TomcatViPSuperHind project restarted in Ukraine with South African participation
[…] the Ukrainian company Motor Sich JSC and the Paramount Group, a South African company, signed a collaborative deal to further develop the Superhind Mi-24 military helicopter.
According to Paramount Group Chairman Ivor Ichikowitz, the two companies would exchange technologies, the Ukrainian company’s engines and sophisticated mission systems, and the South African company’s composite rotor blades.
Source:
http://www.defensenews.com/
TomcatViPBoeing: Lithium batteries present cargo risk, backs ban
Boeing (NYSE:BA) has announced that high-density packages of lithium batteries like those used in cell phones and laptops pose fire risks and should not be carried on passenger planes until safer methods for carrying them are developed.
The risk is “continually increasing (and) requires action to be taken,” said the aircraft maker.
A report that labels the batteries as “dangerous goods” is due to be considered in April by the U.N. International Civil Aviation Organization. The recommendations would then need to be approved by the group in October, and by a broader air safety council next year.
It’s a great day for the victims ~S to both pilots that I assume performed admirably despite an horrific agony.
…Champagne btw…
TomcatViPColombia to halt bombings of FARC rebel bases for a month says president Santos
“In regards to the indefinite, unilateral ceasefire declared by the FARC on Dec. 18, we must recognize that they have fulfilled it,” Santos said.
“For this reason, and to hasten the de-escalation of the conflict, I have decided to order the defense ministry and the leaders of the armed forces to cease bombardments over FARC camps for one month.”
Great day for Colombia.
TomcatViPAn informative short review of the Neuron demonstrator dev
[ATTACH=CONFIG]235851[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]235852[/ATTACH]
Notice also the advanced project rendering (pre-Neuron?) wich suggest Plasma usage but show wht seems to be a fluidic control:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]235853[/ATTACH]
Source:
user HK @ http://www.air-defense.net/
TomcatViPExtracted from the above link:
The problem with the 40-year-old A-10 […] is not its performance today but its future inability to fly in defended airspace, Carlisle [Air Combat Command chief Gen] said.
“In a permissive environment and some level of contested environment, the A-10 operates extremely well,” he said. In highly defended airspace, the A-10 is “going to have a challenge, so the F-35 is the next step.”
TomcatViP[…] But as Swerve pointed-out up-thread BAE aren’t in the airframe business anymore, they do ‘systems’. So I expect they’ll drop the Hawk and go forward for export sales with Northrop-Grumman, should they win T-X. Otherwise exit the trainer market.
I had in mind that Taranis was a BAE program. How silly I am 😉
But it’s true that they shld team with Northrop and take in charge all the ITAR free exports.
TomcatViPRussia Completely Withdraws From Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty
What’s going on down there?
Also:
“We are in familiar territory for anyone over the age of about 50, with Russia’s aggressive behaviour a stark reminder it has the potential to pose the single greatest threat to our security.” [says] Hammond, responsible for Britain’s MI6
TomcatViPBut what is Iraq not buying ?
All this does not seems really serious.
TomcatViPConfirmation from Mil radar track:
After crossing the peninsula, MH370 made an abrupt right turn south of Penang, and headed to waypoint VAMPI, which is located at the north-western mouth of the Malacca Strait between Sumatra and Malaysia.
Military radar continued to track the signal as it appeared to head for the subsequent waypoint MEKAR, on the N571 airway, before it disappeared at 02:22:12 local time about 10nm after this waypoint.
Intermediary report can be downloaded here: http://mh370.mot.gov.my/download/FactualInformation.pdf
Let’s hve a look at the PoI:
FLIGHT ATTITUDE
First noticed turn (Mil radar)
At 1721:13 UTC [0121:13 MYT] the Military radar showed the radar return of MH370
turning right but almost immediately making a constant left turn to a South Westerly
direction.
Rudder turn ?
repair was carried out by Boeing Aircraft-On-Ground (AOG) Team at Pudong, Boeing Shanghai facility from 22 September to 03 October 2012. The Boeing repair scheme was approved under DCA Malaysia�s Statement of Compliance (SOC) Reference Number SC/2012/081 issued on 03 September 2012. At the time of the incident, the recorded airframe hours was at 46,975:43 and landing cycles at 6,585.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]235804[/ATTACH]
[The] flight plan route (red dotted line � Figure. 1.7E below) passed through a westerly jet stream with wind speed of up to 150 kt. at latitude 30N at flight level 39,000 ft. (FL390).
There was a structural incident involving the right wing tip 7000hr/18 months before (after ~10 years of usage. Damages being repaired by Boeing Shanghai facility
Both event are coincidental with the left turn with right wing down (see p.26&37)
TRAJECTORY
At 1736 UTC [0136 MYT to 1736:40 UTC [0136:40 MYT] heading was 237M, ground
speed fluctuation between 494 and 525 kt. and height fluctuation between 31,100 and
33,000 ft.
After the turn back, the airplane adopted a deconflicting route with normal trafic (b/w FL310 and 350, it’s old authorized alt – Interval 4kft) despite “MAS and its fleet of B777 [neing] approved for Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) operation” (see report p25) and then seems to hve leveled right b/w the two values.
SERVICING
During the Stayover check on 07 March 2014, the servicing on 9M-MRO was performed by the LAME with the assistance of a mechanic, […] There was no leak in the oxygen system […] The system was topped up to 1800 psi. Before this servicing, maintenance records showed that the system was last serviced on 14 January 2014 during an A4 check.
Based on MH370 ATC flight plan dated 07 March 2014, the take-off fuel recorded was 49,100 kg. The investigation estimated that the aircraft would have had 41,500 kg fuel remaining after 41minutes flying from KLIA to IGARI. […]
IGARI is the waypoint where MH370 reverted its direction. The plane had way enough fuel to divert and land back.
COM
A review of ICAO accident records over the last 30 years indicates that of the 257 accidents, only 39 cases recorded effective ELT activation. […]
Even when the beacon and its antenna are functioning properly, signals may not be adequately transmitted to the Cospas-Sarsat satellites because of physical blockage from aircraft debris obstructing the beacon antenna or when the antenna is under water.
! (page 32)
The Cospas-Sarsat system does not provide a complete coverage of the earth at all times. As a consequence, beacons located outside the areas covered by these satellites at a given moment cannot be immediately detected, and must continue to transmit until a satellite passes overhead.
A bit out of expectation for the 21st century…
[QUOTE] The SATCOM link was available for most of the flight, excluding periods leading up to 18:25 UTC, 07 March and 00:19 UTC, 08 March 2014.
4. When the SATCOM link was re-established at the above times, no Flight ID was present.
5. During each of the two in-flight Log-Ons at 18:25 UTC and 00:19 UTC, the GES recorded
abnormal frequency offsets for the burst transmissions from the SATCOM.
Abnormal frequency offset might indicate hat the plane position did not correspond to what their data or that the plane was submerged. The report should quantify the offset as was previously done when IMARSAT released the data.
SATCOM (INMARSAT Sytem)
Two unanswered ground-to-air telephone calls had the effect of resetting the activity log and hence increased the period between the ground initiated ‘handshakes’.
Might have something link with the commercial package (data volume)
6. 1707:48 – Last Acknowledged DATA-2 ACARS Message. No further SATCOM Data-2
a. Therefore, the SATCOM Link was lost at sometime between 1707:48 and 1803:41.
b. There is no evidence of a cockpit-initiated manual Log-Off of the SATCOM.
8. 1805:11 – GES initiates a DATA-2 ACARS transmission, but receives no
acknowledgement from the SATCOM, indicating that there is still no SATCOM link at this
time.
9. 1825:27 – SATCOM Log-On, initiated from the aircraft terminal.
a. This is the first ‘handshake’.
b. This marks the end of the link lost period that began at sometime between 1707:48
and 1803:41.
10. 1825:34 – SATCOM Log-On, successfully completed.
Source:
Flightglobal.com
The Malaysian Ministery of Transport
Wiki
TomcatViPNothing to beat a Genie:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]235783[/ATTACH]
TomcatViPMoney shld be pouring now to complete the search. MA have now all the reasons to find the plane and solve the mystery… just to say (eventually), see it, that was not us.
Source:
reuters.com
TomcatViPConclusion
As it can be seen, Rafale is best by far in all effectiveness characteristics except for outnumbering the opponent, where it is bettered by Gripen. F-22 and F-35, the “most advanced”, and certainly most expensive, fighters in the world, do not get above 3rd place in any of criteria, while Typhoon – which is more expensive than Rafale but less so than F-22 and F-35 – achieves no more than 2nd place in any of the criteria. Reason is difference in approach – Dassault had experience and money, Saab had experience, and Eurofighter had the money. Lockheed Martin had money but it was not interested in desigining effective fighters; rather, its interest was to suck money from the US Government, which means desigining outrageously expensive, and consequently ineffective, fighters; reason why F-22 turned out (relatively) well is that Lockheed Martin was helped out by General Dynamics.
Why does he have to write this in the conclusion… Well because we won’t have read such an irrational expose. Thx for the time lost !
TomcatViP+1
TomcatViPThe JSOW would be a better bet for all aircraft at all altitudes. For heavily protected static targets the BROACH equipped baseline JSOW would be more effective. For time-sensitive mobile targets, the JSOW-ER’s warhead is more than sufficient to kill them (whether its a tank, APC, radar or TEL). The AASM was intended to be a cheap add-on kit like the JDAM but since its ended up costing as much as a missile, most operators would prefer to use a missile anyway.
The USAF have been flying nap of the earth and Low level weapon delivery tactics for 30 years with their F111. I don’t think they have such interest in the AASM concept anymore.
They didn’t have any hesitation to procure a large lot of Durandal when this was the pinnacle of airfield suppression.
[The BLU-107 Durandal] anti-runway bomb was developed by the French company MATRA
[…]During the 1991 Gulf War the 20th Fighter Wing, flew F-111Es from Turkey, initially in low level night attacks on airfields, using the Durandal anti-runway weapon. 20th Wing flight commander Captain George Kelman said “there is nothing better at destroying a runway than a Durandal.”
Source:
http://fas.org/
TomcatViPThe battery of the MH370 underwater beacon had expired 15 month before tragic flight:
battery powering MH370’s flight data recorder’s underwater locator beacon, which will send a signal if a crash occurs in the water, had expired in December 2012 and was not replaced. This was because the engineering department’s computer system was not properly updated.
Also:
The Indonesian air traffic control radar in Medan, in the northern tip of Sumatra island, did not pick up MH370 “for unknown reasons”.
It’s really concerning that such a software was seemingly used un-updated for that amount of time. It cast doubt on the safety standards on both the company and the software editor. The doubts also are tick around the potential dissemination of similar deficiencies.
And how can such low standards not be monitored ?
Source:
Reuters.com
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