Stealth Saga #43

Sixth Generation Fighters:

The USAF's 6th gen PCA may cost $300M each or so thinks the CBO.  Some think that is unaffordable.

The USAF AWFICS has been considering the 6th gen.

Has the USAF started prototyping its 6th gen PCA fighter?

Germany and France are inviting Spain to be a full partner in the FCAS.

Japan is feeling its way forward with the F-3 program despite ordering more F-35s.

KF-X:

Indonesia has resumed making payments for the KF-X/IF-X fighter program.

Neuron UCAV:

The Spanish Eurofighters conducted tests with the French Neuron UCAV demonstrator.

Su-57:

The Su-57 is supposedly going to be equipped with a hypersonic attack missile.  This won't help the aircraft.

The Russians have also updated the stealth coating on the Su-57.

PAK-DA:

Russia is reminding everyone they are working on the PAK-DA bomber.

Sky Hawk UCAV:

China has flown its Sky Hawk UCAV demonstrator and it has been upgraded for potential aircraft carrier use.

The Sky Hawk may also have Have Raider/Loyal Wingman esque capabilities.

J-31/FC-31:

Speculation resurfaces China is building a carrier based variant of the J-31/FC-31.

J-20:

A fake J-20 showed up at Savannah, Georgia.  It turns out to have been a mockup for OPFOR training paid for by the USMC.

USAFA Target Drone:

The USAFA is building the first stealthy target drone for the USAF.

Stealth Special Ops Transports:

The Warzone has a two part article on the multi decade quest for stealthy special ops transports for the US.

They also discuss the origins of the StealthHawk helicopter we saw the tail of from the bin laden raid.

B-21:

The B-21 program completed a review and project remains on track.  Rumors were true and this was the CDR.

The USAF feels it needs more bombers.

B-2:

Whiteman AFB released a video of a B-2 dropping two 30,000 lbs bombs.

The B-2 overflew the Rose Bowl and the Rose Parade.

The USAF is sending B-2s to Hawaii for exercises.

F-22:

Some of the Tyndall AFB F-22s are now based in Alaska.

F-35:

Major Rachael Winiecki has become the first female F-35 test pilot.

The F-35 has begun IOT&E testing.

The Block IV F-35s will have improved maritime strike capabilities.

The USAF announced a new F-35 areobatic display for the 2019 airshow season.

An F-35 oooed and aaahed folks with its flight through Star Wars Canyon.

F-35 operators are switching the version of the AIM-9 they are using.

F-35As will probably replace the F-22s at Tyndall AFB.

The 388th Fighter Wing’s 421st Fighter Squadron received its first F-35A.

The US Navy's first operational F-35C squadron is declared safe for flight.

The  US Navy's F-35Cs have a 15% readiness rating.

The F-35C is on track, despite the above, to be declared to have reached IOC.

Australia's first two F-35s are due to arrived on Dec 10th.

Watch British F-35Bs with F-15s and Rafales.

The Brits are on a roll after their testing of the F-35B.

The British RAF/RN are in a tug of war over the order of the F-35s.

The British have declared IOC for land based ops for its F-35s.

Israel has started making its own wings components for the F-35C.

More on Italy declaring IOC for its F-35As.

Italy will review the F-35 program in 2019.

Japan is replacing 99 F-15SJs with F-35s.  The F-4 Phantoms will also be replaced with already planned F-35s.

Some are convinced Japan's intent to convert its helicopter carriers to VSTOL carriers using F-35Bs is going to be harder than people think.  Japan is moving forward, however, to counter Russia and China.

With this latest order, Japan is on track for to become the second largest operator of F-35s.

The Pentagon stated if Turkey is removed from the F-35 program, there won't be a devastating impact.

Turkey is endangering its F-35 purchase by not cancelling its S-400 buy.

Leonardo figured out how to overcome overheating issues with the internal F-35 training system.

Lockheed met its production target for 2018 and delivered 91 F-35s.

Lockheed also got a contract for updating the F-35's avionics.

META:

A course to integrate 4th & 5th gen fighters took place.

The US Congress' CBO floated the idea of postponing the B-21, 6th gen fighter, getting rid of the F-22 and ending manufacture of the F-35 to save on the budget.

Stealth Saga #42

Sixth Generation Fighters:

Germany and France are progressing on their FCAS.  They plan to launch demonstrator programs for the FCAS engine and airframe in mid 2019.  The Germans expect the next step taken by the end of the year though.  There are still a lot of hurdles ahead for the fighter.

Recommendations for the Sixth Generation Fighter for Europe were written up (PDF) by the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies.

Hunter-B:

The Russian stealthy Hunter-B cranked kite UCAV has supposedly entered taxi testing.

SU-57:

A Russian analyst has stated despite rhetoric about how good the Su-57 is, the Russians Air Force would lose to the USAF.

The Russians released another video showing the Su-57's capability to conduct aerial refueling.

The Russians also released a video of the SU-57 in Syria.  The two aircraft deployed conducted 10 sorties.

Supposedly, the SU-57's avionics have finished testing.

Watch two Su-57s conducting synchronized landings.

The SU-57 will get a new strike missile with "twice" the range.

The Su-57 gets panned by one of the lead F-35 haters.

J-20:

The aerial refueling capability of the J-20 has been confirmed.

B-21:

Robins AFB and Hill AFB will be the maintenance bases for the B-21.

Could the USAF end up with 200 B-21s?

F-22:

Another article about the belly flop by the F-22 pilot due to premature landing gear retraction.

F-35:

A USAF F-35A dropped a GBU-49 in combat training for the first time.

The USAF has announced a dedicated F-35 demo team for the 2019 airshow circuit.

Hill AFB just has an 'elephant walk' of 35 USAF F-35As.

USMC F-35Bs will start training at Okinawa's Iejima Auxiliary Airfield next month.

The US Navy stood up its F-35C wing to take responsibility for training, manning and operations.

A British F-35B landed backwards onto the HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The British have finished DTS-2 trials for the HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The British have awarded an infrastructure contract for RAF Lakenheath to prepare for the F-35.

British F-35Bs exercised with American F-15Es and French Rafales.

A Dutch F-35A got a spiffy paint job.

One of the contenders for replacing Finland's fighters is the F-35 and Finland has begun early negotiations with all the bidders, including Lockheed.

The Italian AF declared IOC for its first F-35A squadron.

It appears Japan is moving ahead with its plans to buy F-35Bs for its jeep carriers and another 100 F-35As for its air force.  Will Japan be able to afford its F-3 next gen fighter then?

Cubic is installing its integrated air combat training system on 500 F-35s.

Lockheed got a contract to mitigate the obsolesce of the F-35's processors.

META:

How China means to deter the USAF.

Is this the RQ-180?

Is this the RQ-180?

Black Projects are something of the exciting, wild west edge of aircraft development.  Their secrecy makes them wildly appealing, that which you are not supposed to know!  Their development happens far, far faster than in the open, so-called White Projects like the F-22 or F-35.  Turn around can be as fast as two to three years from the go button to an operational platform in the Black World, while the White World took almost two decades to get the F-35 into its initially operating capability status.  This makes the Black Projects a thing of excitement and mystery.  And something aviation watchers really, really want to find.

Most famously of the Black Projects is the F-117 Nighthawk, the first operational stealth aircraft.  More recently, the RQ-170 is another case of a black project that launched itself into the light in Kandahar, Afghanistan.  For a short time, it was called the Beast of Kandahar.  The remaining tail of the so-called stealth hawk used in the raid to kill Osama bin laden gave away its existence when special forces attempted to destroy it, but were only mostly successful.

On December 9th, 2013, Aviation Week ran an article on the existence of a much bigger UAV, one they dubbed the RQ-180.  It is supposed to be a flying wing or potentially a cranked kite aircraft.  The aircraft is supposed to be a high altitude recon UAV.  The manufacturer was supposed Northrop Grumman.  Once this aircraft was claimed to existed, the aviation watchers had themselves a new white whale.

One that may have been found.

In July 2018, I was approached by a some individuals I have been speaking with for a couple years now who have been camping outside of airbases in the Mojave snapping pictures.  Their hope and dream is to find and photograph a black aircraft that exist but are kept in secret from the world during the development and use.  If you have ever seen the movie Broken Arrow, the comment about guys in lawn chairs is pretty damned accurate.

The individuals I have been speaking with had established their bonafides before, discussing their finds and pictures for a couple years now, providing real, recent white world pictures and information that would come out about other systems days ahead of the publication curve.  I've been discreet about it.  One does not burn sources.

They think they found something, potentially the RQ-180.  Then "Zaphod58" provided the images.

The images were taken at night and the aircraft pictured looks a lot like the B-2.  The enthusiasts spent a good amount of time, weeks now, trying to prove to themselves it was not a B-2.  Some of their preliminary results are interesting.  They have convinced themselves it is not a B-2.  

They did NOT convince the USAF officially at least.  The photography enthusiasts reached out to the USAF to make sure they wouldn't get in trouble for publishing their photos: the time, date and information of where photos were taken was provided to the USAF.  The USAF responded and sent a review team. They USAF officially came back stating the aircraft is a B-2.  There was one B-2 at Edwards at the time.  However, the analysis the team did suggests the pictured aircraft is not a B-2.  However, it strongly suggests why the aircraft if, this is indeed an RQ-180, hasn't been spotted despite its size: it really, really looks like a B-2.  There are differences, but ones that would not be plainly visible to non AvGeeks.

The differences noted are.

1.  The nose gear is wrong for the B-2.

2.  The central fuselage is narrower than on the B-2.

3.  The intakes appear to be further apart from the center fuselage than on the B-2.

4.  The wingspan appears to be different than the B-2, 132 ft vs 172 ft.

5.  There appears to be a central, singular center line bomb bay.  The B-2 has two slightly off center symmetrically placed bomb bays.

6.  The engines were powered up at one point, but some of the secondary inlets were not open as would it would be on a B-2 on the ground.

Amongst others.

One of the striking bits that someone ought to take note of is bomb bay.  The AvWeek article indicated the RQ-180 was a high altitude recon aircraft.  A bomb bay would most likely mean the RQ-180 is a dual use, recon and strike platform.  Some have wondered why there seems to be a lack of any sort of evidence for a black strike UAV.  This might be why.  It was sitting under the noses of people thinking they were looking for a recon aircraft when it was really both.

Other noticeable differences as per above are the landing gear. On the B-2, the landing gear is attached to the strut. The people who photographed and analyzed the aircraft in the photos think the land gear does not appear to do so here. The central fuselage is narrower, but the entire aircraft appears to be 4 ½ feet lower than the B-2.

When presented with something like this, you need to ask how to either prove it beyond a doubt or look for flaws.  I thought I might see a way for both.

I did ask to see if they could run some imagery analysis, even rudimentary ones, for something specific.  The RQ-180 is supposed to be a flying wing or a cranked kite.  If it was a cranked kite, then it could be possible to detect the join where the wing meets the body of the aircraft.  This would be hard to refute proof the aircraft photographed was an RQ-180. Unfortunately, the Mojave even at night was too hot and distorted the imagery too much to be able to detect whether there was a join.

I also flagged what might be another bomb bay door and asked them to be sure.  They did some more analysis and came back convinced it is actually the power coming in via cables.

Neither the definitively pro RQ-180 was passed (can't tell if this is a cranked kite or not) nor was the refutation either: the possible bomb bay door, indicating two bays consistent with a B-2, seems to have been a bust as well.  Neither was strong either way.  So, the above, while interesting isn't quite a slam dunk.

With the response from the USAF being so 'meh,' the team then sent off the pictures for imagery analysis.  Unfortunately, that path too turned out inconclusive.  Could the differences in the pictures actually be just distortions caused by the July heat of Edwards AFB?  While possible, it doesn't seem to be the case.

That said, this looks like it is interesting and could very well be the RQ-180.  It makes sense why the RQ-180 has been able to be cloaked in secrecy for another 5 years after AvWeek made their claim on its existence: it looks a lot like a B-2.  For someone not an AvGeek or pro, this flying at night would be really, really hard to distinguish from a B-2, especially if it is 'just' a flying wing.  The inlets, for that matter, appear to have been recycled from the B-2 program.  If they work, reuse makes perfect sense.  Other parts are probably as well.  

Ironically, the USAF's response might actually be the strongest supporting evidence.  If the RQ-180 was not on the ground that night, they'd have not bothered sending anyone to check out what was photos were taken?  When they reviewed the photos, they might have just felt it was equivocal enough they need not bother.

The other possibility is that this was an early form of the B-21 Raider.  There are rumors a demonstrator was built by each team.  This then might be the winning demo.  That's the stance David Cenciotti at The Aviationist is taking.  He feels it is less likely to be a RQ-180 than a B-21 prototype.  From what I have heard in rumors about the B-21.  The inlets appear wrong, for one.  The photographed aircraft has more in common with the B-2, but, as noted, is has significant differences.

Is this the RQ-180?  Very strong maybe.  I think so, but I am not religiously convinced.  This was an amazing find and some great pix. We await newer, clearer pictures and/or the USAF coming clean to know for sure.

Did Digital Globe Snap a Picture of a Chinese "Fast Mover" UAV?

Jane's ran a story this morning claiming a Digital Globe satellite snapped images on June 7th and June 10th a possible new unmanned aerial vehicle was spotted at Malan air base in western China. The link has since gone 404.

That said, I went and did a little asking in other circles about the image.

I was provided with:

The unknown aircraft is superficially similar to the Dark Sword UAV that caused some hullabaloo in June.  Interestingly, the Dark Sword photo popped up on June 5th.  The photo above was supposed to be taken by Digital Globe on June 7th and seen again on June 10th.  The time is interesting, but may just be a coincidence.

The primary difference between this aircraft and the Dark Sword is the wings look...wrong.  Everything looks lined up here and without the angled out wings for the Dark Sword.  OTOH, that could be an artifact for of the resolution of the satellite.  I'm not convinced, to be honest.

Jane's does note, in the now nuked article, there are two known high speed UAVs in development by China.  The preview does not state what they are or if the Dark Sword is one of them.  It should be noted, the shape of this aircraft is quite similar to the various images Lockheed put out of the proposed SR-72.  A purported sighting of a flying SR-72 UAV was seen recently in Texas, fwiw.

The aircraft to the right of the triangular bird is a Soaring Dragon, a joint or tandem wing UAV.  That aircraft is 47 ft long.  That would give our new unknown a length of between 30 to 40 ft (9m to 12m).  The wingspan only looks to be between 10 to 15 ft (3m to 4.5m) at most.  

It should be noted this COULD be a hoax.  Whether a prank or misinformation by the PLAAF on anyone looking at Malan AB.  Or it could be some other sort of hoax.  Healthy skepticism should be kept.

However, it should be noted that just because its Chinese, doesn't mean its not possible.  Indeed, the laws of physics don't care what color your flag happens to be.  They work the same for everyone.

Terminator Times #45

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones):

How DARPA's Germlins system would work.

The Trump administration shift on sales of armed UAVs may actually benefit Israel.

The USAF gave a contract to General Atomics to upgrade the Reapers to the Block 5 configuration.

The US Army's Gray Eagle modernization focuses on reliability.

The US Coast Guard wants a long endurance UAV.

The USMC has unveiled the badging for unmanned aircraft soldiers.

The USMC had an unmanned, autonomous helicopter delivering supplies during an exercise.

USMC RQ-21 Blackjacks are being used 3 times as much as expected in Iraq and Syria.

The US Navy is looking into self defense missiles for UCAVs to carry.

The US Navy is looking to stand up a UAV testing unit.

The US Navy gave Northrop Grumman a contract to maintain the Triton production line.

Photos have emerged of China's CH-4 UAV with an ELINIT package.

The German Navy has taken delivery of Puma UAVs.

Jordan has bought Chinese Ch-4 UAVs.

Russia's Altius UAV is making progress.



The Russians are pushing ahead with their Korsar UAV and the Russians are claiming the Korsar has seen combat in Syria.

The new Russian UAVs were on display for the May parade.

More Russian UAVs are completing testing.

AAI won a contract for its Aerosonde (?) UAV.

Did AeroVironment fire an employee for reporting another for carrying a drone with explosives on an Delta Airlines flight?

Bell Helicopter just won a contract for more airframes for the FireScout Program.

Boeing is considering making the Pegasus tanker into a UAV.

British Aerospace is developing a UAV that could fly for a year at a time.

General Atomics won a contract for spare engines for the Reaper.

General Atomics is flight testing the Guardian UAV in Japan.

Insitu won a contract to maintain the Blackjack drones.

Rolls Royce won a contract for more engines for the Triton UAV.

The military and industry is looking at leasing UAVs as an option.

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (Bolos & Ogres):

The US Army is making progress with its Unmanned Wingman program.

the US Army has a unique EOD bot.

The USMC is buying the FirstLook robots from Endeavour Robotics.

Ghost Robotics unveiled its Vision series of legged UGVs.

Unmanned Surface Vehicles (Robo Boats):

The British Royal Navy received its first unmanned minesweeper.

Unmanned Underwater Vehicles:

Russia's insane Poseidon UUV will carry a nuclear warhead.

3d Printing:

USMC repaired snowshoes with 3d printing.

The US Navy gave GE a contract to see if 3d printing could be used for replacement naval parts.

Software Bots:

AI is already changing how the military views combat.

Google employees have resigned in protest over the company's participation in Project Maven.

A software bot designed to help soldiers learn in combat faster?

META:

The US Army is embracing robotic surgery.

The US Navy has disestablished the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Unmanned Systems.

KAIST's killer robot project has been canned over the threat of a boycott by tech researchers of the university.

Terminator Times #30

Drones (unmanned aerial vehicles):

Australia will equip its troops with small unmanned aerial systems.

Belarus is on a roll and developed a VTOL UCAV version of its IN SKY robo copter and offering a lot more options for UAV customers.

China's Wing-Loong II has taken its maiden flight.

Thales details its delivery to France of its Spy'Ranger.

Germany will be acquiring the Triton UAV since the Euro Hawk program fell apart.

Germany will also move ahead with its Heron TP purchase.

The German Herons will be controlled from a base in Israel.

India's second Rostum2 drone prototype has been unveiled.

Israel's Meteor has secured the first orders for its Impact drone.

Israel's UVision has unveiled a new version of its Hero loitering munition/suicide drone.

The Japanese scrambled F-15s when a Chinese drone was spotted near the disputed islands.

North Korea is claiming a Heron UAV entered its airspace multiple times.

Russia is supposedly building an advanced medium class drone.

Russia's Orion drone has been spotted and it looks like a GNAT 750.

Russia's HeliRussia is testing a tilt rotor UAV.

Saudi Arabia has unveiled its own UCAV.

Somali police are getting drones to combat terrorists.

Turkey's Anka UCAV is undergoing weapons trials.

DARPA has down selected for Phase 2 of the Gremlins program.

DARPA is trying to get smaller UAVs to do more.

The USAF AFRL is testing a multi sensor pod for the Reaper.

F-16s converted to drones have been testing jamming techniques with the F-35s.

The media got a tour of the RQ-4 drone in Japan.

US Air Force Reaper Drones as close air support aircraft?

The Reaper has been armed with the JDAM bomb now.

The USAF released an image of Kratos' planned prototype for the LCAAT.

THE US Army is seeking a medium sized cargo drone of their own.

The US Army is looking at how to improve its MQ-1C Grey Eagles.

The USMC MUX Program is moving forward.

Piasecki is targeting the USMC's MUX cargo drone with an upgraded version of its ARES demonstrator.

The US Navy is planning a demonstration of updating target info for its FireScout VTOL UCAV.

The USN is going through the last steps necessary before sending its RFP for the MQ-25 Stingray.

US SOCOM is considering what to do about drones.

Aerovironment has unveiled its Snipe nano quadcopter.  it has already delivered 20 of them to a unnamed US government costumer.

KRATOS has unveiled its latest UAV.

Lockheed's Fury is being tested extensively in the ramp up to its LRIP.

Pulse Aerospace has launched its Radius 65 UAV.

QinetiQ NA has proposed its Titan UGV for the US Army.

Terminators (Unmanned Ground Vehicles):

Belarus has shared more details of its antitank UGV, the Bogomol.

The US Army talked about its advances in small ground robotics.

ARA has acquired Neya.

Robo Boats (Unmanned surface vehicles):

The Chinese have started showcasing some of their new USVs.

The US Navy has started experimenting with defensive swarms of USVs.

Robo Subs (unmanned underwater vehicles):

The USN's NUWC is testing a new mine hunting UUV.

L3 acquired Open Water Power, a UUV builder for the USN.

META:

Britain wants to develop unmanned logistics vehicles, aircraft and ground.

France's ECA is looking at unmanned teaming for mine and explosives clearing.

Amphibious operations about the US Marine Corps will require unmanned components to succeed.

Manned, Unmannted Team (MUMT) seeks to expand how unmanned systems are used.

US Navy wants unmanned standards implemented.

Stealth Saga #56

Cloud Shadow UCAV:

China has unveiled its Cloud Shadow UCAV.  This UCAV is a parallel to the General Atomics Avenger.

Chinese Stealth Bomber:

There is speculation on the bomber and the number of engines it will have.

FC-31/J-31:

Despite the appearance of the J-20 at the Zhuhai airshow, the FC-31/J-31 was largely absent other than a display model.  AVIC officials did not discuss the status of the FC-31 (or J-20) with journalists.

New details about the FC-31 have emerged: it seems a second, improved prototype is being constructed.


J-20:

The Chinese J-20 stealth fighter has debuted with a new camo pattern.

The inside of the J-20 weapons' bay has been seen.  Now we hae an idea of what the Chinese plan for their new fighter.

A pair of J-20 did a flyby at the Zhuhai airshow and gets profiled a lot.  The J-20 is known as the 'Mighty Dragon.'

China may be working on a larger version of the J-20.

Aviation Week wonders just how stealthy the J-20 is.

The J-20 unveil was meant as a  display of Beijing's firepower.

Some are questioning just how good the J-20 is since Beijing keeps ordering Russian 4th gen fighters.

PAK-DA:

Russia claims it will unveil the PAK-DA in 2018 and have its first flight in 2023.

PAK-FA:

The PAK-FA testing is done and will start being procured by the Russian Aerospace Forces.  However, the first batch is only 5.  The Russians have stated they will only be buying 20 to 25 per year.

The PAK-FA will be tested with its final engines in 2017, supposedly.

Russia is rolling out a 9th PAK-FA prototype for testing.

The PAK-FA derivaive for India, the FGFA, is back to the discussion table between the Russians and Indians.

Simorgh:

Iran's test site for its RQ-170 derivatives has been geolocated.

X-2/ATD-X/F-3:

Japan's military scientists and engineers are to start testing the X-2.

It is becoming crunch time to decide on the F-3 or not for Japan.

Mitsubishi & Lockheed have teamed for the F-3.

Combat Support Unmanned Aircraft:

Japan is seeking to create a program for drone/UCAVs to accompany its F-3 fighters much like the American 'Loyal Wingman' project.

Sixth Generation Fighter/Penetrating Counter Air:

Boeing released its latest concept for the PCA/6th gen fighter.

We have three different takes on what the sixth gen fighter will look like and what capabilities it will have.

The US Air Force Advisory Board will be reviewing the Penetrating CounterAir program.

Northrop was awarded a contract for a beam director for a laser weapon for fighters.

X-32:

WiB takes a look at the war pigeon, ahem, Boeing losing design to the F-35 in the JSF program.

B-21:

B-2 pilots have stated the B-21 ought to remain a manned aircraft.

Some of the details of the Boeing protest over the contract being awarded to Northrop have been revealed.

Northrop won the contract primarily on cost.

F-22:

32 F-22s were moved out of the path of Hurricane Matthew.  

Moscow claims it could shoot down F-22s in Syria.  Others are skeptical because the F-22 was designed with those systems in mind.

F-35:

A fix for the insulation problems on some of the F-35As is nigh.    In fact, two have been returned to service.  Norway's F-35s are returning to flight.

The F-35 software update is hopefully going to silence the ALIS critics.

BAe is getting a contract to develop a new software to automatically adapt to new radar threats and jam them for the F-35.

During a recent exercise, F-35 avionics caused a problem because radars were not within the threat parameters and they were dismissed.

The Pentagon just awarded $743 million to Lockheed in support of the Lot 9 procurement of the F-35.  The supplier deal suggests the LRIP 9 & 10 contracts are nigh.  The LRIP 9 contract was awarded: $6.1 billion for 57 F-35s: 42 F-35As, 13 F-35Bs and 2 F-35Cs.  However!  The contract as a unilateral award meaning the gov got tired of negotiating with Lockheed and just stated this is how much they are going to pay, take it or leave it.  Lockheed is not happy and might sue.  LRIP 10 is still not done being negotiated.

US DOD is starting up the global support network for the F-35.

The F-35 was a major profit driver for Lockheed.

The F-35 capable USS Wasp is being deployed to Japan in support of the F-35B squadron to be based there.

The USMC is looking at teaming unmanned platforms with the F-35B.

A F-35B had a fire in its weapon's bay.  An investigation has started.

Israel wants FOC for its F-35Is ASAP.

Norway is looking to buy 12 more F-35s in a block.

Turkey has placed a second order for F-35s pulling forward its first two aircraft to 2018 instead of 2021.

META:

Some are still unhappy with US aircraft.

Stealth Saga #49

RQ-170:

Neuron:

The French have completed the first round of naval testing of the Neuron UCAV.

Taranis:

High levels of assurance for the decision making will be necessary for automated capabilities on UCAVs.

FCAS:

At least two variants for the FCAS will be delivered, one to each partner country.

Increasingly, the FCAS is looking to be a stealthy drone.

MQ-25:

Surrogate tests are being run for the MQ-25's refueling pod.

PAK-FA:

India has restarted the negotiations with Russia for the PAK-FA derivative. 

Supposedly, going forward, India and Russia will each invest $4 billion in the FGFA PAK-FA derivative.

J-20:

Two more J-20s have joined the flight line this month.  This appears to be part of the LRIP for the J-20.  Side note is the new J-31 is supposedly bigger.

J-31:

Rumors are the new J-31 prototype is larger than the original.

H-20:

Supposedly, China's stealth bomber, the so-called H-20, is using data stolen from the US B-2 program.

Tornado Replacement:

The stealthy Tornado replacement is likely to be a drone herder.

Sixth Generation Fighters:

Russia claims it is testing 6th generation fighter tech on the PAK-FA.  Supposedly, these components are EW systems.  Or they might be high powered microwave weapons.

Russia also claims its 6th gen fighter will fly at Mach 4 to 5, have an EM gun (railgun), be able to fly to the edge of space and control drone swarms.   THey are missing the critical sparkles and rainbow coming out of the afterburner.

F-22:

The F-22 pilot with the most flight time has taken his last flight.

F-35:

How F-35 pilots clobber their A-4 opponents in wargames.

The F-35 is gaining momentum with buyers, but its dominance is far from certain or even likely.

The US Navy is fully committed to the F-35C.

The F-35C will be aboard the Washington for sea trials next month (August, 2016).

F-35Bs will participate in Red Flag for the first time.

F-35Bs have completed ski jump land trials.

Airbus is being tapped to provide cyber protection tech for the F-35.

Pratt & Whitney discussed the adaptive cycle upgrade for the F-35 engine. 

GE hopes to steal some of that engine production in the future and the USAF is open to the idea.

 Rolls Royce has a piece of the engine action, too.

Lockheed is working to cut costs for the F-35.

There's no system in place to strip Canadian firms of their work share of the F-35, at least not a standard system.

The JPO is at odds with the US Air Force over the ejection seat replacement.

The RAF is hinting it wants a mixed fleet of F-35s (As & Bs).

The Brits & USMC may pool weapons for the F-35B.

Israeli industry is waiting on the MOD to decide on what weapons will be selected for their F-35s.

The F-35 may be deployed to the Middle East, too.

META:

WiB says not to sweat the new Russian radar that can supposedly detect stealth aircraft.

Terminator Times #14

Drones/UAVs:

An USAF MQ-9 Reaper crashed in Syria.

US Navy's USS Coronado has an upgraded FireScout unmanned helicopter during its deployment to the Western Pacific.  It has a new radar on board.

The US Navy has disclosed the Triton UAV has problems with its wings.

Micro drones are being tested at Quantico.

A mysterious drone spied on military exercises in the Baltic.

The British are considering what to do about the American problem of not being able to have enough Reaper pilots.

British Aerospace wants to chemically print drones.

More on India's request for Guardian drones from the US.

India has also stated a requirement for a triservice UAV.

Germany has reached an initial agreement to lease the Heron drones from Israel.

China has developed a 'counter UAV' system.

A new book takes a look at Obama's use of drones in warfare. 

BlueBird has unveiled a new version of its SpyLight drone.

Japan may collaborate with Israel to develop UAVs.

Robo Boats:

USVs are being used to hunt mines off the coast of Scotland.

Software Bots:

Much is being made of the AI that creamed a retired fighter pilot.  The reactions go on and on.

USAF Wants UCAV to Replace its A-10, but Can't Afford it

The Air Force wants to replace the aging but beloved A-10 “Warthog” with a robotic “flying coke machine” that loiters over the battlefield, dispensing firepower at the touch of a button, the outgoing Chief of Staff said this morning. (More on that concept below). Gen. Mark Welsh also wants a “sixth-generation fighter” that can defeat the most advanced air defenses. But he can’t afford either.

As the service downsizes, both dollars and skilled people are in too short supply, Welsh said. The force has its hands full fielding the new “fifth generation” F-35A Joint Strike Fighter and keeping all its aging fourth-generation (and older) planes in the air.

link.

2nd link.

Stealth Saga #45

Taranis:

The British may conduct more test flights of their UCAV demonstrator.

nEURON:

The Neuron flew a demonstration for the public.

PAK-FA:

The PAK-FA has been spotted in Feodosia, in occupied Crimea.

Supposedly, the Russian Aerospace Forces will start taking delivery of the PAK-FA in 2017.  Five PAK-FA are supposed to be delivered.

B-21:

 Why the SASC should NOT change the B-21 acquisition.

Some are unhappy the cost of the B-21 is secret.


F-35:

The USAF is abandoning plans to send a pair of F-35As to Farnborough air show.

Mountain Home AFB is getting its first combat coded F-35As.

The Brits' training for the F-35 pilots will be part synthetic and real.

The Brits finished testing refueling the F-35B from their tankers a week early.

The Dutch are learning from their F-35s that have flown to the Netherlands.

Denmark is now officially buying 27 F-35As.

Meta:

Understanding the value of stealth tech.

Stealth Saga #43

MQ-XX/MQ-25 Stringray (CBARS):

The US Navy expects more progress this year on the tanker drone.

Taranis:

The test flight program of the European stealthy UCAV was outlined.

Neuron:

France has started letting its Navy test their Neuron UCAV demonstrator. The tests will include their aircraft carrier.

KF-X:

South Korea is set to select a foreign engine for its stealth fighter.

J-31:

Pakistan is interested in buying the J-31 to replace its F-16s.

B-21:

The US Air Force believes the B-21 will fill a gap on long range strike.

The US Air Force will announce the B-21's name in September at AFA.

The US allies will not participate in the B-21 development.

F-22:

Some argue NOT to revive F-22 production.

The F-22s have returned from Europe.

The intent of the visit was to bolster European visits

The F-22s have started sporting kill markings.

SecDef Carter is against the restart of the F-22 production line.

The Fesler brothers have taken over two different F-22 wings.

F-35:

Source.

The Thunderbirds & F-35s over Florida in pictures.  Do those pictures actually mean something?

The F-35 gets a bit of press.

Israel is testing weapons for its F-35I.  The F-35I will be unique.

The F-35 vs A-10 tests get rapped again.

The latest F-35 avionics software (3i) is declared ready.

The F-35 seems to be struggling still with its testing schedule.

Here's a day in the life of an F-35 test pilot.

USAF F-35s have started combat training.  Some of it virtual.

The F-35B has had its 1,000th vertical landing.

The 3rd Marine Air Wing is preparing to deploy the F-35B abroad, but is struggling with its legacy aircraft maintenance.

WiB goes off on the F-35 again, specifically that it is really three separate aircraft.

Denmark has selected the F-35 over the F/A-18E and Typhoon for an order of 27 aircraft.  This is likely to cause a political bun fight.  WiB is calling the decision stupid.  Boeing is challenging the selection.

Here are the pros and cons of the F-35A from the pilots and aircrews.

The F-35A has been conducting tail hook landing tests at Edwards AFB.

 Japan's fighter pilots will be getting to fly the F-35A at Luke AFB.

The Dutch F-35As are going back to the Netherlands.

Britain is funding the Spear 3 missile for its F-35s.

The Brits have also sent their tanker to test refueling F-35Bs. 

The Brits also highlight the problems of training with the F-35.

McCain is attempting to kill the F-35 joint program office.  SASC voted to do so.  Is this the first move to destroy the F-35 program?

Here's an update on the ALIS software for the F-35.

Meta:

Some are questioning whether stealth is right direction for the USAF's aircraft.