Non-Slavic military & F-22 CRAPtor.

[TsarSamuil]

Foreign weapons thread methinks.

Maybe the thread should be called foreign Military or something?

[TsarSamuil]

Iran Succeeds in Optimizing Range, Precision Targeting of Anti-Radar Missiles.

18:01 | 2011-09-15

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Air Force Lieutenant Commander Brigadier General Hossein Chitforoush, the spokesperson of the 'Fadaeeyan-e Harim-e Vellayat III' air drills underway in Northwestern Iran, announced on Thursday that the country's experts have managed to boost the range and the precision capability of the anti-radar missiles fired by Sukhoi-24 fighter jets.

"One of the most important actions taken in these drills was increasing the range of the anti-radar missiles mounted on Sukhoi-24 fighters," Chitforoush told reporters on Thursday, adding that the missiles have been fired and "hit the specified targets successfully" in the drills.

He hailed the Iranian defense industry experts for their success in boosting the range of the anti-radar missiles, and said that the country's scientists worked for 11 years on the project.

The Air Force commander further underlined that the optimized missiles enjoy a 100-percent precision capability, "meaning that they can hit any target with a zero margin of error".

The massive exercises, which have been unique ever since the Islamic Revolution in Iran, started on September 6 and will end later today.

Different plane parts, tools and equipments, ammunitions and tactics have been tested in the four phases of the exercises codenamed "'Fadaeeyan-e Harim-e Vellayat III'.

A wide range of warplanes, including fighter jets, fighter bombers, cargo and transportation planes, are being used in the exercises.

Iran has recently made good progress in the air industry and has succeeded in gaining the technical know-how for producing stealth aircraft, drones, air defense shields and air-to-air, air-to-ground and ground-to-ground missiles.

[TsarSamuil]

I'll believe it when I see it...

------------

Better than S-300: Iran boasts of air defense system.

RT.com
21 September, 2011, 13:42

An Iranian general says the Islamic Republic has built an ingenious air defense system which surpasses the Russian S-300. Moscow intended to provide S-300s to Teheran, but canceled the sale due to UN sanctions against Iran.

"The flaws and defects of the S-300 system have been corrected in the indigenous version of the system and its conceptual designing has been finished,” Fars news agency quoted Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili as saying on Tuesday.

The commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base said the surface-to-air missile system is dubbed Bavar-373 and uses two or three different types of missiles to attack aerial targets, depending on their altitude.

Iran has been developing a long-range air defense system for several years and first tested it last year. Some military experts speculated that the technology may have been borrowed from China. China was one of the several legitimate buyers of the Russian system.

The S-300 was developed in the Soviet Union in the late 1970s and has a range of up to 150 kilometers. It can hit aircraft, cruise missiles and even ballistic missiles, and track up to 24 targets simultaneously.

The system was supplied to a number of other nations. A deal with Iran was reportedly signed in 2007, but was never finalized. The contract, which would have allowed Iran protect its crucial nuclear facilities from a possible air strike, was vocally objected to by Israel and its allies.

The sale was canceled in June 2010 due to a set of sanctions imposed against Teheran by the UN Security Council. The international security body mounted pressure to force Iran to make its nuclear and ballistic missile programs more transparent.

The Russian army is currently replacing the old air defense system with the newest S-400, which has improved specifications. The next-generation hardware has not been sold to any other countries yet, although a possible deal with Saudi Arabia has been reported.

[TsarSamuil]

Iran's army, navy get new anti-ship cruise missile.

19:23 28/09/2011
MOSCOW, September 28 (RIA Novosti)

Iran's Navy and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have taken delivery of new anti-ship cruise missiles, the Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said the missile, the Qader (Mighty) has a range of 200km, features a short launch time and is able to hit all naval vessels, including frigates and warships, as well as onshore enemy targets.

Iran's top naval officer, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayari said on Tuesday that his country planned to send ships to the Atlantic to create a strong presence near the U.S. coastline.

"The Iranian Navy will have a powerful presence near the United States borders," the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency quoted him as saying.

[TsarSamuil]

Mission Impossible: F-35C jet fighter unable to land on carriers.

RT.com
16 January, 2012, 22:59

A design flaw in the US Marine Corps version of the F-35 Lightning II, which prevents it from landing on an aircraft carrier, could see the highly advanced vehicle grounded indefinitely.

The F-35C, also known as the carrier variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (CV JSF), is one of several fifth-generation fighters developed under the JSF program. New documents reveal that the aircraft has a crucial flaw, which could prevent it from ever being able to land on a vessel.

A Pentagon Concurrency Quick Look Review (QLR) of November 2011 says that all eight run-in/rolling tests undertaken at NAS Lakehurst in August 2011 to see if the F-35C could catch a wire with the tail hook have failed. The tail hook is meant to catch one of several wires stretched across the deck, after which a special arresting engine kicks in to quickly slow the aircraft down.

In the case of the F-35C, the decades-old trick doesn’t work. The tail hook is located too close to the main landing gear, so the springs supporting the arresting cable don’t have enough time to raise it after the wheels run over it for the hook to engage.

In fact, the F-35C has the shortest distance between the tail hook and the wheels among a dozen past and current aircraft deployed by the US Navy, the report says, making the CV JSF “an outlier.”

The flaw seems to be inherent to the design, and engineers simply cannot relocate the hook without a major overhaul of the construction, which is likely to be too costly for today’s cost-conscious Pentagon. At the same time, Lockheed Martin, which produces the F-35, said as early as 2007 that all variants of the vehicle were “mature and ready for production.”

Other major problems with the F-35 the QLR mentions are the high latency of the helmet-mounted display, fire hazards associated with emergency fuel-dumping, and the low reliability of the novel Integrated Power Package unit.

Constant delays and the skyrocketing costs of the F-35 program make it look like a money pit, according to industry experts. The total development costs of F-35 have exceeded $40 billion and are expected to reach some $56 billion by late 2016. Former US defense secretary Robert Gates expressed the Pentagon's frustration and even mentioned the possibility of the cancelation of the program.

The average cost of the F-35 jet has risen to $156 million and the cost estimates for 2,443 aircraft the US intends to purchase is $382 billion.

The US is the primary customer and financial backer of the pricey program, but the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Turkey, Australia, Norway and Denmark contributed over $4 billion towards the development costs of the program.

In 2011, after the US military had stated that "no country involved in the development of the jets will have access to the software codes," Turkey put on hold its planned purchase of 100 F-35 jets. All other states taking part in the program also expressed dissatisfaction with that unilateral US decision. The UK specifically indicated they might cancel its entire order of F-35s without access to the coding.

A total production quantity of around 3200 is planned for the F-35 program, of which 2443 are intended for the US Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps.

The F-35 is being built in three different main versions to suit various combat missions: the F-35A, a conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) model intended for the US Air Force and other air forces; the F-35B, the short take-off and vertical landing model of the aircraft; and the F-35C, a carrier model that features larger wings with foldable wingtip sections.

A fourth model, the F-35I, is an export version for Israel with unique Israeli features installed in them. The US had reportedly agreed to allow the Israelis to install their own electronic warfare systems and missiles in their F-35s in the future.

[TsarSamuil]

JSF 'no match' for latest Russian fighters or Chinese radar.

by: Mark Dodd
From:The Australian February 08, 2012 12:00AM

THE stealth qualities of the futuristic F-35 Joint Strike Fighter on order for the Royal Australian Air Force are overrated and the plane's combat performance greatly exaggerated, a defence lobby group has claimed.

The complaints by Air Power Australia, longtime critics of the $16 billion JSF acquisition, were made last night before a public hearing of parliament's defence sub-committee.

Latest-generation Russian fighters such as the Sukhoi T-50 would easily defeat the F-35 in air-to-air combat, Air Power's Peter Goon said, referring to recent modelling tests by his organisation.

"The aircraft we are planning to buy is carrying over 2000 pounds (900kg) of dead weight," Mr Goon said, referring to the JSF's big jet engines.

New Russian and Chinese air defence radars would also have little trouble detecting the JSF, a craft touted for its stealth qualities, he added.

The RAAF says it wants 100 US-designed JSFs to replace the decommisioned F-111 strike aircraft, with the first squadron supposed to be operating by 2018.

But the program has been mired in cost overruns and delays.

Last month US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta ordered the purchase of US JSFs to be delayed to allow Lockheed-Martin time to resolve production and technical shortcomings.

The company is contracted to deliver the first two training aircraft in 2014 with another 12 scheduled for 2015-17.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith has said he is now considering an option to order additional F/A-18F Super Hornets to fill any capability gap created by further JSF production delays.

[TsarSamuil]

13 years since VJ brought down "invisible" fighter.

B92, Tanjug
Society | March 27, 2012 | 20:46

BELGRADE -- On the fourth day of NATO's war against Serbia in 1999, the alliance lost one of its most prized aircraft: an F-117 "Nighthawk".

It was labeled "stealth", and considered "invisible".

The latter reputation came due to its low radar footprint, and was acquired in raiding missions in places as far apart as Lebanon, Panama, and Iraq.

According to available data, 1,270 "invisible" sorties were flown on the Lockheed-made aircraft during the first Iraq war in 1991.

Only one fighter of this type was ever lost in action: that used in attacks on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro).

The aircraft, worth some USD 45mn, was shot down in the evening of March 27, 1999, near the village of Buđanovci, in Vojvodina, northern Serbia.

Soldiers of the Yugoslav Army (VJ) 250th Air Defense Brigade brought the plane down using two anti-aircraft Neva missiles - "thanks to their skill, equipment in working order, and a small technical innovation".

Their commander was Colonel Zoltan Dani, now retired from the military.

Their achievement rallied the spirits in the beleaguered country, but NATO's bombing campaign would continue for 74 more days.



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You can see its wing in the Aviation Museum in Belgrade (next to Nikola Tesla airport).
(Zoran, 27 March 2012 22:02)

[TsarSamuil]

Vid,
www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7407680n&tag=contentBody;storyMediaBox

Is the Air Force's F-22 fighter jet making pilots sick?

May 6, 2012 4:00 PM

Two military pilots won't fly the F-22 Raptor, the Air Force's most sophisticated fighter plane, because they say a lack of oxygen during flight is causing disorientation and worse. Lesley Stahl reports.

--------------

Fighter Pilots Claim Intimidation Over F-22 Raptor Jets.

By LEE FERRAN and MEGAN CHUCHMACH | ABC News – Mon, May 7, 2012

Two F-22 Raptor pilots have said publicly that not only are they afraid to fly the most expensive fighter jets in American history, but the military has attempted to silence them and other F-22 pilots by threatening their careers.

"There have been squadrons that have stood down over concerns. And there's been threat of reprisals," F-22 pilot Josh Wilson told CBS News' "60 Minutes" Sunday. "There's been threat of flying evaluation boards clipping our wings and doing ground jobs. And... in my case, potentially getting booted out of the Air Force.

"So right now there's an example being set of, 'Hey, if you speak up about safety, you're going to be out of the organization,'" Wilson said.

Despite the Air Force's glowing descriptions of the next-generation jet as America's future of air dominance, as an ABC News "Nightline" investigation broadcast last week found, unknown problems with the plane's oxygen system have already contributed to the death of one pilot, the near-death of another and mid-air scares for dozens more.

READ Exclusive: Family Demands Truth in Air Force F-22 Pilot's Death

Wilson and fellow F-22 pilot Jeremy Gordon, both veteran fighter pilots for the Virginia Air National Guard who came forward under whistleblower protection from Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R.-Ill.), have asked not to fly the F-22 anymore, according to CBS News, citing their concerns with the oxygen problem.

Gordon said that two weeks after he requested not to fly the jet, he was called before a board of officers.

"I was asked to make a decision that day whether I wanted to fly or find another line of work," he said.

Several current and former F-22 pilots contacted by ABC News for its investigation either did not respond or quickly declined to comment on the plane and two relatives of flyers told ABC News that the pilots had been instructed not to speak to the media on penalty of potentially losing their post with the F-22 -- a coveted position despite the safety concerns. One pilot, when initially contacted by ABC News for comment, agreed to speak on the record but only after he checked with the Air Force public affairs office. Since then, the pilot has not responded to any of ABC News' attempts to communicate.

Air Force spokesperson John Dorrian told ABC News he has no information about any pilots being explicitly told not to speak to the media about the Raptor and noted that several F-22 pilots have been made available to the press at Air Force events. Dorrian did say that if a member of the Air Force wishes to speak with the media as a representative of the Air Force, that engagement is conducted through the Air Force public affairs office, but whistleblowers are still protected.

"Corporately, the Air Force position is the Air Force is not going to tolerate any reprisal actions against whistleblowers," Dorrian said.

Since Wilson and Gordon are assigned to the Virginia Air National Guard, Dorrian said he did not have specific information on their case. Officials at the Virginia Air National Guard did not immediately return requests for comment for this report.

Top officials at the Air Force and Lockheed Martin refused to take part in one-on-one interviews with ABC News for its broadcast report, but the Air Force provided a statement last week in which it says the service is committed to "unparalleled dedication to flight safety."

"Flying America's premier fighter aircraft always entails risk but the Air Force has, and always will, take every measure to ensure the safety of our aircrews while delivering air superiority for the nation," the statement said. The Air Force has also stressed that reports of "hypoxia-like symptoms" are exceedingly rare -- more than two dozen compared to the thousands of flights flown without incident.

Last week the Air Force officially received the last F-22 Raptor from defense contracting giant Lockheed Martin, completing an order of 187 planes that cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $79 billion -- meaning that including research, development and production among other costs, each plane has a price tag of more than $420 million. Despite being the most advanced fighters on the planet, none of the planes have been used on a combat mission since they went combat-ready in late 2005. Critics told ABC News that's because the jet was designed to fight rival, sophisticated fighters – an enemy that doesn't exist right now.

F-22 Pilot Blamed in Fatal Crash After Plane Malfunction

Capt. Jeff Haney was flying the Air Force's next-generation stealth F-22 Raptor on a routine training mission in Alaska in November 2010 when a sudden malfunction cut off his oxygen completely. Capt. Haney never made a distress call but took his plane into a dive and, a little over a minute later, crashed into the winter wilderness at faster than the speed of sound.

After a lengthy investigation, an Air Force Accident Investigation Board could not find the cause of the malfunction but determined "by clear and convincing evidence" that in addition to other factors, Haney was to blame for the crash because he was too distracted by his inability to breathe to fly the plane properly.

But Haney's sister, Jennifer, told ABC News in an exclusive interview she believes her brother blacked out trying to save himself and said that by blaming him, the Air Force was attempting to deflect attention from the ongoing, mysterious oxygen problem with the costly planes.

"I don't agree with [the Air Force]. I think there was a lot more going on inside that cockpit," Jennifer Haney said. "A cover-up? I don't know. But there's something."

In at least 25 cases since 2008, F-22 pilots have reported experiencing "hypoxia-like symptoms" in mid-air, according to the Air Force. Last year the Air Force grounded the full fleet of F-22s for nearly five months to investigate, but still no one knows what is going wrong, even as the planes are back in the air. Hypoxia is caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain and is characterized by dizziness, confusion, lack of judgment and, eventually, unconsciousness.

In one case before the grounding, a pilot became so disoriented that his plane dropped down and skimmed treetops before he managed to save himself and return to base, an Air Force spokesperson told ABC News. Presumably speaking of the same incident, Gordon told "60 Minutes" the pilot had to be told he had hit the trees -- he didn't remember doing it himself.

Wilson described experiencing apparent hypoxia while in the cockpit as a "surreal experience" and Gordon said the onset is "insidious."

"Some pilots will go the entire mission, land and not know anything went wrong," Gordon said.

To Jennifer Haney, every time an F-22 goes up, it's risking the life of its pilot. She spoke to ABC News because she said she couldn't stand to see another family go through what hers had.

"I know that the Air Force has said that they were very proud to have Jeff and are very sorry for our loss -- well then, in Jeff's name, fix this," she said. "We want to make sure Jeff did not die in vain -- that his death will mean something and that if it saves lives of pilots now, future pilots, then he died for the greater good or something."

The Air Force has already begun to enact changes to the jet in hopes of mitigating the oxygen problem, including adding pilot-monitoring equipment and improving the emergency oxygen system.

But for all their effort, the Air Force still doesn't have what Jennifer Haney said is most important both to her family and to the families of pilots that risk their lives every day at the controls of the F-22: answers.

"I believe Jeff deserves that. That was my baby brother and I believe he deserves that. He deserves the truth to be told as to what happened. Not anybody's guesses," she said. "He deserves the truth. He deserves honor and so do his little girls."

[TsarSamuil]

Navy admiral hints at jettisoning F-35 fighter.

Questions value of stealth technology.

The Washington Times
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
By Rowan Scarborough

The chief of naval operations has penned an opinion column that has military analysts buzzing over whether it signals the Navy may be the first military branch to jettison the costly F-35 stealth fighter jet.

Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert’s column in the current issue of Proceedings magazine questions the value of radar-evading technology, or stealth, in flying to a target and bombing it in a world of rapidly improving radars.

At the same time, the Navy’s top officer champions the future of unmanned planes and standoff weapons such as ship-fired cruise missiles. Adm. Greenert also mentions the ongoing budget-cutting environment in Washington.

The Navy has planned to buy about 480 of the aircraft-carrier version of the F-35, even as the stealth fighter jet’s costs have skyrocketed and the Navy prepares to shrink its fleet of ships for lack of money.

To military analysts, all of Adm. Greenert’s points add up to a conclusion that the Navy is having second thoughts about pouring billions of dollars into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Not true, says the admiral’s spokesman.

“Those reports are wrong,” NavyLt. Nate Curtis said. “The CNO [chief of naval operations] has stated he is committed to the Joint Strike Fighter.

“The CNO was not talking about a commitment to the Joint Strike Fighter. That isn’t the issue. He was talking about stealth in the future and looking at the return on investment. That’s what he talks about in that article,” Lt. Curtis said.

That has not stopped analysts from conjecturing about the Pentagon’s most expensive acquisition program in an era of mounting federal debt.

“Adm. Greenert’s controversial — and, potentially, hugely consequential — article raises several interesting points, among which is the contention that advances in sensing capabilities and electronic and cyberwarfare will increasingly degrade America’s stealth arsenal,” wrote Mackenzie Eaglen, an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. “This is not news. What is news, however, is the head of the Navy signaling a tepid commitment to the military’s largest acquisition program.”

In his column, Adm. Greenert does not mention the fighter by name, but he does note the limits of stealth technology. And the Navy is buying only one stealth aircraft — the F-35.

“We appear to be reaching the limits of how much a platform’s inherent stealth can affordably get it close enough to survey or attack adversaries,” Adm. Greenert says in a magazine that serves as a sounding board for active and retired officers. “And our fiscal situation will continue to require difficult trade-offs, requiring us to look for new ways to control costs while remaining relevant.”

The admiral, a former submarine commander now in the first year of a four-year term, writes of advances in radars and computers that can detect even the best stealth planes as they near a target.

“The Navy has been sending signals for a long time,” said Winslow Wheeler, an analyst at the Center for Defense Information, a budget reform group. “The most recent Greenert comments in Proceedings shows that longstanding information, available for decades, about the vulnerability of stealth to long-wavelength radars is beginning to sink in as the realizations of the gigantic dollar, tactical and reliability costs escalate.”

Designed as a multipurpose fighter to replace the Air Force’s F-16 Falcons and the Navy’s F-18 Hornets, the F-35 now carries a price tag of $395.7 billion for 2,443 planes.

It has suffered technical failures and huge cost overruns, prompting Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, in December to call it “both a scandal and a tragedy.”

The Government Accountability Office reported in June that total acquisition costs in the past five years ballooned 42 percent, to $395 billion. Full-rate production now is not scheduled to begin until 2019, a six-year delay.

In the most recent Pentagon budget review, in which $487 billion was cut from the 10-year spending plan, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta opted to stretch out procurement but not terminate the program.

The services know, however, that another wave of budget cuts is looming — about $500 billion if Congress cannot agree on a deficit-reduction plan by January. In that case, analysts say, several procurement budget lines will be in jeopardy, including the F-35.

The GAO criticized the Pentagon for its big bet on “concurrency” — that is, developing and producing the plane at the same time. The Pentagon is buying 365 F-35s before developmental flight tests are completed.

Said the GAO: “Development of critical-mission systems providing core combat capabilities remains behind schedule and risky. To date, only 4 percent of the mission systems required for full capability have been verified. Deficiencies with the helmet-mounted display, integral to mission systems functionality and concepts of operation, are most problematic.”

[TsarSamuil]

Iran Successfully Tests Upgraded Short-Range Missile.

13:18 04/08/2012
MOSCOW, August 4 (RIA Novosti)

Iran has successfully test-fired an upgraded version of a short-range ballistic missile, Iranian Defense Minister Brig.-Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said Saturday.

According to the Fars News Agency, Vahidi said that the new version of the solid-fueled Fateh-110 missile, which means "conqueror" in Farsi, has increased accuracy and has a range of 300 kilometers.

In comments reported by Iranian state TV on Saturday, Vahidi claimed the missile can pin-point targets at sea, making it the most accurate weapon of its kind in Iran's arsenal.

The minister emphasized that the surface-to-surface missile was developed by Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization. The Fateh-110 is a single-stage solid-propellant, surface-to-surface missile put into service in 2002. The earlier version of the domestically produced missile had a range of 200km.

The missile is of particular interest to Israel since Hezbollah has hundreds of M600 missiles, which are copies of the Fateh-110. Hezbollah is believed to be storing the M600 in private homes throughout southern and central Lebanon, the Jerusalem Post said.

[TsarSamuil]

US Air Force knew of crippling F-22 flaws for a decade.

RT.com
27 September, 2012, 16:58

High-level Air Force experts were aware of now-notorious flaws in the F-22 Raptor fighter jet’s oxygen supply system more than a decade ago. A range of solutions were proposed as early as 2005, the AP reported, citing internal documents and emails.

A group of experts calling themselves RAW-G (Raptor Aeromedical Working Group) formed a decade ago during an early stage of production to brainstorm solutions to the problem. The group presented its recommendations in 2005, and held its final meeting in 2007 before it was dissolved.

The military rejected the proposed improvements to the jet’s oxygen supply and oxygen mask systems for purely economic reasons: The F-22 project was already well over budget, and there was no will to spend more on the already $190 million stealth jet.

A year after the group disbanded, F-22 pilots began to complain about the infamous "Raptor cough" and dizziness while flying at high altitudes.

In 2010, hypoxia was deemed to the main factor in the fatal F-22 crash in Alaska of Col. Jack McMullen, commander of the Air Force's 3rd Wing. His jet hit at such a high velocity that only small fragments of the debris could be recovered. McMullen’s body was never retrieved.

The Air Force grounded the 187-plane F-22 fleet for four months after the crash; F-22s were then only allowed to operate at altitudes where pilots did not need to use an oxygen mask.

Another blow was dealt to the program when two F-22 pilots – Major Jeremy Gordon and Captain Josh Wilson – gave a May 2012 interview on the CBS program ‘60 Minutes’ and publicly vowed they would refuse to fly in the aircraft. Both claimed they had experienced symptoms of oxygen deprivation during and after their flights in the F-22.

In July 2012, the US Air Force reported that it had identified the reason behind the spate of F-22 pilots fainting. The hypoxia incidents were blamed on constricting altitude vests.

The Air Force said it would lift the flight restrictions on the F-22 imposed by the US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. At the same time, ground crews exhibiting the same symptoms as the pilots led some to speculate that a contaminated oxygen supply could be the culprit.

Congress recently decided that the F-22 was too expensive, effectively delivering a death sentence to the program. F-22 production was halted last spring, with fewer than 200 units produced. The initial production plan called for more than 2,000 F-22s.

The Air Force currently plans to introduce some of the measures proposed by the RAW-G group, such as a backup oxygen system and a replacement for the faulty valve in the pilots' vests.

The so-called ‘best fighter jet ever’ has never actually been tested in live combat, despite the US being in a near-constant state of war since it invaded Afghanistan in 2001. Most of the F-22 Raptor’s supposed combat advantages are, at this moment, entirely theoretical.

[TsarSamuil]

China Tests Fifth-Generation Jet Fighter.

10:14 01/11/2012
BEIJING, November 1 (RIA Novosti)

China successfully completed a test flight on Wednesday of its new fifth-generation J-31 jet fighter, according to the Huanqiu Shibao newspaper.

The flight represents a crucial step for the Chinese military, which has become only the third in the world – after the United States and Russia – to have developed a stealthy fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

The J-31 is a mid-sized combat jet with two Russian-made engines in its prototype development phase. Production models will have Chinese WS-13 engines, the newspaper said.

The Chinese are also developing the J-20 fighter jet, first tested in January 2011, which also features stealth technology.

The trials take place during a time of increased tension between China and its neighbors, particularly with Japan over the disputed Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku Islands) in the East China Sea.

[TsarSamuil]

[TsarSamuil]

New £150million combat jet is banned from flying in bad weather because it could EXPLODE.

Dailymail.co.uk
By James Rush
16:10 GMT, 20 January 2013

∙ F-35 Joint Strike Fighter not allowed to fly within 25 miles of thunderstorms
∙ Engineers found its fuel tank could explode if hit by lightning
∙ Britain committed to buying 48 of the aircraft, while U.S. is buying 2,500

It's considered to be the world's most sophisticated superfighter jet, but Britain's new £150million combat aircraft has been banned from flying in bad weather for fears it could explode.

Engineers working on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have found the jet's fuel tank could explode if hit by lightning.

According to reports, the aircraft, which is hoped to enter service for both the RAF and the Royal Navy in five years' time, has also been made more vulnerable to enemy attack than the aircraft it is set to replace, after its weight was reduced in an attempt to increase fuel efficiency.

The Telegraph has reported the revelations were disclosed in a leaked report from the Pentagon's operational test and evaluation office, which states that, until a device in the fuel tank is redesigned, test-flying within 25 miles of thunderstorms is 'not permitted'.

Several other problems have been identified with the plane, including a fault in the design of the fuel tank which means it is unable to rapidly descend to low altitude.

A handful of cracks were also discovered in the tested aircraft during examinations by the United States Air Force and the aircraft's manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

The report states: 'All of these discoveries will require mitigation plans and may include redesigning parts and additional weight.'

A Lockheed Martin spokesman has said the manufacturer does not consider the latest problem a 'major issue'.

The spokesman said: 'We have demonstrated very good vulnerability performance and we continue to work with the Joint Programme Office.'

The short take-off and vertical-landing version of the F-35B is due to become Britain's replacement for the Harrier.

The new fighter jet has been designed to be practically invisible to radar and has a top speed of 1,300mph and a range of 1,450 miles, compared to the Harrier's 700mph and range of 350 mile range.

The latest revelation is the second blow to the programme in recent weeks, after Canada pulled out of a deal to buy 65 of the aircraft last month.

And while the US is buying 2,500 F-35s for £254bn, Britain is committed to buying only 48, although the final decision will depend on the role of the Royal Navy's two new carriers in the future and whether the price of the aircraft falls, as is expected.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'All variants of F-35 are currently within the Development Test phase and minor issues like this are common during this early stage of the overall programme.'

[TsarSamuil]

First it was the S-300 missile clones and now stealth planes...What further evidence do we need that the military industrial complex of Russia and prob China are inside Iran building weapons? Moscow and Peking are probably pouring in billions of money into Iran so it can become a viable power of tomorrow and that it can today deter the west so it won't become another Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya etc.

I think Obama just shit his pants.

-----

Vid,
rt.com/news/iran-indigenous-fighter-qaher-296/

Iran rolls out bold design for homemade fighter jets (VIDEO)

RT.com
2 February, 2013, 16:22



Iran has presented its first domestically designed defense fighter-bomber jet with limited stealth capabilities. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stressed that the plane was designed for defense purposes, and will not be used for aggression.

Codenamed Qaher-313 ('Conqueror'), the jet is an advanced single-seat single-engine military plane. It is reportedly capable of engaging targets on the ground, as well as achieving air superiority in dogfights.

According to photos published by Fars news agency, the jet boasts impressive technical specifications, with a ‘stealth’ design similar to that of the US F-22 and Russian T-50. The large wingspan and inclined outward tail fins resembles the F-35, as well as the unusual-looking wings and modern seamless canopy. The jet may have been constructed using composite materials.

Iranian engineers have claimed that the Qaher is capable of short take-offs and landings, and can be repaired easily.

Video of the jet suggests that is already undergoing flight tests, and Iranian pilots have reportedly said they are fully satisfied with the new aircraft.

Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the Qaher is a “fully indigenous” aircraft, designed and constructed solely by Iranian aerospace experts.

"This advanced fighter jet with unique physical characteristics has a very low radar cross section and therefore is capable of operating at low altitudes," Vahidi told Mehr news agency.

The presentation of the fighter jet coincided with Iran's 'Ten-Day Dawn' celebrations commemorating the 39th anniversary of the end of country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. The ceremony was attended by Iran’s top brass and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who claimed the Qaher is one of the most advanced aircraft in the world, and insisted that the jet is intended for defensive deterrence.

In his speech, Ahmadinejad reiterated that “Iran’s defense might does not serve purposes of expansionism and aggression against other countries,” Press-TV quoted him as saying.

“This project carries the message of brotherhood, peace, and security and it doesn't pose any threat to anyone. There is no intention to interfere in any other country's affairs.”

Ahmadinejad also boasted that the Qaher is a vivid example of Iran’s growing technological self-sufficiency.

“Now the speed of Iran's development in science and technology does not depend on circumstances, it depends on our will,” Ahmadinejad said on state television on Saturday. “We should set higher targets. We see that it is possible, we have the capabilities.”

Iran unveiled its first domestically manufactured fighter jet Azarakhsh ('Lightning') in 2007. An advanced version of the jet, Saeqeh ('Thunder'), was presented in 2010.

Iran desperately needs new military fighter jets due to an international arms embargo imposed on the country immediately after the 1979 revolution; the country’s air force is composed mostly of outdated US and Russian jets. Many foreign-made aircraft in Iran’s possession are inoperable due to the impossibility of buying spare parts.




image from image from www.kaskus.co.id




image from image from www.kaskus.co.id


Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad walks to talk with the pilot of the domestically designed and built Qaher (Conqueror) F-313 fighter jet during a ceremony to unveil it in a warehouse in Tehran on February 2, 2013 (AFP Photo / ISNA / Amir Pourmand)