combat aircraft

AERO VODOCHODY LAUNCHES

F/A-259 STRIKER

COST-EFFECTIVE LIGHT ATTACK AIRCRAFT FROM CZECH MANUFACTURER

C

ZECH AIRCRAFT

MANUFACTURER

Aero Vodochody

and Israel Aerospace

Industries (IAI) launched

the F/A-259 Striker

multi-role warplane at the UK’s

Farnborough International Air Show.

Intended as a cost-e ective  ghter/

attack aircraft for close air support,

counter-insurgency operations and

border patrol, the Striker will have a

secondary interception capability.

The F/A-259 is derived from the

existing L-159 Advanced Light

Combat Aircraft (ALCA), but adds new

avionics and advanced technologies.

Using a ‘wet’ wing provides

superior performance, enhanced

maneuverability and increased range.

Benjamin Cohen, general manager

of IAI’s Lahav Division, said, ‘Our

co-operation with Aero Vodochody

o ers the USAF impressive proven

performance of the F/A-259, with

new innovative IAI systems, to

provide customers with aircraft that

meet their OA-X requirements.’

The F/A-259 is able to operate from

unpaved runways and has seven

hardpoints for the carriage of fuel,

weapons, or mission equipment,

including smart and stand-o

weapons. As an optional upgrade,

the F/A-259 can be equipped with an

active electronically scanned array

(AESA) radar and helmet-mounted

display. Another option is an air-to-air

refueling probe.

SLOVAKIA SELECTS F-16 TO REPLACE MIG-

AS REPORTED IN Headlines,

the Slovakian Defense Ministry

announced its decision to replace its

current  eet of 12 MiG-29  ghters

with F-16s on July 11. The Block

70/72 version of the Lockheed

Martin  ghter was selected over

the Saab JAS 39 Gripen following

a detailed analysis that concluded

the former will be eight per cent

less expensive to operate and

maintain over its planned 30-year

service life. The US State Department

gave its approval to the potential

$2.91-billion sale of 14 Block 70/

F-16Vs and associated equipment,

weapons and services to Slovakia in

April. Tom Kaminski

A Slovak Air Force MiG-29 during the joint US-Slovak Exercise ‘Slovak

Warthog’ that was held as part of Operation ‘Atlantic Resolve’ at Sliač air

base in 2016. It also involved F-16s of the 140th Fighter Wing, Colorado

Air National Guard, deployed from Buckley Air Force Base.

Air National Guard/SSgt William Hopper

GRIPEN E BEGINS EXTERNAL STORES TRIALS

SAAB HAS BEGUN  ight tests

of its new Gripen E  ghter with

external stores. The  rst Gripen E

prototype, 39-8, has conducted a

number of successful  ights carrying

external payloads, including pylons

from the Swiss company RUAG

Aerostructures.

The initial Gripen E test aircraft

took to the air last year, and

since then Saab has carried

out an ‘intensive  ight trials

period’. The aircraft has been

engaged in envelope expansion

work, demonstrating ‘expected

performance and behaviors, with

high availability and reliability’,

according to the company.

The Gripen E is provided with

eight external stores pylons. The

 rst  ights with external stores

were conducted over the Baltic Sea

at the beginning of June. Besides

two examples of the IRIS-T air-to-air

missile on the wingtips, the aircraft

was  tted with  ve pylons designed

and built together with RUAG

Aerostructures. The  ights included

several test maneuvers at supersonic

speed. Future trials will involve

carriage and release of missiles, drop

tanks and other external stores.

Gripen E prototype 39-8 with fi ve RUAG

Aerostructures external pylons and

wingtip IRIS-T missiles. Saab

KUWAIT ORDERS

SUPER HORNETS

BOEING RECEIVED A $1.5-billion

contract to build 28 Super Hornets

for the Kuwait Air Force on June

27. According to Boeing, deliveries
    to Kuwait will begin in late 2020
    or early 2021. The 22 F/A-18Es and
    six F/A-18Fs will be equipped with
    several of the features planned
    for the Block III con guration,
    including an advanced cockpit
    system. Boeing had previously
    received a $1.16-billion contract to
    carry out research, development
    and testing associated with the
    Kuwaiti project in March 2018. The
    US Navy plans to begin purchasing
    the  rst of 110 new Block III
    Super Hornets over a  ve-year
    period beginning in Fiscal 2019.
    Tom Kaminski

MORE SHERPAS FOR BRAZIL

THE US ARMY will transfer four

additional Shorts C-23B+s to the

Brazilian Army under the Excess

Defense Articles (EDA) program.

The transfer of another batch of four

Sherpas to Brazil had previously been

approved by the US government

in 2016. Six of them will reportedly

receive cockpit upgrades prior to

delivery. Tom Kaminski

AUSTRALIAN GULFSTREAMS ORDERED

L3 TECHNOLOGIES HAS received

an $83-million Foreign Military Sales

(FMS) contract from the USAF’s 645th

Aeronautical Systems Group that

covers the purchase of two Gulfstream

G550 aircraft. Although the customer

for the Gulfstreams was not identi ed,

in June 2017 the US State Department

approved Australia’s purchase of

up to  ve examples modi ed with

airborne intelligence, surveillance,

reconnaissance (AISR) and electronic

warfare (EW) mission systems

that would be produced by L3. It

previously received a contract for the

procurement of the  rst two aircraft

for conversion in January 2016. Work

associated with the new contract

will be completed in August 2021.

Tom Kaminski

WORLD [NEWS]

http://www.combataircraft.net // September 2018 19

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