fly for six months in 2010 following the discovery of loose fasteners in the wing root area.

Separate issues, including bird strikes, have required three engine changes, the most recent in December.

Stall performance investigations have required considerable flight-testing, including examination of airflow patterns and installing instruments to record flight data. Extensive data analysis has been required and a ground test mock-up has been built to replicate and test the aircraft's airspeed indicating system.

The tests and analysis have resulted in new software being written for the aircraft's air data computer, and this software will be flight-tested in the coming weeks.

The upgraded systems in the prototype Orion's cockpit have now been extensively tested during approximately 240 hours of flight. The flight management system, Honeywell traffic collision avoidance system, integrated Rockwell Collins navigation and improved communications equipment are coupled with a much improved tactical display from the data management system and weather and air-to-air detection capabilities from the Elta EL/M 2022A(V)3 radar.

After some early teething problems, the data management system is now proving to be stable and the new sensors are demonstrating excellent detection performance, Defense News was told.

Once the contractor is satisfied, the final acceptance testing of the aircraft and associated ground-based support equipment will commence. The prototype P-3K2 then will return to New Zealand to begin Air Force operational testing and evaluation.

The remainder of the Orion fleet is to be upgraded by Safe Air in Blenheim. Installation of all the systems on the second aircraft, which has been at Blenheim since August 2009, has largely been completed, and ground testing and flight-testing of this aircraft will follow from the final prototype tests in Texas.

The latest timetable shows the entire fleet of six P-3K2 aircraft back in service by 2013 - three years later than originally scheduled.

Under the other major Air Force fleet renovation, five C-130H Hercules transports are undergoing a 226 million New Zealand dollar life extension program with two aircraft already completed and undergoing operational testing and evaluation in New Zealand since late last year.

Work will begin in February to upgrade the remaining three C-130s.

This work was originally expected to be done by Safe Air, but the company withdrew from the contract after unexpectedly long delays led to many staff being made redundant.

Under revised arrangements, a Ministry of Defence team will now handle day-to-day management of the C-130 upgrade.

This team will manage work undertaken by L-3 Systems and Safe Air, which will continue to provide specialist services, together with the Aviation Labour Group, a Christchurch, New Zealand-based company, possibly supported by other specialist providers, the Ministry of Defence said.

The revised arrangements keeps the life extension work in Blenheim, where the activity can be closely managed by the Ministry of Defence team. The C-130 work includes the refurbishment of the aircrafts' center wings, refurbishment or replacement of other structural components, a major rewiring, and replacement of avionics systems, flight management, autopilot and navigation and communication suites.

(Defense News)