Missing flight data contributed to accident that made AC-130J unusable

The flight datacould have helped the pilots better understand the limits of the aircraft’s handling while performing tight maneuvers. But defense contractor Lockheed Martin declined to provide the proprietary information without a contract, and the Air Force decided not to purchase it, according to the report.
[…]
When the military develops an aircraft in conjunction with a private contractor, access to flight data is often written into the contract. But the C-130 airframe was developed commercially by Lockheed Martin.

The company performed and paid for the engineering and tests to develop data on the flight envelop of the aircraft and its acceptable safety limits. So the information is proprietary and is only made available to the U.S. military if it’s willing to pay for it.

“When the Air Force started procuring C-130Js and associated variants, they did not procure these proprietary data rights,” said Lt. Cmdr. Matt Allen, a spokesman for U.S. Special Operations Command. “In the end, the government decided not to procure the engineer and test data models, and instead decided to rely on the new flying and handling qualities test program to obtain the data.”
[…]

After the accident, the Air Force decided to purchase the data from Lockheed Martin.

[…] the plane [is] a total loss. The Air Force says the damage was estimated at $115.6 million dollars.

Source:
DefenseNews.com

Say goodbye to $11 billion in F-35 parts contracts to Canadian aerospace industry and Canadian jobs. You can bet that contracts for future parts production lots will not go to the Canadians since there is no assurance they will purchase F-35s.

That’s another (but very real) problem. That and the expected lawsuit. But there we stand in politics, and that is a closed exclusivity of Canadians (I assume you are not).

Canada’s armed Forces have been depleting their procurement budgets at an alarming pace since more than a decade. Nothing new…. The good news is that they are now conscious of the real needs today to take an urgent step in order to fulfill their NATO and NORAD commitments. Obviously after the 400M$ that would have been spent on the antiquity that are now their F18C, someone did come with the insight that new built SH, already (probably) on the production line, would made for a better expense. Let’s not downplay the fact that this step is noteworthy. 😉

Interestingly, and to cut short a long story, an interim buy of SH will close any prospect for the Eurocanards (since the SH is deemed equal or somewhat superior – see the Danes).

No Eurocanards means only more SH, F35 or a new design yet to be built. This bet on the future, might, why not?, very well be a card to play on the International scene.

I really like the F-20 Tigershark (yes, I know it doesn’t really exist) but to me it epitomizes the nimble fighter concept, and the dog fights of old, which brings me not to today, but to tomorrow… Which in service US fighter of tomorrow will have nimble fighter characteristics?

So, to get back to your point, I agree completely with you that functionality is what matters. I just wonder whether what constitutes that functionality has shifted somewhat?

If you read back this thread, you’ll find the kpp posted by BiO. I have myself extracted the most stringent part in the form of a small jpeg. The value extracted emphasis the sustainable and max G expected disqualifying most of the present trainer design.

It is clear reading this that the emphasis was put on high sustained G and high AoA. Something that give a hint on what the future USAF fleet will be (35 & 22).

To repeat myself, in order to be efficient, most design goes through the lightweight concept with a carbon airframe. LM had to modify the T50 and is now certainly playing the sustainability and low risk cost
The late introduction of a refueling capability certainly helped them illustrating the low risk value (I suspect that this was the reason most new design were pushed on the right – adding internal weight requiring more work on a composite airframe than one in metal).

In 2012, it looked good:

Source:
Eurocopter

Du Rififi chez les Sissi*

“Avec les Egyptiens, ça cogne dur », confirme un enquêteur français. En théorie, de telles investigations reposent sur une « coopération sincère » entre les différents pays. On en est loin. « C’est l’Egypte qui dirige l’enquête. Et l’oriente, accuse cette même source. Tout nous laisse penser qu’ils veulent réécrire l’histoire. » Pour l’intéressé, la meilleure preuve en est ce silence radio observé sur la maintenance de l’appareil. « Le problème, c’est que le BEA est sous leur autorité, et qu’ils auront la main sur le rapport d’enquête final. » « Il a fallu trois jours pour que l’existence des messages Acars soit connue, note en écho François Nénin, journaliste spécialisé. Dans le même temps, l’Egypte a mis trois mois a reconnaître que l’avion de Metrojet, en octobre, avait bien été détruit par un attentat, que Daech avait revendiqué le jour même… »

———————
“We are going frontal with the Egyptians” agreed a French expert. In theory, those investigations need some “franc cooperation” between each country. We are far from this here. “Egypt leads the inquiry. And [sic] roots it where it wants, say that same source. Everything let us think that they want to rewrite the true story.” For him, the best proof is the lack of communication regarding the plane maintenance. “The problem we face is that the BEA is under the direct authority of the Egyptians. They will have their hands on the final report.” “We had to wait 3 days to be told about the existence of the ACARS messages, say François Nénin, a dedicated Journalist, echoing what has just been said. Similarly, Egypt took 3 months to acknowledge the fact that the Metrojet plane fell victim of a terrorist attack in October and that ISIS had claimed the attack already on the very same day…”

Source:
LeParisien.fr

*there are no better way to handle the grotesque than with a bit of humor – Translation here

Carrier Truman Launches 1st Strikes from the Med

The switch to the Med is seen as a strategic demonstration that the US can launch anti-ISIS strikes from the west as well as the southeast, and fulfills a desire to have carriers spend more time with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean rather than simply pass through en route to Fifth Fleet in the Middle East.

Source:
DefenseNews.com

Italian company Leonardo-Finmeccanica [could] be blacklisted in India

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said that the Italian company will be blacklisted in India in the wake of allegations it offered bribes to win a €560 million Indian Air Force helicopter contract in 2010.

Source:
DefenseNews.com