Cassidian's global vision

Cassidian's global vision

EADS defence arm Cassidian's financial performance was on track in 2011, notwithstanding a major restructuring effort and the austerity measures being introduced in its European home markets France, Germany, Spain and the UK.

Cassidian reported reduced revenues of €5.8 billion ($7.6 billion) and orders worth €4.1 billion for 2011, representing falls of 2% and 3% respectively against 2010. More notable were the 28% decline in earnings before interest and taxes - down to €331 million - and 8% reduction in orders backlog, to €15.5 billion.

RESTRUCTURING EFFORT

"Numbers are numbers, but sometimes they need interpretation," says chief executive Stefan Zoller. "Last year we turned the company upside down, and what we delivered was ahead of plan."

Restructuring the company is a major undertaking. Savings of €161 million were achieved in 2011 and a further €1 billion is targeted in 2014. Measures adopted last year resulted in associated costs of €38 million, while undisclosed programme changes sapped a further €34 million from earnings.

In its annual results document, EADS also identified its defence unit's contribution as having been "burdened by a significant increase in research and development" spending - a factor Zoller says will be critical to its future business success.

Cassidian allocated €275 million to R&D activities in 2011, marking a €24 million rise over 2010 and a 64% upturn since it spent €168 million in 2007.

Zoller notes that the company's home customers now expect industry to self-fund R&D work. "With the Eurofighter, we will develop the [active electronically scanned array] radar and other elements, and the nations will come in later," he says. But with Europe to remain cash-strapped, he believes such work could increasingly be conducted with international partners.

"We have gone from national to European consolidation, but now the austerity plan means that all of Europe together cannot sustain the technology base, even if we share. So either Europe buys from elsewhere, or we have to share the development of new technologies beyond Europe.

"What we lose in the home markets must be compensated on the global market - it's a new equation," Zoller says. "We have to go where the business is."

Asia and the Middle East represent the strongest current opportunities, and Cassidian is now established in 10 nations outside its European homes. "We invest a lot in market proximity and customer intimacy," Zoller says. One such example is India, where it is to provide technical support on domestic projects, while also retaining some hope of securing a Eurofighter Typhoon order.

"Our target over the next five years is to have a 50:50 share in global versus domestic revenues," says chief financial officer Gerlinde Honold. Revenues from the global sector have already risen from 22% of business in 2007 to 31% last year. More must be done, however, as just 7% of the company's workforce is currently based outside of Europe.

For now, Eurofighter remains a key programme, with Cassidian having received an €840 million contract in late March to support aircraft flown by Germany and Spain for the next five years.

The company's figures for 2012 will also benefit from a major contract for MBDA Mica air-to-air missiles signed by India early this year. Zoller says its provision of control stations for NATO's Alliance Ground Surveillance system will be worth "a couple of hundred million" euros through a deal likely to be confirmed in May.

UNMANNED SETBACK

The last financial year brought a personal blow for Zoller, with the halting of development work on the Talarion medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned air system after a major investment lasting several years.

Talarion attracted interest, but crucially no state funding, from Germany, Italy and Turkey. But Zoller is holding on to his dream of eventually seeing a common European system advance, with an industrial share for all partners - including France and the UK.

"We may see a little bit of a delay," he says. "But overall a one-European solution would be good news, with a bigger scale and bigger numbers." Pointing to his company's lengthy R&D activity on the Talarion, he adds: "We have spent so much money, time and effort in the last 10 years to get where we are. That is why I am quite positive."

Malaysia to receive first A400M in January 2015

Malaysia to receive first A400M in January 2015

Malaysia plans to receive its first Airbus Military A400M transport aircraft in January 2015, with its remaining three examples to be delivered by 2016.

The type will not replace the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF's) Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules, but serve to double the RMAF's airlift capacity, air force commander General Rodzali Daud said in a report by Malaysia national news agency Bernama.

Malaysia operates 14 C-130s, 12 C-130Hs and two C-130T tankers.

Daud made the comments at a ceremony welcoming the A400M "Grizzly 4" airlifter to Kuala Lumpur's Subang air base as part of its debut tour in Asia.

"I have had the pleasure of showing the chief of the RMAF the A400M simulator in France last year and now I look forward to showing him, and his RMAF personnel, the real aircraft flying here in Malaysia," Airbus Military chief test pilot Ed Strongman said in a statement released by the European airframer.

"We have done a lot of work since his last visit to Toulouse and have now completed all the flight test work for the issue of the initial Type Certificate," says Strongman.

After performing demonstration flights for representatives and for regional air forces and other VIPs in Kuala Lumpur, the aircraft will travel to Halim air base in Jakarta, Indonesia, and to the Thai cities of Chiang Mai and Bangkok. It will return to Europe on 20 April.

The A400M's Malaysia debut is timed to coincide with the Defence Services Asia tradeshow in Kuala Lumpur.

Raytheon touts future roles for RAF's at-risk Sentinel R1

Raytheon touts future roles for RAF's at-risk Sentinel R1

Raytheon UK is eyeing possible applications for the Royal Air Force's Sentinel and Shadow surveillance aircraft, with both types expected to be retired once they are no longer required to support coalition activities in Afghanistan.

Representing combined fleets of 10 aircraft, the manned types provide a key part of the RAF's intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability.

The Sentinel R1 force comprises five Bombardier Global Express business jets modified to carry a Raytheon synthetic aperture radar/ground moving target indication sensor and onboard stations for two image analysts. The aircraft forms part of the UK's Airborne Stand-off Radar (ASTOR) system, along with supporting ground elements.

Assigned to the RAF's 5 Sqn at Waddington, Lincolnshire, Sentinels have been operating over Afghanistan since November 2008, and were also deployed to the Mediterranean region from March 2011 to support the multinational effort to protect Libyan civilians.

The aircraft amassed more than 2,000 operational hours in support of the Libya campaign, with some individual sorties lasting more than 12h, says Sqn Ldr Chris Melville, 5 Sqn chief of staff.

Image analysts provided rapid "first-look" intelligence product while airborne, with additional work performed post-flight using new portable integrated mission-planner stations. Key tasks included collecting so-called pattern-of-life data, performing post-strike damage assessment of targets including airfield infrastructure, determining the forward edge of the battle area and hunting for "Scud" missile launchers, Melville says.

"The Libya operation proved the versatility and utility of the aircraft," says Melville. "We were massively in demand from coalition partners."

The RAF says its Sentinel R1s achieved a "duty carried-out" rate of more than 95% while being flown simultaneously over Libya and Afghanistan, and at twice the contracted rate.

With the ASTOR capability having been deemed surplus to requirements post-Afghanistan during the UK's Strategic Defence and Security Review of late 2010, two possible new roles have been suggested. Raytheon believes the system could deliver the UK's contribution to the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance system, which will also include an expected five radar-equipped Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned air vehicles.

Paul Francis, Raytheon UK's head of airborne solutions, says the Sentinel's dual-mode radar could also possibly be given software-based changes to enable it to provide a maritime patrol capability to search for, track and identify surface vessels.

Raytheon is under contract to provide logistics support for the Sentinel fleet until September 2016, and recently completed a build-standardisation programme on the fleet, performed at its Broughton site in north Wales. The RAF re-accepted the last of these in January, and deployed the aircraft - ZJ690 - in support of its Operation "Herrick" mission in Afghanistan less than two weeks later.

The UK's Defence Equipment and Support organisation says the undisclosed enhancements will provide "a much more robust ISTAR capability to support operations".

Meanwhile, a fifth Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350CER-based Shadow R1 was delivered to the RAF's 14 Sqn at Waddington last December. The unit's earlier examples have now all passed through a "return to works" programme at Broughton, with the process having added some undisclosed new capabilities.

Acquired under urgent operational requirement deals to support the Afghanistan campaign, the Shadow R1 carries an L-3 Wescam MX-15 electro-optical/infrared sensor payload, satellite communications equipment and up to three onboard operators. If retained long-term, the type could possibly also provide a maritime patrol capability by being equipped with Raytheon's SeaVue radar, Francis says.

Latest F-22 upgrade brings ability to jam enemy radars

Latest F-22 upgrade brings ability to jam enemy radars

This year, the US Air Force started fielding the Increment 3.1 upgrade to its Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fleet.

The modifications add a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) capability to the fighter's Northrop Grumman APG-77 radar, plus electronic attack, better geo-location capabilities to find enemy radars and the ability to carry eight 113kg (250lb) small diameter bombs (SDBs), for use in pairs against four ground targets.

Introduction of an SAR mode will assist during the manual targeting process, which is an improvement over the previous Increment 2 configuration's use of two 454kg Joint Direct Attack Munition satellite-corrected, inertially guided bombs against individual targets.

Eurofighter could still win MMRCA deal, says Cassidian boss

Eurofighter could still win MMRCA deal, says Cassidian boss

Cassidian has not given up hope of a Eurofighter win in India's medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) contest, despite the consortium holding "L2" vendor status behind the Dassault Rafale, says company chief executive Stefan Zoller.

"India is a campaign that is still running," Zoller says, pointing to an investigation into the nation's selection process being conducted by the government in New Delhi.

Speaking during a financial briefing at the company's Unterschleissheim headquarters near Munich on 2 April, Zoller said: "We will see to what conclusion the Indian government will come."

A consequence of India having awarded L1 status to Dassault has been what Zoller describes as "more advanced discussions with our Eurofighter customers on how much faster we can integrate the additional capacity of the aircraft". This includes planned enhancements such as an active electronically scanned array radar, additional weapons and new reconnaissance and targeting systems.

"There is now far more willingness from the customers to converge and go ahead on those," he said.

The Eurofighter consortium had an exhibit at the 29 March-1 April Defexpo India show in New Delhi in support of its continued pursuit of the 126-aircraft MMRCA deal.

Zoller also disclosed the value of Cassidian's stake in a new five-year support contract signed by the four Eurofighter partner nations on 30 March.

Its €840 million ($1.1 billion) deal will cover the provision of in-service support to the air forces of Germany and Spain.

Alenia Aermacchi and BAE Systems last week valued their parts of the deal as worth a combined $1.38 billion.

U.S. Army Charts Path To New Rotorcraft

U.S. Army Charts Path To New Rotorcraft

After decades waiting in the wings, the rotorcraft R&D community is mobilizing to develop what could become the U.S. Army’s first clean-sheet design since the 1970s.

The Joint Multi Role (JMR) concept evolved from an exhaustive analysis of U.S. vertical-lift needs, which included a painful assessment of the shortfalls of current rotorcraft and gaps in industry capabilities. The conclusion was that another round of upgrades for existing platforms would no longer meet the military’s requirements and that a technology demonstration program was needed to get industry up to speed to deliver a next-generation rotorcraft.

The JMR technology demonstration (TD) is intended to apply to all classes of Army rotorcraft from armed scout to heavy lift, but is focused on the medium utility class because replacing the Black Hawk fleet “offers the biggest bang for the buck,” says Ned Chase. He is JMR technology-demonstration team lead and chief of the platform technology division at the Army’s Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD). The Army wants to field a medium-utility JMR by 2030.

The JMR TD will be divided into two parts—Phase 1 for the air vehicle and Phase 2 for its mission system, which lags by two years in recognition that electronics advance faster than airframes, rotors, engines and drive systems. Both phases are to be completed by the end of fiscal 2019, when the Army plans to be in position to launch the engineering and manufacturing development program for a next-generation rotorcraft.

The JMR TD will be the culmination of a decade-long rotorcraft science and technology (S&T) road map that has been followed without it being clear, until now, exactly how and when it would be applied and whether to upgrading existing helicopters or developing all-new rotorcraft.

“In the 2004 timeframe, we looked at what we needed to address and where to invest,” says Chase. “We looked at the Army’s aviation gap analysis and asked the Defense Department, NASA and the FAA to participate in formulating an investment portfolio that would stand the test of time,” he says. “Our investment strategy has been constant over time. There have been budget changes, but the portfolio has stayed relatively stable.” Chase believes that stability has given industry confidence about where to spend its own R&D money. “Industry has matched almost every dollar we have spent,” he says.

Confidence will be critical, because AATD needs significant cost-sharing from industry to achieve its goal of flying two competing demonstrators. The Army has committed funds for a single air vehicle, with $188 million budgeted in fiscal 2012-16, but AATD hopes funding from other services and cost-sharing by industry will enable it to afford two competing aircraft. “I think we can find a way to do two,” Chase says.

Of the money budgeted, $75 million is so-called BA4 dollars, usually provided by programs to fund prototypes. By establishing this funding line, the Army hopes to bridge the “valley of death” that often prevents technology transitioning from S&T to programs, Chase says.

Whether the funding is sufficient is another issue. “It’s not clear how much technology will be demonstrated,” says Mike Hirschberg, executive director of the American Helicopter Society International. “It’s easy to do a demo with a certain amount of money. It’s easy to demonstrate advanced technology with sufficient money. You can’t demonstrate a lot of next-generation technology with an inadequate amount of funds.”

While the U.S. Navy has expressed interest in joining the JMR TD, it has not put money in yet. As for whether the demonstration plan and Army commitment to JMR are strong enough to attract the industry investment for which AATD is hoping, Hirschberg says: “If it’s 50% cost-share, I think the answer is no.”

Taxpayer costs soar on F-35 upgrades

Taxpayer costs soar on F-35 upgrades

Escalating costs for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are pushing up the taxpayers’ costs of modernizing the nation’s military weapons, the Department of Defense told Congress on Friday.

The cost of the stealth fighter increased by 4.3 percent to $395.7 billion last year, the Defense Department said in a mandatory annual report to U.S. lawmakers on the costs of major acquisition programs.

The government has committed to proceeding with the Joint Strike Fighter, despite its rising costs, to modernize the attack fleets of the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, along with those of U.S. allies. The F-35 is in the development and testing phase.

The Defense Department estimates it will cost $1.1 trillion during the next 55 years to develop, build, operate and maintain the F-35s. The United States plans to buy 2,443 of the planes, but is delaying purchases in early years in an effort to reduce expenses.

The F-35 program office is in Crystal City, Va., not far from the Pentagon. The Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base provides support for the Air Force portion of the program.

Lockheed Martin Corp., prime contractor for the F-35, said the government’s decision to delay production of 179 F-35s to beyond 2020 will add $60 billion to long-term costs because those planes will be delivered in later years when inflation rates likely will drive up expenses.

Regarding Washington’s long-term cost estimate for the F-35, Lockheed noted that it is the first time the Pentagon has ever projected an aviation program’s costs over so long a time, including adjustments for anticipated inflation in future years.

Defense industry analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, in a column this week, questioned how the Pentagon can accurately predict inflation rates decades in advance.

Still, Lockheed is under pressure to “guarantee some reasonable unit cost so that customers feel comfortable in ordering at a specific unit price,” said Richard Aboulafia, a defense analyst with Teal Group Corp.

Some U.S. allies interested in the F-35 have been hesitant to commit to orders, he said.

“This is a cost-sensitive market,” Aboulafia said.

Langley makes statement on F-22 issue

Langley makes statement on F-22 issue

 Langley Air Force base is investigating an in-flight emergency involving an F-22 Raptor pilot. 

The base says a pilot declared an emergency Monday morning and stopped the training mission and landed the plane without any problems. 

In a statement from Langley Air Force Base, Harry J. Lundy says: 

"An F-22 pilot based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis declared an in-flight emergency at 10:06 a.m. Monday in response to a possible 'physiological' incident. The pilot terminated the training mission and safely recovered the aircraft without incident. There are no indications at this time that the pilot experienced any hypoxia or other physiological symptoms. The incident is being investigated as per standard safety procedures.” 

Lockheed F-35 Cost Estimate by U.S. Increases 9% in

Lockheed F-35 Cost Estimate by U.S. Increases 9% in Year

Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) (LMT )’s F-35 fighter jet, the U.S. military’s most expensive weapons program, will cost $1.51 trillion, a 9 percent increase from the estimate a year ago, according to Pentagon officials.

The program’s projected “life cycle cost” -- including development since 1994, production of 2,443 jets and 55 years of support -- increased from $1.38 trillion in 2010, the officials said today in a briefing for reporters.

“Any cost growth, given our mandate to drive cost out of the program, is not optimal, but from the standpoint of just percentages, it’s not a significant amount from one year to the next,” Major General John Thompson, the deputy F-35 program manager, said.

F-15 Deal Exemplifies Mideast Modernization

F-15 Deal Exemplifies Mideast Modernization

Boeing’s $11.4 billion F-15 sale to Saudi Arabia shows how the Middle East region is still a big factor in combat aircraft development, despite the attention paid to China and emerging markets such as India and Brazil.

The deal includes not only 84 new-build F-15SAs, which will sustain production in St. Louis through 2018, but also the upgrade of 70 older F-15S fighters to the new configuration, a major rework to be carried out in-country. (The $11.4 billion does not include the last element.)

The F-15SA is the second version (after Singapore) to be delivered with the APG-63(V)3 active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. It is the first to have BAE Systems’ digital electronic warfare system (DEWS), a complete replacement for the Northrop Grumman ALQ-135, which has evolved on the F-15 throughout the life of the program. DEWS is expected to be less costly to support, more reliable and easier to reprogram than earlier systems. Like the Singaporean aircraft, it has a Lockheed Martin AAS-42 infrared search-and-track system, known as Tiger­Eye on the F-15.

The Saudi variant is the first all-fly-by-wire F-15, which is expected to reduce maintenance requirements because the controls are self-rigging. It has a so-called PDM-free wing that does not require periodic depot maintenance on its structure. Another change is that the wing stores stations Nos. 1 and 9 are activated, mainly in order to carry a larger air-to-air load in conjunction with air-to-surface weapons. The Saudi order includes AGM-88B High-Speed Antiradiation Missiles from U.S. stocks.

Also part of the F-15 agreement is the supply of Goodrich DB-110 long-range oblique photography (Lorop) reconnaissance pods. In public, Lorop pods have been eclipsed by UAVs, but the Royal Air Force has used the DB-110-based Raptor pod extensively on Tornados, and the Thales Areos pod carried by Rafale was valuable in Libya. Egypt has ordered DB-110 pods for its F-16.

Boeing is also looking at Kuwait as a potential market for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and has not given up on the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The latter market may be open following the public criticism of France’s Rafale offer at last November’s Dubai air show, with the Emirates scolding Dassault for the commercial terms it was offering and seemingly inviting other bids. In February, however, French press reports indicated that the UAE order for Rafale was still under discussion, with President Nicolas Sarkozy due to visit the region in late March, before France’s election.

A continuing factor in Middle East security is that the U.S. is not talking about the export of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Arab nations, and restricts the sale of long-range weapons. The F-15SA is being delivered with the AGM-88B—superseded in U.S. production in the 1990s—and the latest AIM-120D version of the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (Amraam) is not cleared for export.

This could lead to an increasing gap in air combat capability between Middle East nations and Israel, particularly if the latter pursues Rafael’s Future Air-to-Air Missile (FAAM). This revolutionary weapon is the intentional offshoot of the Stunner interceptor used in the David’s Sling missile defense system, which was designed as a two-stage weapon, the upper stage being smaller than Amraam and capable of being used as an AAM with minimal changes. FAAM is a highly agile, hit-to-kill weapon (with no warhead or fuze) with a combined millimeter-wave radar and imaging infrared seeker.

Heavy offensive weapons included with the Saudi package are of the direct-attack type (laser-guided and GPS-guided bombs). Rafale is available with the Sagem Hammer (highly agile modular munition extended range) weapon family, which can use its rocket sustainer to attain a standoff range up to 60 km (35 mi.), and includes four warhead sizes and three guidance systems, with a common airframe and systems interface. The GPS-inertial version, of which more than 100 were used in the early stages of last year’s operations in Libya, has been joined in service by an autonomous imaging infrared model (using a template for guidance), and a laser-guided version capable of engaging moving targets (at up to 50 mph) is under test.

Additionally, Rafale carries the MBDA Storm Shadow/Scalp-EG cruise missile, also used in Libya. Technically, this weapon is covered by the Missile Technology Control Regime, but France and the U.K. nevertheless sold the Black Shaheen variant to the UAE in the 1990s to arm its Mirage 2000-9s. A Saudi Panavia Tornado, meanwhile, was seen several years ago undergoing tests with Storm Shadow in support of an upgrade program.

F-15s to be sent to guard Aegis ships

F-15s to be sent to guard Aegis ships

The Defense Ministry has decided to send F-15 fighters to guard Aegis destroyers to be deployed in preparation for the scheduled launch of a North Korean missile, government sources have said.

The ministry is expected to deploy the state-of-the-art Aegis ships to the East China Sea and two other locations to monitor the launch.

The F-15s are necessary as Russian or Chinese intelligence-gathering aircraft may come extremely close to the Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels, the sources said Thursday.

The F-15s will be deployed under a provision prescribed in the Self-Defense Forces Law's Article 95, the sources said. The provision stipulates that the SDF can use weapons, aircraft and other equipment to defend their planes, ships and other equipment.

This will be the first application of the provision.

The ministry will deploy three Aegis destroyers--two in the East China Sea and one in the Sea of Japan--to prepare for the launch.

When an Aegis destroyer detects and tracks a missile, it has to concentrate its radar systems on the missile. This will severely limit the crews' awareness of the surrounding area and make the ship largely defenseless.

The ministry will deploy the F-15s from bases including the Naha Air Base of the Air Self-Defense Force, according to the sources. Two F-15s per destroyer will be continuously deployed to patrol air space around the ship, they said.

When jets or intelligence-gathering aircraft of other nations approach within about 36 kilometers of an Aegis ship, the SDF issues a warning to the aircraft to prevent further approach via international radio or other means.

Defense analysts say the ministry is even studying the possibility of allowing the F-15s to fire warning shots if foreign aircraft ignore warnings and continue to approach the ships.

Russia's Su-35 fighter on display at FIDAE-2012

Russia's Su-35 fighter on display at FIDAE-2012

Russia’s Su-35 supermaneuverable multirole fighter and Superjet 100 passenger plane will be on display at the 2012 FIDAE International Air and Space Fair which kicks off in the Chilean capital, Santiago on Tuesday.

The Russian stand also includes several samples of sophisticated missile weapon.

Taking part in the FIDAE event are 500 companies from 40 countries.

A Quarter-Century Later, Stealth Fighter Finally Ready for Combat

A Quarter-Century Later, Stealth Fighter Finally Ready for Combat

After nearly 20 years of development and $65 billion, the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 2005. But it wasn’t until this month that the first squadron of Lockheed Martin-built F-22s was fully combat-ready with ground-mapping radars and a flexible bomb payload — standard equipment on most Air Force strike jets. The cost to bring the roughly 150 front-line Raptors up to this normal level of capability: an extra $8 billion, boosting the per-jet cost from $350 million to almost $400 million.

The belated outfitting is symptomatic of the Air Force’s “spiral” approach to warplane development, and a foreboding sign for the Raptor’s successor, the smaller F-35 joint strike fighter. Rather than wait until a jet design is fully developed, the Air Force sends early models out into the world as soon as they meet a minimum standard for combat performance. The planes get extra enhancements over time to bring them up to full spec. While this approach ensures the flying branch gets some utility out of its new aircraft as soon as possible, it also obscures the true time and investment needed to fully develop a new warplane.

The F-22 entered service seven years ago with its air-to-air weapons mostly in place, but with only rudimentary bombing systems. Likewise, the roughly $200-million F-35 will possess only a fraction of its expected capabilities when it finally enters service sometime after 2018. That could force the Air Force to hold onto older fighters far longer than it ever expected, in order to buy time for the new jet’s spiral upgrades.

This month’s “Increment 3.1″ update to the F-22 adds a mapping function to the jet’s radar plus more accurate targeting and the ability to carry eight satellite-guided bombs. ”A four-ship of Increment 3.1 aircraft can successfully find, fix, track, target and engage targets in the most challenging of anti-access environments,” Lt.Col Paul Moga told Flight.  What he didn’t say is that the Boeing-made F-15E has had similar skills since the 1990s.

Nor is Increment 3.1 the last planned Raptor upgrade. The F-22 isn’t scheduled to get a multi-function data-link (allowing it to swap information with ground stations, ships and other planes) until around 2014. F-15s and F-16s have had these data-links for years. Similarly, the F-22 still can’t fire the latest AIM-9X air-to-air missile, which is standard on older fighters. Though the F-22 possesses higher speed and better stealth than F-15s and F-16s, in other aspects it could be years before the Raptor can match the jets it’s supposed to replace.

US sees lifetime cost of F-35 fighter at $1.5 trillion

US sees lifetime cost of F-35 fighter at $1.5 trillion

The U.S. government now projects that the total cost to develop, buy and operate the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be $1.45 trillion (912 billion pounds) over the next 50-plus years, including inflation, according to an internal Pentagon document obtained by Reuters.

That estimate is up from about $1 trillion a year ago.

The projected total lifetime cost is based on the Pentagon’s continued plan to buy 2,443 of the new radar-evading, supersonic warplanes, plus 14 development aircraft, in coming decades. It includes estimated operating and maintenance costs of $1.11 trillion, and development and procurement costs of $332 billion.

The Pentagon’s new F-35 program estimates are part of a revised baseline dated March 26 that will be included in a mandatory report on the cost of major acquisition programs, which the Pentagon is due to deliver to Congress on Thursday.

The new baseline forecasts the average cost of the F-35 fighter, including research and development (R&D) and inflation, will be $135 million per plane, plus an additional $26 million for the F135 engine built by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp.

In 2012 dollars, the average cost of each single-seat, single-engine plane, including R&D, would be $112.5 million, plus $22 million for the engine.

This is the first year that the government has separated out the cost of the plane and the engine, and comparison figures were not immediately available.

Russia confirms 30-unit order for Su-30SM fighters

Russia confirms 30-unit order for Su-30SM fighters

Irkut has received a production order to supply the Russian air force with 30 Sukhoi Su-30SM multirole fighters, with the contract having been signed by Russian defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov.

A twin-seat derivative of the Su-30MKI already flown by the Indian air force, the SM includes new features such as identification friend-or-foe equipment.

Intended to replace some of Russia's ageing Su-24 bombers, the type is to provide support for the navy's Black Sea fleet, using its 800nm (1,500km) combat range.

The Su-30SM can carry a maximum weapons load totalling 8t, with the Russian navy planning to arm it with the NPO Mashinostroyenia Yakhont anti-ship missile, which has a maximum range of 162nm.

Aircraft deliveries are expected to take place between 2013 and 2015, according to Irkut. Company president Alexey Fedorov suggested last year that the Russian air force could buy 28 of the fighters, with an option for 12 more.

The Su-30SM order follows two other major contracts signed in late February, which cover the future delivery of 92 Su-34 bombers and 24 RAC MiG-29K/KUB carrier-based fighters for the Russian air force and navy, respectively.