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Defense 2016 Highlights

Graham Warwick December 23, 2016

Typhoon

Credit: Eurofighter

Kuwait signed a long-awaited contract with Italy in April to purchase the Eurofighter Typhoon. Valued at $8.7 billion, the contract covers 28 Tranche 3 aircraft, the first export Typhoons with Captor-E active, electronically scanned array radars. Deliveries will begin in 2019.

X-2

Credit: Japanese Defense Ministry

Japan’s Mitsubishi X-2 stealth fighter technology demonstrator made it first flight from Gifu on April 22. The aircraft is powered by two indigenously developed IHI XF5-1 afterburning turbofans with 3-D thrust vectoring using paddles in the exhaust stream.

Gripen

Credit: Saab

Saab rolled out the first JAS 39E Gripen on May 17. First flight is now planned for the second quarter of 2017. Three single-seat test aircraft will fly in Sweden. Export customer Brazil will use two test aircraft, including one two-seat JAS 39F for which it leads development.

SPEAR

Credit: MBDA

MBDA is to develop the SPEAR mini cruise missile to arm Lockheed Martin F-35s under a UK Defense Ministry contract for more than £400 million ($585 million). The winged, turbojet-powered missile, with a dual-mode millimeter-wave/semi-active-laser seeker, will optionally arm UK Typhoons.

 

Denmark

Credit: Lockheed Martin

Denmark in May formally selected the Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighter to replace its F-16s. Deliveries of 27 aircraft are expected to begin in 2021 and to be completed in 2026. Denmark was already a partner in the F-35 program.

HTT-40

Credit: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. HTT-40 indigenous basic trainer made its first flight on May 31, powered by a Honeywell TPE331-12B turboprop. The tandem-seat aircraft is planned to replace the Indian air force’s HPT-32 Deepak basic trainers, now retired.

BrahMos

Credit: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

The Indian-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile made its first flight on an Indian air force Sukhoi Su-30MKI in June from the Nasik plant of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., which was responsible for adapting the fighter to carry the 2,500-kg (5,500-lb.) missile.

Poseidon

Credit: U.S. Navy

The UK in June ordered nine Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and 50 Boeing AH-54E Apache attack helicopters in Foreign Military Sales deals valued at £3 billion ($3.8 billion) and £1.78 billion, respectively. The P-8s are to be delivered in 2019-20 to replace already-retired Nimrods.

Y-20

Credit: International Aviation

China’s Avic Y-20 four-turbofan airlifter entered service in June. In the same weight class as Russia’s Ilyushin Il-76, the Y-20 first few in 2013. Initial aircraft are powered by Russian Soloviev D-30KP turbofans, but China is developing the more powerful Shenyang WS-20 to power the airlifter.

F-35A IOC

Credit: U.S. Air Force

The U.S. Air Force declared the Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighter operational in August 2016, following the service-entry milestone achieved by the U.S. Marine Corps with the vertical-lift F-35B variant in July 2015. The F-35 made its international debut in 2016, flying to the Netherlands and the UK.

 

 

MPA

Credit: Piaggio Aerospace Concept


Italy’s Piaggio Aerospace flew its prototype Multirole Patrol Aircraft, an extensively modified derivative of its P.180 Avanti business turboprop, in May. The MPA has a 50% longer wingspan, larger foreplane and tail, 50% increase in fuel capacity and more powerful engines.

Northrop T-X

Credit: no credit

Built by prototyping subsidiary Scaled Composites, the demonstrator for Northrop Grumman’s entry in the U.S. Air Force T-X advanced trainer contest made its first flight from Mojave, California, on Aug. 22. The aircraft is powered by an unreheated General Electric F404.

B-21

Credit: U.S. Air Force Concept

Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Long-Range Strike Bomber was named the Raider in 2016, to honor the Doolittle Raiders who bombed Tokyo in 1942. Key suppliers are: engine-maker Pratt & Whitney, aerostuctures companies GKN Aerospace, Orbital ATK and Spirit AeroSystems, as well as electronics developers BAE Systems and Rockwell Collins and composites tooling specialist Janicki Industries.

Boeing T-X

Credit: Boeing

Boeing rolled out its clean-sheet contender for the U.S. Air Force’s T-X advanced pilot trainer competition on Sept. 13, the aircraft making its first flight on Dec. 20. With partner Saab, two prototypes of the single-engine, twin-tail aircraft have been built, powered by an afterburning General Electric F404.

Rafale

Credit: Dassault Aviation

After selecting Dassault’s Rafale as its Medium Multi-Role Aircraft in January 2012, India canceled the 126-fighter procurement in July 2015 when negotiations stalled. Instead, India agreed to buy 36 Rafales direct from France, but the deal still took to September 2016 to sign.

Yak-152

Credit: United Aircraft Corp.

The Yak-152 trainer aircraft from Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. made its first flight on Sept. 29. Built by Irkut, the tandem-seat aircraft is powered by a diesel-cycle piston engine developed by Germany’s RED Aircraft and burning jet fuel.

Fighters

Credit: U.S. Navy

News of a series of fighter deals boosted Boeing in November, when the U.S. government approved Qatar’s request to buy 72 F-15QAs and Kuwait’s for 40 F/A-18E/Fs. Canada unveiled plans for an interim purchase of 18 F/A-18E/Fs to fill a gap ahead of the competitive decision on a new fighter.

SNC/TAI T-X

Credit: Sierra Nevada Corp.

Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) revealed to Aviation Week in December that they have teamed to form Freedom Aircraft Ventures and offer a clean-sheet design, powered by two Williams FJ44-4M commercial turbofans, for the U.S. Air Force’s 350-aircraft T-X advanced trainer requirement.

An-132D

Credit: Oleg Belyakov/Wikimedia

Antonov rolled out the An-132D light transport aircraft demonstrator on Dec. 20 in Kiev. A modernized An-32 with Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A turboprops, Dowty propellers and Honeywell avionics, the An-132 will be produced in Saudi Arabia by Taqnia Aeronautics.

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Fighters and trainers made the news in 2016, from the F-35A’s entry into service, through new orders for the F-15 and F/A-18E/F, Rafale and Typhoon, to the uncovering of clean-sheet contenders for the U.S. Air Force’s T-X competition. We take a look back.

Graham Warwick

Graham leads Aviation Week's coverage of technology, focusing on engineering and technology across the aerospace industry, with a special focus on identifying technologies of strategic importance to aviation, aerospace and defense.

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