combat aircraft

The winning MQ-25 Stingray design

from Boeing on test in St Louis.

Boeing

PROPS TESTED WITH

ARRESTING GEAR

THE NAVAL AIR Warfare Center

Aircraft Division’s aircraft launch

and recovery equipment (ALRE)

team, along with air test and

evaluation squadron VX-20 ‘Force’,

recently completed performance

testing of the C-2A, E-2C and E-2D

with the US Navy’s advanced

arresting gear (AAG) at its runway

arrested landing site (RALS) test

facility at Joint Base McGuire-

Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. The

three propeller-driven aircraft had

completed 450 aircraft recoveries

at the land-based facility since

the rigorous test program began

in late May. Testing at the site will

result in the publication of the

aircraft recovery bulletin (ARB)

clearing the C-2A, E-2C and E-2D

to undertake future manned

aircraft testing aboard the aircraft

carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN

78). This carrier is the  rst to be

equipped with the new arresting

gear. Testing to support expansion

of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

and EA-18G Growler ARBs has

also been continuing and both

types are scheduled to conduct

a series of roll-in and  y-in

arrestments at RALS.

BOEING WINS STINGRAY

MQ-25 GRABS INITIAL NAVY DEAL

ADVERSARY AIR RFP RELEASED

THE USAF ISSUED its request for

proposals (RFP) for contractor-

operated aggressor aircraft —

required for training its combat

forces — on August 24. The

Combat Air Forces contracted

air support project includes

both adversary air (AdAir) and

contracted close air support

(CCAS) to train joint terminal

attack controllers (JTACs). The

e ort follows on from an initial

contract that covers Nellis AFB,

Nevada, and will furnish the

service with as many as 30,

adversary sorties annually from

bases in the continental US, Alaska

and Hawaii. Additionally, the CCAS

mission will provide 10,000 sorties

each year in support of JTAC

training. The contract could be

extended to include other service

branches within the Department

of Defense.

The contractors will be permitted

to provide support with several

aircraft types including third-

and fourth-generation  ghters.

Requirements include the ability

to conduct operations at speeds

of up to Mach 1.5 and altitudes as

high as 50,000ft (15,240m).

Only US-based companies will

be permitted to bid as prime

contractors for the requirement

and the aircraft will be  own by

American civilians. The solicitation

says that aircraft can, however,

be sourced from western nations

or from ‘threat countries’. The

contracted aircraft must be

compatible with captive air-to-air

training missiles and electronic

countermeasures/warfare pods.

Around half of them will be

required to feature a radar with a

range of up to 80nm (148km).

The USAF currently utilizes

contractor-operated adversary

aircraft at several locations

including Nellis AFB, where

Draken International provides

services with radar-equipped Aero

L-159 ‘Honey Badger’ Advanced

Light Combat Aircraft (ALCA) and

A-4 Skyhawks.

Responses to the RFP are

expected from Draken, Tactical

Air Support (TacAir), Top Aces,

and Textron’s Airborne Tactical

Advantage Company. The total

value of the contract could

exceed more than $7.5 billion

over 10 years.

E-2D BuNo 168077 snatches the advanced arresting gear (AAG) wire at the

Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s runway arrested landing site in

Lakehurst, New Jersey. The Advanced Hawkeye was supporting performance

testing conducted by Naval Air Systems Command’s aircraft launch and

recovery equipment team to ensure it can be safely recovered by the AAG

aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). US Navy

[NEWS] UNITED STATES

10 November 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net