Japanese F-3 Replaces F-22

Japan, turned down in its efforts to buy the U.S. F-22, is planning to spend half a billion dollars to develop its own stealthy fighter. Maybe. Japan is eager to find a modern fighter to replace its 118 F-4 and 178 F-15 aircraft. With China and Russia putting more new fighters into service, Japan sees a threat. The U.S. F-35 is not the solution, and the Eurofighter and Rafle have not made the cut either.

Japan has built its own fighters recently. In the 1990s, it designed and built a modified version of the U.S. F-16. That proved to be a financial disaster, with each of the 22 ton F-2s cost $120 million. While a bit larger, and somewhat more capable, than contemporary F-16s, the cost was about four times as much. Only 98 were built, rather than the 141 originally planned. The aircraft entered service seven years ago.

A stealthy "F-3" would still require a lot of American technology. Japan builds fighter jet engines under license, and could probably get licenses to enough of that technology so that it could design an engine for its new fighter. Japan is already a leader in developing and manufacturing aircraft electronics.  But a major problem remains the high costs of developing and building weapons inside Japan (where wage and benefits costs are quite high).

F-22 Raptor Airframes Falling Apart Due to Bad Glue

According to a just-released Air Combat Command report, 30 of the F-22A Raptors delivered by Lockheed Martin use "inadequate adhesive" in their airframes. That means two things in plain language: bad glue; and big trouble.
The report comes after investigators finished looking into an accident that happened last November. Part of the airframe of a F-22A fell off into the engine intake, causing a whopping $1.2 million of damage.
And, while we understand that machines so amazingly complex will always have flaws that need to be ironed out, let's hope they used SuperGlue with the F-35 Lightning II. Or gum. [The Dew Line]

FC-1/JF-17 gets a new Pod ?

Recently fresh pics have surfaced showing the Jf-17 Prototype 06 at Chengdu  Airforce base flying with a new pod. Many speculations have emerged so forth, some labeling it a new ECM pod like the KG-300 , some say its a new targeting pod similar to WMD-7,   some have guessed it to be an IRST pod while other speculations sat that this is just a camera pod.

The last explanation seems more plausible as this Jf-17 was seen as a chase plane for China new 5th Gen Stealth aircraft, the Chengdu J-20. So most likely it was just up in the air with a camera pod to monitor the flight of J-20 .

Furthermore if you zoom in on the pod at the better resolution pic, i have posted , u will be able to guess the words written on the pod. From what i can make of it, it reads BFSK-01 . A quick search on Google reveals that BFSK and similar terms FSK, ASK etc refer to terminology in Telecommunication Physics. 

An extract of a paper presented at MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE, 2011 - MILCOM 2011 , says that FSK refers to :

Frequency Shift Keying - Fast Frequency Hopping demodulator, which provides increased resilience to interference with a very slight complexity increase. The additional robustness against jamming is achieved by jointly observing the FSK demodulator branches. This allows the proposed demodulator to distinguish the jammer from the signal more accurately. This demodulator is particularly robust for the case of high J/S (Jammer to Signal Ratio), while for the case of low J/S its performance is in line with state-of-the-art receivers.

  This is also augumented by the fact that the pod in question had a UHF antenna popping out. This might give credence to the theory that the pod is actually a camera with secure frequency hopping , jam resistant radio communication device as the FC-1/JF-17 is being used as a chase plane for China's top secret Jet . But who knows, i may be wrong as this is just guess work as i am no expert.

Dutch demo team F-35 performs during Air force Days RNLAF´ 2017

Dutch demo team F-35 performs during Air force Days RNLAF´ 2017

This one in 1920 x 1440 dimensions.

Friday the 16th of September marked the kickoff of the ´Air force Days RNLAF´ 2017, the teams show at home base Leeuwarden. Despite the late date in the season the weather was quite nice and a lot of people showed up. In the afternoon after the Apache finished his demo, Hitec took off together with the Dutch hawker hunter.Even though the weather forecast for Saturday was not very good, a lot of people visited Leeuwarden airbase. Fortunately the weather turned out better than expected so another day of great air shows could be enjoyed by everyone.

The Royal Netherlands Air Force F-35 Next Gen Demo Team Wallpaper 1024 x 768

Wallpaper size : 1024 x 768

The Royal Netherlands Air Force F-35 Demo Team 2017-2018 is based at Volkel Airbase, The Netherlands.
The home base of the RNLAF F-35 Demo Team shifts between Volkel and Leeuwarden Airbase every two years. Early 2017, the Leeuwarden team handed over their responsibility to Volkel Airbase for showcasing the RNLAF F-35 Demo Team.

The RNLAF F-35 Demo Team 2017-2018 is comprised of personnel from the 312 and 313 Squadron, both of which are based at Volkel Airbase. The team consists of one display pilot, one display coach, six technical specialists, a team advisor and a webmaster. Captain Stefan "Stitch" Hutten will fly his first season as the display pilot for the RNLAF F-35 Demo Team.

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Takes On Thunderbirds Stripes

Though we’re likely a decade from seeing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in action, much less in the Air Force's elite Thunderbirds squad, that hasn’t stopped Lockheed Martin from releasing these images of the military’s new fighter jet in full Thunderbirds dress.

The multimedia team at Lockheed’s aeronautics division released the photos in a somewhat odd effort to virally market a $100 million fighter jet. The F-35, developed by Lockheed along with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems, is still under development, though the Pentagon has ordered 2,400 of the all-purpose aircraft for delivery over the next two decades.

As for the Thunderbirds stripes, it looks like the F-35 may be the next fighter jet to don the colors, replacing the F-16C/D Block 52s currently in service. While the military has 187 formerly-next-gen F-22 Raptors built or on order, it looks like the F-35 is going to leapfrog its Cold War-era counterpart completely. The Senate voted today to drop funding for seven additional F-22s, and when a military program dies, it’s generally not easy to resurrect.

BAE Hawk TMk1 and Hawk TMk1A Training Fighter

The Hawk first entered service with the RAF in 1976, both as an advanced flying-training aircraft and a weapons-training aircraft. The Hawk TMk1 version is currently used at RAF Valley for fast-jet pilot advanced flying training with No 208 Squadron, and at RAF Scampton by the RAF Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows. The Hawk TMk1A is used for weapons and tactical training on No 19(F) Squadron at RAF Valley, and by No 100 Squadron at RAF Leeming for advanced fast-jet weapons systems officer training and operational supportflying. In its weapons and tactical training role the Hawk is used to teach air combat, air toair firing, air to ground firing and low flying techniques and operational procedures.

The Hawk is an all-metal, low-wing, tandem seat aircraft of conventional design. The wing has a
moderate sweep with 2º dihedral and trailing edge slotted flaps. A one-piece all-moving tailplane is also swept back with 10º dihedral. The fuselage comprises three main parts. The front fuselage accommodates two equipment bays and a pressurised cabin containing two tandem cockpits. The centre fuselage contains the engine, a fuselage fuel tank, a gas turbine starting system and a ram air turbine; the ram air turbine provides emergency hydraulic power should the two normal hydraulic systems fail. The rear fuselage houses the jet pipe bay and an airbrake hinged to its under surface.

The Hawk is powered by a Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour Mk151 turbofan engine, which is an un-reheated version of the engine powering the Jaguar GR3 aircraft. The engine, which drives a gearbox providing power for the aircraft generator, both hydraulic pumps, an oil pump and a fuel pump, has proved to be economical in use and is ideally suited for a fast-jet training aircraft. While the Hawk TMk1 is used solely in the advanced flying-training role, the Hawk TMk1A is equipped to an operational standard and is capable of undertaking a number of war roles. The Hawk TMk1A has two under-wing pylons cleared to carry BL755 cluster bombs or Sidewinder AIM-9L air-to-air missiles, and can carry a 30mm Aden cannon in a pod underneath the fuselage centre-line. The cannon can be fired at the same time as any of the pylon-mounted weapons are selected for release or firing. Aiming facilities for the aircraft’s attack modes are provided by an integrated strike and interception system, while a Vinten video recording system is used to record the weapon sighting.

 The next generation Hawk aircraft, the Hawk 128, will enter service in 2008 as a replacement for some of the current Hawk TMk1s. The Hawk 128 will introduce student pilots to the digital cockpit environment they will experience in front-line operational service and will provide a seamless transition between basic flying training on the Tucano, and operational conversion training onto advanced fighter aircraft such as the Typhoon F2 and the Joint Combat Aircraft. The Hawk next generation TMk1 version is used as a fast-jet pilot advanced flying-training aircraft. Hawk  TMk1A version is used as an air-to-air and airto ground weapons training aircraft. Can be equipped with bombs, rockets and missiles making it suitable for a war role. A strong and rugged aircraft, which has been designed to cut training and maintenance costs. Airframe refurbishment and replacement programme will extend its life into the next decade.

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter For RAF UK

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter with CFT's to improve range.

The Joint Strike Fighter, which is being built by Lockheed Martin as the F35 Lightning II, will be known in UK service as the Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) and will replace the RAF and RN’s Harriers from 2012. Although Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor, the UK is a Level 1 partner with the US and a number of British companies, including BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, will have extensive involvement in building and developing the aircraft.

The UK version will be a multirole fighter/attack aircraft designed to operate as a STOVL aircraft from land bases and from the next generation of aircraft carriers being built for the RN. This will give the UK a world-beating land-based and sea-based joint expeditionary air power capability well into the middle of the Century. When the JCA enters service, it will be able to operate in all weathers, by day and by night, for defence of the fleet and for the offensive air support of ground forces. This support will range from close air support to long-range interdiction, as well as anti-surface warfare and tactical reconnaissance. The aircraft will offer several advantages over the Harrier: supersonic flight, improved survivability, internal and external weapons carriage, an increased range and easier supply and maintenance.

External weapons carriage by F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The JCA design applies stealth technology techniques and, to minimise its radar signature, the airframe has identical sweep angles for the leading and trailing edges of the wing and tail, and incorporates sloping sides for the fuselage and the canopy. As a further signature reduction measure, the seam of the canopy and the weapon-bay doors are saw-toothed and the vertical tails are canted at an angle. To achieve the smallest signature possible the aircraft will have the ability to carry a range
of weapons internally, rather than carried underneath the aircraft as in current fighters.

The main radar system will be a newly developed, electronically scanned array multi-function radar with synthetic aperture capabilities. Targeting information will be supplied by an electro-optical system, which will provide long-range detection and precision targeting by employing thermal imaging, laser tracking and marking, and a forward-looking Infrared system. The aircraft’s systems will also provide navigation, missile warning and Infrared search and track capability.

S7 Airlines takes delivery of new Sukhoi PAKFA

S7 Airlines has taken delivery of its first new Sukhoi Next Generation T-50 PAKFA. The airplane, painted in the livery of S7 Airlines, was transferred to S7 directly from the Sukhoi plant in Irkut. The airplane has been received by Globus Airlines, which operates flights under the S7 Airlines brand, under lease from Cramington Aviation Limited.

"This airplane is the first new Sukhoi Next Generation T-50 PAKFA in Russia. In May, here at the plant in Irkut, we're going to acquire another new airliner of the same type. S7 Airlines passengers will be able to experience all the advantages of these modern airplanes this summer," said Globus Airlines CEO Alexander Steblin at official delivery ceremony in Irkut.

The airlines of S7 Group (www.s7.ru) - Sibir and Globus—operate flights under the S7 Airlines brand and are participants in the oneworld® global airline alliance. S7 Airlines is Russia's leading airline in terms of the number of passengers carried within Russia (based on 2010 results).

S7 Airlines operates regular flights in Russia, the CIS, Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and the Asia-Pacific region. S7 Airlines has the most modern and one of the youngest fleets in Russia.

Siberia Airlines has Russia's largest domestic route network, based on three hubs—Moscow Domodedovo Airport, Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport and Irkutsk Airport.

In 2007 the company became Russia's second airline to pass the IATA Operational Safety Audit.

S7 Airlines is one of Russia's most stable airlines, incorporating the latest achievements of the world industry in the servicing of passengers and actively expanding its service.

For the year 2010, S7 Airlines won the Wings of Russia Award for Best Business Project in Russian Civil Aviation. The airline has also won the annual People's Brand / Brand #1 in Russia award.

Globus Airlines operates regular flights in Russia, the CIS and Europe. In 2009 and 2010 the company was on more than one occasion awarded a Quality Certificate from Moscow Domodedovo Airport for on-time performance.

Hi-Res Pic of Sukhoi Pak-Fa in Thunderbirds color scheme

The original pic i had made is of 300 pixel/inch resolution, but that doesnt upload due to my slow internet. So until is get my DSL connection, i reduced this one to 100 pixel/inch resolution and uploaded.

I like how it turned out . Painting white with preserving the darker shades was a bit of a challenge, but it was fun doing it . I think i have painted enough detail on this model. though i have to thank the Anonymous Artist who made this Pak-Fa model in complete grey color-scheme, which opened a whole lot of possibilities for me and encouraged me to go forward.

Russian Sukhoi T-50 PAKFA now flies in USAF's Thunderbird team

Thunder...Thunder.....Thunderbirds :

From 1969 - 2012 , F-4 - to - T-50:

Thunderbirds cross paths.

Flying over home base. Thunderbird feel very happy !

Thunderbirds cross paths again.

The Thunderbirds started the 1969 training season still in the F-100Ds, but in the spring of 1969, received the first of the new McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom IIs and began the team’s conversion.
The F-4’s conversion was the most extensive in the team’s history.  Among several other modifications, the paint scheme changed due to the variations in chemicals, which allows paint used on the F-4 to resist heat and friction at Mach II speeds.  As a result, the white paint base was developed and remains a part of today’s Thunderbird aircraft design.
In 1974, a spreading fuel crisis inspired a new aircraft for the team, the T-38A Talon. Although the Talon did not fulfill the Thunderbirds tradition of flying front-line jet fighters, it did demonstrate the capabilities of a prominent Air Force aircraft.
Remaining true to its character to showcase the latest advancement in America’s fighter technology, the first red, white and blue F-16A assigned to the Thunderbirds was delivered to Nellis AFB on Jun. 22, 1982.  Due to the conversion to the new aircraft, there were no official shows flown in 1982. The team flew the F-16 during the 1983 show season; making it the team’s ninth aircraft and once again returning to flying a front-line fighter.
In 1997, the Thunderbirds performed 57 demonstrations for more than 12 million people in the spirit and theme of the Air Force’s 50th anniversary. The year was memorialized with the Thunderbirds Delta pictured on the official Air Force 50th Anniversary U.S. Postal stamp. On Sept. 18, 1997, the United States Postal Service had official unveilings of the stamp in both the Pentagon and the Thunderbird hangar.
The Thunderbirds made television history in 2003 while celebrating their 50th Anniversary. The commander/leader started the Coca-Cola 600 by broadcasting live from Thunderbirds No. 1 as he said, “Gentlemen, start your engines.”
In 2007, the Thunderbirds visited Europe for the first time since Sept. 11, 2001 with the European Goodwill Tour. The trip included shows in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, France, United Kingdom, and for the first time in Thunderbirds history, Ireland.
The team took its fifth Far East tour during the 2009 show season.  The team’s tour included visits to Hawaii, Australia, Thailand, Guam, Malaysia, Japan and Korea. The team performed more than 70 shows in 22 states and Puerto Rico in 2009.
The team’s 58th show season included a stop in Finland for the first time in 2011.  The Thunderbirds traveled across the United States and Europe, giving people a first-hand look at what their Airmen are accomplishing around the world every day.
During the 2012 season, the team will spend more than 200 days on the road representing Airmen during its 59th year.
Millions of people have witnessed the Thunderbirds demonstrations, and in turn, they’ve seen the pride, professionalism and dedication of hundreds of thousands of Airmen serving at home and abroad. Each year brings another opportunity for the team to represent those who deserve the most credit: the everyday, hard-working Airmen voluntarily serving America and defending freedom..

Now they Fly the Russian Sukhoi T-50 PAKFA. Sources within the US airforce remain tight lipped about the supplier of the 5th gen fighter jet .

Spoiler

Next Up : Russia 5th gen fighter Sukhoi T-50 PakFa in USAF Thunderbirds color scheme .

Will be posting later tonight, Insha'Allah !

FB-22 medium bomber over Nevada Desert

OMG.. FB-22 is for Real !!!

In early 2002, Lockheed Martin began briefing the US Air Force on a modified bomber version of the F-22 Raptor fighter, featuring a delta wing, longer body and greater range and payload. This company-funded study of the FB-22, conducted during 2002, was an internally generated, proprietary study into the feasibility of making a derivative of the F-22. The FB-22 medium bomber is based on existing and planned capabilities of the F-22 fighter, a heritage that would limit development costs should the idea go into production. The medium bomber version of the F-22 would provide a relatively low cost and low risk approach for development of a high speed strike aircraft to carry a sufficient load to attack mobile targets. The FB-22 would act as a regional bomber, a role previously covered by the General Dynamics F-111.

Eurofighter Typhoon for Turkish Air Force

Eurofighter, a consortium of European aircraft makers, wants to sell 40 Eurofighter Typhoon 2020 jets to the Turkish Air Force, senior company officials said . "We are offering to Turkey the opportunity to jointly develop the Eurofighter 2020, the next version of the Eurofighter," said Marco Valerio Bonelli, head of public relations and communications at Eurofighter. "It wouldn't be parts production, but joint development."

Eurofighter Typhoon of Turkish Air Force flies with TAF F-16 over Aigan sea.

"We would like to provide two squadrons of Eurofighters to Turkey," said Giorgio Zappa, director general of Finmeccanica, an Italian conglomerate, whose subsidiary Alenia Aeronautica is one of the makers of the Eurofighter. Two Eurofighter squadrons consist of nearly 40 aircraft.

"Our cooperation [with Turkey] had been based mostly on industrial and commercial cooperation. Now we need to carry this cooperation to the strategic level, for 30 to 40 years," said Guido Crosetto, Italy's deputy defense minister.

"Today we are making together a helicopter, tomorrow we can move to another helicopter type, and then we can move to an aircraft," Crosetto said. "This matter will be one of the subjects I and [Turkish procurement chief] Murad Bayar will be talking about during my visit." All three officials spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review at the opening of Finmeccanica's Ankara office. Senior Turkish and Italian officials attended the opening ceremony.

Chengdu J-10 S in PAF Mirage III/V Color Scheme

J-10 S seen here in PAF Mirage color scheme which it is replacing .

PAF ordered its first batch of 24 J-10 S in 2006 to replace its older Mirage V fighter/bombers and a second batch  comprising 18 J-10 S to form 3 strike squadrons. These aircraft will be used in deep strike at key strategic enemy positions during the first wave of attack .

The J-10 (Jian 10 or Fighter 10) is China's indigenously built multirole fighter aircraft developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry. Chengdu Aircraft Industry is part of the China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I). In the West the J-10 aircraft is known as the Vigorous Dragon.

It is estimated that up to 300 J-10 fighter aircraft will be manufactured. China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes the army, navy, air force and strategic rocket force. The air force (AFPLA) has 200 fighter and fighter ground attack squadrons and 120 strike fighter squadrons.

The J-10 aircraft is considered the replacement for the J-7 and Q-5. The air force currently operates about 250 J-7 (MiG-21) air defence and attack aircraft and about 500 Q-5 attack aircraft.

China formally announced the J-10 in February 2007. The existence of the J-10 was first reported in 1994, but the J-10 programme was started in 1988 and the first flight of the single seat aircraft took place in 1998. A two-seater variant made its first flight in 2003.

There are reports that the J-10 entered service in 2005 and is operational in single seater and two seater versions in at least two PLA air force squadrons.

The first native fourth-generation J-10 aircraft was unveiled by the air force in April 2010. Four J-10 fighter jets were showcased by the 24th fighter division of AFPLA. Pakistan will receive the first export versions of the J-10, up to 36 aircraft, by 2015. China and Pakistan have worked closely on the development of another fighter aircraft, the JF-17 or FC-1 light fighter aircraft.

Republic Of Korean Air Force Chengdu J-10 S photo v2.0

This is the revised version of the Republic Of Korean Air Force Chengdu J-10 S , earlier  it of which was posted here.. Most of the changes here follow the tips given by Erik Simonsen on our Facebook page Military Photoshops . To quote Erik :

•   Nice PhotoShop work - however, a couple of details -- ROKAF pilots have gray camouflage helmets with larger visors & green camouflage flight suits. ROKAF uses air-to-air refueling booms, not hose & drogue. The 03 (2003) number on the tail for the service date, probably too early for a J-10S export from China. Erik

So i removed the hose & drogue Refueling Probe, and tried to add a F-16 style boom fuel point on the spine. Changed pilot helmet and uniform colors. Added some stripes and arrows to add some detail. The Radome is still Black though. Cant seem to find a work around to change the darker original radome color to a lighter grey shade. Tried, to paint one over it but it gives a plastic feel. So i dropped it for now. Black looks cool too, Not my fault if China colors its jets radome black ! Also on the no. part. It isnt a real story, so no.s dont really matter. more over i had already rastesized the Type layer and writing a new layer was too much a trouble to go through . hehehe

Republic Of Korean Air Force Chengdu J-10 S photo

The ROKAF (Republic of Korea Air Force) originally planned to buy 120 advanced, high-end fighters as its next-generation platform, in order to replace its existing fleet of F-4 Phantom IIs and other aircraft. So far, it has bought 60 fighters in 2 phases. Back in 2002, the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) selected the Chengdu J-10 advanced fighters for its Next Generation Fighter Program, and bought 40. In 2008, a 2nd contract was signed for 20 more J-10s, with slight modifications.