Italy: Trump Tariffs - Italy retaliates, as Italy says it won't buy any more F-35's from the US

Italy says it won't buy more F-35 fighter jets, and may even cut its current order

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Military Aircraft: Netherlands Preparing For F-35 Introduction

With plans to purchase just 37 aircraft, the Netherlands fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) is likely to be one of the world’s smallest. Yet the fighter’s introduction is seen as a catalyst for change, transforming not only the way the Netherlands thinks about airpower but also prompting cohesion, with bilateral and trilateral discussions with other European operators.

Read more: Netherlands Preparing For F-35 Introduction | Defense content from Aviation Week

European Aircraft Industry: Eurofighter submits bid to replace F-16 fleet of Denmark

Eurofighter

Airbus Defence and Space has submitted its bid in response to the Danish Ministry of Defence's tender for the replacement of Denmark's fleet of F-16 fighters.

Eurofighter Typhoon is combat proven and 100 percent-integrated within NATO. A partnership within the Eurofighter community exists for the entire life of the aircraft, which will be the next 40-50 years. This would allow Denmark to have a modern well-equipped combat aircraft that can perform all necessary tasks and missions, according to a news release by Airbus Defence & Space.

Eurofighter Typhoon is the most advanced new generation swing-role combat aircraft currently available on the world market. Seven nations (Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Austria, Saudi Arabia and Oman) have already ordered the Eurofighter Typhoon. Eurofighter Typhoon is currently the largest military procurement programme in Europe.

Read more: Eurofighter submits bid to replace F-16 fleet of Denmark | Brahmand News

European Aircraft Industry: Airbus Begins A400M Deliveries to Turkey, Hopes for more Exports

Airbus Military Transport A400M

Airbus Military, the multinational consortium that builds the A400M, will soon deliver the first airlifter to the Turkish military, consortium and Turkish officials said.

The first Turkish A400M will operate at an air base in Kayseri in central Turkey.

“The first aircraft for the Turkish military will be delivered in the coming weeks,” Tom Enders, CEO of EADS, Airbus’ parent company, said at a Sept. 30 ceremony here for the delivery of the first A400M for the French Air Force.

Turkey’s chief procurement official, Murad Bayar, said Oct. 2 that the first Turkish A400M would arrive this month. He said Turkey will receive 10 aircraft in the next two to three years.

Bayar said the A400M program would cost Turkey $1.5 billion, and the same amount of money would go to the country’s local industry in work share.

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is manufacturing the main fuselage for all 174 A400Ms to be produced as part of this international program. Turkey, a 5.5 percent shareholder of the program, hopes business for local companies will increase as more aircraft are produced for export markets, Bayar said.

French Defense Minister Jean Yves Le Drian said the export potential for the A400M is “huge,” as the project, estimated at a total value of $27 billion, began delivering aircraft to its founding nations after years of delays.

Read more: Airbus Begins A400M Deliveries, Hopes for Exports | Defense News | defensenews.com

Russia plans advanced pilotless new fighter jet

Russia says it's planning to build a new fighter jet that would be more advanced than the newest American models.

The so-called sixth-generation fighter jet “will most likely be pilotless,” former Russian air force chief Pyotr Deinekin told the state news agency RIA Novosti this week — even though Russia has yet to develop a fifth-generation fighter jet.

Sixth-generation fighters are expected to use energy weapons such as lasers and microwaves and be stealthier than current military aircraft.

Deinekin's remarks came before the International Air and Space Salon (MAKS), one of the world's biggest airshows, taking place near Moscow this week.

Read more: Russia plans advanced new fighter jet | GlobalPost

Drones EU: Study warns that drones pose a threat to int'l. security system

European Neuron Drone

The European Parliament warned in a study that the rapid development and proliferation of drone and robotic technology and lack of transparency and accountability of current policies could "destabilizing the international security environment as a whole." The 51-page study titled "human rights implications of the usage of drones and unmanned robots in warfare" was published by the Directorate-General for External Policies of the EU Parliament.

The study notes that in the course of the last decade, the use of armed drones has increased a lot, beginning with the Second Intifada in the Israeli-occupied areas (since 2000), continuing in the Second Gulf War (2003-2011), and reaching its current peak in the course of the United States' confrontation with Al-Qaeda and affiliate groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

What is new today, it points out, is the systematic use of armed drones for the targeted killing of pre-selected individuals in the territory of other states.

By 2012, the US had some 7,000 drones flying roughly 20,000 sorties per year, with a total of 1 million "combat hours" achieved already in 2010.

The study estimates that, between 2004 and 2012, drones operated by the CIA have carried out approximately 350 attacks in Pakistan alone, killing between 2,000 and 3,000 individuals.

The report says that approximately 50 states currently either possess drones or are in the process of developing or acquiring them for purposes of reconnaissance, intelligence-gathering and targeting, thus illustrating a trend towards the worldwide proliferation and acceptance of this technology.

States, such as Israel, the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany are already known to have conducted or contributed to armed drone attacks, others including Russia, Turkey, China, India, Iran, and France, are reported either to have or to be seeking to acquire drones capable of being armed with laser-guided missiles.

The report also underlines that drones are also increasingly employed for domestic law enforcement purposes, including border and road patrols infrastructure protection, and the detection, identification and surveillance.

The study urges the European Union to make the promotion of the rule of law in relation to the development, proliferation and use of unmanned weapons systems a declared priority of European foreign policy.

It also calls on the EU to launch a broad inter-governmental policy dialogue aiming to achieve international consensus on the legal standards governing the use of drones and to work towards the adoption of a binding international agreement aiming to restrict the development, proliferation or use of certain unmanned weapon systems.

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Drone Aircraft: Europe has a killer stealth drone aircraft and it's ready to put it to use

Neuron: European drone stealth aircraft in flight

The 12m wingspan UAV — built through a partnership between France, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland and Greece — had its first successful takeoff last month. But it isn’t ever going to be sent into a real combat zone.

It’s a concept design — but it will eventually, The Aviationist reports, spawn real killer drones that go into full production.

The aircraft, which has no vertical tail in order to make it as furtive as possible, flew for 25 minutes on under the watcful eyes of two test pilots based on the ground.

“It inaugurates the next generation of combat aircraft, whether piloted or not, with the ambition of preserving European autonomy in this field,” the French defense ministry said in a statement.

The statement added, “It’s a major accomplishment on both the technological and industrial levels.” 

And the nEUROn isn’t going to just fly around and look scary: once its operators are able to scoot it around without crashing, The Aviationist says it’ll head to “Perdasdefogu range in Italy, where its stealthiness and capability to drop PGM (Precision Guided Munitions) through the internal weapon bay, will be evaluated.”

"Bombs away". You didn’t think an entire continent with 500 million people was going to let the USA be the only ones with sci-fi guns, did you?

EU-Digest

Europe’s stealth combat-drone demonstrator takes first test flight in southeast France

European Drone in flight

A pan-European stealth combat drone demonstrator has taken its first test flight in southern France.

French defense company Dassault-Aviation is lead contractor on the “Neuron” project launched in 2005 involving firms from France, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Greece and Switzerland to provide a test bed for developing future combat aircraft.

Its successful flight took place Saturday near Istres.

Program officials say the Neuron is not a prototype, but aims to help European countries explore stealth technology for possible use — years from now — in future drones or successors of fighters like the Eurofighter or France’s Rafale. The program will also seek innovations like the release of air-to-surface weapons from an internal bay.

Read more: Europe’s first stealth combat-drone demonstrator takes first test flight in southeast France - The Washington Post

Eurofighter’s price cut down to win Indian deal?

Britain's BAE Systems is reported to be preparing a fresh bid which may include cutting down the prices for the world's biggest fighter jet order despite India's rejection of its Eurofighter Typhoon in favor of France's Dassault Rafale.

India chose the French fighter in January in a deal worth nearly 13 billion pounds, for 126 aircraft.


India's decision had disappointed many in Britain, including Prime Minister David Cameron. In a report without mentioning the source of information, The Mail today said: "BAE believes that when India scrutinises the Rafale and assesses the French submission, it will realize the Eurofighter is a superior aircraft that will be cheaper overall".

Read more: Eurofighter’s price cut down to win Indian deal?

India: Combat aircraft deal: EU's Eurofighter and Dassault Rafale shortlisted

The Defence Ministry has invited Eurofighter and Dassault Rafale - the two European shortlisted vendors in the multi-billion dollar combat aircraft deal - on November 4 to open their commercial bids after which a final decision on giving the contract will be taken.

The two shortlisted vendors have received a letter from the Ministry and have been informed that commercial bids for procuring 126 Multi-role Combat Aircraft (M-MRCA) tender will be opened on November 4, industry sources told PTI here.

After the bids are opened, the Defence Ministry will be able to determine the lowest bidder in the deal and decide who will ultimately get the contract, described as the "mother of all deals", they said.

Eurofighter and Rafale were shortlisted for tender after four companies including American Lockheed Martin and Boeing, Russian MiG 35 and Swedish Saab Gripen were ousted from the race in April.

For more: Combat aircraft deal: Eurofighter, Dassault Rafale shortlisted - The Economic Times

Euro Fighter Typhoon outdid Rafale in Libya, claims four-nation consortium

With just a fortnight left for the opening of commercial bids for the Indian military's biggest ever tender, four European nations — the U.K., Germany, Spain and Italy — bidding jointly for 126 fighter planes promised an open door technology transfer and emphasised the superiority of their Eurofighter Typhoon over its sole competitor, the French Rafale, during ongoing operations in Libya 

“The technology transfer is very attractive,” said senior officers of the four-nation consortium while senior Royal Air Force officers, sidestepping the morality issue of bombing a sovereign country, claimed that the Typhoon has outperformed the Rafale in Libya. 

Asked whether the source code — a bone of contention with the Americans who were knocked out of the competition earlier this year along with the Russians and the Swedish — would also be transferred, they said, “everything is on the table.'' 

For more: The Hindu : News / National : Typhoon outdid Rafale in Libya, claims four-nation consortium

Military Aircraft: Helmet new targeting tool for Eurofighter top guns - by Stuart McDill

It might have made Maverick and Iceman a little faster on the draw if they'd had the new 'look and fire' helmet developed for Eurofighter Typhoon pilots.

In conventional jet fighters such as those which appeared in the 1986 Tom Cruise film 'Top Gun', the pilot has to point the aircraft in the direction of the enemy plane before firing.

But a new helmet designed for Eurofighter Typhoon pilots by British defence contractor BAE Systems allows fighter pilots to 'see' targets all around the aircraft -- a vital advantage in split-second decision-making.

For more: Helmet new targeting tool for Eurofighter top guns - Finance News - London South East

Russian aircraft industry : Sukhoi T-50 Prototype Demonstrated For Putin - by David A. Fulghum, Douglas Barrie

The T-50 is being developed to meet the Russian air force’s PAK FA requirement for a multirole fighter to replace the Su-27 Flanker. It has logged about 16 flights, say U.S. officials, first flying Jan. 29. The initial stage of state testing of the aircraft is presently due for completion in 2012.

Sukhoi chief Mikhail Pogosyan estimates there will be a worldwide market for 1,000 of the aircraft over the next 40 years. Putin contends the aircraft will carry a price tag that is one-third that of the U.S.-built Lockheed Martin F-22. Unlike the F-22, which the U.S. Congress has ruled cannot be sold to foreign governments, the new Sukhoi design is built with export in mind.
India is already a “participant” in the program, with an interest in a two-seat version of the PAK FA.
For more: Sukhoi T-50 Prototype Demonstrated For Putin | AVIATION WEEK

France sees Airbus military plane deal next week - by Jeamy Keaten

France can "reasonably expect" a deal next week between seven countries and European defense giant EADS to resolve a financial dispute over the A400M military transport plane, a Defense Ministry spokesman said Wednesday.

France hopes a deal that could lay the foundation for a new contract will emerge on the sidelines of a European Union defense ministers' meeting in Spain on Wednesday, spokesman Laurent Teisseire said. Spain, which is hosting the regularly scheduled EU defense ministers meeting in its current role as EU president, has final say whether a meeting of A400M customer states occurs in Majorca, Teisseire said.

Governments had made proposals to EADS on Monday, and EADS responded two days later, German officials said Wednesday. Teisseire said France believed the responses "go in a favorable direction." EADS and the seven governments that ordered the four-propeller Airbus plane have been haggling over who will pay for 5.2 billion in cost overruns and technical problems that have put the program almost four years behind schedule.

For the complete report: The Associated Press: France sees Airbus military plane deal next week

EG:Russia Responds to the Joint Strike Fighter Program

For the complete report from the Environmental Graffiti click on this link

For anyone who’s into fighter jets, this article will be a treat as it compares the latest, greatest and costliest in aviation research and development. Presented here are Sweden’s Griffin, the EU’s Typhoon and two extraordinary fighters from Russia. One thing is for sure: the Joint Strike Fighter Program (F-35) of the United States and several allied nations has competition. Buckle up for our supersonic tour.