09 September 2016
Aairborne radar system for Future Advanced Threat Simulator (photo : BAE Systems)
Edinburgh Parks, South Australia: BAE Systems Australia has won a $32 million, three year contract to provide the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) with an improved anti-ship missile test capability.
The Future Advanced Threat Simulator (FATS) is an airborne radar system designed to closely emulate the in-flight behaviour of a range of anti-ship missiles. It has been designed to provide a test and evaluation and fleet training capability to assist with the development of advanced maritime self-protection concepts for the RAN. BAE Systems will design, develop, manufacture, test and deliver the FATS capability suite.
Work on the project will start this month and will support 20 specialist engineering roles at the company’s Edinburgh Parks facility.
BAE Systems Australia CEO, Glynn Phillips, said: “At the heart of this impressive technology is local innovation; the simulator is an advanced capability, developed by our specialist engineering team here in South Australia.
“It underscores to our Defence customer that we have an airborne test and evaluation capability unmatched within Australia.
“We are very pleased to play such a pivotal part in the development of the next generation of threat emulation capability for Defence.”
In its flight mode, the FATS is configured in an underwing pod and flown against the target ship at low altitude from a Defence contracted Learjet carriage aircraft. This enables the FATS to simulate the flight profile of a sea-skimming anti-ship missile whilst also closely emulating the behaviour of the missile’s seeker. The ship’s crew and its self defence systems are exercised as the ship performs actions aimed at defeating the incoming missile.
The FATS is a third generation technology that leverages BAE Systems’ existing capabilities from the successful Generic Threat Simulator and Airborne Millimeter-wave Stimulator (AMS) product lines.
(BAE Systems)
08 September 2016
Heli AW-101 (photo : Sam Wise)
Heli AW 101 Dibeli Lagi, TNI AU: Bukan untuk VVIP, melainkan untuk Angkutan Militer
Meskipun pernah ditolak Presiden Joko Widodo, pembelian helikopter angkut jenis Agusta Westland 101 tetap dilakukan oleh Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara. Dalam suratnya ke Kementerian Pertahanan, TNI AU akan membeli sebuah AW 101 dengan anggaran 2016.
Dalam suratnya tertanggal 29 Juli 2016, yang salinannya diterima Kompas, Rabu (7/9), di Jakarta, alasan yang disampaikan TNI AU adalah pembelian heli tersebut sudah sesuai kajian atas kondisi heli angkut TNI AU selama ini yang digunakan serta kemampuannya memenuhi kebutuhan militer masa datang.
Saat dikonfirmasi, Kepala Pusat Komunikasi Publik Kemenhan Djundan Eko Bintoro, Rabu (7/9), membenarkan adanya surat TNI AU tersebut. "Memang betul TNI AU kembali mengajukan pembelian heli AW 101. Saat ini sedang dibahas Kemenhan," ujar Djundan.
Kepala Dinas Penerangan TNI AU Marsma Jemi Trisonjaya yang dihubungi terpisah juga membenarkan adanya permintaan TNI AU untuk pembelian AW 101. Namun, spesifikasi yang diharapkan TNI AU justru untuk angkutan militer. "Bukan untuk VVIP seperti yang (diberitakan) kemarin karena TNI AU memang membutuhkan," ujarnya.
Heli EC-725 Caracal yang dirakit di PT DI (photo : defence.pk)
Ditanya tentang tersedianya heli angkut EC 725 produksi Eurocopter, yang dirakit PT Dirgantara Indonesia, Jemi mengatakan bahwa pesanan TNI AU ke PT DI itu hingga kini tak kunjung datang meskipun sudah dipesan. Sejauh ini, PT DI yang termasuk BUMN strategis di Indonesia juga telah merakit heli jenis Super Puma EC 225.
Kebutuhan TNI AU terhadap heli AW 101, tambah Jemi adalah untuk pengganti heli angkut militer yang selama ini dioperasikan. Heli angkut militer yang dibutuhkan lebih untuk operasional TNI AU. Namun, ketika ditanya mengapa pembelian heli hanya satu buah, Jemi menjawab, "Untuk back-up (cadangan) yang sudah ada."
Rencana pembelian heli angkut VVIP AW 101 pada Desember 2015 sebenarnya pernah ditolak Presiden Jokowi. Penolakan Presiden didasari karena heli buatan Inggris dan Italia seharga 55 juta dollar Amerika Serikat atau setara Rp 761,2 miliar per unit itu dinilai terlalu mahal dan tak sesuai kondisi keuangan negara (Kompas, 2 Desember 2015).
Wakil Presiden Jusuf Kalla juga pernah meminta agar rencana pengadaan heli VVIP AW 101 dikaji ulang dan dilihat apa manfaatnya. Selain harus jelas penggunaannya karena pembelian heli tersebut menggunakan uang rakyat, evaluasi juga penting dilakukan agar Indonesia tak mengalami nasib seperti India, yang pemerintahnya dianggap korupsi saat pembelian heli AW 101 (Kompas, 1 Desember 2015).
(Kompas)
08 September 2016
Short C-23 Sherpa (photo : nycaviation)
The Philippine Coast Guard will receive the first two of the four Short C-23 Sherpa transport aircraft to be turned over by the United States in December.
This was confirmed by PCG spokesperson Commander Armand Balilo in a chance interview at Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday.
The planes will be transferred as part of the US Excess Defense Articles program.
The four Sherpa planes are seen to boost the Coast Guard’s monitoring capabilities, and will augment the Islander planes used for maritime patrol missions.
The expected medium lift transport planes from the United States Army can carry 30 crew members and passengers.
The PCG is beefing up its capabilities amid the rising tensions in the South China Sea.
Last month, it acquired the first of its 10 multi-role response vessel from Japan.
(Inquirer)
08 September 2016
Australia is looking to increase its work on F-35 MRO. (photo : Lockheed Martin)
The Australian government is to seek an expanded role in supporting Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region, Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne confirmed on 6 September.
Pyne said in comments published by the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) that he plans to visit the United States in October when he will approach the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) to discuss extending the F-35 maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) responsibilities of Australian industry.
The arrangement would expand the role of Australia following a decision by the US DoD in December 2014 to assign F-35 airframe and engine MRO services to both Japan and Australia. Under this agreement, Japan will provide MRO capability for the Northern Pacific and Australia for the Southern Pacific.
Pyne said that the additional MRO responsibilities being sought are focused on F-35 components.
"I'm going to the States in October to meet with the JPO to talk about Australia being a maintenance and sustainment hub for Joint Strike Fighter operations into the future," said Pyne. "Obviously I'll be putting Australia's case as strongly as possible."
He added, "I'd like to extend [the existing agreement] to componentry and obviously I hope to meet with success… I'm going to sit down with the people who make the decision and put Australia's case because that could be worth billions of dollars to Australia over the decades into the future."
In February 2015 the Australian government selected BAE Systems Australia and Tasman Aviation Enterprises (TAE) to undertake the regional MRO on the F-35 and its Pratt & Whitney F135 engine. Under the agreement, BAE Systems and TAE will commence the MRO work in 2018, with the former providing heavy maintenance and sustainment capability at its depot in Williamtown, New South Wales, while TAE will service the F135 powerplant at its facility at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland.
(Jane's)
08 September 2016
14% increase in defense spending to buy new ships (photo : israel-shipyards)
VIENTIANE - The Philippines is proposing a 14 percent increase in defense spending next year to buy new ships and aircraft to boost its fight against Islamist militants and enhance maritime security in the disputed South China Sea.
According to internal documents seen by Reuters on Monday, about 130 billion pesos ($2.8 billion) or 96 percent of the proposed defense budget, would go to the armed forces.
The push to beef up military spending reflects regional concern about China's maritime assertiveness and the new government's determination to crush the entrenched and lucrative network of the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf rebels behind a spree of kidnappings.
Some 25 billion pesos would go to a modernization program, the Department of National Defense said in the documents, including the acquisition of two surveillance planes and six close-air support planes to fight Abu Sayyaf.
The rebels, who have their stronghold in two southern islands in the Muslim-majority south, are holding more than 20 hostages of five nationalities.
Abu Sayyaf has this year beheaded two Canadian hostages and President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the military to "destroy" the group. The government believes it was behind Friday's bombing in Davao city that killed 14 people.
The government has proposed a 3.35 trillion pesos national budget for next year, which the bicameral legislature is expected to approve before the end of the year.
A senior defense official told Reuters 2017 would be the second year in a row that the government is spending 25 billion pesos for the modernization plan, which is slated to cost 82 billion over a five-year period.
The country is set to award contracts for two frigates for navy and three radar systems for the air force, which are designed to improve monitoring in the South China Sea.
Part of the funds will go to installments to pay for 12 Korean-made FA-50 jets, two of which arrived last year.
(GMA Network)
07 September 2016
RAAF C-130H simulator (photo : C130-net)
Sydney, Australia - (NYSE: CAE; TSX: CAE) - CAE today announced that the Indonesian Air Force has recently taken delivery and accepted for training a CAE-built C-130H full-mission simulator that was previously in-service with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
The Indonesian Air Force has acquired nine ex-RAAF C-130H aircraft along with the CAE-built simulator as part of a government-to-government agreement established several years ago. Airbus Group Australia Pacific, the prime contractor responsible for delivery of five of the C-130H aircraft along with spares and simulator, subcontracted CAE Australia to relocate the C-130H simulator and to provide the training facility to house it.
The CAE-built C-130H full-mission simulator is now installed and ready-for-training in the new facility, which is an extension of the Tentara Nasional Indonesia - Angatan Udara (TNI-AU) C-130 training facility located at Halim Airbase near Jakarta.
"We are pleased to support the Government of Australia and Airbus in completing the transfer of the C-130H simulator to the Indonesian Air Force," said Peter Redman, Vice President and General Manager, CAE Asia/Pacific, Defence & Security. "We have maintained and serviced this C-130H simulator since its entry into training with the RAAF more than 15 years ago so it still has many years of service remaining to support the safe, efficient training of Indonesian Air Force C-130H aircrews."
(CAE)
07 September 2016
C130B Hercules A1303 (photo : Rinaldi Wibiyanto)
BANDUNG - Kementerian Pertahanan melalui Komando Pemeliharaan Materiil Angkatan Udara (Koharmatau) memperbaiki pesawat angkut jenis Hercules.
Saat ini sudah tiga unit Hercules yang sudah dalam tahap perbaikan. Bahkan satu di antaranya sudah mencapai tahap tes terbang untuk melihat peningkatan performa pesawat buatan tahun 1960-an itu.
Komandan Koharmatau, Marsekal Muda TNI Robert Sotter Marut mengungkapkan, perbaikan yang dilakukan sesuai dengan prosedur perawatan yang berlaku.
Setelah semua pekerjaan pemeliharaan berat selesai, kata dia, baru dilaksanakan test flight (uji terbang). Selanjutnya, sambung dia, dicek semua sistem yang ada dan diputuskan sudah laik terbang atau masih ada perbaikan.
Hal itu disampaikan Robert di sela-sela uji terbang pesawat Hercules C-130-B dengan nomor registrasi A-1303 di Lapangan Udara Husein Sastranegara Bandung, Jalan Pajajaran, Kota Bandung, Rabu (7/6/2016).
Pesawat buatan Amerika Serikat itu merupakan pesawat yang sehari-hari berada di Skadron Udara 32 Pangkalan Udara Abdurahman Saleh Malang. “Ini yang pertama di tahun 2016. Rencananya ada lima Hercules yang diperbaiki,” ungkapnya kepada wartawan.
Selain memperbaiki mesin yang rusak, kata dia, perbaikan pesawat ini dilakukan untuk mengganti mesin yang usianya sudah lampau. Kendati demikian, dia menegaskan Kondisi pesawat dipertahankan seperti baru dengan memperbarui atau mengup-grade beberapa sistem.
“Sebenarnya ada jadwal baik berdasarkan usia, jam terbang maupun kalender perbaikan. Apalagi pesawat ini termasuk pesawat tua kelahiran 1960-an,” tuturnya.
Dalam pengerjaannya, Kemhan bekerja sama dengan sebuah perusahaan maintenance pesawat yang berasal dari Malaysia. Waktu pengerjaan perbaikan satu pesawat, lanjut Robert, bisa selama enam bulan.
Meski membutuhkan waktu cukup lama, kata dia, Koharmatau mengedepankan kualitas dalam perbaikan pesawat. “Kami ingin kualitas. Makanya Kemhan untuk perbaikan lima pesawat dana yang dikeluarkan mencapai USD33 juta,” tandasnya.
Project Manager PT Airod Malaysia, Mior Hamdan bin Zakaria menyebutkan, pihaknya sudah mengerjakan perbaikan sejak tanggal 4 Januari 2016 dan ditargetkan selesai pada 18 September mendatang atau delapan bulan sejak dikerjakan.
“Awalnya pesawat ini (Hercules A-1303) tadinya hampir tidak bisa terbang. Makanya kami kerjakan di Depohar 10 Lanud Husein Sastranegara Bandung. Sementara dua lainnya yakni A-1319 dan A-1326 kami kerjakan di Malaysia karena kondisinya cukup untuk terbang ke sana,” tuturnya.
Mior merinci, khusus pesawat Hercules A-1303 perbaikannya meliputi penggantian outer wing, center wing, penggantian struktur utama fuselege, perbaikan engine, mengganti sistem gas turbine compressor, dan melaksanakan up-grade sistem avionik.
(SindoNews)
