Flight_International 28Jan2020

DEFENCE

flightglobal.com 28 January-3 February 2020 | Flight International | 17

Delayed Defiant

pushes the envelope

Defence P

T

he US Air Force’s (USAF’s)

Lockheed Martin F-35A has

demonstrated a capability to

downlink targeting data about

multiple “air-breathing threats”

to ground forces.

Conducted over the White

Sands Missile Range in New

Mexico in December 2019, the

trial saw a pair of F-35As

interact with the US Army’s

Integrated Air and Missile De-

fense Battle Command System

(IBCS). The combat aircraft pro-

vided “an airborne sensor capa-

bility to successfully detect,

track and intercept near simulta-

neous air-breathing threats,” the

USAF says.

The aircraft and IBCS were

A

irbus Helicopters is to sup-

ply the UK Ministry of

Defence with an additional batch

of four H145 Jupiter trainers, for

operation by the Ascent Flight

Training joint venture.

Part of a £183 million ($

million) contract revision that

also includes an additional simu-

lator and infrastructure improve-

ments, delivery of the new heli-

copters is due to begin in 2020.

Ascent already operates a fleet

of three Jupiter HT1s, alongside 29

of the manufacturer's smaller

D

ynetics’ X-61A Gremlins un-

manned air vehicle (UAV)

made its first flight in November

2019, the company disclosed on

17 January.

Lasting 1h 41min and per-

formed over the Dugway Proving

Ground, near Salt Lake City,

Utah, the sortie culminated with

the test asset being destroyed in a

crash after its main recovery

parachute failed to deploy.

“The loss of our vehicle

validates our decision to build

five [X-61As],” says Tim Keeter,

Dynetics’ Gremlins programme

manager.

“Overall, I am proud to see all

the hard work pay off and we are

excited to continue this momen-

tum towards the first airborne re-

covery in early 2020.”

Run by the US Defense

Advanced Research Projects

Agency (DARPA), the Gremlins

programme’s aim is to create

low-cost UAVs that could be

TECHNOLOGY GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES

F-35 passes muster as airborne sensor

Trial with US Army missile defence system demonstrates fighter’s ability to detect and share data on multiple threats

A-model platform proved effective in extending interceptor range

Lockheed Martin

connected through the Multi-

function Advanced Data Link

during the proof-of-concept

activity, which marked the first

time that F-35s have been

employed as sensors during such

a live fire test involving multiple

targets.

“This test validated the F-35’s

capability to serve as an airborne

sensor and extend the range of

critical Integrated Air and Missile

Defense interceptors,” says Greg

Ulmer, Lockheed’s general man-

ager of the F-35 programme. The

connectivity update enabled the

USAF assets to “gather, analyse

and seamlessly share critical in-

formation,” he adds.

Lockheed has not disclosed

the size of the targets engaged

during the trial, but says the work

also demonstrated a way to

engage low-flying threats that are

over the horizon or terrain

masked. ■

air-launched in swarms and then

recovered mid-air. Applications

could include providing surveil-

lance duties, or serving as loiter-

ing munitions.

“When the Gremlins complete

their mission, a [Lockheed Mar-

tin] C-130 transport aircraft

would retrieve them in the air

and carry them home, where

ground crews would prepare

them for their next use within

24h,” says DARPA.

An expected life of about 20

uses “could provide significant

cost advantages over expendable

systems by reducing payload and

airframe costs, and by having

lower mission and maintenance

costs than conventional

platforms, which are designed to

operate for decades,” it adds.

Flight testing should

culminate with Dynetics demon-

strating the ability to launch, fly

and recover four X-61As in less

than 30min. ■

PROGRAMME GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES

Flight-test Gremlins end

X-61A debut with crash

Current trio of H145-model trainers deliver rear crew instruction

Crown Copyright

ROTORCRAFT DOMINIC PERRY LONDON

UK to increase Jupiter fleet

H135 Juno HT1s, at the tri-service

Defence Helicopter Flying School

at the Royal Air Force’s Shawbury

base, under its Military Flying

Training System contract.

The new procurement meets a

need to provide extra capacity for

rear crew training, which cannot

be performed on the H135. The

move will also free up extra capac-

ity elsewhere in Ascent’s opera-

tion, sources indicate, since some

UK rear crews destined for rotary-

wing service still undertake some

training on fixed-wing aircraft. ■