BRAHMOS fired by Navy

India today successfully test fired the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the Navy's latest guided missile frigate INS Tarkash off the coast of Goa. The missile performed the high-level 'C' manoeuvre in the pre-determined flight path and successfully hit the target. "The launch was carried out by the Navy as part of Acceptance Test Firing (ATF) of the ship," he said.

INS Tarkash, which is an advanced Talwar Class frigate, was commissioned on November 9, last year. The warship, along with two other frigates of the class INS Teg and INS Trikand, have been built as part of an over Rs. 8,000-crore contract signed between India and Russia in July 2006. INS Teg was commissioned on April 27, 2012 and the commissioning of INS Trikand is expected soon.

The weapons suite of INS Tarkash includes surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile systems, 100 mm medium-range gun, close-in weapon system, torpedo tubes and anti-submarine rockets. All the three ships will be equipped with 8 vertical- launched BrahMos missile systems as the prime strike weapon.

The new missile frigates are designed to accomplish a wide range of maritime missions, primarily hunting down and destroying large surface ships and submarines. BrahMos officials said the vertical launch configuration of the supersonic missile enhances the stealth capabilities of the ship as the missiles are under the deck and not exposed.

Jointly developed by India and Russia, the BrahMos is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg. The missile can cruise at a maximum speed of 2.8 Mach (or 2.8 times the speed of sound). India is readying several different versions of the missile which includes land attack, anti-ship and submarine-launched versions.

Yakhont Medium-Range Anti-Ship Missile

China`s first stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle "Sharp Sword”

China’s first jet-powered stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), the Lijian or “Sharp Sword,” was recently spotted undergoing taxiing tests in that country. Analysts interpreted the sighting as indicating that the Lijian’s maiden flight is imminent.

The Lijian prototype rolled off the assembly line late last year after three years’ joint development by Hongdu Aviation Industry and Shenyang Aircraft , subsidiaries of the state-owned China Aviation Industry (Avic). Photos of prototype 001 taxiing on the runway of an unidentified air base, likely located in Jiangxi Province where Hongdu Aviation is based, became available on Chinese websites on May 6. The timing was possibly related to the U.S. Department of Defense’s release of its annual report on China’s military strength. That report singles out China’s development of unmanned aircraft as one of the highlights.

The Lijian is said to have a wingspan of 46 feet (14 meters), smaller than the 62-foot wingspan of the U.S. Navy’s X-47B demonstrator, which China considers an equivalent. It is powered by a single jet engine, presumed to be the Shenyang WP7 used for the J-7 fighter. With the WP7 engine, the Lijian’s ordnance payload might not exceed the 2,000-kg (4,400-pound) capacity of the Northrop Grumman X-47B. The Chinese CM-506 small-diameter bomb, showcased at Airshow China 2012, is one of the weapons being recommended for the Lijian. It has a range of 130 km (80 miles) against land or maritime targets.

The stealth aircraft has a flying-wing shape shared by the U.S. aircraft, and composite materials for its airframe. But the photos recently made public indicate the Lijian’s engine nozzle is exposed, while that of the X-47B is concealed.

X-47B`s first carrier fight on USS George H.W. Bush

The Navy's X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D) has begun touch and go landing operations aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77).

For UCAS-D, this represents the most significant technology maturation of the program. Ship relative navigation and precision touchdown of the X-47B are critical technology elements for all future Unmanned Carrier Aviation (UCA) aircraft.

Don Blottenberger, UCAS-D Deputy Program manager, commented, "This landing, rubber hitting deck, is extremely fulfilling for the team and is the culmination of years of relative navigation development. Now, we are set to demonstrate the final pieces of the demonstration."

Earlier in the week, the UCAS-D test team and CVN 77 worked together to successfully complete the first ever launch of an unmanned aircraft from an aircraft carrier proving the importance of introducing unmanned aviation into the already powerful arsenal of aircraft squadrons.

"We are proud to be a part of another historic first for Naval Aviation. The landing was spot-on and it's impressive to witness the evolution of the Carrier Air Wing," said Capt. Brian E. Luther, Commanding Officer USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77)

The various launch and landing operations of the X-47B on the flight deck of George H. W. Bush signify historic events for naval aviation history. These demonstrations display the Navy's readiness to move forward with unmanned carrier aviation operations. 

Capt. Jaime Engdahl, program manager for Unmanned Combat Air Systems program office, said, "When we operate in a very dynamic and harsh carrier environment, we need networks and communication links that have high integrity and reliability to ensure mission success and provide precise navigation and placement of an unmanned vehicle." 

"Today, we have demonstrated this with the X-47B, and we will continue to demonstrate, consistent, reliable, repeatable touch-down locations on a moving carrier flight deck," he continued. "This precision relative navigation technology is key to ensuring future unmanned systems can operate off our aircraft carriers."

The UCAS-D program plans to conduct shore-based arrested landings of the X-47B at NAS Patuxent River in the coming months before final carrier-based arrestments later in 2013. 

George H.W. Bush is currently conducting training operations in the Atlantic Ocean, strengthening the Navy's forward operating and war fighting ability.

F-35 finally starts refueling

It was the first time the new F-35A was refueled with a nontest pilot in the cockpit, and for all the excitement, it was a “nonevent,” the pilots and boom operators said. Test pilots stepped aside to allow instructor pilots at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., fly the first F-35A formation to be refueled. The mid-May flights were also the first since the fleet was cleared to fly after the Defense Department restricted in-flight refueling in the Air Force fleet.

“We’ve previously done air refueling only in tests ... we’ve finally paved the way for nontest pilots to begin part of the training,” said Lt. Col. Anthony Pelkington, chief of flight safety for the 59th Fighter Squadron.　As of May 15, 13 pilots had flown 16 refueling missions “across the boom,” Pelkington said. The first step is to get the instructors qualified for refueling, then it will be added to the syllabus for the squadron. The 59th Fighter Squadron currently trains all Air Force F-35A pilots at Eglin.

The KC-135 Stratotanker that flew the refueling mission is deployed from the 336th Air Refueling Squadron at March Air Reserve Base, Calif. The refueling mission was “a breath of fresh air” compared to other airframes because they are going to be stable in the flight, Tech. Sgt. Joe Parker, the boom operator with the 336th ARS, said in a conference call with reporters. The flight was easy because pilots did extensive simulator work before the flight, and the plane’s technology makes the approach easier.

Russian Navy

F-15SA for saudi Airforce

Boeing today rolled out the F-15SA, ushering in a new era in fighter aircraft capability and affordability for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The F-15SA, the newest variant of the combat-proven F-15, provides improved performance and increased survivability at a lower life-cycle cost. The aircraft has two additional wing stations for increased payload and capability.

Flight testing began this year on the F-15SA. The Royal Saudi Air Force has operated F-15S fighters since the 1990s. "The Kingdom and Boeing have been partners for 65 years and our partnership goes beyond the innovative products and services we provide," said Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing Defense, Space & Security president and CEO. "Equally as important are the excellent collaborations between Boeing and Saudi educational and industrial organizations." 

Boeing established many of the offset companies in Saudi Arabia, including Alsalam Aircraft Company, in which Boeing currently holds the largest stake. Boeing also co-founded Alfaisal University, the first private university in Saudi Arabia, as well as the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Industrial Collaboration Program. Boeing is also developing educational and training projects with the King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology and the Technical & Vocational Training Corporation.

"The F-15SA will enhance the national security objectives of both the United States and the Kingdom with improved interoperability and common training and support well into the 21st century," said Lt. Gen. C.D. Moore, the U.S. Air Force's decision authority for the F-15SA program.