Lockheed Martin F-35 Flight Test Progress Report

By Lockheed Martin on Monday, August 1st, 2011

F-35

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Lockheed Martin’s F-35 flight test program moves closer to achieving year-end milestones since the last update issued June 13. The F-35 Lightning II 5TH Generation multirole fighter conducted 107 test flights, bringing the total number of flights for the year to 518.
Overall, the F-35 program remains ahead of goals for test flights. Through July 25, the program accomplished 518 flights versus a plan of 476.
Several flight test and production key milestones were accomplished since the last report:
The fifth Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II short take off/vertical landing (STOVL) flight test aircraft was delivered to the Marine Corps arriving at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Md., on July 16.
AF-9, the first production F-35 delivered to Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Fla., arrived July 14 and AF-8, the second Eglin jet, was delivered July 20. AF-8 is the eighth F-35 delivered in 2011. The jets will be used for activities in concert with training F-35 pilots and maintainers at the new F-35 Integrated Training Center.
Jet Blast Deflector (JBD) testing was performed by F-35C Lightning II carrier variant (CV) aircraft CF-2 at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. from June 25-July 8. CF-2 successfully completed this portion of tests required to ensure the F-35C is compatible aboard an aircraft carrier.

• AF-6 and AF-7 commenced Maturity Flight testing of the training syllabus software at Edwards AFB. This software will be used for training at Eglin AFB this fall.
• Four F-35s completed their first flights since the last update: AF-10 on June 26, AF-11 on July 1, AF-12 on July 8, and AF-13 on July 14.
• AF-2 completed the 1,000th test flight (including AA-1) for the F-35 System Development and Demonstration (SDD) test program on July 6.
• AF-3, at Edwards AFB, completed the 500th SDD flight for 2011 on July 21.
• 122 vertical landings have been performed to date.

Cumulative flight test activity totals for 2011 are provided below:

• F-35A conventional take off and landing (CTOL) jets have flown 250 times.
• F-35B short take off/ vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft have completed 187 flights.
• F-35C carrier variant (CV) jets have flown 81 times.
• From the start of flight testing in December 2006 through July 25, 2011, F-35s flew 1,065 times, including the production-model flights and AA-1, the original flight test aircraft.

The F-35 Lightning II is a 5TH Generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 126,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.

DEFENCE TALK

Iraq PM pushes US training mission, F-16 deal

By Agence France-Presse on Monday, August 1st, 2011

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Iraq will ask for future defence contracts to include provision for trainers, bypassing MPs to allow some US soldiers to stay past a year-end pullout deadline, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Saturday.
Maliki also told reporters he had revived talks to purchase 36 American F-16 fighter jets, rather than the originally mooted 18, in a multi-billion-dollar deal that has been on the cards for several months.
"Training missions do not need the approval of parliament," the premier told a news conference.
"The government will include in agreements to purchase weapons that there should be trainers to train Iraqi forces to use these weapons."
Maliki said he submitted a report to parliament which concluded Iraq's security forces still required training on purchased weapons. He did not give details on the report.
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said this month that plans for a contingent of US military trainers were gaining traction among Iraqi leaders, but no agreement has yet been reached on the future of the American presence here.
Iraqi leaders have already missed a self-imposed July 23 deadline to reach agreement and, in the past, political deals have rarely been reached during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which is set to start Monday.
Politicians have previously noted the difficulty of reaching an agreement in parliament on a prolonged American troop presence, as many Iraqis still view US forces, who led a 2003 invasion to oust Saddam Hussein, as occupiers.
Maliki said he had signed documents restarting talks to purchase F-16s from the United States, a deal that had been close to agreement earlier this year but was put off due to widespread protests railing against poor basic services.
The original deal had involved the acquisition of 18 jets, but Maliki said the new contract would lead to the purchase of 36 F-16s.
"The new contract will be larger than what we agreed earlier, to provide security for Iraq," he said.
Any potential deal would be worth billions of dollars and take years to implement, as it would require the manufacture of the planes and the training of Iraqi pilots.
US commanders say that while Iraq's forces are able to maintain internal security in the country, improvement is required in protecting Baghdad's airspace, territorial waters and borders.

DEFENCE TALK

KSAU: Maret Super Tucano Tiba

 

/ embraer

Jurnas.com | PESAWAT tempur Super Tucano akan melengkapi Alat Utama Sistem Senjata (Alutsista) TNI AU Maret 2012. Super Tucano EMB-314 buatan Brazil ini diharapkan dapat menunjukkan kemampuannya pada ulang tahun TNI AU 9 April 2012.

"Bulan Maret tahun depan sudah bisa didatangkan, mudah-mudahan empat unit selama tiga bulan. Biasanya begitu," kata Kepala Staf Angkatan Udara (KSAU) Marsekal TNI Imam Sufaat di Yogyakarta, Jumat (29/7). Menurut KSAU, TNI AU memang merencanakan pengadaan 16 unit Super Tucano untuk mengganti pesawat tempur taktis OV-10 Bronco yang sudah tidak beroperasi.

Pesawat Super Tucano tidak hanya berfungsi sebagai pesawat latih, karena juga mampu bertugas sebagai pesawat penghancur. Pesawat bermesin tunggal buatan Empresa Braziliera de Aeronautica ini mampu menembakkan asap ke darat dengan cepat untuk menunjukkan posisi musuh.

Super Tucano memang direncanakan bertugas membantu pasukan darat karena memiliki kemampuan khas melakukan close air support.

JURNAS

Kekuatan Pokok Minimum TNI AU Mendesak

www.tni.mil.id / www.tni.mil.id

Jurnas.com | SEBAGAI salah satu komponen pertahanan negara, kekuatan TNI AU harus terus mengikuti perkembangan lingkungan strategis. Hal ini penting agar TNI AU menjadi salah satu komponen kekuatan yang dapat memiliki kekuatan tawar dalam menyelesaikan konflik antar negara.

Kepala Staf Angkatan Udara (KSAU) Marsekal TNI Imam Sufaat mengatakan, agar dapat melaksanakan tugas sebagaimana disebut UU 34/2004 tentang TNI, kebijakan awal yang harus ditempuh adalah memenuhi Kekuatan pokok minimum/ minimum essential forces (MEF). "Kita harus punya kekuatan udara yang kuat, meliputi operasi taktis, operasi strategis, air defence, air mobility, dan recognized,"kata Imam.

Untuk menjadi angkatan udara yang berkemampuan, kata Imam, TNI AU harus melakukan semua itu. "Kalau negara kita ingin punya kekuatan yang memiliki kekuatan tawar. Kemampuan politik dalam diplomasi ditambah dukungan TNI semua matra, akan enak. Orang akan memperhatikan saat bernegosiasi dengan kita,"katanya.

Untuk mencapai kemampuan tersebut,kata KSAU, TNI sedang membangun semua kekuatannya. "Sehingga nanti 2024 kita bisa melakukan operasi apa saja dengan kemampuan yang baik,"pungkasnya.

SUMBER : JURNAS

Habibie Ingin Kembalikan Kejayaan Industri Dirgantara Indonesia

BJ Habibie

Jumat, 29 Juli 2011 08:49 WIB

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID,LONDON - Prof. Dr. Ing. B.J. Habibie bersama sekitar 45 orang mantan karyawan IPTN serta tenaga ahli Indonesia di bidang kedirgantaraan yang tersebar di Bremen, Ausburg, Muenchen dan Hamburg mengadakan acara silaturahmi di Hamburg. Pertemuan yang berlangsung selama tiga jam itu diisi dengan pemberian wejangan serta pemaparan mengenai perkembangan industri penerbangan nasional.
Konjen RI Hamburg, M. Estella Anwar Bey, menyampaikan apresiasi kepada Prof. Habibie yang berkenan memberikan pencerahan mengenai revitalisasi industri penerbangan di Indonesia. Itu termasuk masalah pembenahan SDM yang semakin berkurang serta pemberdayaan komponen dan tenaga ahli nasional untuk memenuhi kebutuhan penerbangan di tanah air.

CN-235 for the South Korean Coast Guard (photo : duyz - Indoflyer)

''Dalam pemaparannya, Prof. Habibie menyampaikan keinginan dan keyakinan akan kembalinya kejayaan industri dirgantara Indonesia yang mengalami kemunduran sejak 1995,'' demikian keterangan pers KJRI Hamburg yang diterima Antara London, Jumat (29/7).
Habibie mengatakan bahwa mundurnya kedirgantaraan Indonesia tersebut antara lain disebabkan kurangnya upaya pemerintah untuk memfasilitasi produk dari PT Dirgantara. Apabila ingin memajukan industri penerbangan nasional, pemerintah harus lebih serius dan memiliki komitmen kuat untuk mengembangkan industri dirgantara. Hal tersebut termasuk mengalokasikan anggaran khusus untuk kepentingan riset.
Untuk memajukan industri kedirgantaraan Indonesia, tidak hanya diperlukan kebijakan yang baik dari pemerintah. Kebijakan tersebut juga harus disertai tindakan nyata dalam mendukung riset yang dilakukan oleh para tenaga ahli dan cendikiawan.
''Pada 16 tahun lalu, Indonesia sudah mampu membuat pesawat N-250 Gatot Kaca dan CN-235 serta produk-produk lainnya yang sempat mendulang sukses di dunia penerbangan nasional dan internasional,'' kata Habibie. ''Namun saat krisis, atas desakan IMF, kejayaan industri tersebut terpaksa harus pupus karena berbagai alasan.''
Habibie menyatakan masyarakat dan pemerintah Indonesia tentu rindu akan kejayaan industri dirgantara seperti pada era 1990-an. Namun, keinginan tersebut diharapkan jangan sampai masuk perangkap untuk berpolemik seperti dahulu sehingga industri dirgantara melemah.
''Saat ini pemerintah tampaknya memiliki keinginan kembali untuk memajukan industri penerbangan nasional, namun keinginan tersebut harus didukung oleh riset dan ketersediaan para ahli teknologi. Dalam kaitan ini, pemerintah harus menyediakan wadah agar para ahli teknologi Indonesia dapat berkiprah dan berkarya di negeri sendiri,'' ujarnya.

REPUBLIKA ONLINE

S. Korea, Indonesia to launch partnership for Seoul's fighter jet project

KFX-double engine version (photo : chosun

 

By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Indonesia will this week launch their partnership for Seoul's project to develop new stealth fighter jets, local procurement officials said Monday.

   According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), defense and procurement officials from the two countries will mark the beginning of their partnership in an opening ceremony of their new joint research center on Tuesday in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul. Noh Dae-rae, head of DAPA, and Eris Herryanto, secretary general of the Indonesian defense ministry, will attend the event, the DAPA said.

   The partnership calls for Indonesia to shoulder 20 percent of early development costs, or US$10 million, for South Korea's KF-X project. Indonesia will also send some 30 researchers to join about 100 South Korean researchers to work on the joint development project over the next two years.

   The two countries signed a preliminary deal last year in which Indonesia agreed to acquire about 50 KF-X fighters in exchange for picking up costs and jointly producing and marketing new fighter jets. The formal agreement was reached in April this year.

   "Since initiating diplomatic ties in 1973, South Korea and Indonesia have maintained friendly ties in many areas," Noh said in a DAPA statement. "In particular, the KF-X project has been made possible thanks to our consistent exchange and cooperation in the defense industry and defense procurement. It will be a strategic project that will be responsible for the development of defense industries and national security in both countries."

   South Korea's Air Force has been pursuing the KF-X project since 2000 to replace its aging F-4/5 fighter jets with locally produced aircraft equipped with stealth capabilities by 2020. A prototype for the homegrown fighter jet will be selected by 2012, according to the DAPA.

   In May this year, Indonesia agreed to purchase 16 of South Korea's T-50 Golden Eagle trainer jets, marking the first South Korean export of the supersonic jets.

   Then in July, a South Korean shipbuilder was picked as among the final candidates to export submarines to Indonesia in a project worth about $1 billion.
 

 

YONHAPNEWS

Lanud Medan Jadi Skadron Tidak Ganggu Perkembangan Kota Medan

F-16 TNI AU. (Foto: Lanud Iswahjudi)

Medan, (Analisa). Komandan Pangkalan Angkatan Udara (Danlanud) Medan Kol (Pnb) A Rasyid Jauhari menyebutkan, rencana menjadikan Lanud Medan sebagai skadron angkatan udara ke depan tidak akan mengganggu perkembangan pembangunan Kota Medan. Namun, kata Danlanud di sela-sela peringatan Hari Bakti ke 64 TNI AU di Apron Kelapa Sawit Medan, Jumat (29/7) pagi, keputusan sepenuhnya berada pada pemerintah. "Wacana menjadikan Lanud Medan sebagai skadron, sudah tercantum dalam rencana strategis TNI Angkatan Udara. Semuanya tergantung pada kebijakan pemerintah," ucapnya.  Sampai saat ini, lanjutnya, masih belum ada persiapan-persiapan khusus untuk menuju menjadi skadron. Untuk itu, Lanud Medan masih tetap sebagai fungsi pokoknya mempertahankan dan menjaga segala sarana dan prasarana yang ada. "Kita tetap mempertahankan dan menjaga segala sarana dan prasarana yang ada. Sebagai pangkalan TNI AU, sewaktu-waktu diperlukan untuk keperluan tugas tetap siaga," ungkapnya. NKRI Dalam tugasnya, sebut Danlanud, TNI AU bersama-sama komponen masyarakat lainnya di bumi pertiwi akan menjaga keutuhan negara kesatuan Republik Indonesia (NKRI). "TNI AU merupakan salah satu dari komponen bangsa yang secara bersama-sama menjaga keutuhan NKRI. Sebagaimana para pejuang TNI AU dulu mengabdi demi negara," jelasnya. Sebelumnya saat upacara, Danlanud menjadi inspektur upacara membacakan sambutan Kasau Marsekal TNI Imam Sufaat SIP.  Dijelaskan, peringatan hari bakti TNI AU diawali dari dua peristiwa penting pada 27 Juli 1947. Ketika itu serangan udara pertama kali dilakukan TNI AU serta gugurnya tiga pelopor dan perintis TNI AU. Peristiwa serangan udara dilakukan Kadet Penerbang Sutardjo Sigit, Suharnoko Harbani dan Mulyono yang dibantu tiga teknisi Sutardjo, Kaput dan Dulrachman yang sekaligus sebagai penembak udara. Mereka dengan berani menyerang dari udara kedudukan Belanda di Kota Salatiga, Semarang dan Ambarawa dengan dua pesawat Cureng dan Guntei. Gugur Sedang gugurnya tiga pelopor dan perintis angkatan udara, yakni, Komodor Udara Agustinus Adi Sutjipto, Komodor Udara Prof Dr Abdulrachman Saleh dan Opsir Muda Udarda Adi Soemarno Wirjokusumo. Mereka gugur saat pesawat Dakota VT-CLA yang membawa obat-obatan bantuan dari palang merah Malaya ditembak pesawat Kitty Hawk Belanda. Mereka jatuh di Desa Ngoto, sekitar 3 km selatan Lanud Adi Sutjipto Yogyakarta. Ketua Panitia yang juga Kepala Rumah Sakit TNI AU dr Abdul Malik Lanud Medan, Mayor (Kes) drg Setyo Harmoko menambahkan, peringatan Hari Bakti ke 64 di jajaran TNI AU Medan, sebelumnya juga dirangkaikan berbagai kegiatan seperti gotongroyong di pekuburan TNI AU, bakti sosial, khitanan massal, ziarah ke makam pahlawan dan puncaknya upacara peringatan di Lanud Medan serta ramah tamah dengan jajaran TNI AU.(nai) HARIAN ANALISA