Combat aircraft

T

HE AGM158B JOINT

Air-to-Surface Stand-o

Missile — Extended Range

(JASSM-ER) has been

cleared for operational

deployment by the F-15E.

The highly accurate cruise missile

employs an infra-red seeker and

enhanced digital anti-jam GPS for

targeting, and has a range greater than

500nm (926km). Both the JASSM-ER

and the earlier AGM-158A JASSM are

equipped with a penetrating blast-

fragmentation warhead that can be

used in all weather conditions.

The Strike Eagle becomes the  rst

universal armament interface (UAI)-

compliant platform to  eld JASSM-ER.

The UAI-compliant aircraft feature

standardized interfaces that will

support future weapon integration.

JASSM-ER is also integrated on the B-1B

and integration with the F-16C/D and

B-52H is under way.

F-15E serial 86-0184 operated

by the 96th Test Wing at Eglin

AFB, Florida, drops an AGM-158B

JASSM-ER during a test mission.

Lockheed Martin

LEONARDO LOSES HELICOPTER SUIT

A JANUARY 23 decision by the

US Court of Appeals that ruled

against a suit brought by Leonardo/

AgustaWestland allows the US Army

to move forward with a sole-source

purchase of 16 UH-72A helicopters

from Airbus that were funded in 2016.

Leonardo originally  led a suit to stop

the army from issuing a sole-source

contract for Lakotas after the Army

decided in 2014 to replace its  eet

of TH-67A and OH-58A/C training

helicopters with UH-72As without

holding a formal competition. The

contractor had previously lost a

contract to build utility helicopters

for the army to Airbus. Despite losing

its suit the contractor  led another,

intended to prevent the Army from

purchasing 35 additional UH-72As

that were funded in 2017. The service

had issued a sources sought notice

regarding the 35-aircraft purchase

during January.

COAST GUARD INCREASES

MINOTAUR PURCHASE

L3 TECHNOLOGIES INTEGRATED

Systems Platform Integration

Division delivered the third

HC-130J retro tted with the

next-generation Minotaur mission

system suite (MSS+) to the US

Coast Guard on February 2. It

joined three MSS+-equipped

HC-130Js operating from Air

Station Elizabeth City, North

Carolina. Two of the Hercules

received the system via retro t and

the third during production. Work

to retro t HC-130J tail number

2004 began at L3’s Waco, Texas,

facility in May 2017. The company

is now retro tting another HC-130J

with Minotaur and conducting full

missionization on two baseline-

con guration C-130Js. Another

HC-130J will arrive in Waco for

the Minotaur MSS+ retro t later

this month. The work is being

carried out under the terms of a

 ve-year contract that includes

options for mission kits on  ve

additional aircraft.

The Coast Guard has exercised

two contract options with L

that provide for the kitting-out

for long-range surveillance of

two new baseline C-130Js. The

$29.3-million e ort will include

incorporation of the MSS+

equipment on tail numbers 2012

and 2013, which are currently in

production at Lockheed Martin’s

Marietta, Georgia, facility.

HC-130J serial 2204 departs Waco, Texas, for the Aviation Logistics

Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, on February 2, 2018 following its

acceptance by the Coast Guard after being upgraded with the Minotaur

Mission Systems Suite by L3 Technologies. L3 Technologies Inc

‘HERC’ ARRIVES FOR TESTING

The  rst Air National Guard Hercules

to receive power plant and propeller

upgrades arrived at Eglin AFB,

Florida, on January 11. C-130H

serial 92-1536, which is assigned to

the Wyoming Air National Guard’s

153rd Airlift Wing, will conduct

multiple test  ights over the next

couple of months at Eglin. The data

collected during the evaluations will

con rm the increased fuel e ciency,

reliability and performance

improvements a orded by upgrades,

which installed Rolls-Royce T56-

Series 3.5 turboprop engines, new

eight-blade Hamilton Sundstrand

NP2000 propellers and an electronic

propeller control system (EPCS).

The mods are expected to reduce

the aircraft’s take-o roll, improve

its climb performance, and reduce

operating and support costs.

USAF/Samuel King

JASSM-ER OPERATIONAL ON STRIKE EAGLE

LATEST WEAPON UPGRADE FOR F-15E

[NEWS] UNITED STATES

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

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