Блоги

В воскресенье в городе Генуя на северо-западе Италии совершил экстренную посадку самолет французских ВВС. Посадка прошла успешно: ни сам самолет, ни те, кто находились внутри него, не пострадали. Военные объяснили необходимость экстренной посадки неисправностью двигателя самолета. //Reuters
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В воскресенье стало изывестно, что в ходе проведения поисковых действий и спецмероприятий были найдены и уничтожены 4 базы боевиков, 1 склад с боеприпасами, 4 блиндажа, 1 оборудованный пост боевиков, два ДОТа, 11минизаводов по переработке нефти, 6 складов с сырой нефтью. В районе населенного пункта Зоны обнаружены установка противотанковых управляемых ракет "Фагот" и два контейнера с ракетами к ней. Как сообщили в пресс-центре штаба объединенной группировки федеральных сил на Северном Кавказе, в населенном пункте Гребенская обнаружен дельтаплан и "авиаэтка". Предполагается, что эти летательные аппараты принадлежат незаконным вооруженным бандформированиям, и с их помощью республику собирались покинуть лидеры сепаратистов. //ИТАР-ТАСС
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Под Санкт-Петербургом проходят авиационные соревнования, в которых принимают участие ведущие российские мастера высшего пилотажа. В этом году турнир проходит по новым правилам - пилоты выполняют программу под музыку. Получается что-то вроде фигурного катания. //НТВ
www.gazeta.ru

В НПО "Энергомаш" завершено изготовление двух новых жидкостных ракетных двигателей для американской ракеты-носителя "Атлас-3"

В НПО "Энергомаш" завершено изготовление двух новых жидкостных ракетных двигателей (ЖРД) РД-180 для модернизированной американской ракеты-носителя (РН) тяжелого класса "Атлас-3". Об этом корреспонденту Агентства военных новостей сообщил начальник отдела информации НПО "Энергомаш" Владимир Судаков. По его словам, кислородно-керосиновый двигатель РД-180 спроектирован на базе двигателя РД-170, используемого на РН "Энергия" и "Зенит". Первый серийный двигатель был поставлен в США 2 января 1999 года. В марте того же года он был сертифицирован. В настоящее время в США уже доставлено три серийных двигателя РД-180. С учетом построенных сейчас двух новых ЖРД, в распоряжении компании Lockheed Martin в ближайшее время будет пять товарных двигателей. Сейчас идет оформление технической документации и разрешительных документов на отправку РД-180 в Америку. Ожидается, что они будут доставлены туда уже в этом месяце.

09.06.00 11:35:52 /АВН/

Cтоимость НИОКР по созданию Ту-330 оценивается в 340 млн долл. в течение пpимеpно 7 лет. Об этом сообщил главный констpуктоp АО "АНТК им. Туполева" Валентин Близнюк. По его словам, за pубежом стоимость создания аналогичного самолета составляет до 5 млpд долл. Цена самолета пpи поставках на экспоpт оpиентиpовочно составит 25-35 млн долл. Считается, что оpиентиpовочная потpебность в самолетах Ту-330 составит пpимеpно 500-700 машин.

09.06.00 15:53:00 /Финмаркет/
www.finmarket.ru

Самолет, на борту которого находился премьер-министр Австралии Джон Говард, совершил в пятницу поздно вечером экстренную посадку в Брисбене (Австралия) по причине возникших проблем с двигателем. Премьер возвращался из Токио с церемонии похорон бывшего главы японского кабинета министров Обути. Как сообщил пилот военного Боинга-707, на бортовую компьютерную систему поступил сигнал о пожаре в одном из двигателей. Пилот принял решение отключить этот двигатель и запросил экстренную посадку в Брисбене. Лайнер успешно приземлился, на поле его ожидали несколько противопожарных команд. Премьер-министр был пересажен на другой самолет и продолжил свой полет. В настоящее время инженеры международного аэропорта Брисбена демонтировали двигатель и изучают причины инцидента. //РИА-Новости

http://www.gazeta.ru/lenta.shtml

[June 2, 2000] Russian scientists developed and successfully tested new stealth technology for the Mig-21 family recently, over the test polygon, just beside Sokol PP in Nizhniy Novgorod city. According to Sokol Production Plant officials, tests, during which 3 aircraft were deployed, were run by RSK -MiG and Moscow State Institute of Theoretical and Practical Electrodynamics while funding was provided by the second biggest National arms exporter "Rosvooruzhnie".
Direct experiments proved effectiveness of the special coating for the aircraft's surface areas. Airborne radar of the fighter-interceptor could only detect new Mig-21 on twice the smaller range as compared to usual Mig-21 models. Engineers claim, that the effective reflection surface of the aircraft became 10-15 times lower as compared to Mig-21 base model.

F-22 Raptor Flight Tests Resume


by Ted Gogoll


06/06/00 06:57:42 PM U.S. EDT

Flight testing of one of the U.S. Air Force’s two F-22 Raptors resumed after a four-week delay because of tiny cracks found in the jets’ canopies. An F-22 tiger team had found hairline surface cracks, less than an inch long, under a lower area where 140 bolts attach a 190-lb. transparency to the canopy frame. But the team determined the existing canopy had enough residual strength for continued flight testing, which is being staged at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The team suspects the cracking on the next-generation fighter, which replaces the F-15, is from higher-than-expected stresses during manufacturing, assembly, and installation operations. Sierracin Sylmar Corp. built the aircraft’s canopy transparency.


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DASA Plans Upgrade For Canadair Drone



06/07/00 08:26:15 AM U.S. EDT

BERLIN – DASA subsidiary Dornier is planning a substantial upgrade to the CL-289 tactical reconnaissance drone it developed with

Bombardier/Canadair and delivered to the German armed forces in 1992.

The low-level fast-flying drone has been successfully used in Bosnia (pictured) and Kosovo, and by the end of last year had notched more than 200 missions in Kosovo.

Core of the upgrade kit, unveiled here at the ILA 2000 air show, will be a totally new fully electronic digital sensor system. This consists of a high resolution camera, and

special infrared sensors for day and night missions. All-weather capability will be provided by a synthetic aperture radar.

Courtesy Aviation Week’s ShowNews

p.s. If you don't believe, then you can take a look at it at Yugoslavian Aviation Museum along other successfully used NATO hardware.

Sikorsky's S-92 To Undergo Design Changes


by Paul Richfield


06/07/00 05:31:20 PM U.S. EDT

Sikorsky plans to incorporate a number of significant design changes into its new S-92 helicopter, in a bid to improve the aircraft’s handling characteristics and utility.

Tommy Thomason, Sikorsky’s civil programs chief, said search and rescue operators’ need for a larger door drove the redesign, which will delay FAA certification from its original December 2001 timeframe until the spring of 2002.

To accommodate a 50-in. door (an 8-in. extension), the S-92 will receive a 16-in. fuselage plug aft of the cockpit that will move the helicopter’s center of gravity forward, allowing a flatter hover attitude. The extension also provides room for another row of seats, “but then you come up with a cabin attendant situation,” Thomason says.

The additional weight will be offset somewhat by shortening the S-92’s vertical stabilizer by 41 in., and repositioning the horizontal stabilizer from the upper left side of the tail to the lower right side. Empty weight will increase slightly, but the maximum takeoff weight is expected to remain at 25,200 lb.

The fifth prototype S-92 and subsequent production aircraft will incorporate the structural changes and Rockwell Collins’ Pro Line 21 avionics suite, a recent choice.

By early June, the two aircraft involved in the S-92 flight test program at West Palm Beach, Fla. had flown more than 300 hours, and Thomason says the next milestone is Type Inspection Authorization, an in-house designation and precursor to certification that Sikorsky hopes to achieve by August 2001.

As the smaller tail improves shipboard storage, it could help the S-92’s chances in the Nordic Standard Helicopter Program, under which Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland would order as many as 90 aircraft, with a number likely to be built in Europe…

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Pegasus Launches TSX-5 Successfully


by Dee Ann Divis


06/07/00 05:55:37 PM U.S. EDT

A Pegasus rocket successfully launched the Tri-Service Experiments Mission 5 (TSX-5) satellite into orbit today. The satellite carries two experiments, the Space Technology Research Vehicle-2 (STRV-2) and the Compact Environmental Anomaly Sensor (CEASE). STRV-2 will provide data on space-based imaging technology, satellite vibration suppression and material science while CEASE will scan the environment near the spacecraft. An L-1011 aircraft carried the air-launched Pegasus from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. to a point approximately 80 miles off the coast. At that point the Pegasus was released and then, after a planned five-second free fall, ignited its first-stage rocket motor to boost the satellite into orbit. Both the Pegasus and the TSX-5 satellite were built by Orbital for the Air Force.


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Taiwan To Buy $350M
Of U.S. Weapons Equipment


by Ted Gogoll


06/07/00 07:19:17 PM U.S. EDT

The Pentagon said Taiwan is buying about $350 million worth of weapons equipment, including Pathfinder/Sharpshooter and electronic countermeasure pods to improve defensive and navigation capabilities on its F-16s (pictured). Along with the equipment, the sale includes flight testing, spare and repair parts and personnel training.

Raytheon Co.’s Electronic Systems Division, Goleta, Calif., is the prime contractor for 48 An/ALQ-184 electronic countermeasure pods, which includes three years of technical support. The pods, in total worth about $122 million, will jam enemy anti-aircraft radar signals.

Lockheed Martin, Orlando, Fla., is providing 39 sets of Pathfinder/Sharpshooter pods, which include a laser-designator feature. Taiwan is paying about $234 million for the pods to enhance low-altitude navigation on F-16s.

The Pentagon said there will be no adverse affect on U.S. defense readiness as a result of the sale. And the equipment “will not affect the basic military balance in the region.”

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p.s. When asked, President of Taiwan told the reporters that the weapons are needed to promote the democracy thru-out the region. (not really)

Sick Nuclear Weapons Workers
To Be Compensated



06/08/00 09:08:01 PM U.S. EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nuclear weapons plant workers made ill by on-the-job exposure to radiation, silica or beryllium would receive medical benefits and at least $200,000 apiece under a program the Senate agreed upon Thursday.

An amendment calling for the program was added without a vote to the defense authorization bill. The House version of the bill does not include the program, whose fate congressional negotiators would have to decide.

Also, lawmakers have not set aside any money for the program, which could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

``It's not going to be real easy, simply because of the money involved,'' said Sen. Fred Thompson, chief sponsor of the amendment.

Still, the Senate's action is a big step toward helping people suffering from cancer, silicosis or beryllium disease because of their Cold War-era employment.

``This is something the government should have addressed a long time ago. These people have waited a long time to get redress for their grievances,'' said Thompson, R-Tenn.

Added Energy Secretary Bill Richardson: ``The Senate today furthered efforts to right the wrongs of the Cold War and get sick workers and their survivors the help they have long deserved.''

The Energy Department recently reversed 50 years of federal policy by declaring that workers injured or killed by weapons-plant exposure be compensated. The agency had proposed minimum lump sum payments of $100,000.

The department estimated that compensation under its plan would cost about $520 million over the first five years, assuming about 3,000 people qualify.

Under the Senate's plan, workers would apply for benefits and compensation through the Labor Department, which would review medical and employment history in making its d…

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Germans Taking First EC 135 For Tiger Training


Show News

06/09/00 10:01:42 AM U.S. EDT

BERLIN-Heeresflieger, the German Army air arm, is preparing to take delivery of its first Eurocopter EC 135s light twin helicopters, to begin pilot training for the Tiger multirole combat helicopter (left).



The Heeresflieger has 15 EC 135s on order, with deliveries due to begin within the next two months. The EC 135 (pictured at right) has a full ‘glass’ cockpit by Sextant Avionique, essential for preparing combat pilots to fly and fight in the advanced Eurocopter Tiger.

The EC 135 is becoming popular with governments and agencies-the Kuwait Interior Ministry recently bought two, and Portugal is the first to order the military version, the EC 635.

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Raytheon Unveils Improved AIM-120 AMRAAM


Aviation Week's Show News

06/09/00 10:33:33 AM U.S. EDT

BERLIN-Raytheon has unveiled an improved version of the AIM-120C (pictured) medium-range air-to-air missile, the AIM-120C5, which has been cleared for export to all “U.S. allies and security partners.”

The C5 features an extended ‘Plus 5’ rocket motor, an improved blast/fragmentation warhead and the clipped fins adopted for internal carriage on the F-22 and future JSF. The new motor is faster than existing rockets, thus extending the launch aircraft’s survivability and effective reach.

The improved, 5-in.-longer rocket has been accommodated through a redesign and reduction of the fin actuator unit so the C5 version retains the same external dimensions and weight and balance, as all other AMRAAMs.


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China Challenges Any Missile-Treaty Changes



06/09/00 12:14:31 PM U.S. EDT

BEIJING (AP)-China accused the United States of “selfishness” Friday for seeking to revise a key arms control treaty, saying Washington’s bid to allow an anti-missile defense system would undermine global security.

Joining forces on the issue, Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed their shared opposition to revisions of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty in a telephone conversation Thursday.

Lead arms negotiator Sha Zukang said that any revision to the ABM treaty would “seriously hinder nuclear disarmament” and would trigger a global arms race in space, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.

Sha contended that revising the treaty out of “selfishness” would endanger world security and undermine U.S. interests. The United States should “think carefully before taking any action” so as to not “lift a rock only to drop it on its toes,” Xinhua cited Sha as saying in an exclusive interview.

Washington wants to revise the treaty to allow the development of a new missile defense system that Beijing fears might be used to defend Taiwan, which China views as a part of its territory that must be united with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Inclusion of Taiwan in such a system “seriously infringes on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and is a gross interference into China’s internal affairs-something the Chinese people will never allow,” Sha was cited as saying.

The United States contends a missile defense system is necessary to counter the threat of rogue states. Beijing argues that it would merely expand the arms race into space. “If the plan is carried out, space will become a new weapons base and battlefield,” Sha said, adding that other world powers would not just “sit and look on unconcernedly.”

…

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Europe, U.S. Eye Joint
F-16 Precision Weapons Buy


by Jim Mathews


06/09/00 02:12:07 PM U.S. EDT

The group of European nations that works with the U.S. on F-16 fighter program upgrades is studying a large, cooperative buy of precision-guided munitions, an initiative led by The Netherlands.

“The objective…is to decrease costs to participants while significantly increasing their precision strike air-to-ground capabilities,” the U.S. Defense Dept. said today.

Those participants will now include Portugal, which today joined the F-16 Multi-National Fighter Program (MNFP) organization started by Belgium, Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands and the U.S. in 1975. The group came together when F-16 exports began to pick up steam, in effect creating a working “users group” to share data, work on common upgrades and help each other support the planes and their infrastructure.

Now with the possibility of a multi-lateral PGM buy, “the U.S. sees this consortium of nations as an excellent opportunity to showcase the recently-announced defense licensing and export control reforms, which are meant to enable closer trans-Atlantic defense cooperation,” Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said at NATO headquarters in Belgium. “Since the Kosovo campaign, the U.S. has pressed its NATO allies to improve their precision strike capabilities in order to better share the responsibilities in the event of a future air operation.”

Together, the five European nations fly 548 Lockheed Martin F-16s. Worldwide, more than 3,800 F-16s serve the air forces of 19 nations.


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New Radar Would Meld
AWACS, J-STARS Roles


by David A. Fulghum/Washington


06/09/00 03:36:20 PM U.S. EDT

Radar improvement programs such as the E-8 Joint-STARS upgrade and Discoverer 2 radar-carrying satellite are being slashed because new technology is now being developed that combines long-range, air-to-air and air-to-ground radar in a single system with a single aperture.

The new concept also incorporates active electronically scanned array technology that is cheap, lightweight, small and can virtually be "sold by the foot" for a wide range of airborne applications.

Finally, the new radar system being envisioned by the Air Force would include a classified capability developed as an upgrade to the E-8 Joint-STARS ground surveillance radar aircraft that allows the tracking of fast, stealthy, cruise-missile-size flying targets at hundreds of miles distance. Supports say the new systems would cost $100 million each compared to $800 million for a JSTARS upgrade.


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Cohen: Russia's Missile Plan
No Substitute For NMD


by Robert Wall


06/09/00 04:26:40 PM U.S. EDT

The U.S. would view a boost-phase missile defense system developed in cooperation with Russia as an adjunct for an American national missile defense system, not as a replacement, according to Pentagon chief William Cohen. Russian President Vladimir V. Putin recently appeared to have suggested a cooperative program, but U.S. national security officials are still not certain what kind of system the Russian leader meant. “So conceivably, depending upon the nature of what the Russians have in mind, it might be a complement to, but not a substitute for [NMD],” Cohen said while traveling to NATO headquarters in Brussels. As part of his trip to NATO, Cohen met with allied defense ministers to try to address their concerns about the U.S. missile defense effort, which is opposed by many European countries for fear it will destabilize relations with Russia.

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USAF Still Eyes Five Bases For F-22


by Jim Mathews


06/09/00 09:13:38 AM U.S. EDT

All five bases on the U.S. Air Force’s initial list of potential first homes for the new F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter are still on the list following the first phase of public meetings, and the next round of community meetings is set to begin next month.

Eglin AFB and Tyndall AFB, Fla., Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, Langley AFB, Va., and Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, “continue to be reasonable alternatives for the F-22 and should be analyzed in more detail in the draft Environmental Impact Statement,” the USAF says, though Langley remains the service’s first choice.

“Public involvement is a critical element in the Environmental Impact Analysis Process,” said EIS Program Manager Brenda Cook at Langley. “ The issues of interest the public identifies will help determine what will be analyzed in the draft EIS.”

The USAF wants all comments in hand by the end of September.

Lockheed Martin is developing the F-22 to replace F-15Cs reaching the end of their service lives. AF officials propose an initial F-22 bed-down of 72 operational aircraft grouped into three squadrons. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2004.


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Итак, решено - 4 российских боевых вертолета Ми-24 и 115 пилотирующих и обслуживающих воинов летят в Сьерра-Леоне. Так постановил Совет Федерации. Правда, голосование было непростым, и нужное решение было принято лишь со второго захода, в результате переголосования.

Самый главный вопрос - куму нужно это решение? Объяснение необходимости сей миротворческой миссии, прозвучавшее из уст замминистра иностранных дел Сергея Орджоникидзе, не вполне убедительно: статус России как постоянного члена Совета Безопасности ООН "предполагает расширение нашего миротворческого участия в операциях ООН, в том числе в африканских странах". Постоянными членами Совбеза являются также США и страны Западной Европы, однако они категорически отказались посылать в далекую африканскую страну своих воинов-миротворцев. Нам также никто руки не выкручивал, и Россия вполне могла отказаться от участия в операции ООН. Уж больно страшные дела там творятся.

В Сьерра-Леоне уже который год идет нескончаемая битва между сменяющими друг друга диктаторами, недолговечными законно избранными президентами и Объединенным революционным фронтом (ОРФ), который представляет собой 20 тысяч отъявленных головорезов (любимое их развлечение - по пьяни отрубать своим жертвам руки, ноги и головы). Все они бьются за контроль над богатейшими алмазными копями. В результате этой борьбы более 10 процентов населения разбежалось из страны, а оставшиеся, по сведениями Всемирной организации здравоохранения, питаются в основном травой, насекомыми и личинками. По данным той же самой ВОЗ, в Сьерра-Леоне самая низкая средняя продолжительность жизни, она не дотягивает до 30 лет.

В то же самое время боевики ОРФ на средства от контрабандной торговли алмазами сыты, обуты-одеты и вооружены до зубов. У них есть самые современные виды вооружения. Правительственная армия значительно слабее как по умению, так и по числу воинов - их лишь 4 тысячи. Ей помогают 15 тысяч понятно каких милиционеров. Поэтому…

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