Armée de l'air israélienne

[FULCRUM]

C'est surtout du photoshop !  :lol:

Pire encore  :-X  Mais bon, ça reste un bon avion

[MH]

La Heyl Ha'Avir bloque au sol plusieurs de ses Barak (F-16C/D) à cause d’un problème d’écaillement de peinture dans la veine d’alimentation du réacteur.

Apparemment le problème serait dû au climat particulièrement chaud.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/paint-flakes-ground-israeli-f-16-fighters-374828/

[Joab]

US defense law to equip Israel with refueling jets

Legislation aiming to enhance US-Israeli security cooperation was more than an attempt by Obama to upstage Romney; it allows Israel to buy equipment that could facilitate Iran strike

The legislation, knowns as the "United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012," allows Israel to purchase American KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft for the first time. Thus far, the Bush and Obama administrations refused to sell planes of this kind to the Jewish state, primarily in order to bar it from launching a massive aerial strike on Iran.

n all likelihood, such a military operation would involve F-15I and F-16I fighter jets, as well as helicopters, all of which will have to refuel on their way to the Islamic Republic, and on the return trip. Mid-air refueling capabilities are therefore essential for the mission.

So far, Israel has had to buy used commercial Boeing 707 airliners and convert them into tanker jets, a far from ideal solution considering the planes were originally designed for passenger flights. Just last week an accident occurred during an exercise involving such aircraft.

But the road between the ratification of the legislation and an actual deal to buy or lease such planes is still long; it could be years before Israel gets its hands on such equipmnet. Nevertheless, the law has been put in place, and now the time has come to find funding and agree on the technical details.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4261594,00.html

[Chaps]

Clairement, les ravitailleurs sont des armes à vocation offensive. Ca fait un changement plus que notable dans la doctrine USA/Israel.

[Chris.]

Je sais pas si c'est une si bonne chose que cela pour Israel, parce que bon, les KC-135R, c'est loin d'être des foudres de guerre, et surtout qui auront besoin d'une grosse modernisation, au niveau de l'avionique et très probablement des contre-mesures.

Car bon, on en parle relativement peu, mais IAI a développé des kits divers et variés pour des tas d'appareils, et les israéliens sont parmis les meilleurs en ce qui concerne les contre-mesures.

Parmis leurs clients, on peut citer un 767 MMTT vendu aux colombiens, 6 Il-78MKI vendu aux indiens, des 707 vendus à des tas de clients, etc.

http://www.iai.co.il/sip_storage/FILES/2/39392.pdf

http://www.iai.co.il/sip_storage/FILES/0/34150.pdf

http://www.iai.co.il/sip_storage/FILES/1/38471.pdf

[MH]

:| L’avantage c’est que ces KC-135 pourraient être rapidement disponibles pour des opérations  de l'IDF au dessus de l’Iran.

Et comme l’heure tourne…

[loki]

:| L’avantage c’est que ces KC-135 pourraient être rapidement disponibles pour des opérations  de l'IDF au dessus de l’Iran.

Et comme l’heure tourne…

Je doute qu'ils soient livrés rapidement........... ça semble plus un geste américain visant justement à empêcher toute action unilatérale israélienne

[MH]

Si c’est le cas je ne pense pas que ce soit très efficace pour les dissuader, sur le moyen long terme la solution 767MMTT est plus intéressante pour les israéliens…

[Joab]

Aucun contrat n'est signé, ni meme négocié à ma connaissance. C'est juste que le Congrès autorise une éventuelle livraison.

[zx]

Le come back d'un ancien, le Lavi 2

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2012/08/could-israels-lavi-project-be.html

om the "curiouser and curiouser" files: an update on ECA Program's pitch to provide an Integrated Opposing Force (IOPFOR) capability to support fighter pilot training for NATO nations.

The Amsterdam-based outfit issued a press release while I was away on leave, announcing its overdue selection of a candidate aircraft to deliver the proposed future aggressor service. And while it had previously raised eyebrows by naming the Chengdu J-10 and RAC MiG-35 as possible solutions, alongside the more plausible Saab Gripen, the 9 August statement made even those look pretty tame.

"ECA Program is ready to procure 36 advanced, single engine jets from Israeli Aircraft Industries, with 12 more under option," the company says. Interesting; especially as IAI (correct name Israel Aerospace Industries), doesn't even have a fighter aircraft in production.

No problem though, as ECA says it would acquire the "Lavi-2"; a notional further development of an Israeli combat aircraft which was heavily inspired by the Lockheed Martin F-16 (and was also remarkably similar in appearance to China's later J-10) and cancelled some 25 years ago (Israeli air force image below).

An ECA official is quoted as saying: "Although the [sukhoi] Su-35 and other fourth generation fighters are formidable aircraft, they will no longer have any real relevance beyond the 2020 horizon."

Although it would be produced "specifically for training support", the suggested Lavi-2 would offer a top speed of over Mach 2.2, including supercruise performance, ECA says. Also thrown into the proposition would be advanced systems including an active electronically scanned array radar, signature management techniques, helmet-mounted designators and countermeasures equipment, it claims.

The IOPFOR scheme already looked a bit eccentric when I filed a blog post about it on The DEW Line on 4 May, but ECA's selection of an aircraft which does not exist raises further doubts about the chances of this idea ever getting off the ground.

[Joab]

Israel Air Force crews to try out next-generation fighter jets by 2016

Israel is set to purchase 19 of the aircrafts at a combined cost of $2.75 billion.

Israeli air crews will get their first opportunity to train on the next generation of Israel Air Force fighter jets in early 2016, on bases in the United States. In December of that year, the IAF is scheduled to take delivery in Israel of two F-35 aircrafts. About a year after that the IAF will activate its first operational squadron with the new aircraft, according to the schedule that has been agreed among the Israeli defense establishment, the Pentagon and the U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corporation.

The details were squared away last week during a visit to Israel by senior Lockheed officials that included meetings with top Israel Defense Forces and Defense Ministry officials. In an interview with Haaretz, Larry Lawson, head of the delegation and executive vice president of aeronautics for Lockheed, said his company is actually ahead of schedule for 2012 on what is the biggest aircraft manufacturing program of its kind in the world. "People's confidence level in the program continues to rise," Lawson said.

One spot on Lawson's tour was the Nevatim IAF base in the Negev, where Israel's first F-35 squadron will be established. While the U.S. manufacturing schedule may be beating its goals, the Israeli side has its eye on the overall lag in the program when compared to its original schedule, amounting to several months.

"Aircraft development is complicated," a senior IDF official said. "This is the first time we are buying a new aircraft while it's still in development, rather than off-the-shelf. A good partnership has been created with Lockheed and the Pentagon, and it looks to be an excellent airplane. The initial difficulties of the program cannot be ignored. About two years ago there was intervention from a Congressional subcommittee that dictated a major reorganization. Today, after big shocks, the program in our opinion is back on track," the IDF official said.

Israel is set to purchase 19 of the aircrafts at a combined cost of $2.75 billion. The current, lengthy delivery schedule could bring the IAF down close to its "red line" for a few years in terms of the number of available fighter aircrafts. That hard fact has significant strategic ramifications for Israel's military capabilities, such that any deviation from schedule requires special approval from the country's political leaders.

During his visit here Lawson sounded very bullish about his company's F-35 program, noting that 37 airplanes have already been delivered, mainly to the U.S. Air Force, and 94 are in production.

The high cost of the program and of individual aircraft led to stiff resistance to the F-35 in Washington and in Jerusalem, but he said, "If you talk to the service chiefs, they would tell you these folks are seriously committed to the program. The fleet is getting older. The average age of an air force fighter is 24 years. You're talking about a fleet that it's time to replace. You have to think about an aircraft that will have to last for the next 30 years. The need isn't going to go away. The truth is that the adversaries are getting tougher. Air defenses are becoming more capable. Regardless of politics, it doesn't change the essential need."

Lawson dismisses the notion that unmanned aircraft will end the necessity for manned fighter planes in the future. "Last airplane? We talk about it all the time. Given the dynamic interaction of the battle ... You're talking about decisions that have to occur in split seconds and involve human lives, especially when you're working in contested airspace. These are life and death decisions and very costly decisions. So today, I think that manned fighters are going to be around for a while. Does that mean that 20 years from now there won't be a transition? There will be. UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] will have an evolving role in the future," Lawson said.

Amos Harel

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-air-force-crews-to-try-out-next-generation-fighter-jets-by-2016.premium-1.474116

[zx]

drone en cours de réalisation

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2012/11/israel-developing-secret-unman.html

[Ali Khodja]

Thieves Steal Israeli F-16 Warplane Engines

Thieves have made off with several U.S.-made engines for F-16 warplanes worth millions of dollars from an airbase in central Israel, army radio reported Dec. 6.

Israel’s Walla Internet site said preliminary findings after an investigation by military police indicated there may have been collusion between the thieves and personnel, either military or civilian, at the base.

It said the military police suspect the engines may have been stolen to be sold as scrap metal. It is not known when the thefts took place.

Army radio said a military spokesman refused any comment on the incident, except to say that an official report on the inquiry would be sent to the military prosecutor.

Last year, the Israeli military police launched an investigation after parts for F-15 and F-16 warplanes from the Tel Nof airbase near Tel Aviv were discovered when police searched a warehouse used by scrap metal merchants.

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20121206/DEFREG04/312060002/Report-Thieves-Steal-Israeli-F-16-Warplane-Engines?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

[alexandreVBCI]

Israël a sollicité de Washington la possibilité d'acquérir 6 à 8 appareils de transport hybrides Osprey V-22, selon des sources proches du chef d'état-major israélien Benny Gantz actuellement en visite aux Etats-Unis. Il s'agit du croisement entre un avion de transport militaire et un hélicoptère. Sa formule à rotors basculants lui permet de décoller et atterrir verticalement, comme les hélicoptères de transport lourds qu'il doit remplacer. Les Etats-Unis utilisent cet appareil comme transport d'unités spéciales. Son prix est de 70 millions de dollars pièce.

(Guysen.International.News)

[Joab]

Grounding of world's two most advanced aircraft could spell trouble for Israeli aviation

Israel Air Force has ordered 20 F-35 Lightning II, which have now been grounded due to technical problems; meanwhile, the grounding of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner may cause El Al to prefer Airbuses for the first time.

The announcement Saturday by the Pentagon that it was grounding all F-35 fighter jets due to a crack found in one of the engine blades, has led to an unprecedented situation: The two central projects of the world's largest aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, are suspended indefinitely.

The next strike aircraft to serve three branches of the U.S. military, the most ambitious and expensive weapons system in history and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (the most advanced airliner of a generation) are now officially in crisis mode, and hemorrhaging hundreds of millions. A question mark now looms over aerospace innovation in the 21st century, which could also throw a spanner into the plans of Israel's Air Force and the national airliner, El Al.

The F-35 Lightning II is a stealth fighter designed to evade enemy radar, and which is built in three versions: A land-based aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, a carrier-based fighter for the U.S. Navy and a vertical take-off and landing tactical bomber for the smaller Marine Corps carriers. This is the first time that one platform has been developed for all three services  - and in addition, the Pentagon has specified a wide range of operational requirements, including stealth and the ability to carry out strike and air-defense missions as well as electronic-warfare and intelligence-gathering.

This ambitious combination of capabilities in one aircraft of limited size - due to the constraints of the "stealthy" aerodynamic shape - has caused a series of significant delays in the development program and astronomic budget overruns. The F-35 is currently seven years overdue its original development goals, and the cost of 2,443 fighters needed by the U.S. armed forces to replace rapidly aging fighters it is now assessed to be nearly 400 billion dollars - 70 percent higher than the original budget.

Saturday's decision to ground the 64 F-35s that have already flown as part of the development and pilot-training programs is the fourth such grounding. The development of the plane, which first flew six years ago, has been fraught with major problems, including cracks in the bulkheads, software glitches and engine worries. It's already clear that whenever the F-35 enters operational service, it will still lack a significant portion of its electronic and weapons systems which will be installed over years.

The current obstacle - a cracked engine blade - puts into question one of the key decisions taken during the development program – to rely on only one engine manufacturer, Pratt and Whitney, instead of two alternative sources.

The decision to save funds may now cause a very expensive delay. The halt in flight-tests while new aircraft continue rolling off the mile-long assembly line in Fort Worth is also a serious worry for the Israeli Air Force, which has ordered twenty F-35s and plan to order an additional two squadrons. The IAF urgently needs these fighters to replace early-model F-16s that have to be withdrawn from service in the next few years and a further delay may leave a gap in its inventory.

Meanwhile, at another giant factory 3,500 kilometers away, north of Seattle, Lockheed Martin's competitor, Boeing, is seeking additional parking space around the assembly line of its newest airliner, the Boeing 787, which is also grounded until further notice.

In 2001, Boeing lost the competition to build the new strike fighter, but its core business has always been building civilian passenger jets. The Boeing 787 was going to be its new flagship, returning it to the position of global dominance lost in the last few years to the European Airbus, which has now surpassed Boeing in the number of planes ordered by airlines worldwide. The 787 can fly up to 290 passengers, travel at faster speeds than any of its competitors and uses 20 percent less fuel.

On the outside, the 787 doesn't seem different from other airliners, but its manufacturing is radically different. It is the first airliners constructed mainly from composite materials, rather than metal; many of the hydraulic systems have been replaced by electronic ones, making the plane lighter and more fuel-efficient. But the new methods have made Boeing reliant on thousands of suppliers, not all of which are used to complying with the stringent standards and timetables of the aerospace industry. Supply problems caused the first aircraft to be "overweight" and delayed supply to the first customer, Japanese airliner ANA, by three years.

Despite the delays, until a month ago, the 787 was still considered a success story and Boeing and already accumulated 844 orders as new airliners came out of the Seattle plant and were delivered to customers. The picture, however, changed as technical problems added up, well above the level acceptable for a new aircraft. The mishaps were mainly to do with the fuel and electrical systems, and despite Boeing executives' promises that these were merely "teething problems," two incidents of in-flight fire, occurring on consecutive says in  Japanese 787s and forcing emergency evacuation lead to the decision to ground all fifty planes flying so far worldwide.

The fires were caused by new lithium-ion batteries which seem to be unexpectedly flammable, and Boeing engineers are scrambling to find solutions. Meanwhile, the planes are grounded and as another new 787 is rolled out each week, parking space around the Seattle field is growing scarce. The delays could also change El Al's fleet plans. So far, Israel's national airline was planning to acquire the 787 to replace its aging 747s and 767s though an order had yet to be placed. For over four decades, El Al has bought only Boeing planes, but the question mark now over the 787 may bring the company to order Airbuses for the first time.

These two ambitious projects, the F-35 and Boeing 787, are "too big to fail." The problems will eventually be solved, as alternatives are nowhere to be found and hundreds of billions have already been invested in both of them. But once they return to the skies, it is highly doubtful that airplane manufacturers will be brave enough to allow themselves such a technological gamble in the foreseeable future.

Anshel Pfeffer

[Joab]

Un Cobra de l'armée de l'air s'est ecrasé dans le sud du pays lors d'une mission d'entrainement tuant ses deux membres d'équipage, deux reservistes de l'armée de l'air.

[alexandreVBCI]

Israël : le F-35 s’appellera ADIR, a décidé l’armée de l’Air

Le F-35, ce chasseur américain polyvalent optimisé pour l’attaque au sol, qui sera livré à Israël en 2017, a été baptisé « ADIR », par l’armée de l’Air de Tsahal. ADIR signifie en hébreu « formidable », « magnifique ». Ce nom a été choisi parmi 1.700 suggestions. C’est la proposition de la base aérienne de Nevatim qui a été retenue.

http://opexnews.over-blog.com/isra%C3%ABl-le-f-35-s%E2%80%99appellera-adir-a-d%C3%A9cid%C3%A9-l%E2%80%99arm%C3%A9e-de-l%E2%80%99air

[MH]

Avec un avion pareil ça leur fera quelques décennies de bonnes blagues, je suis déjà sorti… 

[Raoul]

Avec un avion pareil ça leur fera quelques décennies de bonnes blagues, je suis déjà sorti… 

A Dir des choses pareilles, tu risques de devenir vexant...  ;)

[MH]

:'( Ce serait drôle si cela ne menaçait pas durablement la défense de nombreux pays alliés des USA. Quand je vois ce programme j’ai l’impression de revoir un mélange de la conception du F-111 avec les ventes « aidées » du F-104 le tout pour cent fois plus cher.

[DarkSablo]

ben c est pas le concept du F-35, remplacer plusieurs avions ?

conception partagee usaf navy du F111

scandale financier a la F104

prix d'un F-22

autre chose ?

[Yoram]

C'est vrai qu'en essayant d'être objectif, l'achat de Rafale aurait été beaucoup plus cohérent. Ca aurait été kiffant d'avoir un Rafale avec le camouflage israélien  =D.

Dommage que la France ne soit plus le premier allié d'Israël.

[DarkSablo]

me suis toujours demandé et si De Gaulle n'avait pas fait l'embargo, quelles auraient ete les ventes de F1 et 2000 pour Israel ?

Mirage 5, puis Mirage F1 + Phantom 2 ?

Pour le 2000 guere d'illusion par contre.

[MH]

Probablement que les ventes françaises auraient fortement chuté de toute façon, vu le poids de l’allié américain et le fait qu’il paye une grande partie du matos livrer à Tsahal.

Par contre pour certaines niches c’est dommage que des ventes ne se fassent pas, dans les hélicos par exemple.

=D Mais une escadrille de Rafale avec l’Etoile de David avec quelques marques de victoires ça aurait de la gueule sur les plaquettes de Dassault !

[Joab]

Pour le 2000 guere d'illusion par contre.

Et pourquoi? J'aurais aimé voir des Rafale israéliens mais dans ce cas, sans (à la place du) F-16I. Je pense que pour les prochaines décennies et face aux dernières générations de défenses aériennes (et c'est le vrai challenge auquel est confronté l'armée de l'air), le furtif deviendra indispensable.

Maintenant, il est dommage que le seul programme d'avion de combat furtif accessible aux occidentaux soit aussi problématique. J'espere au moins que ça aura servi de leçon aux decideurs sur la dépendance aux Etats Unis.