United States Military Aviation

[RISING SUN]

51 F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Jets Remain In Inventory, None Destroyed Since 2008
More than a decade after the F-117 Nighthawk stealth attack jet's official retirement, it remains a hot topic of discussion and speculation, especially given that some of the aircraft are still flying. The War Zone can now confirm that the Air Force still has 51 of the aircraft in its inventory and has not destroyed any of the aircraft since 2008, despite a Congressional mandate two years ago to dispose of four of them annually. We can also explain what happened to an F-117 that bystanders recently spotted on a flatbed semi-trailer on a road near the Air Force's Plant 42 complex in southern California.

The War Zone has been working for months to obtain new details about the state of the F-117s, both by contacting the Air Force directly and through the Freedom of Information Act, which continues to prove to be curiously difficult. Brian Brackens, an Air Force spokesperson at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, provided the updated information in an Email on Aug. 28, 2019. The remaining Nighthawks are still at the secretive Tonopah Test Range Airport in Nevada. Lockheed Martin only ever built 59 F-117s, along with five pre-production YF-117s, so 51 aircraft represent the bulk of the total production run. This largely dispells persistent rumors over the years that the Air Force had been quietly destroying the remaining aircraft, possibly by simply burying them out at Tonopah.

Until 2016, there was a legal requirement to keep the F-117s in so-called "Type 1000" storage, meaning that they would be maintained in a state where they could be returned to active service relatively quickly, if necessary. The annual defense policy bill, or National Defense Authorization Act, for the 2017 Fiscal Year nullified this and replaced it with the four-per-year disposal plan. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio subsequently developed what it calls a "migration plan" for how to get rid of the F-117s.


Adrian Harrison/@adrianh

Some of the best pictures in over a decade of F-117s flying. The images were taken in Panamint Valley in March of 2019.


Adrian Harrison/@adrianh

The officially retired aircraft have been remarkably active in recent months.

"The Air Force planned to dispose of one F-117 in FY17 and approximately 4 every year following, however, there was a requirement for an environmental impact study prior to operating a Media Blast Facility," Brackens, the Air Force spokesperson, told The War Zone in his Email. "That study delayed construction and completion of the facility until this year."

"Media blasting" in this instance refers to using abrasives to remove the sensitive radar-absorbing material coatings that cover the F-117's skin. This is a notoriously complex process. The material also happens to be highly toxic and requires personnel performing the blasting to wearing head-to-toe protective gear and utilize specialized facilities.

The Air Force had to go through this process with a YF-117 pre-production aircraft, serial number 79-10781, in order to send that aircraft to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in 1991 for display. Workers went so far as to spray-paint the phrase "Toxic Death" on the aircraft's bare skin afterward. You can read all about that Nighthawk, and the other work required to make it ready for display, in this past War Zone piece.

Public Domain

The "Toxic Death" F-117 in flight circa 1991.

So, it's not surprising that the Air Force would have to complete a rigorous environmental impact study before opening up the new dedicated facility at Tonopah to perform this work on dozens of F-117s. At a rate of four-a-year, this site will have to be active for nearly 13 years in order to dispose of 51 Nighthawks.

It is also not clear how, or if, the Tonopah media blasting facility's operations might differ from how Air Force has performed this work in the past. The Air Force initially told The War Zone that it had destroyed an F-117 at Plant 42 in the 2017 Fiscal Year, as planned, as a proof of concept, but this turned out to be in error. As such, it remains unclear where the Nighthawk that bystanders had spotted on a highway in southern Nevada back in 2017 was headed and why.

Courtesy of Randy and Brett

F-117 photographed on a flatbed heading south in Nevada in 2017. This is likely the aircraft that was on its way to be destroyed as a proof of concept.

Lockheed Martin did destroy a YF-117, with the serial number 79-10784, at its facilities at Plant 42 in 2008. This was as a proof of concept for a possible method of disposing of the Nighthawks, which may have helped inform the Air Force's current "migration plan."

USAF

F-117 destroyed at Plant 42 in 2008 as part of another invasive disposal study that occurred right after the type's official retirement.

Brackens, the Air Force spokesperson, did confirm that another Nighthawk did arrive at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on Aug. 22, 2019. This was very likely the aircraft that bystanders saw near Plant 42 the week before, where it could have undergone media blasting or other demilitarization before getting flown to Wright Patterson.

It also is possible that the one that emerged in 2017 was in the process of being demilitarized in order to go to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and this second wrapped-up example is headed for a different fate. There are indications that a number of other museums are trying to acquire F-117s, as well.


Christopher McGreevy/@ohwiss

F-117 partially disassembled on a flatbed truck photographed near Plant 42 in mid-August, 2019.


Christopher McGreevy/@ohwiss

Another view of the F-117 partially disassembled on a flatbed truck near Plant 42.


Christopher McGreevy/@ohwiss

A closer look of the other side of the F-117 partially disassembled on a flatbed truck seen near Plant 42 in mid-August, 2019.

With the new media blasting facility, the "remaining F-117A aircraft will continue to be disposed of in accordance with the Migration Plan at the rate of approximately four aircraft/year," Air Force spokesperson Brackens explained in his Email to The War Zone.

It remains unclear what the Air Force, or private contractors, might be doing with the remaining F-117s in the meantime. It is obvious from pictures and video that seem to emerge with relative regularity that some of them are still flying, despite there no longer being a requirement to keep them in Type 1000 storage.

USAF

YF-117, serial number 79-10781, in its now somewhat censored form on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

There have been rumors that some of the aircraft might have returned to service secretly, flying missions in the Middle East, but there is no hard evidence to support those claims and there are also alternative explanations. The War Zone has previously explored the possibilities in a pair of features you can find here and here.

For what it's worth, U.S. Central Command, Air Force Material Command, and Hill Air Force Base, have all responded to Freedom of Information Act requests regarding possible regeneration of the Nighthawks for combat missions by saying they could find no such records. The Air Force Safety Center also said it had no record of any mishaps involving F-117s anywhere in the world since 2014 in response to another FOIA, despite reports of an inflight emergency that led to an emergency landing during purported combat operations in the Middle East.

It remains more plausible that some of the F-117s are involved in ongoing research and development efforts. This could include using them as stealthy targets to test new sensor systems, including infrared search and track (IRST) systems that are set to become prevalent on U.S. military fighter jets in the coming years. You can read more in detail about how the Nighthawks remain valuable assets for supporting this kind of work here.

The lessons the Air Force learns at the media blasting facility at Tonopah, and otherwise during the disposal of the remaining F-117s, may also be useful in the future. The service will face similar issues when it finally retires its fleet of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers.

If there are no more delays in the Air Force's disposal plans, it will still take more than a decade before the service destroys its last F-117. So, while it seems like the jets have truly entered their twilight period, we may still be seeing some of them flying over the American southwest for years to come.

Author's note: The original version of this story said that an F-117 with the serial number 80-0784 was destroyed in Fiscal Year 2017, but this appears to have been in error. There is no known F-117 with this serial number. YF-117, serial number 79-10784, was destroyed at Plant 42 in 2008. We have reached out to the Air Force for clarification.

Update 8/29/2019: The Air Force now says that its original statement that it had destroyed an F-117 in Fiscal Year 2017 was entirely in error and this story has been updated to reflect this clarification. The full statement that Air Force Spokesperson Brian Brackens sent in an Email on Aug. 29, 2019, is as follows:

"The previous info was a mistake on our part as we misread older documentation. No F-117 aircraft was destroyed in FY17 and the YF-117 with the serial number 79-10784 was destroyed at Plant 42 (Palmdale, CA) in 2008.
Sorry for the confusion."​

51 F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Jets Remain In Inventory, None Destroyed Since 2008 (Updated)

 

[BMD]

 

[_Anonymous_]

Aviator Anil Chopra (@Chopsyturvey) Tweeted:
US Space Command (SPACECOM) head Gen. John Raymond announces two new subcomponent commands and their leaders: one for day to day operations including with allies; the other to “conduct space superiority operations.” Raymond’s First SPACECOM Move: Two New Subcommands and Their Leaders (

https://twitter.com/x/status/1168878853843873797

)

 

[BMD]

U.S. Air Force’s new B-21 bomber will likely have air-to-air defense capabilities – Defence Blog

U.S. Air Force’s new B-21 bomber will likely have air-to-air defense capabilities
Published 10:08 (GMT+0000) September 4, 2019


The U.S. Air Force’s new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, will likely have air-to-air defense capabilities, just like modern fighter jets.

In an op-ed for the Air Force Magazine, Pacific Air Forces Director of Air and Cyber Operations Maj. Gen Scott L. Pleus confirmed that next-generation bomber will have new capabilities for self-defense during flight.

Maj. Gen Scott L. Pleus exposed details of new equipment and new concepts in order to sustain Air Force’s air superiority in the decades to come, adding that “a B-21 that also has air-to-air capabilities”.

Previously, the Air Force’s leaders also said that new B-21 Raider is a long-range and highly-survivable aircraft capable of penetrating air defenses and conducting a range of critical missions.

Sources familiar with the development of next-generation bomber said the B-21 Raider would be fitted with advanced radar that will be provided air-to-air capabilities. For air-to-air defense, the new bomber also would be added capability to carry air-to-air missiles.

The B-21 Raider program has a mature and stable design and is now transitioning to manufacturing development of the first test aircraft. Northrop Grumman is utilizing its Melbourne facility for the design and development of the B-21 Raider.

 

[_Anonymous_]

U-2 spy planes have lurked all over the world for 64 years - here's how the Dragon Lady keeps an eye on the battlefield

 

[BMD]

Air Force Touts B-1B Bomber's Potential To Carry Huge Hypersonic Missiles And External Stores

Air Force Touts B-1B Bomber's Potential To Carry Huge Hypersonic Missiles And External Stores
The B-1B may have to fight for its life in the not so distant future, but new upgrades could give it the ammo it needs to survive the budget ax.
BY TYLER ROGOWAYSEPTEMBER 6, 2019

• THE WAR ZONE

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY GIANCARLO CASEM

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The B-1B fleet may be tired and war wary after constant deployments overseas, but the USAF is continuing to look at how to improve the aircraft's combat punch as it enters the back end of its career. This goes far beyond adding new avionics to its flight deck, new sensors, and communications gear. The flying force is now exploring ways to give the heavy-hitting Bone even more magazine capacity than it already has and the ability to carry outsized hypersonic missiles in its internal weapons bay.

BEHOLD THE FIRST FLIGHT OF A B-52 BOMBER CARRYING THE AGM-183A HYPERSONIC MISSILEBy Joseph TrevithickPosted in THE WAR ZONE

THERE IS A B-1B BOMBER WITH A RED COLORED CUSTOM COCKPIT By Tyler RogowayPosted in THE WAR ZONE

BOEING'S BEEN GRANTED A PATENT FOR TURNING THE B-1B INTO A GUNSHIP BRISTLING WITH CANNONSBy Tyler RogowayPosted in THE WAR ZONE

USAF'S CONTROVERSIAL NEW PLAN TO RETIRE B-2 AND B-1 BOMBERS EARLY IS A GOOD ONEBy Tyler RogowayPosted in THE WAR ZONE

THE AIR FORCE HAS GROUNDED ITS B-1B BOMBER FLEET FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A YEARBy Joseph TrevithickPosted in THE WAR ZONE

The core of these exploratory efforts is centered around two latent features that were built into the swing-wing bomber's design many decades ago. The B-1B was built with external hardpoints to carry large nuclear-tipped cruise missiles. These hardpoints were never really activated in a significant manner operationally, that is aside from the one under its right 'neck' area that it has used to mount the Sniper Advanced Targeting pod in recent years. The cruise missile racks themselves were pulled out of service completely following the B-1B losing its nuclear delivery role due to the START treaty.

USAF

B-1B with cruise missile mounting racks attached to external hardpoints during testing.

By introducing new racks for these pylons, the B-1B could carry even more weaponry than it currently does, and weapons of shapes and sizes that are not conducive to the dimensional confines of its internal weapons bays.

As for that internal weapons bay—actually, the Bone has three—the front two are connected by a common bulkhead that can be repositioned in order to create a much larger continuous bay. Doing so could allow for the carriage of large hypersonic missiles that require big boosters to get their vehicles up to speed and altitude. Currently, the B-52 is being allocated for the hypersonic weapons truck role, with external pylons specially engineered to weapons weighing tens of thousands of pounds. Yet the Bone's potential ability to also carry these weapons, and do so internally, would add tremendous value to the aging and increasingly finicky to operate type.


USAF

A B-52 carrying an captive carry prototype of the hypersonic AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW, last June.

All this and more was being put up for discussion at the 412th Test Wing and Global Strike Command's "expanded carriage demonstration" that occurred on August 28th, 2019, at Edwards Air Force Base. At the gathering, industry partners were brought in to take a look at what the Air Force was thinking of for its middle-aged bomber in order to springboard development of these and other concepts centering on expanding the B-1B's weapons carrying capability.

An Air Force news item about the show and tell session reads in part as follows:

“The purpose of the demonstration was to show that we’re still able to move the bulkhead from the forward intermediate bay to the forward location; increasing the intermediate bay capacity from 180 inches to 269 inches, said Lt. Col. Dominic Ross, B-1B program element monitor, AFGSC. “Additionally, we demonstrated that we can still carry weapons externally on six of the eight hard points, which increases our overall carriage capacity.”
“It increases the magazine capacity of the B-1B. Currently we can carry 24 weapons internally, now it can be increased to potentially 40 based on what type of pylon we would create,” Ross said. “This gets the B-1 into the larger weapons, the 5,000 pounders. It gets it into the hypersonics game as well.”
Ross said that the B-1B was designed with eight hard points to carry weapons, as well as a moveable bulkhead...​

For the select industry partner open house of sorts, a B-1B was loaded-up with a mock-up hypersonic missile attached to the same smart bomb-capable Conventional Rotary Launcher now used in the B-52H's weapons bay. In addition, a Joint Air-To-Surface Standoff Missile, also known as the AGM-158 JASSM, was attached to the same hardpoint that currently carries the Sniper Targeting pod as an example of how the Bone's latent hardpoint attachments can be used to carry high-end weaponry. The JASSM and B-1B combination was the all-star of the multi-national cruise missile strikes on Syria in April of 2018.

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY RICHARD GONZALES

A photo of industry partners and USAF personnel taken at the event. Note the AGM-158 JASSM mounted on the pylon (red arrow pointing toward it). This is normally where the Sniper targeting pod goes.

The Small Diameter Bomb II, also known as Stormbreaker, was also on display at the event. If it was integrated on the B-1B, it could potentially carry throngs of these all-weather precision glide bombs at one time. In some cases, this would allow the Bone lay waste to entire airfields, port facilities, armored formations, and other large target sets with pinpoint precision on a single pass, while also staying outside the heart of enemy air defenses.

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY RICHARD GONZALES

GPS-guided JDAMs on the left and SDB II Stormbreaker on the right.

The Air Force news item continues:

Capt. Timothy Grace, test weapons systems officer, 419th FLTS, provided technical expertise about the B-1B aircraft used for the demonstration and was able to explain to the group how the proposed concept is relevant to the warfighter.
“I wanted to make sure it was tested correctly and reviewed it to make sure it’s relevant to the warfighter,” Grace said. “And absolutely, there are things we can use this for.”
Another point he made was how quickly the bulkhead modification can be accomplished, and then reversed.
“It’s not a permanent modification, it’s something that can be done through a few work shifts with the Maintenance (Flight),” he said. “So depending on what the targets are that we’re going after, the weapons we need to carry, we can move that bulkhead, and do the external carriage.”
From a commander’s viewpoint, the expanded carriage would open up better planning options, said Col. Richard Barksdale, 28th Operations Group commander, from Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota.
“It would basically increase the weapons capacity to make the bomber more efficient, so that we’re able to strike more targets with the same aircraft,” Barksdale said. “It would allow us to more efficiently plan for targeting and use fewer aircraft with fewer aircrews in harm’s way to strike the same number of targets. It would also decrease the support required, whether that’s tankers or other support assets.”
Barksdale compared the added capability to having “more arrows in the quiver of the B-1.”
“It really shows the aircraft was originally designed for that capability; to move that bulkhead forward and make a larger bay, it shows the forethought of the original engineers and now, that can potentially come into fruition,” Barksdale said. “To me, just the opportunity to increase the weapons load capacity is pretty exciting. It’s a pretty impressive capability.”
Ross said the initial idea was brought forth from B-1B crews, including himself. He previously served as a B-1B weapons systems officer, and then as a pilot.​

This demonstration occurred at a very interesting time in the B-1B's service life. During the Obama Administration, there was an initiative that looked to potentially convert the type into arsenal ship of sorts, loaded with a larger number and larger variety of precision-guided munitions, including long-range standoff weaponry. Before that, the B-1R supercruising region bomber upgrade was also floated, a potential initiative that also would have seen external stores stations be used operationally as mission requirements dictate. Neither of these programs came to fruition.

Fast forward to today and the B-1B fleet has found itself in an amazingly poor readiness condition. It has also been the source of headlines as of late due to systemic issues with critical life safety systems that have led to its grounding on multiple occasions for significantly long periods of time. The fleet is now being dug out of its dilapidated state by taking a much-needed pause in deployments, but its future remains, well, up in the air, to a certain degree.

USAF INDUSTRY BRIEFING SLIDE

USAF B-1B upgrade programs as of 2018.

Even though it is slated to serve into the 2030s, at which time the B-21 Raider will replace it in full, just this week the USAF brass hinted that it will once again look to retire certain 'legacy' systems in order to free up funds for new weaponry and other initiatives. Of the bomber force, the B-1B is the only one at risk of being on the chopping block.

It will be interesting to see what comes of all this, but releasing the B-1B from the weapons carriage restrictions that are currently in place due to the configuration of its internal weapons bays may significantly change the Pentagon's rationale for keeping it around in the short and long term. Also, being able to carry more weapons on external stations, and integrating smaller, but more numerous types, like Stormbreaker, may help provide that arsenal ship-like capability that was seen as so attractive just a few years ago.

In addition to JASSM, the B-1B is capable of employing its anti-ship cousin, the stealthy Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, better known as LRASM. With more hardpoints, it could make the B-1B an even more capable stand-off anti-ship strike asset than it already is.

These features and the ability to haul around the USAF's new golden child—hypersonic weapons—may just give the Bone the reprieve that it suddenly finds out it desperately needs.

 

[BMD]

Air-drop requirement drives Air Force to unique hypersonic glide body design
The Air Force is developing its own variant of a hypersonic glide body that pairs an aeroshell common to Army and Navy hypersonic programs with an Air Force-unique substructure needed to withstand conditions when dropped mid-air from a fast-moving aircraft, according to the service

 

[BMD]

More B-21s Likely; B-1s To Carry Up To 8 Hypersonic Weapons

More B-21s Likely; B-1s To Carry Up To 8 Hypersonic Weapons
The U.S. has 156 bombers today. But the Air Force is committed to boasting 386 squadrons, up 75 from its total today. "Certainly," Gen. Timothy Ray said, "that means good growth for the bombers."
By COLIN CLARKon September 17, 2019 at 12:17 AM

B-21 Raider artist rendering

AFA 2019: The United States will probably need substantially more B-21 bombers than the 100 it currently plans to buy. He didn’t say it that way, but that’s the only conclusion one can reach after listening to the head of Air Force Global Strike, Gen. Timothy Ray, here.

The US has 156 bombers today. But the Air Force is committed to boasting 386 squadrons, up 75 from its total today. “Certainly,” Ray said, “that means good growth for the bombers.” He cited outside studies that conclude the Air Force needs 225 bombers. The current official benchmark, set by the bomber roadmap, is for 75 B-52s and 100 of the new B-21s bombers being built by Northrop Grumman. So 225 would mean another 50 bombers.

As we reported last year, the math for more bomber squadrons was that there would probably need to be an additional 75 B-21 bombers bought to boost the Air Force bomber squadrons by 2030, 25 more than the estimates in the outside studies Ray mentioned.

And only the United States flies or builds bombers among its allies and partners, Ray noted. The last foreign squadron retired in 1984, he said.

We still fly B-2s for nuclear missions and the B-1 for conventional missions (it almost literally flown its wings off executing Close Air Support and other bombing missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.)

In the large allied strike against Syrian targets in April last year, B-1 bombers launched 19 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM-ER). But by August of this year, data indicated the B-1 fleet faced serious problems and at one point only six bombers were ready for war.

From LEONARDO DRS

Ray said things are looking up for the beautiful aircraft. “The depot level work required for the structures is not as extensive as we thought,” he said, adding that much work on aircraft deficiencies should be done by the end of next month.

For the longer term, the service plans to use the B-1s for different missions than it has spent most of the last 20 years executing. A rotary launcher will enable the aircraft to carry up to eight — and at least four — “large hypersonic weapons,” Ray said.

Perhaps taking the lessons learned from the strikes against Syria, Ray told the conference yesterday afternoon that the plan is to “put a lot more JASSM-ERs externally on the hard points there.” And, for the venerable B-1s, Ray predicted a “pretty good flying season” over the next six to nine months.

 

[BMD]

Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider first flight route announced

The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider stealth bomber’s first flight will be a short hop, about 22mi (35km) north across the Mojave Desert, from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California where it is being built to its testing site at Edwards Air Force Base.

The US Air Force’s next generation bomber is being built at the same Northrop Grumman facility as its predecessor, the B-2 Spirit, says acting secretary of the air force Matthew Donovan at the 2019 Air Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland on 16 September.

Development of the flying wing aircraft remains on schedule, says Donovan. The programme has a mature and stable design. It is transitioning to manufacturing development of the first test aircraft, says the USAF.

Northrop Grumman

In August, the service said that the B-21 was within its budget. It also has said previously that the aircraft would make its first flight in December 2021.

The 420th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards AFB will be reactivated to support testing of the B-21 Raider, as it was for the B-2, says Donovan.

Beyond small recent disclosures, the USAF has shared precious few details about the B-21’s development. The aircraft is a top secret priority for the service as it is intended to have the ability to stealthily penetrate any modern air defence in the world.

Perhaps conscious of how little it has disclosed about the B-21, the USAF noted in its recent first flight announcement that it “continuously evaluates the B-21 programme security posture with input from the intelligence community and is committed to maximizing transparency of key program information while balancing the need to protect vital technologies and capabilities from adversary exploitation.”

 

[BMD]

Raytheon’s Peregrine to Maximize Fighters Air/Air Loadout, Agility

Sep 16, 2019



Raytheon Company announced today it is developing a new medium-range, air-launched weapon called the Peregrine missile, that is half the size and cost of today’s AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, yet delivers greater effect. Raytheon develops the new weapon with internal funds, to maintain its dominance in the air-to-air weaponry market, after failing to win the Air Forces’ selection for the AIM-260 next-generation missile. The Air Force selected Lockheed Martin to develop the new missile to equip its 5GEN and 6GEN fighters.

Peregrine will be shorter and lighter than the AIM-260 and is positioned to become a replacement for both AIM-120 and AIM-9X, as it enhances each of those missile’s capabilities, offering more energetic, agile and flexible air-to-air capabilities to current and new generation fighters.

“Peregrine will allow U.S. and allied fighter pilots to carry more missiles into battle to maintain air dominance,” said Dr. Thomas Bussing, Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems vice president. “With its advanced sensor, guidance and propulsion systems packed into a much smaller airframe, this new weapon represents a significant leap forward in air-to-air missile development.”

https://twitter.com/x/status/1173617380439789569

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[BMD]

Apparently, the B-21 is going to use a Neural Network FCS.

 

[BMD]

The US Navy's new autonomous refueling drone takes historic first flight

The US Navy’s new autonomous refueling drone takes historic first flight
By: David B. Larter   22 hours ago

The MQ-25 Stingray, which will be the first unmanned aircraft to be integrated into the U.S. Navy's air wing, took its first test flight Sept. 19. (Boeing)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray refueling drone, destined to be the first carrier-launched autonomous unmanned aircraft integrated into the service’s strike arm, took its first test flight from MidAmerica Airport in Illinois, Boeing announced Thursday.

The two-hour flight, remotely controlled by Boeing pilots, tested the basic flight functions of the aircraft, a Boeing statement said.

“The aircraft completed an autonomous taxi and takeoff and then flew a pre-determined route to validate the aircraft’s basic flight functions and operations with the ground control station,” the release said.

 

[BMD]

 

[_Anonymous_]

Air Force Discussing Funding Shift to Buy More B-21 Bombers

 

[BMD]

 

[BMD]

Rolls-Royce F130 engine for B-52 completes early testing

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/roll...early-testing/

 

[BMD]

Raytheon’s New Peregrine Missile: Smaller, Faster, More Maneuverable



Raytheon’s New Peregrine Missile: Smaller, Faster, More Maneuverable
Raytheon's StormBreaker Small Diameter Bomb II guided glide bomb "means that enemies can’t hide behind adverse weather, smoke or dust, anymore. Its tri-mode seeker is one-of-kind technology and gives pilots the ability to destroy moving targets from standoff ranges," says Kim Ernzen, vice president for Air Warfare Systems.
By THERESA HITCHENSon September 26, 2019 at 8:52 AM


The Peregrine medium-range, airborne missile designed by Raytheon

WASHINGTON: Raytheon’s Air Warfare Systems division in Tucson has a long history in successful missile development, from the venerable AMRAAM air-to-air missile that originally entered service in 1991 to today’s all-weather, lightweight StormBreaker, due to achieve initial operating capability before the end of the year. The latest in their air-to-air missile portfolio is the Peregrine, which Raytheon says will double the weapons carrying capacity of today’s fighters. Kim Ernzen is the vice president of the product line — and on Sept. 20 she updated Breaking D.

Breaking D: So, tell us a little about about your new medium-range missile, the Peregrine? (Unveiled on Sept. 16 at the Air Force Association conference, Peregrine is designed to be smaller, faster and more maneuverable than legacy airborne missiles.)

KE: “Peregrine will usher in a new era for Raytheon’s Air Dominance portfolio, complimenting AMRAAM and AIM-9X Sidewinder for air-to-air engagements. It leverages some of our most advanced engineering technology, and combines some of the best capabilities from both of these proven weapons.”

BD: Can you talk a bit about what new trends you are seeing in the market?

KE: “We are seeing the emergence of dual-use or new missions from some of our programs. That’s exciting from a cross-domain capability standpoint, but also for our government customers who are stretching budget dollars, and need new capabilities quickly.

“Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is a great example: the anti-ship missile is being integrated on the US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships, but recently interest is growing in the ground-launch capability. We worked with the US Army last summer for a successful firing from a ground-based truck to hit a moving target at sea. And we announced in May that the US Marine Corps will integrate it into its existing force structure. ”

(In its fiscal year 2020 budget request, the Navy asked for an additional $62 million to buy 38 more NSMs — to bring the Navy’s inventory to 64 by 2022 — for the Littoral Combat Ships.)

“The US Government also approved potential foreign military sales of NSM for use on the Sikorsky MH-60R helicopter. In the meantime, Raytheon is working closely with our partners at Norway’s Kongsberg – originator of the missile, to bring production of over 50 percent of NSM to the US.

The AIM-9X Sidewinder also demonstrated a ground-launch capability with a successful flight test from a NASAMS launcher earlier this summer.”

(Breaking D readers may remember that the NASAMS, the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile, is an air defense system developed by Norway that has been protecting the nation’s capital region since 2005. It normally uses a ground-launched variant of Raytheon’s AMRAAM AIM-120 antiaircraft missile, and is capable of knocking down cruise missiles.)

“Not only did that test show another dimension for Sidewinder, it opens the door to customers who want to buy a short-range layer to their ground-based air defense. NASAMS users now have three Raytheon effectors for ground-based defense: AMRAAM, AMRAAM-ER (Qatar became its first buyer this year) and AIM-9X.”



RecommendedEXCLUSIVE: Drones Now Dominate Israeli Flying Operations
“Last year 78 percent of the IAF’s operational flight hours were performed by UAS. This year the number jumped and is 80 percent,” Lt. Col. S. told me at the Tel-Nof Air Force base, where the largest Israeli drone, the Heron-TP flies from. Breaking Defense was granted exclusive access to the White Eagle squadron there.

By ARIE EGOZI

Breaking D: So, what about the lay of the land with air-launched weapons?

KE: “In the air-launched arena, we are advancing and modernizing our weapon systems to pace threats with cutting edge technology for fifth-generation fighters. Several Raytheon systems are also critical for keeping fourth-generation platforms relevant and in the fight.

Our international customer base for air-to-air systems like AMRAAM and AIM-9X continue to grow, and we had record production for both of those systems last year. AMRAAM is approaching 40 countries that use it, and to borrow a quote from one of my colleagues, there is ‘an AMRAAM at the ready in nearly every time zone on the planet.’

Over 21,000 AMRAAM have been produced in the past 30 years with greater than 4,500 live fires in test, training and combat. No other air-to-air will ever come close in production or performance.”

Breaking D: Let’s chat about the status of the StormBreaker. (The StormBreaker Small Diameter Bomb II GBU-53 glide bomb is replacing the Air Force’s old GBU-39 that entered service in 2005. While the GBU-39 used Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites as the guidance method, the StormBreaker when operational will use GPS plus a millimeter wave radar and a semi-active laser as a seeker package. It will be flown by the F-15E and eventually the F-35 fighters.)

KE: “The StormBreaker smart weapon, which is the Air Force’s newest weapon, wrapped up operational testing on the F-15E earlier this year, and is headed toward its Initial Operational Capability in the coming months. StormBreaker means that enemies can’t hide behind adverse weather, smoke or dust, anymore. Its tri-mode seeker is one-of-kind technology and gives pilots the ability to destroy moving targets from standoff ranges.”

Breaking D: Anything else you want to pass along to our readers?

KE: “In one more example of where international partnership means new capability – and the US saves the cost of development — is the Joint Strike Missile. We are teaming with Kongsberg to integrate the Joint Strike Missile on fourth and fifth generation fighter jets. JSM is specifically designed for the F-35’s Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare mission, and was based on the NSM design. It will take on high-value, heavily defended land targets.”

(The JSM is a long-range anti-ship missile that uses an imaging infrared seeker, already in the inventory of the Norwegians, Japanese and Australians.)

 

[RISING SUN]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1176705032072437760

 

[STEPHEN COHEN]

German radar 'tracked two U.S. F-35 stealth jet for 100 MILES'

@randomradio

@vstol Jockey

 

[BMD]

German radar 'tracked two U.S. F-35 stealth jet for 100 MILES'

@randomradio

@vstol Jockey

They have the two luneberg lens attached next to rear fins.

The article is also written by idiots as evidenced by this picture.

(Hint: All 3 are F-22s.)