IDEX

Jane's 'reports' below.

Failed to note that the AMRAAM is America's best air-to-air missile.

Or, if AFDS will be used to dispense land mines.

And, why 3rd World countries like Jordan and
Pakistan persist in wasting $$$ on weapons.

Or, that we probably wouldn't 'need' MARS if
we spent our $$$ on people instead of weapons.

USA negotiates Desert Falcon missiles

By Paul Beaver

US missile maker Raytheon has opened negotiations with the UAE Air Force & Air Defence to supply five missile systems for the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 60 combat jets, dubbed Desert Falcon in the UAE.

Raytheon is offering two air-to-air missiles, the AIM-120B AMRAAM medium-range system and the AIM-9M Sidewinder close air combat missile. For ground attack and close support, Raytheon is negotiating to supply the AGM-65 Maverick and at least one version of the Paveway II laser-guided bomb (PICTURE IDEXSD30007). The final missile on offer, according to Thomas McKinney, Raytheon's international business development director, is the AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missile.

"All of (the missiles) have been used during the Gulf War," said McKinney, referring to the 1990-91 coalition action to liberate Kuwait.

Last week, UAE Chief of Staff, Lt General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, said the first of 80 F-16 Block 60 jets will be delivered between 2004 and 2008. The contract was signed in March 2000 after four years of negotiation. There is a competition for the close air combat missile in which Matra BAe Dynamics is also proposing a solution.

AFDS achieves free-flight success in Greece

Europe's AFDS (autonomous free-flight dispenser system) weapon system has been successfully flown for the first time in free flight during trials by the Hellenic Air Force. The system will equip Greece's A-7 strike aircraft and has already been cleared for F-16 operations.

AFDS is an unpowered glider development of EADS-LFK and is designed to be used from stand-off ranges of 10km for low level or 20km at higher altitudes. It is in series production for Greece's A-7 and F-4 combat jets, according to Peter Ibbeken, LFK's CEO.

Falcon swoops in on UAE

Harris Corporation's RF Communications Division has won a $12 million contract from the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence for its Falcon II family of tactical radio equipment. According to Harris, the Falcon II was selected for its digital platform, software-based architecture, and secure interoperability between high frequency (HF), very high frequency (VHF), and multiband family members. Designed for ease of use and longer mission life, the Falcon II product is said to deliver outstanding performance.

Among the stated benefits are customer-specific encryption solutions, high-speed data capability (9,600bps in the HF and 64kbps in the VHF and multiband radios), robust data and digital voice modes for increased communications range, advanced networking, software upgrade capability, and military standards waveform support.

Local interest in avionics upgrade

By Michael J Gething

The advent of digital avionics, satellite-based navigation and communications systems and the need for military transport aircraft to become GATM (Global Air Traffic Management) compliant, has opened the way to avionics and cockpit upgrades on the C-130 Hercules and other airlifters.

Canada's Spar Aerospace has already upgraded the avionics on the Canadian Forces' fleet of 32 Hercules, bringing the avionics fit and flight deck layout of five separate C-130 models to one common configuration. The company is now about to add an Airborne Collision Avoidance System and radar altimeter to the fleet to become GATM compliant.

The company reports a rising interest in such programmes in this region and has already performed a navigational upgrade on the Royal Jordanian Air Force Hercules fleet. Spar is now in negotiation for a programme for the UAE Air Force fleet of Hercules and has reported interest in Hercules avionics upgrade programmes from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Outside the region, Spar is involved in bidding for a similar programme for Greece and, in the USA, is looking to be included in all competing bids for the US Air Force C-130 Hercules Avionics Modernization Program.

PGM due for Mirage and F-16 clearance

Operational certification of the PGM family of guided weapons for the Mirage 2000-9 and F-16 Block 60 has begun, according to Alenia Marconi Systems. The PGM is a medium- to long-range system for use with 500lb or 2,000lb warheads designed to destroy strategic, relocatable and mobile surface targets.

The PGM is a stand-off weapon with a variety of seeker systems, including laser, TV and imaging infra-red. Because it has a man-in-the-loop, target selection, aim-point optimisation and battle damage assessment are key advantages of the system.

AMS officials told the Show Daily that recent PGM in-service tests have shown the system to be capable of a circular error of probability of less than 1m.

The work is being carried out under a programme announced at Tridex 2000 for an unspecified sum. It was said at that time that the smallest member of the family, PGM 500, would also be suitable for the Hawk advanced trainer.

Pakistani air chief addresses 
'critical deficiency' with F-7 order

By Paul Beaver

Pakistan will acquire more combat aircraft from China, according to Air Chief Marshal Mustaf Ali Mir, the Chief of Air Staff. Last week, he described the aircraft on order as the F-7PG, based on the MiG-21 airframe.

ACM Mir sees the F-7 as an interim solution. "A critical deficiency of high-tech aircraft in the air force structure remains to be redressed," he said last Wednesday during a speech to air force officer cadets.

Further interim solutions include upgrading the current Dassault Mirage fleet. These airframes have been "upgraded to meet current technological requirements", he said. He added that Pakistan has acquired additional Mirage airframes "from various sources".

Several years ago, Pakistan acquired the remaining Royal Australia Air Force Mirage III airframes, and other aircraft have been acquired, but the sources remain unconfirmed.

"Pakistan's air force is now considering acquisition of high-tech weapons as soon as economic conditions (in the country) allow," said ACM Mir. He confirmed that the air force's Mirage and F-16 aircraft are also armed with a series of locally developed weapon systems from the Air Weapons Complex, one of Pakistan's exhibitors at IDEX 2001. AWC is showing the Mk80 general-purpose steel bomb, pre-fragmented GP and incendiary bombs, the ERB extended range bomb, the HAFR-1 runway denial weapon and fuzes.

The ERB has a claimed stand-off range of 16-24km using a 122mm rocket motor. "This creates an extended-range weapon from the proven pre-fragmented bomb," said a spokesman, "and it can be carried on all NATO-standard suspension systems."

Pakistan air ordnance is rarely seen outside the country and there is considerable interest in the HAFR-1 runway denial weapon. AWC claims it has good penetration capabilities and can be released at high speed while the attacking aircraft is flying at low altitude. The HAFR-1 decelerates to a very low speed to obtain the required penetration angle, which also allows the delivery aircraft to escape the blast. AWC can be found in Hall 9.

 
AWC's cluster bomb

Skytrack saves security costs

By Brian Walters

For surveillance, law enforcement and border patrol tasks, helicopters are normally the preferred platform for FLIR/CCTV and other sensor pods. However, to address the problem of the high costs associated with using such aircraft, the Cumulus division of Denel has developed the Skytrack installation for light aircraft.

The Leo series of surveillance systems produced by Cumulus are in service in some 20 countries worldwide, but by adapting the LEO-II-A3 pod for installation on light aircraft, whole new opportunities for its airborne use will be opened up. With its built-in Kenis thermal camera produced by Kentron Dynamics, the Skytrack system provides an affordable eye-in-the-sky enabling users to benefit from the low operating costs of a light aircraft.

Customisation of the aircraft to carry the Leo system was carried out by CumuCustom (a business unit of Cumulus) and it called for the design of a special streamlined blister to minimise the effects on handling qualities. Although initially developed for use on the Cessna 172, the Skytrack concept can be adapted for installation on other light aircraft.

MARS to counter airliner hijacks

By Brian Walters

A vehicle-based ramp system designed to facilitate hijacked aircraft interdiction has been developed by Patriot3. This US-based company has used modular design principles to
produce a system that can be adjusted to fit a number of vehicles, ranging from the Humvee to the large Ford Excursion people mover exhibited outside Hall 9.

The ability to fit the Mobile Adjustable Ramp System (MARS) to any appropriate vehicle is important because it obviates the need to keep dedicated ramp-equipped vehicles available just for rescue or assault missions. Only the system itself need be stored until needed for a training exercise or real emergency, thereby freeing the mobile platforms for other use.

The company claims MARS is the most versatile of its kind. Indeed, having been selected by a Gulf country to supply a dozen vehicle sets following a competition with designs from two other companies, evidently one customer in the region agrees.

Intended for any operation by Special Forces or SWAT (special weapons and tactics) teams that requires rapid and elevated entry to a building as well as to aircraft, MARS can eliminate the need for ladders in most such scenarios. This enables users to enter a target using multiple entry points at various elevations and expedite safer rescue operations. In fact, MARS can deliver and deploy a team to one, two or even three floors simultaneously.

In this way, MARS can increase the chances of surprise and the likelihood of a successful mission, the enhanced speed increasing the safety factor of operators and hostages.

Planes