Airbus trials aerodynamic enhancements for Eurofighter Typhoon

Airbus has completed flight-testing of a package of aerodynamic upgrades to the Eurofighter Typhoon that are geared at enhancing the combat aircraft's agility and weapons-carrying ability.
The flight trials of the Aerodynamic Modification Kit (AMK) were part of the wider Eurofighter Enhanced Manoeuvrability (EFEM) programme.
The AMK comprises additional fuselage strakes and leading-edge root extensions that are designed to increase the maximum lift created by the wing by 25%.
Flight trials had yielded some better-than-expected results, with the angle-of-attack capability being 45% greater than that of the unmodified aircraft, and roll-rates up to 100% higher. The flight trials followed around five years of studies, with Eurofighter test pilots and operational pilots from Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom conducting 36 sorties from Manching, Germany, on the Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) 7.
In terms of expanding the Typhoon's air-to-air and air-to-surface capabilities, Eurofighter has recently undertaken a series of separate weapon trials that include the MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), the MBDA Storm Shadow/Taurus cruise missiles, the MBDA Brimstone low-collateral air-to-surface missile, and the Raytheon Paveway IV precision-guided bomb. Airbus has also revealed that it is looking to integrate a variety of anti-shipping missiles onto the aircraft to increases its maritime role. The goal is to have the full multirole Phase 3 Enhancements (P3E) package in place by 2018, to coincide with the retirement from UK service of the Panavia Tornado GR.4 strike aircraft.
The Euroradar Captor electronically scanned (E-Scan)/Captor active electronically scanned array (CAESAR) radar is currently in its Extended Assessment Phase (EAP), with an integration contract signed by Eurofighter and partner nations on 19 November 2014. The Captor-E/CAESAR is being provisioned for the Tranche 3 aircraft, and will be retrofittable to Tranche 2 platforms also. Once fielded, the new AESA radar should offer some electronic attack capability and simultaneous multimode operation, plus significantly expanded air-to-air capability (it will also have additional functions at the customer's request).
janes

Israel Requires From US 29,350 JDAM and Paveway kits, 3,000 Hellfire missiles and 250 AIM-120Cs

The Government of Israel has requested a possible sale of 14,500 KMU-556C/B Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) tail kits consisting of 10,000 for Mk-84; 500 for Mk-83; and,4,000 for Mk-82; 3,500 Mk-82 bombs; 4,500 Mk-83 bombs; 50 BLU-113 bombs; 4,100 GBU-39 Small Diameter bombs; 1,500 Mk-83 Paveway kits; 700 BLU-109 Paveway kits; 3,000 AGM-114K/R Hellfire Missiles, 250 AIM-120C Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles; and 500 DSU-38A/B Detector Laser Illuminated Target kits for JDAMs.
The principal contractors will be Boeing, Lockheed-Martin,General Dynamics and Raytheon.
Implementation of this proposed sale will require travel of U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Israel.
This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.
dsca

Royal Jordanian air force to get more Sniper pods

The Royal Jordanian Air Force is set to get 10 more Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods.
The Sniper pods were the ones fitted to UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Harrier GR.9 ground-attack aircraft under an urgent operational requirement to give them the capability to designate targets for their Paveway IV laser-guided bombs to support operations in Afghanistan.
The pods became surplus to the RAF's requirements after it retired its Harriers in 2010 as it uses the Rafael Litening III pod on its Tornado and Typhoon jets.
janes

RAF's F-35 passes key weapons test ahead of 2018 lift-off

New pictures show the RAF's next-generation F-35B fighter, bristling with fearsome state-of-the-art weaponry.
However, the deadly-looking weapons are actually trial or 'dummy' ordnance, which are identical in fit and form to their lethal counterparts but incapable of causing damage.
A UK test team including personnel from BAE Systems, has successfully completed initial aircraft handling trials for ASRAAM and Paveway IV weapons on the F-35B.
The 'weapons' were tested on the Short Take-off Vertical Landing (STOVL) F-35B for the first time during a series of flights from the US Navy's test facility.
The RAF already uses ASRAAM air-to-air missiles and Paveway IV - a 500lb weapon capable of taking out a small compound - on its existing combat air fleet. The successful tests are a step towards full integration between the current and future fast jets that will be used by the RAF and the UK's Royal Navy from 2018.
Two F-35B STOVL aircraft, completed nine flights with MBDA's ASRAAM missiles and Raytheon's Paveway IV laser guided bombs..
dailymail

First Paveway IV Release for RAF Typhoons at RAF Lossiemouth

No 1(Fighter) Squadron, based at RAF Lossiemouth, successfully released 2 live Paveway IV weapons at Cape Wrath Training Area as part of the Squadron’s task to deliver the latest Typhoon capability upgrade, known as P1Eb.
P1Eb is predominantly an air to ground capability upgrade; it provides enhancements to the Litening III Laser Designator Pod (LDP) and Helmet Equipment Assembly (HEA) (helmet mounted sight) integration, as well as with Paveway IV. The LDP can now also be used seamlessly with the HEA to visually identify air tracks at long range, as well as identifying, tracking and targeting points on the ground.
The Paveway IV offers increased precision, stand-off, and flexibility of employment, and the Typhoon can release a number of weapons to different targets in a single pass.
1(Fighter) Squadron has conducted 8 Paveway IV drops this week, with a mix of profiles including GPS and laser guidance; pre-planned and target of opportunity using the HEA; and employing both impact and airburst fusing settings on the weapon.
1(Fighter) Squadron will release a further 20 Paveway IV weapons when they deploy to the USA for Exercise Red Flag in January 2015. The Typhoon aircraft will be conducting full swing role training sorties, day and night, fighting through the hostile air and ground threats, and then conducting the Paveway IV releases as part of the missions. These sorties will also involve full integration with the US Air Force F22 Raptor aircraft, which is a key area for the RAF as it looks to introduce the Lightning II in the coming years.
raf.mod

RAF To Be Equipped With Bunker Busting Version of Paveway IV

British combat jets are on course to be armed with a new bunker busting version of the Paveway IV precision guided bomb.
Raytheon UK, the weapon’s maker, is conducting preparatory work using an existing contract with the MoD ahead of a possible deal next year to equip Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm jets with a compact warhead.
The contractors carried out ground trials at the UK’s Pendine test range in 2012.
A new warhead and fuze for the Paveway IV would replace earlier generation weapons like the Paveway III bunker buster used by the Royal Air Force in Libya in 2011.
The new generation Paveway IV has a 500-pound warhead compared with 2,000-pounds for the Paveway III.
Paveway IV is carried by RAF Tornado jets and was recently cleared for action onboard the Typhoon.
Typhoon contractor BAE Systems announced earlier this month that two Paveway IVs had been released from the combat jet simultaneously for the first time during a recent flight test.
Aside from the Tornado and Typhoon, the Paveway IV will also be fitted to the F-35B when it enters service with the RAF and the Royal Navy later in the decade.
The weapon has also been acquired by Typhoon and Tornado operator Saudi Arabia.
Executives are now targeting Oman as a second Paveway IV export customer following their purchase of Typhoon jets.
defensenews

First Multiple Release of Paveway IV From An RAF Typhoon is a Success

Trials demonstrate enhanced air-to-surface capability for Typhoon
Working closely with the Royal Air Force and weapons manufacturer Raytheon UK BAE Systems has completed a series of flight trials culminating in the successful release of two Paveway IV precision guided weapons simultaneously from a Typhoon aircraft. This is the first multiple release of the Paveway IV from an RAF Typhoon to multiple targets.
The trials were conducted by a joint industry and RAF team from Typhoon aircraft BT017 equipped with the very latest Phase 1 Enhancements package (P1Eb). P1E implements full air-to-surface capability onto the Typhoon Tranche 2 aircraft. The trials demonstrated the full air-to-surface capability of the P1Eb product, with the Paveway IV weapon, including self-designation with laser guidance to the target and GPS-only guided releases.
baesystems

U.K. Gears Up For Typhoon Enhancements

On April 1, 2015, the U.K. Royal Air Force will stand up its fifth front-line squadron of Eurofighter Typhoons.
The reformation of II (Army Cooperation) Sqdn. at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland will not only round off the U.K.’s deployment plans but will also mark the moment that the RAF declares its Typhoon force a truly multirole asset.
It has probably taken longer than the RAF anticipated; the Typhoon has been in service now for 11 years. But the addition of Phase 1 Enhancement (P1E) capability on the Tranche 2 fleet should help pave the way for the Typhoon to take on more of the ground-attack mission currently held by the Panavia Tornado GR4 force, which is due to retire before the end of this decade.
The addition of the P1E delivers a ground-attack capability with the U.K.’s primary precision-guided weapon, the Raytheon Paveway IV, along with a host of other improvements.
But if Typhoon is going to take on the role of the RAF’s big stick before the end of the decade, the GR4’s other weapons—such as the MBDA Storm Shadow cruise missile and the Brimstone, direct-fire air-to-ground missile—also need to be integrated to ensure there are no gaps in the RAF’s strike capability.
aviationweek

Paveway IV service entry imminent for RAF Typhoons

The UK Royal Air Force could be as little as four to five months from having its Paveway IV precision-guided bombs fully qualified through the entire Eurofighter Typhoon flight envelope, for carriage using all six of the aircraft’s under-wing carriage points.
New work by Raytheon UK has lifted the remaining Typhoon and Panavia Tornado GR4 flight envelope restrictions for a weapon that was originally developed for the less aerobatic BAE Systems Harrier GR7/9.
Raytheon UK has successfully completed a re-qualification programme for Paveway IV, and the results are now being assessed by the MoD and partners.
The RAF's Tornado GR4s also have no restrictions on carriage of up to five Paveway IVs, as used during the Libya campaign in 2011. At that time, the strike aircraft faced restrictions on carriage configuration. Saudi Arabia also is interested in adopting Paveway IV for its Typhoon and Tornado fleets.
While the nimble Typhoon and Tornado put far more stress on carried Paveways than the weapon was designed to withstand, its requalification work showed the bomb to be suitable without modification for even the most extreme manoeuvres by the Typhoon. The work also shows the Paveway IV can be carried without restriction by the Typhoon throughout the weapon’s 20-year storage life.
The Typhoon requalification is an important step in the RAF’s ongoing push to have the aircraft ready to take on the complete range of Tornado air-to-ground mission capabilities, by the time that the venerable type is retired in 2019.
flightglobal

Raytheon Secures First Export for Paveway IV

Raytheon UK’s Paveway IV precision-guided bomb has secured its first export customer, following US congressional approval for a deal to supply weapons to Saudi Arabia.
Export of the Paveway IV to the Saudis has been held up for several years by the refusal of the US State Department to give clearance for US components included in the weapon.
Raytheon UK officials briefing reporters at the company’s facility here confirmed they had signed their first Paveway IV export customer, but said they were not able to identify the nation involved.
Saudi Arabia, though, has been previously identified as the first potential export customer by numerous media organizations.
Weapons would be produced over the next two years, with the first bombs handed over in about 18 months.
To date, only the UK’s Royal Air Force has purchased the Paveway IV; it is deployed on Tornado and Typhoon jets. Saudi Arabia operates both types of combat aircraft.
Raytheon UK is closing production of a British order to replenish Paveway IV stocks run down by operations against Lybia in 2011.
Michel said approval of the export deal by the US should open the way for possible upcoming orders from other Typhoon customers, including Oman. The gulf nation has ordered a squadron’s worth of Typhoons but deliveries have yet to get underway.
defensenews

Paveway GBU-50 for Mirage 2000D

Raytheon and the French Air Force completed a demonstration of a penetrator variant of a Paveway GBU-50 from a Mirage 2000D multirole fighter jet. The weapon met all flight objectives and scored a direct hit against a reinforced concrete slab.
Raytheon is committed to delivering GBU-50's French Air Force. Each Enhanced Paveway II guidance and control section is compatible with warheads ranging from the 250 pound MK-81 to the 2,000 pound MK-84 and BLU-109.
The Paveway bomb kit affordably transforms "dumb" bombs into cutting edge precision-guided munitions. The all-weather GBU-50, with its GPS/precision terminal laser guidance is in production with more than 200 units delivered to date.
raytheon

F-35B Lightning II Completes First Guided Weapon Delivery Against Ground Target

An F-35B short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) fighter aircraft, successfully employed a Guided Bomb Unit-12 (GBU-12) Paveway II laser-guided weapon from the F-35's internal weapons bay against a fixed ground tank test target yesterday.
f35.com

Paveway IV modifications proceed towards UK F-35 introduction

A series of enhancements to Raytheon's Paveway IV precision-guided bomb are being readied for test, with a version carrying its own GPS anti-jammer likely to fly late this year or early in 2014.
The anti-jamming equipment will be retrofitable to Paveway II bombs and other munitions.
Other new Paveway IV upgrades will expand the weapon's launch acceptance region, allowing the bomb to be released earlier in a mission, along with a wider field-of-view laser seeker which is already in flight testing, and a new penetrating warhead. The Paveway IV will also be capable of striking moving targets.
flightglobal

Paveway IV integration on target for RAF Typhoons

The UK has moved a step closer to fielding Raytheon Systems' Paveway IV precision-guided bomb with its Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraf.
Performed from BAE Systems the trials demonstrated the latest Phase 1 enhancements to the aircraft that enable the full capability of the Paveway IV to be utilised on Typhoon for RAF.
Already integrated with the Royal Air Force's Panavia Tornado GR4 force, the Paveway IV is an all-weather weapon in the 226kg (500lb) weight class. Featuring INS/GPS and laser guidance, as well as a programmable fuze capable of providing a variety of impact effects, the bomb has been used during combat operations in Afghanistan and Libya.
flightglobal

France to embark on Atlantique 2 upgrade

Thales and Dassault Aviation expect to begin work in the coming weeks on a long-planned upgrade to France’s Atlantique 2 (ATL 2) maritime patrol aircraft. The patroller is supporting combat missions in Mali, providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and close-air support with Paveway II laser-guided bombs.
France modified a number of ATL 2 aircraft earlier this year to deliver GBU-12 bombs using target designators onboard French Harfang UAVs, on fighter aircraft and on the ground. In April, the French Defense Ministry listed ATL 2 modernization as a top priority in the nation’s new defense and security strategy, ahead of a forthcoming multiyear spending plan expected to be issued this summer.
Amy Svitak-aviationweek

Raytheon receives Paveway II supply contract from international customer

Raytheon has received a contract to supply its combat-proven Paveway II precision-guided munitions to an undisclosed international military customer.
Valued at $106m, the direct commercial sale contract covers delivery of Paveway kits for both GBU-12 and GBU-58 laser guided bombs (LGBs).
airforce-technology

6 Squadron Take Paveway to Typhoon Multi-Role Success

6 Squadron, based at RAF Leuchars, have continued to develop the multi-role capability of Typhoon by dropping inert Paveway II bombs for the first time from the Tranche 2 version of the combat aircraft.
Pilots embarked on a series of training sorties over Cape Wrath Range last week to deliver this air to surface capability as part of ‘Combat Ready’ training work up sorties. It is the first time that 6 Sqn has dropped a bomb since it was re-formed at RAF Leuchars in 2010 as a frontline Typhoon Squadron.

defencetalk