The RCAF's Next Generation Fighter (CF-188 Replacement)

[jmt18325]

And why are the Canadian public and Liberals arms up in the air criticizing balooning cost for the JSF when really, it doesn't affect our bottom line?

Because the media would rather sensationalize than report things accurately.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Back on topic of the CF-188 replacement:

Aircrew Injured During Ground Aircraft Emergency; Naval Air Forces Declares Operational Pause for Super Hornet and Growler Fleet

I'm betting that it's a first strike by the neo-raging Grannies of Oak Bay

Oak Bay to U.S. Navy: Keep Growlers away

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/oak-bay-to-u-s-navy-keep-growlers-away-1.3185591

 

[Rifleman62]

Read the article. Funny. These people are complaining about who is protecting them and safe guarding their freedom to compose music, hold meetings etc. Don't you think that it was the RCAF flying around they would have the same bitch. Talk about complacent Canadians. The US has been protecting North America since the end of the Second World War because Canada does not have the gumption to even protect Canada.

When Luke AFB in Phoenix, AZ was in the USAF competition with other areas to host the exclusive F-35 training, vice the F-16 which Luke was doing,  the citizens were overwhelming behind the proposal even though the F-35 was louder. Sure a few objected, but the open houses,TV News, newspapers were full of people supporting the transition. The "Sound of Freedom".

For me personally, seeing 2,4, 6 sometimes 8 fighter aircraft, Mon to Fri, flying around in formation was exciting. How often do we see this in Canada other than Canada Day or the Grey Cup.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Vancouver Island = Blue hairs and granola crunchers. These people complain about everything and if they run out of things to complain about they will invent stuff.

 

[PuckChaser]

Back on topic of the CF-188 replacement:

Aircrew Injured During Ground Aircraft Emergency; Naval Air Forces Declares Operational Pause for Super Hornet and Growler Fleet

He who shall not be quoted is reporting it was a canopy failure just prior to takeoff. There is also indications of a serious oxygen issue in the SH, read like it was a similar problem the F-22 had to tackle a while ago, but the Navy has no clue how to fix it.

 

[jmt18325]

Another reason to be against an interim procurement, even if it means having to wait a while for new planes.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

He who shall not be quoted is reporting it was a canopy failure just prior to takeoff. There is also indications of a serious oxygen issue in the SH, read like it was a similar problem the F-22 had to tackle a while ago, but the Navy has no clue how to fix it.

This is what I don't get. O2 systems are old tech and not all that complicated. How can they not know how to fix it? The only thing I can possibly think of is that they need to ensure the regulator works at high G's or they have some fancy blood 02 monitoring device that attempts to regulate the 02 supply to maximize benefit and reduce 02 consumption. 

 

[SupersonicMax]

Because O2, in OBOGS-equipped aircraft, comes from high pressure air from the engine compressor.  This complicate things a bit and conditions are different from aircraft to aircraft.  These are not the old Liquid O2 bottles.  This is relatively new. 

 

[Colin Parkinson]

ah thank you, I be guessing that 02 production and pressures are not what they anticipated. Now likely complicated by the fact they have no place to put 02 tanks in with the current designs.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

It explains sequencing and replacement in phases, and why they (must) keep older while they get newer in many steps, unlike how smaller fleet operators like Canada have done things in the past with single-phase procurement...except the C-17 program, of course.

speaking of which http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FIGHTER_JET_FINAL_FLIGHT?SITE=CARIE

 

[MarkOttawa]

Meanwhile at AvWeek:

F-35 Development Could See 7-Month Slip, $530M Increase

Just a week after president-elect Donald Trump slammed Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) as “out of control,” the Pentagon revealed that it is preparing for a delay of up to seven months in the new fighter’s development program and projecting cost growth of $530 million.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter has directed the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) to prepare to continue flight testing through May of 2018, which would be a seven-month delay from the expected end date of Oct. 31, 2017, JPO Chief Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan said Dec. 19. However, Bogdan was adamant that the F-35’s System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase will be completed months before that deadline, by the end of February 2018.

“The JPO believes that sometime between 1 November of 2017 and 28 February 2018 we will have flight testing complete; I am driving my team to finish it at that point in time,” Bogdan said. “The department’s independent estimate, independent look, says, ‘Gen. Bogdan, you better prepare in case it lasts longer than that, from February to May,’ so I am preparing to do that.”

The end of SDD will be “event-driven,” and the JPO will continue the development program until all of the full warfighting capabilities planned to be rolled out in the final 3F software configuration are verified, Bogdan stressed.

The Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, Frank Kendall, sent a letter Dec. 19 to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, detailing the department’s decision.

If SDD is not completed by February of 2018 as Bogdan plans, the JPO will use funds allotted for F-35 follow-on modernization to finish up development, Bogdan said. He anticipates that he will not need to take more than $100 million from follow-on modernization to close out the SDD program after February.

However, siphoning funds from follow-on modernization, also known as Block 4, could delay that effort by as much as six months, Bogdan warned.

In total, the JPO says the program will need an additional $532 million to close out the F-35 development program. However, Bogdan downplayed that figure, saying that $100 million is money the department took out of the budget in 2014 to pay other bills, and another $165 million is for added scope such as new security requirements. The remaining $267 million is a true overrun, driven by unforeseen challenges such as the 2014 engine fire, stability issues with 3i software, redesigning the hook and helmet, and other efforts, Bogdan said...
http://aviationweek.com/defense/f-35-development-could-see-7-month-slip-530m-increase

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Good2Golf]

speaking of which http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FIGHTER_JET_FINAL_FLIGHT?SITE=CARIE

The original 'Rhino'...

 

[a_majoor]

How the USAF may fight air wars in the future. In time, the B-52's may be replaced or supplemented by B-1B's or B-21's. Any Canadian contributions to coalition air armadas may be limited to escorting the arsenal planes, or acting as bomb and missile trucks for the USAF flight leaders and targeteers.

http://www.scout.com/military/warrior/story/1650624-pentagon-arsenal-plane-to-fly-with-f-35-f-22

Pentagon Arsenal Plane to Fly With F-35, F-22
KRIS OSBORN
Sunday at 10:06 PM

The Air Force is already upgrading the historic, 1960s-era bomber with new radios, avionics and weapons capability

The Pentagon’s emerging “Arsenal Plane” or “flying bomb truck” is likely to be a modified, high-tech adaptation of the iconic B-52 bomber designed to fire air-to-air weapons, release swarms of mini-drones and provide additional fire-power to 5th generation stealth fighters such as the F-35 and F-22, Pentagon officials and analysts said.

It is also possible that the emerging arsenal plane could be a modified C-130 or combined version of a B-52 and C-130 drawing from elements of each, Pentagon officials said.

Using a B-52, which is already being modernized with new radios and an expanded internal weapons bay, would provide an existing “militarized” platform already engineered with electronic warfare ability and countermeasures designed to thwart enemy air defenses.

“You are using a jet that already has a military capability. The B-52 is a military asset, whereas all the alternatives would have to be created. It has already been weaponized and has less of a radar cross-section compared to a large Air Force cargo plane. It is not a penetrating bomber, but it does have some kind of jamming and countermeasures meant to cope with enemy air defenses. It is wired for a combat mission,” said Richard Aboulafia, Vice President of analysis at the Teal Group, a Virginia-based consultancy.

Flying as a large, non-stealthy bomber airplane, a B-52 would still present a large target to potential adversaries; however, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said part of the rationale for the “Arsenal Plane” would be to work closely with stealthy fighter jets such as an F-22 and F-35, with increased networking technology designed to increase their firepower and weapons load.

An "Arsenal Plane" networked to F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters would enable the fighter aircraft to maintain their stealth properties while still having substantial offensive bombing capability. If stealth fighters attach weapons to their external pylons, they change their radar signature and therefore become more vulnerable to enemy air defenses. If networked to a large "flying bomb truck," they could use stealth capability to defeat enemy air defenses and still have an ability to drop large amounts of bombs on targets.

Such a scenario could also likely rely upon now-in-development manned-unmanned teaming wherein emerging algorithms and computer technology enable fighter jets to control the sensor payload and weapons capability of nearby drones from the cockpit of the aircraft. This would enable Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance assets to more quickly relay strategic or targeting information between fighter jets, drones and “Arsenal Planes.”

Aboulafia explained that air fighters being developed by potential adversaries, such as the Chinese J-20 and other fighters, could exist in larger numbers than a U.S. force, underscoring the current U.S. strategy to maintain a technological edge even if their conventional forces are smaller.  An “Arsenal Plane” could extend range and lethality for U.S. fighters, in the event they were facing an enemy force with more sheer numbers of assets.

“There is a concern about numbers of potential enemies and range. When you are dealing with a potential adversary with thousands of jets and you’ve got limited assets with limited weapons payloads, you have got to be concerned about the numbers,” he said.
An effort to be more high-tech, if smaller in terms of sheer numbers, than rival militaries is a key part of the current Pentagon force modernization strategy.

“In practice, the “Arsenal Plane” will function as a very large airborne magazine, networked to fifth generation aircraft that act as forward sensor and targeting nodes, essentially combining different systems already in our inventory to create wholly new capabilities,” Carter told reporters. Aboulafia added that an idea for an “Arsenal Plane” emerged in the 1980s as a Cold War strategy designed to have large jets carry missiles able to attack Soviet targets.

Carter unveiled the “Arsenal Plane” concept during a 2017 budget drop discussion at the Pentagon wherein he, for the first time, revealed the existence of a “Strategic Capabilities Office” aimed at connecting and leveraging emerging weapons and technology with existing platforms. This effort is aimed at saving money, increasing the military’s high-tech lethality and bringing new assets to the force faster than the many years it would take to engineer entirely new technologies.

“I created the SCO (Strategic Capabilities Office) in 2012, when I was Deputy Secretary of defense to help us to re-imagine existing DOD and intelligence community and commercial systems by giving them new roles and game-changing capabilities to confound potential enemies -- the emphasis here was on rapidity of fielding, not 10 and 15-year programs,” he said. 

Carter said “Arsenal Plane” development would be funded through a $71 billion research and development 2017 budget request.
U.S. Air Force

While Carter did not specify a B-52 during his public discussion of the new asset now in-development, he did say it would likely be an “older” aircraft designed to function as a “flying launchpad.”

“The last project I want to highlight is one that we're calling the “Arsenal Plane,” which takes one of our oldest aircraft platforms and turns it into a flying launchpad for all sorts of different conventional payloads,” Carter added. 

The Air Force is already surging forward with a massive, fleet-wide modernization overhaul of the battle-tested, Vietnam-era B-52 bomber, an iconic airborne workhorse for the U.S. military dating back to the 1960s.

Engineers are now equipping all 76 of the Air Force B-52s with digital data-links, moving-map displays, next-generation avionics, new radios and an ability to both carry more weapons internally and integrate new, high-tech weapons as they emerge, service officials said.

The technical structure and durability of the B-52 airframes in the Air Force fleet are described as extremely robust and able to keep flying well into the 2040s and beyond – so the service is taking steps to ensure the platform stays viable by receiving the most current and effective avionics, weapons and technologies

Weapons Upgrade

Aboulafia said the new B-52 “Arsenal Plane” could, for the first time, configure a primarily air-to-ground bomber as a platform able to fire air-to-air weapons as well – such as the Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile, or AMRAAM.

The integration of air-to-air weapons on the B-52 does not seem inconceivable given the weapons upgrades already underway with the aircraft.  Air Force is also making progress with a technology-inspired effort to increase the weapons payload for the workhorse bomber, Eric Single, Chief of the Global Strike Division, Acquisition, told Scout Warrior in an interview last year.

The 1760 Internal Weapons Bay Upgrade, or IWBU, will allow the B-52 to internally carry up to eight of the newest “J-Series” bombs in addition to carrying six on pylons under each wing, he explained.

B-52s have previously been able to carry JDAM weapons externally, but with the IWBU the aircraft will be able to internally house some of the most cutting edge precision-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, among others.

“It is about a 66 percent increase in carriage capability for the B-52, which is huge. You can imagine the increased number of targets you can reach, and you can strike the same number of targets with significantly less sorties,” said Single.

Single also added that having an increased internal weapons bay capability affords an opportunity to increase fuel-efficiency by removing bombs from beneath the wings and reducing drag.

The first increment of IWBU, slated to be finished by 2017, will integrate an internal weapons bay ability to fire a laser-guided JDAM. A second increment, to finish by 2022, will integrate more modern or cutting-edge weapons such as the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, or JASSM, JASSM Extended Range (ER) and a technology called Miniature Air Launched Decoy, or MALD. A MALD-J “jammer” variant, which will also be integrated into the B-52, can be used to jam enemy radar technologies as well, Single said.

IWBU, which uses a digital interface and a rotary launcher to increase the weapons payload, is expected to cost roughly $313 million, service officials said.

The B-52 has a massive, 185-foot wingspan, a weight of about 185,000 pounds and an ability to reach high sub-sonic speeds and altitudes of 50,000 feet, Air Force officials said.

Communications, Avionics Upgrades

Two distinct, yet interwoven B-52 modernization efforts will increase the electronics, communications technology, computing and avionics available in the cockpit while simultaneously configuring the aircraft with the ability to carry up to eight of the newest “J-Series” precision-guided weapons internally – in addition to carrying six weapons on each wing, Single said.

Eight B-52s have already received a communications (coms systems) upgrade called Combat Network Communication Technology, or CONECT – a radio, electronics and data-link upgrade which, among other things, allows aircraft crews to transfer mission and targeting data directly to aircraft systems while in flight (machine to machine), Single explained.

“It installs a digital architecture in the airplane,” Single explained. “Instead of using data that was captured during the mission planning phase prior to your take off 15 to 20 hours ago – you are getting near real-time intelligence updates in flight.”

Single described it key attribute in terms of “machine-to-machine” data-transfer technology which allows for more efficient, seamless and rapid communication of combat-relevant information. 

Using what’s called an ARC 210 Warrior software-programmable voice and data radio, pilots can now send and receive targeting data, mapping information or intelligence with ground stations, command centers and other aircraft.

“The crew gets the ability to communicate digitally outside the airplane which enables you to import not just voice but data for mission changes, threat notifications, targeting….all those different types of things you would need to get,” Single said.

An ability to receive real-time targeting updates is of great relevance to the B-52s close-air-support mission because fluid, fast-moving or dynamic combat situations often mean ground targets appear, change or disappear quickly.

Alongside moving much of the avionics from analogue to digital technology, CONECT also integrates new servers, modems, colored display screens in place of old green monochrome and provides pilots with digital moving-map displays which can be populated with real-time threat and mission data, Single said.

The new digital screens also show colored graphics highlighting the aircraft’s flight path, he added.

Single explained that being able to update key combat-relevant information while in transit will substantially help the aircraft more effectively travel longer distances for missions, as needed.

“The key to this is that this is part of the long-range strike family of systems — so if you take off out of Barksdale Air Force Base and you go to your target area, it could take 15 or 16 hours to get there. By the time you get there, all the threat information has changed,” said Single. “Things move, pop up or go away and the targeting data may be different.”

The upgrades will also improve the ability of the airplane to receive key intelligence information through a data link called the Intelligence Broadcast Receiver. In addition, the B-52s will be able to receive information through a LINK-16-like high-speed digital data link able to transmit targeting and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, or ISR information.

The CONECT effort, slated to cost $1.1 billion overall, will continue to unfold over the next several years, Single explained.
Twelve B-52 will be operational with CONECT by the end of this year and the entire fleet will be ready by 2021, Single said.

B-52 History

Known for massive bombing missions during the Vietnam War, the 159-foot long B-52s have in recent years been operating over Afghanistan in support of military actions there from a base in Guam.

The B-52 also served in Operation Desert Storm, Air Force statements said.  “B-52s struck wide-area troop concentrations, fixed installations and bunkers, and decimated the morale of Iraq's Republican Guard,” an Air Force statement said.

In 2001, the B-52 provided close-air support to forces in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, service officials said. The B-52 also played a role in Operation Iraqi Freedom. On March 21, 2003, B-52Hs launched approximately 100 CALCMs (Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missiles) during a night mission.

Given the B-52s historic role in precision-bombing and close air support, next-generation avionics and technologies are expected to greatly increase potential missions for the platform in coming years, service officials said.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Further to this,

F-35 LRIP 9 costs (US$, without engine)
http://milnet.ca/forums/threads/120786/post-1468946.html#msg1468946

in fact an "Oops", engine included:

...
After 14 months of intense negotiations, the Pentagon moved forward on its own with the LRIP 9 contract. Under the $6.1 billion award, Lockheed will deliver 57 F-35 airframes. Including engines, the mandated pricing per aircraft amounted to $102.1 million for each F-35A, $131.6 for each F-35B and $132.2 million for each F-35C...
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/unilateral-negotiations-still-in-play-for-f-35-cont-432564/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[PuckChaser]

By comparison, the US pays $92.5M USD per Super Hornet (an increase of $22.5M USD per aircraft from FY16 appropriations). Works out to $143.4M CAD with exchange rate (today's) and the FMS surcharge of 15%.

http://www.fi-aeroweb.com/Defense/F-18-Super-Hornet.html

FY 2017 DoD Program:

FY 2017 provides procurement funds in the amount of $184.9 million for the production of two aircraft to make up for OCO combat losses.

 

[vonGarvin]

At the rate we're getting planes, rebuilding our own fleet of CF-104G Starfighters would be better than this display of feces on parade.  It's faster than the Lightning II, has a similar ceiling, but less combat radius and less ordnance; but with modern avionics...

Better than the Arrow....

 

[dimsum]

At the rate we're getting planes, rebuilding our own fleet of CF-104G Starfighters would be better than this display of feces on parade.  It's faster than the Lightning II, has a similar ceiling, but less combat radius and less ordnance; but with modern avionics...

Better than the Arrow....

Yeah, I'm sure a fleet of "Widowmakers" (Canada lost 46% of its F-104s (110 of 235)) will not cause any headlines in the media  >

 

[McG]

Looks like questions are starting to be asked.  If we have a critical operational shortage of CF188, how can we afford to allocate any for this:

http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/article-template-standard.page?doc=2017-demo-hornet-will-honour-canada-s-150th-anniversary/iw7ntu6l

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

If we have a critical operational shortage of CF188, how can we afford to allocate any for this:

It's probably Comd RCAF telling the higher authorities to F*** O** for changing air defence policy without consulting him.

So, don't fly so close to the ground. 

Wait, they were flying ??? I thought they were driving  [:-[

 

[PuckChaser]

Look, more aircraft. Don't worry about the pilots and maintainers, we can knit those up real quick:

http://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2016/12/23/retired-rcaf-commanders-flag-pilot-numbers-as-weak-point-in-liberals-jet-plan/#.WF2sHVyq3Nh

Retired RCAF commanders flag pilot numbers as weak point in Liberals’ jet plan

By Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — Dec 23 2016

OTTAWA — Two former Royal Canadian Air Force commanders are raising questions about the Liberal government's rush to buy "interim" fighter jets, saying there won't be enough pilots to fly the planes for years to come.

Retired lieutenant-generals Kenneth Pennie and Andre Deschamps say that defeats the purpose of acquiring Super Hornets as a stop-gap measure, and running a full competition now makes more sense.

"Trying to do a short-term Band-Aid is not going to be helpful," said Deschamps, who commanded the air force from 2009-2012.

"The only thing that's going to work to address the gap is to finish off the competition process, pick a winner, and implement it. Then you can start addressing this gap concern."

The government announced last month it wants to buy 18 Super Hornets before a competition can be held in five years to find a replacement for the air force's aging CF-18 fighter jets.

The Super Hornets are needed because the air force doesn't have enough jets to meet the government's recent order that it be ready to defend North America and contribute to NATO at the same time.

In separate interviews with The Canadian Press, Pennie and Deschamps welcomed any move to increase the size of the air force's fighter-jet fleet after years of budget cuts and attrition.

But they said such an expansion cannot happen overnight, even with the rushed purchase of new Super Hornets, because of the need for more trained personnel.

The air force has struggled to get enough aspiring top guns and technicians to fly the military's 76 CF-18s even without 18 new cockpits to fill.