Embraer KC-390

1. The KC-390 is a twin-jet engine military transport under development by Embraer, or Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica

2. The Brazilian air force is paying for development. The aircraft design itself will belong to the Brazilian government, with Embraer as the lead technical and industrial partner.

3. It wants to compete with Lockheed Martin’s C-130J, but I think it will have also to deal with the larger Airbus A400M, Russia’s AN-12 and its Chinese copy the Yun-8/9, and the bi-national Irkut/HAL MRTA project.

4. Embraer is aiming the KC-390 at the medium-lift military transport market, for which the company sees a requirement for 728 replacements over the next 10 years.

5. The majority of Embraer's contractor support is coming from outside Brazil, but not all of it. So I don’t think it is going to be cheap to ramp up unless they built it in hundreds.

6. The KC-390 will have a maximum payload of 23t, exceeding the C-130J's 21.8t. Range is 2,600nm with a 14.7t payload, 2,000nm with the 19t.

7. Recent changes to the design have included increasing wing span to be able to refuel helicopters, as well as fighters. This requires the ability to refuel at speeds down to 120kt and altitudes below 10,000ft. Wing span is now 35.06m.

8. The first flight is planned for 2014 and the aircraft is to enter into service with the Brazilian military two years later.

9. The Brazilian air force (FAB) has ordered 28 and identified a requirement for 10 more in the long term.

10. Embraer has gathered declarations of intent-to-order for an additional 32: two for the Czech Republic and six for Portugal—both NATO members—plus six for Argentina, six for Chile and 12 for Colombia.

11. From 2014 to 2021, 98 KC-390s are expected to be built.

12. Embraer is now releasing engineering drawings for suppliers to start building the first components for the KC-390, after clearing the critical design review with the Brazilian air force in March 2013.


This post has been edited by noavatar: Apr 13 2013, 08:45 PM

Latest on the Indian Rafale Deal

New Delhi: Earlier this month, in a rather unusual move, the Indian Air Force (IAF) strongly refuted a report that it was working on a Plan B should its negotiations fail to buy 126 combat jets from Dassault Aviation.

"The CNC (Contract negotiations committee) process for acquisition of 126 MMRCA (Medium, multi-role combat aircraft) is underway and there is no thought process for any procurement as a 'back up' as reported," the Air Force said.

The statement was unusual for two reasons. Usually, it's the Defence Ministry that handles clarifications and responses to reports about acquisition of equipment and technology. Also, this is the first time that a press note has been officially issued about plans for procurement.

The deal for the fighter jet is estimated to be worth 15 billion dollars. But even when Dassault Aviation won the hotly-contested bidding war with rival manufacturers for exclusive negotiations with India, neither the government nor the Air Force announced the news. It was left to the company to declare itself the winner in January 2012.

The press statement issued earlier this month, sources say, was triggered by concerns in the Defence Ministry and the Air Force that rumours were being spread by those with 'vested' interests or rival manufacturers to prevent the deal with Dassault Aviation from being signed.

Under the initial terms of the proposed deal, Dassault was expected to provide 18 Rafale fighter jets in "fly-away" condition, and then let the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited or HAL manufacture the rest in India.

However, Dassault now wants two separate contracts to be signed - one for the ready-made ones, and another for the rest to be built by HAL, but India opposes that proposal.

Dassault reportedly has concerns about whether HAL has the capacity and capability to assemble the aircraft and therefore wants to rope in other private Indian firms to manufacture the jets.

Sources involved in the negotiations say that the deal is a complex one which requires careful understanding on both sides of commercial factors, logistics, and the ability of HAL's staff and equipment to assemble the Rafale.

An official shared this example. The radar on the Rafale jet is to be manufactured by Bharat-Electronics Ltd (BEL) at its facility in Bangalore. The Radome (the protruding snub nose on the aircraft) is, however, manufactured by HAL at its Hyderabad facility. Dassault wants clarity on how the two units will coordinate their activities.

Sources expect the kinks to be ironed out within the next six months. French and Indian government officials are simultaneously working on an Inter-Government Agreement that will oblige Dassault to continue to supply, service and maintain Rafale jets to India over the next 40 years. India wants this feature to ensure manufacturers don't renege on their commitment.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/governme...-through-353301

Ukraine Ready to Go Ahead With An-70 Project on Its Own



KIEV, April 12 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine will continue its project to build Antonov An-70 tactical transport aircraft even if Russia withdraws from it, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said on Friday.

Dmytro Kyva, president of the Ukrainian state company Antonov, said during the LAAD international aerospace and defense exhibition in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday that his company had had to suspend An-70 trials as the project’s chief partner, the Russian Defense Ministry, had again cast doubt on its participation in the project.

“We agreed [with Russia] to resume cooperation on the An-70 project and started working on it. Now certain Russian officials are saying that they are going to build their own military transport aircraft. In these circumstances, Ukraine will be forced to continue working, to continue bearing expenses on its own, but we will build this aircraft,” the Ukrainian government’s press service quoted Azarov as saying in a statement.

“The plane is currently undergoing flight testing. This is the final stage of the project,” the prime minister said, adding that he was confident his country would be able to launch serial production of the aircraft.

The Ukrainian-designed An-70, built jointly with Russia, is a medium-range propfan-powered transport plane intended to replace the ageing An-12 aircraft. The estimated price of one plane is about $67 million.

The project has had a long-running and troubled gestation period, with one prototype crashing in a collision in the 1990s, and a second crash-landing in Omsk in 2001. It has also had a history of problems related to its propfan engines.

In 2002, Russia and Ukraine agreed on a 50-50 risk-sharing production deal, but Moscow withdrew from the project in 2006, only to rejoin the program in late 2009.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20130412/180611737.html

Interesting to note that HAL undertook the LCA Tejas Project.

The light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas is deficient in at least 100 technical parameters, said experts associated with the project. They also alleged that the initial operation clearance granted to Tejas two years ago was given despite the aircraft not meeting various crucial technical parameters.

The experts said as the aircraft has not achieved crucial technical parameters, it continues to be flown only by test pilots and its performance parameters too need to be monitored by ground-based stations. They also said the engine of Tejas lacked sufficient power. Though the experts are hopeful that these issues would be resolved by the end of 2013, they admit complex technicalities pose serious obstacles.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/tejas-aircraft-...s/384782-3.html

To understand the problems faced in the LCA project and an idea about HAL's operational problems you can read this article:

LCA Tejas Flight Test Chief's Candid Review Of Aircraft

http://livefist.blogspot.com/2013/02/lca-t...efs-candid.html

Here is a pertinent excerpt:

There are many challenges that we face in transitioning from design to manufacture. One is the necessity to convert frozen design drawings into production drawings. Purportedly an elaborate process that has to be undertaken by dedicated integration teams. These have then to be cleared by the certification agency and followed diligently by the manufacturing and quality control agencies. Other shortcomings are; inability to meet manufacturing tolerances; non availability of correct jigs, fixtures and tooling to meet DAL requirements; non availability of suitable calibrating equipment; and, lack of trained manpower. These challenges directly affect the quality of manufacture.

Here's a better angle to understand the Rafale deal standoff:



Disagreement over quality issues of proposed Indian-manufactured Rafale jet fighters have halted final contract discussions with Dassault, the aircraft's French designer and maker.

Dassault has moved to distance itself from quality issues through a proposal to make the deal for 126 Rafale jets into two separate contracts, The Indian Express newspaper reported.

The tender was sent out in 2007. Dassault eventually beat rivals EADS with its Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing with its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Lockheed Martin's F-16, the Russian-made MiG-35 and the Gripen from Swedish firm Saab.

The initial $20 billion contract was signed in January 2012.

The deal made Dassault the preferred supplier to manufacture the first 18 so-called fly-away aircraft powered by 2 SNECMA M88 engines at its plants in France.

Indian state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. is to produce on license at its works in India the remaining 108 medium multirole combat twin-engine, delta-wing Rafale jets.

But negotiations between the Indian government and Dassault are at a standstill because Dassault said it can't be held responsible for the 108 aircraft made by HAL, the Express reported.

To this end, Dassault wants two contracts signed.

Dassault said it will supply manufacturing kits and equipment to HAL on time but after which the contract with HAL will take over and Dassault will play no further role.

The Express said India's Ministry of Defense is pushing for Dassault to be solely responsible for the sale and delivery of all 126 aircraft.

Negotiations have been fraught for some time surrounding the exact role HAL is to play, including to what extent the Indian business was going to have exclusive supply chain responsibility in India, a Press Trust of India report said.

The government has insisted that HAL must have total responsibility for the Indian manufacture of the aircraft including supply chain function.

With negotiations bogged down it looks less likely that there will be additional Rafales added to the original 126-aircraft contract.

The PTI quoted a government source in January saying more Rafales could be added to the initial deal. The possibility was raised during a visit by Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid to Paris, sources close to negotiations said.

There is an option for procurement of an additional 63 aircraft for which a separate contract would need to be signed," the source said.

Export sales and licensing agreements such as in India are essential for upgrading work on the already expensive Rafale, an analysis last month by Defense Industry Daily said.

The Rafale owes its existence to the French government's decision to not participate in the development of the EADS Typhoon aircraft. The Rafale is a lighter aircraft more suited than the Typhoon to aircraft carrier operations -- a requirement for France, the Defense Industry Daily report said.

But indigenous development has been expensive meaning exports are needed to make production economical as well helping finance research for upgrades if the aircraft is to remain a viable alternative to its rivals.

A report by Bloomberg financial news agency last month said Canada started talks in January about an order for the plane in the face of mounting costs for the Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The Bloomberg report said Dassault Chief Executive Officer Eric Trappier believes the odds of a Canadian deal are sufficiently good that the aircraft maker is willing to spend the money to undertake a sales campaign.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Dassault...andoff_999.html

yinchet... I think the technical aspect is only part of the problem...the worst is the supply chain issues..custodian role...project intergration....in simple terms...various parties can't work in a coordinated way

Let's look n read between the lines:

1. Dassault has moved to distance itself from quality issues through a proposal to make the deal for 126 Rafale jets into two separate contracts,

2. Dassault said it will supply manufacturing kits and equipment to HAL on time but after which the contract with HAL will take over and Dassault will play no further role.

3. Negotiations have been surrounding the exact role HAL is to play, including to what extent the Indian business was going to have exclusive supply chain responsibility in India

So in effect Dessault say...have it your own way...I'm not gonna be responsible...you guys go sort out who makes what....who gets which piece of the cake...how many pieces of the cake you want to dish out

This post has been edited by noavatar: Apr 14 2013, 03:35 AM

To further understand how things get moving or unable to get moving there ... let's do comparison:

Comparison
US: F-16
First flight : 1974
IOC : 1978
4 years + 4 years development

France : Mirage-2000
First flight : 1978
IOC : 1982
4 years + 4 years development

All of that was 30-40 years ago.

India: LCA
First flight : 2001
IOC : 2013?
12 years and counting... + 13 years development

IOC = Initial Operational Capability


Embraer KC-390 project is doing better...they are ahead of schedule

This post has been edited by noavatar: Apr 14 2013, 03:52 AM

Granted....in all big projects like this time means cost escalation...but it's all about system intergration....even in the aftermath of this debacle...Dessault still have the confidence to offer assembly of Refale in M'sia...I think most important is the people issue...technologies can always be acquired

Anyway...got to sign off now...nice discussion...appreciate being able to learn a lot from you...I m actually very shallow in all these...thanks a lot

This post has been edited by noavatar: Apr 14 2013, 11:28 AM

This could be perfect to chase those suluks in their high speed boats




Aron M50 in Combat configuration

PLAN's new trimaran boat

in principle....stability...and less draft....hull need not be so deep...thats why suitable for littoral

hei...kerolzarmyfanboy...nice 2c u back ....this 4 u

U R right....we can also blow them up with this...hehehe

grandstand view




and this is how the boyz reacted



This post has been edited by noavatar: Apr 14 2013, 03:57 PM

some1 posted nice pics long ago during LD crisis here I believe....but susah 2 go back n find 4 u...sori

Chinese hackers deface Philippines news website

MANILA: Suspected Chinese hackers defaced the website of the Philippines News Agency (PNA) on Sunday, officials said, a possible repeat of cyber attacks last year also blamed on China during a territorial row.

The state-run agency’s website temporarily displayed the Chinese flag and the text: “China Hacker EvilShadow Team, We are evil shadow. We are the team.

We have our own dignity China Hacker Lxxker.”

Asked if Chinese hackers were behind the attack, presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said an investigation was pending but added: “The note left on the site tends to invite that conclusion.” Another government spokesman, Herminio Coloma, said the hackers group shared news of the attack via Facebook.

“The site is working again now,” Coloma told reporters, but did not say how long it had been down. He added authorities were attempting to track down the group and had beefed up cybersecurity in the wake of the attack.

The hacking came days after Philippine authorities arrested 12 suspected Chinese poachers whose boat ran aground in a protected coral reef in the Sulu Sea that is well within the country’s territory.

The poaching was the latest irritant to bilateral relations damaged by overlapping territorial claims to the neighbouring the South China Sea.

Last year, cyberattacks on several government websites were blamed on Chinese hackers during a stand off in Scarborough Shoal, a group of rocky outcrops in the South China Sea that is close to main Philippine island of Luzon.

China claims virtually all of the South China Sea on historical grounds, including waters close to the shores of its neighbours.

The Philippines, as well as Vietnam, have accused Beijing of becoming increasingly aggressive in staking out its claims, stoking potential confrontations.-- AFP

NST

Newest LCS Suffers Fire at Sea, Damage ‘Minor’





Apr. 14, 2013 - 09:21AM |
By CHRISTOPHER P. CAVAS |

WASHINGTON — Fire broke out aboard the littoral combat ship Coronado late Friday morning while the vessel was on its second day of sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico, a U.S. Navy official confirmed Saturday.

No one was injured in the accident, and early indications are that the damage was minor, the official said.

The incident happened as the ship was conducting a full-power demonstration and running at high speed. Insulation on the starboard diesel exhaust first smoldered, then ignited but, according to the official, the flames were “extinguished immediately.”

Shortly after, the lagging on the port diesel exhaust repeated the sequence and again, the flames were immediately put out.

Running on its gas turbines, the Coronado returned to the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala., late Friday night to begin the incident assessment by representatives from the Navy, Austal USA, diesel builder MTU and others.

Initial expectations were that the incident would not trigger a major delay in the ship’s sea trials or completion.

The Coronado (LCS 4) is the second ship of the Independence (LCS 2) class under construction for the Navy. The ship was christened in January 2012 and is scheduled for delivery this spring. It has been under construction in Mobile since 2009.

A spokesperson for prime contractor General Dynamics could not immediately be reached for comment. GD is the prime for the first two ships in the class, while Austal USA has taken over as prime for the remaining ships of the LCS 2 class. Austal USA spokesman Craig Hooper declined to comment on the incident, deferring to the Navy and GD.

Both the Freedom and Independence LCS variants are powered by a combined diesel and gas turbine power plant. Two MTU 20V 8000 M90 diesels power the Independence-class ships, along with two General Electric LM 2500 gas turbines.

Intended to be manned by very small crews compared with other naval warships, the LCSs are designed with a high degree of automated damage control systems, including extensive fire fighting fittings.

It could not be immediately confirmed if any design changes in the lagging or engine insulation had been made between the Independence and Coronado, or if any changes were planned for future ships.

The number of people aboard the Coronado at the time of the incident could not be immediately confirmed. Prior to acceptance by the Navy, ships on sea trials are operated by civilian crews — usually shipyard employees or contractors — and a large number of other people are on board, including representatives from the Navy and a host of technical contractors.

After the Coronado, Austal USA has contracts or contract options to build another 10 ships for the Navy.