تويت
رد: متابعة وتغطية معرض باريس الدولي للطيران 2015
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رد: متابعة وتغطية معرض باريس الدولي للطيران 2015
المقاتلة الباكستانية JF-17 سوف تحلق بمحرك نفاث صيني الصنع قريباً
صرح مسؤولين صينيين انه سوف تحلق المقاتلة JF-17 بمحرك نفاث جديد ذو دفع متوسط صيني الصنع في وقت قريب جداً ، وافاد اللمسؤولين ان المحرك الجديد قيد التطوير وقد انهت الاختبارات المخبرية وجاري العمل على اجراء الرحلة الاولى له وهو على متن المقاتلة JF-17 ، لم يتم التصريح عن اي تفاصيل اخرى بخصوص المحرك الجديد لكن قالوا ان قوة دقعه اعلى بقليل من المحرك الحالي RD-93 الروسي الصنع ذو قوة دفع 8.7 kN
وخلال مؤتمر صحفي مشترك بين المسؤولين الصينين والباكستانيين على هامش معرض باريس الدولي للطيران قالوا انه جار العمل ايضاً على نسخة ثنائية المقاعد من المقاتلة JF-17 ، ومن المحتمل ان يسمى المحرك الجديد ب WS-17 والطائرة التي سوف تزود به سوف ترمز بالطراز JF-17B لكن لم يصرح المسؤولين اي شي عن ذلك
وخلال ظهورها الاول للمقاتلة JF-17 في معرض باريس فقد رافقتها خيارين جديدين للذخائر لم تكن معروضة سابقاً ، الاول هو الصاروخ الجوال C-705KD ذات توجيه تلفزيوني TV CAM وبالاشعة تحت الحمراء IR ، ويبلغ مداها نحو 140-170 كلم للهجوم الارضي ، ومصادر باكستانية افادت انه بامكان المقاتلة JF-17 حمل 4 صواريخ منها
اما الصاروخ الاخر فهو CM-102 المضادة للرادارات بمدى 100 كلم ، وافادت ايضاً المصادر الباكستانية انه يوجد نسخة اخرى من نفس الصاروخ بمدى اطول بنسبة 50-70%
الظهور الدولي الثاني للصاروخ الفرط صوتي CM-400AKG بسرعة تبلغ 5 ماخ للهجوم الارضي ، واشار المسؤولين الباكستانين ان هذا الصاروخ ليس لديه توجيه سلبي والتي تمكنها من مهاجمة اهداف متحركة مثل السفن ، لكنها مزودة بوصلة GPS/INS لمهاجمة الاهداف الارضية الثابتة
طائرات بلوك 3 من المقاتلة JF-17 سوف تحتوي على رادار AESA تطوره Nanjing Research of Electronic Technology ومن المحتمل ان يكون معتمد على الرادار الذي طور لصالح المقاتلة J-10B لكن لا يوجد تأكيد حول العلاقة بين الرادارين ، كذلك سوف تحتوي طائرات بلوك 3 على الخوذة المتطورة HMD وعلى مستشعر IRST العامل بالاشعة تحت الحمراء
Paris Air Show 2015: JF-17 fighter flying with indigenous Chinese turbofan
Key Points
- Chinese officials at the Paris Air Show have said flight-testing of a new indigenous engine for the JF-17 Thunder is under way
- Officials also confirmed that the Sino-Pakistani-developed aircraft had achieved its first international sale, although they did not disclose the customer
A senior Chinese aviation official has revealed that the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation FC-1/JF-17 fighter co-developed with Pakistan has been test-flown with a new Chinese medium-thrust turbofan engine.
Li Yuhai, an executive vice president with the Aviation Industries Corporation of China (AVIC), told IHS Jane's at the Paris Airshow that a new Chinese turbofan for the J-17 has been "under testing," has completed "lab tests", and that "flight testing is in progress". He also said that the new engine would have a thrust slightly greater than the 8.7-ton thrust of the JF-17's current Klimov RD-93 turbofan.
At a joint Sino-Pakistani press conference on 15 June, Li also said progress was being made on the twin-seat version of the JF 17.
Pakistani sources at Paris confirmed that a JF-17 has been flying with the new Chinese turbofan, which could be revealed publicly "very soon". There is a suggestion the engine could be named 'WS-17' to complement the JF-17b, but officials did not provide any further performance indicators.
One Chinese medium-thrust turbofan programme long reported as slated for the FC-1/JF-17 has been called the WS-13 and reportedly flew in 2010. It has been developed with help from Russia's Klimov and is reportedly based on its RD-33 turbofan.
While previous reports mentioned development difficulties with the WS-13, the willingness of Chinese officials to talk publicly about this engine suggests a higher level of confidence in its prospects.
At the 2008 Airshow China in Zhuhai the Chengdu Gas Turbine Research Institute revealed it was developing a 9.5 ton-thrust turbofan and showed a possible model at the same show. It is not known if this is the engine that is now being test flown on a JF-17.
Despite the news of the new engine testing, Pakistani officials at Paris said they remain satisfied with the Klimov RD-93. In 2010 China obtained a Russian commitment to meet a potential requirement of up to 500 RD-93 engines to support the JF-17 programme. This figure would support Pakistan's requirements for up to 275 JF-17s plus international exports.
A Pakistani official also confirmed reports that the first export contract for the JF-17 has been signed. The official would only say that the contract had been signed in the first half of 2015 but would not name the customer.
Pakistani officials say they are having "serious" discussions with 11 countries, including Argentina, which a source confirmed is interested in co-producing the JF-17.
In its first appearance at Paris, the JF-17 is also accompanied by two new weapon options. One is the C-705KD missile, an IIR/TV-guided ground-attack version of the 140-170 km-range C-705 that was revealed at the 2012 Zhuhai airshow. A Pakistani source said up to four C-705KDs could be carried by the JF-17.
The second new weapon displayed with the JF-17 for the first time is the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) CM-102 anti-radiation missile. Revealed at the 2014 Zhuhai show, it has an advertised range of 100 km. A Pakistani source noted that other versions could have 50% to 70% further range.
Making its second international appearance was the CASIC CM-400AKG Mach-5 speed ground attack missile. A Pakistani official noted it did not have "passive" guidance, which might enable attacks against mobile targets such as ships, but has inertial navigational system/GPS guidance for attacking fixed targets.
Asked whether the CM-400AKG was in Pakistani service an official responded with a pointed "no comment".
Pakistan has produced 50 Block 1 versions of the JF-17 and has started production of 50 Block 2 versions. Officials said that discussions are underway with China for a Block 3 version that will include an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar that is being developed by the Nanjing Research of Electronic Technology (NRIST).
Pakistani officials noted it could be based on NRIST's AESA radar developed for the Chengdu J-10B fighter but would not confirm any relation between the two systems. The Block 3 JF-17 will also incorporate a helmet-mounted display and a possible internal infrared search and tracking (IRST) system.
http://www.janes.com/article/52308/paris-air-show-2015-jf-17-fighter-flying-with-indigenous-chinese-turbofan
تعليق
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رد: متابعة وتغطية معرض باريس الدولي للطيران 2015
تسليم الطائرة A-330 MRTT السادسة والاخيرة للقوات الجوية السعودية
تسلمت القوات الجوية السعودية اخر طائرة من الطلبية الثانية لثلاث طائرات نقل وتزود بالوقود متعددة المهام MRTT والتي طلبت في صفقة عام 2009
الطائرات الثلاث الاولى ضمن العقد الاول عام 2008 كانت قد سلمت خلال الاعوام 2011-2013 ، بينما سلمت طائرتين من الطلبية الثانية في عام 2014 والطائرة السادسة والاخيرة قد سلمت في الفترة الماضية خلال العام الحالي 2015
يذكر ان جميع الطائرات الست من هذا الطراز تخدم في السرب 24 في القوات الجوية السعودية
Paris Air Show 2015: Saudis take delivery of final MRTT
Airbus Defence and Space has delivered the sixth and final A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) to Saudi Arabia, IHS Jane's was told by a company official at the Paris Air Show on 18 June.
This is the third aircraft in a second batch of three MRTTs ordered by the kingdom in 2009. The previous two aircraft in the batch were delivered from 2014. The first three MRTTs ordered under a 2008 contract were delivered between 2011 and 2013.
The Airbus official also provided details of the new version of the MRTT, six of which will be delivered to Singapore as the launch customer. The changes relate to the fact that the baseline commercial airliner airframe from which the MRTT will be converted is a new model of the A330, the main difference being upgrades to the aircraft's flight computer.
As well as Saudi Arabia, the A330 MRTT is operated by the UK's Royal Air Force as the Voyager (11 of 14 aircraft delivered under a long-lease arrangement), United Arab Emirates (three aircraft), and Australia as the KC-30A (five aircraft). India has selected the platform for a six-aircraft tanker requirement, while 12 of the type are to be supplied to the French Air Force from 2018 in a configuration specific to that operator. Qatar announced an order for two aircraft at DIMDEX 2014.
The Netherlands, Poland, and Norway are negotiating with Airbus over the pooled acquisition of a common fleet of MRTTs under an initiative facilitated by the European Defence Agency. The MRTT is also a candidate for South Korea's requirement for four tankers and a selection of the winning bid is expected at the end of this month.
Airbus is also talking to existing MRTT customers about potential extra sales of one or two aircraft each. Australia publically expressed an interest in acquiring additional KC-30A tankers in August 2014.
With the order book swelling there is available capacity for additional MRTT conversions should there need to be a ramp-up in production, according to Airbus. Two buildings are dedicated to the conversion work at the company's Getafe facility in Spain, the process taking between 9 and 10 months to complete.
Spanish airline Iberia was sub-contracted for the conversion of two aircraft in the initial batch for Saudi Arabia at its facility at Barajas, and this capacity can be called upon again if necessary.
http://www.janes.com/article/52437/p...-of-final-mrttتعليق
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رد: متابعة وتغطية معرض باريس الدولي للطيران 2015
ظهور تفاصيل عن خطط الانتاج لطائرة النقل الجديدة انتونوف An-132
برزت تفاصيل جديدة عن طائرة النقل الخفيفة An-132 والتي تطور بالتعاون مع السعودية ، التفاصيل والتي اعلنت عنها شركة Antonove الاوكرانية خلال المعرض انه تم توقيع اتفاقية مع الشركة السعودية تقنية للطيران وشركة Altis Holding الاوكرانية ، وكذلك تم توقيع عقد مع الشركة الالمانية Broetje-Automation وذلك لاقامة منشأة التصنيع في السعودية كجزء من برنامج نقل التقنية
Paris Air Show 2015: Details emerge of Antonov An-132 production plans
Details of Antonov's new An-132 Light Multipurpose Transport Aircraft, which is being developed in collaboration with Saudi Arabia, emerged at the Paris Air Show, with company representatives outlining the expected performance and roles for the aircraft.
The details came as Antonov announced on 17 June that it had signed an agreement, along with its Saudi partner Taqnia, Ukraine's UkrNII AT "Altis Holding", and Germany's Broetje-Automation to establish a manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia as part of the offset requirements for the programme.
The An-132 will initially be used for logistics purposes including troop transport and transporting light vehicles, as well as configurations for paratroops, airdropping cargo, and medevac roles.
http://www.janes.com/article/52391/paris-air-show-2015-details-emerge-of-antonov-an-132-production-plansتعليق
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رد: متابعة وتغطية معرض باريس الدولي للطيران 2015
المشاركة الأصلية بواسطة Hawk 205 مشاهدة المشاركة
ظهور تفاصيل عن خطط الانتاج لطائرة النقل الجديدة انتونوف An-132
برزت تفاصيل جديدة عن طائرة النقل الخفيفة An-132 والتي تطور بالتعاون مع السعودية ، التفاصيل والتي اعلنت عنها شركة Antonove الاوكرانية خلال المعرض انه تم توقيع اتفاقية مع الشركة السعودية تقنية للطيران وشركة Altis Holding الاوكرانية ، وكذلك تم توقيع عقد مع الشركة الالمانية Broetje-Automation وذلك لاقامة منشأة التصنيع في السعودية كجزء من برنامج نقل التقنية
Paris Air Show 2015: Details emerge of Antonov An-132 production plans
Details of Antonov's new An-132 Light Multipurpose Transport Aircraft, which is being developed in collaboration with Saudi Arabia, emerged at the Paris Air Show, with company representatives outlining the expected performance and roles for the aircraft.
The details came as Antonov announced on 17 June that it had signed an agreement, along with its Saudi partner Taqnia, Ukraine's UkrNII AT "Altis Holding", and Germany's Broetje-Automation to establish a manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia as part of the offset requirements for the programme.
The An-132 will initially be used for logistics purposes including troop transport and transporting light vehicles, as well as configurations for paratroops, airdropping cargo, and medevac roles.
http://www.janes.com/article/52391/paris-air-show-2015-details-emerge-of-antonov-an-132-production-plans
اول طائرة An-132 سوف تظهر بنهاية العام القادم 2016 وفقاً لما صرح به رئيس شركة Antonove على هامش معرض باريس الدولي للطيران 2015
وافاد ايضاً ان بحسب البرنامج فسوف تصنع الطائرة في مصانع الشركة في العاصمة الاوكرانية كييف وكذلك ستكون في المصانع السعودية ، وايضاً ستكون في شركات متعددة في اوكرانيا
والطائرة الجديدة An-132 هي نسخة معدلة ومطورة من طائرة الشحن القديمة An-32 والتي يمكن استخدامها على المدرجات الرملية ، وتم زيادة المدى فيها الى الضعفين مع تحسين الاداء بما في ذلك معدل استهلاك الوقود ، وسيتم في الطائرة An-132 تغيير انف الطائرة بالكامل مع تغيير حجرات المحركات ومركز الاجنحة عن الطراز السابق An-32 ، وسوف تكون قادرة على حمل 10 طن كحمولة قصوى ولمسافة اكثر من 3000 كلم كما تستطيع حمل 71 مظلي
والعدد المستهدف المراد تسويقه من الطائرة An-132 هو نحو 900 طائرة ، وسوف تحل الطائرات الجديدة مكان الطرازات القديمة مثل An-26 و An-32
First An-132 production Ukraine and Saudi Arabia scheduled for end of 2016
The first transport aircraft AN-132 Ukraine co-production and Saudi Arabia will be built by the end of 2016. This air show at the international Paris Air Show 2015 said chief designer of the state enterprise "Antonov" Dmitry Kiva
"The aircraft we plan to build by the end of 2016, we have a program and provided the contract - informed Kiva. - Produce aircraft will be on Kyiv plant and factories Saudi Arabia, as well as other enterprises in Ukraine, including Kharkiv and plant. "
Henkonstrkutor "Antonov" said that the An-132 is a modernized version of the AN-32, which can be used, including, with sandy airfields. "We raised twice the range of the aircraft and its improved performance, including fuel efficiency," - informed Kiva. During the creation of the AN-132 changed the nose of the fuselage, nacelles and wing center section of the AN-32, he added. Maximum load An-132 is 10 tonnes, the range of - more than 3 thousand. Km Cargo space capacity - 71 paratroopers. "We see a market of approximately 900 aircraft units," - said Kiva.
In April 2015 it became aware of the contract for production of the An-132, which was signed by the enterprise "Antonov" and the Saudi company Taqnia Aeronautics. AN-132 aircraft will replace An-26 and An-32. At its base will be established medical and fire aircraft.تعليق
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رد: متابعة وتغطية معرض باريس الدولي للطيران 2015
اثناء اجتماع العمل خلال معرض باريس والذي جمع بين جميع الاطراف المشاركة في مشروع الطائرة An-132 ، وقعت شركة Antonov الاوكرانية اتفاقية لاجل المشاركة في تصميم وبناء منشأة التصنيع في المملكة العربية السعودية ، وهذه المنشأة سوف تزود وتجهز باحدث تقنيات الانتاج والتصنيع مما يتيح تنفيذ احدث التقنيات في مجال صناعة الطيران
والشركاء في هذه الاتفاقية هم شركة تقنية للطيران من السعودية ، معهد بحوث تقنية الطيران العلمية من اوكرانيا ، شركة Altris القابضة من اوكرانيا ، واخيراً شركة Broetje−Automation من المانيا
ووفقاً للترتيبات التي تم الاتفاق عليها ، فان طائرة النقل الخفيفة An-132 ستكون اول طائرة يتم انتاجها في منشأة التصنيع المزمع انشائه (مما يعني ستكون هناك انوع اخرى من الطائرات سيتم بنائها وانتاجها مستقبلاً )
Ukraine will construct an aviation plant in Saudi Arabia
On June 16, within Le Bourget – 2015 ANTONOV Company signed an agreement on participation in designing and construction of an aviation plant in Saudi Arabia. The plant is supposed to have modern equipment, letting implement the newest aviation technologies.
This agreement is pentalateral. The partners on the program are the following companies: Taqnia (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute of Aviation Technologies, Altis Holding (Ukraine) and Broetje−Automation (Germany).
According to reached arrangements, the AN−132 light transport will be the first aircraft, construction of which is planning to be preformed at new aviation complex.
http://www.antonov.com/news/400تعليق
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رد: متابعة وتغطية معرض باريس الدولي للطيران 2015
اهتمام عربي بطائرات البدون طيارين من طراز Shadow المسلحة من شركة Textron الامريكية
Paris Air Show 2015: Textron sees significant Arab interest in armed Shadow UAVsS
everal Arab states are interested in acquiring Textron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including armed versions of the Shadow, according to Tarek Mekhail, the US company's vice president for the Middle East operations.
"There is a large amount of interest in unmanned aerial systems in the whole region," Mekhail told IHS Jane's during the Paris Air Show. "There's no one that has gone out and made a really big [UAV] purchase yet [so] the market is wide open right now."
He said Textron has already sold UAVs to one Middle East customer - he could not name - to help monitor oil and gas infrastructure and that the company currently has two proposals out with potential clients and expected to submit a third before the end of the year.
Mekhail said Middle Eastern countries are looking at all categories of UAVs for a wide spectrum of roles, but that "everyone is interested in an armed UAV". Noting that the US State Department recently relaxed its rules on the export of armed UAVs, Mekhail said Textron is well-positioned to exploit this demand because it has integrated its Fury weapon onto the Shadow. The Fury is Textron's version of the Thales laser-guided FreeFall LMM bomb, which weighs less than 6 kg.
Potential customers will have to go through the US military's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme to get armed Shadow UAVs, but Mekhail said none had submitted a formal request for the capability as yet.
Textron Unmanned Systems makes the Shadow 200 and the more advanced Shadow M2 tactical UAVs, as well as the smaller Aerosonde Mk 4.7. Both families are launched using catapults, but the Shadows need a short airstrip to land, while the Aerosonde can be recovered using a net, so can be deployed from naval vessels.
Mekhail said that regional demand had been encouraged by the instability created by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, as well as the conflict in Yemen.
"We are seeing a lot more interest off the back of this," he said referring to the situation in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition of Arab states against the Iranian-backed group Ansar Allah. "It is not just Saudi Arabia that is asking these questions, it is all the coalition countries because they are all interested in the capabilities. Some are interested in the Shadow M2 because we do a SATCOM version that can be launched from another country and controlled from their own country. It's basically a Predator-like capability at a much cheaper rate."
http://www.janes.com/article/52455/p...ed-shadow-uavsتعليق
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رد: متابعة وتغطية معرض باريس الدولي للطيران 2015
بريطانيا تستشعر فرص لتصدير مقاتلات التايفون الى الهند وقطر بعد تقليص مشترياتهما من مقاتلات الرافال
تحدث السيد Stephen Phipson رئيس هيئة التجارة ومنظمة الدفاع الاستثمار والدعم UKTI DSO خلال معرض باريس عن فرص تصدير التايفون واستمراريتها في سوق التصدير
وقال فيما يخص الهند ،ان الهند لديها متطلبات كبيرة وقد جعلوا اختيارهم الاول لعدد محدود (36 طائرة) من طائرات الرافال الفرنسية مقارنة بمتطلباتهم الاولى لشراء عدد 126 مقاتلة حديثة ، ولذلك نعتقد وقد كنت في الهند طوال الاسبوع الماضي للحديث معهم وقالوا ان باب المنافسة لاتزال مفتوحة لاجل دفعة ثانية وربما ثالثة من المقاتلات الحديثة للهند وقال ان عملية بيع للهند مقاتلات التايفون هي عملية بطيئة وليست وشيكة وقد تأخذ فترة طويلة
في حين يشكك العديد من الاشخاص من فرص تصدير التايفون للهند ، الا ان Stephen Phipson يرى ميزة امكانية الانتاج المحلي للتايفون في الهند قد تعطيها الافضلية في ذلك لاسيما انها لا تحدث مع الرافال والتي كانت بصفقة شراء مباشر مع فرنسا ، وقال ان برنامج طائرات التدريب المتقدم Hawk في الهند والتي تشترك فيها شركة BAE Systems وشركة Rolls-Royce للمحركات والذين يجمعان طائرات Hawk والمحركات في الهند ، ولذلك يمكن الاتفاق على انتاج التايفون محلياً في الهند
اما فيما يخص قطر ، فقال حتى قطر قد وقعت على شراء 24 مقاتلة رافال فقط بينما كانت متطلباتهم تصل الى عدد 72 مقاتلة حديثة ، ولذلك من الممكن ان تطلب التايفون وقال حصلنا منهم على جميع الاشارات على انهم يدرسون اما الدفع باهتمامهم نحو التايفون او لا وسنواصل العمل بالقرب منهم عن كثب مع الحكومة القطرية ومنحهم خيار التايفون عندما يتعاقدون على طائرات مقاتلة للمرة الثانية
ويعتقد Stephen Phipson ان الطلبية الثانية لطائرات مقاتلة حديثة لقطر لن تحدث الا في العام القادم 2016 وقال سوف ننتظر ونحن متفائلون خصوصاً ان علاقتنا معهم تزداد قوة كل مرة نجتمع فيها معهم لذلك هذا امر جيد جداً
وفي مكان آخر ، تتطلع بريطانيا الى فرص محتملة لتصدير التايفون في ماليزيا وكذلك في بلجيكا والدنمارك ، وفي الوقت نفسه تقود الشركة الايطالية Alenia حملة تسويق التايفون في الكويت وتسير بشكل جيدة جداً
واشار Stephen Phipson ان ميزة ال Eurofighter في وجود اربعة خطوط انتاج مفتوحة حالياً لانتاج طائرات التايفون وقال ان هذه تقدم قدراً كبيراً من المرونة في القدرات ، وقال في الحقيقة ان هذه واحدة من الاشياء التي ندفع بها والتي تمكننا من تسليم الطائرات باكراً وذلك بسبب انه لدينا القدرة والسعة الانتاجية للقيام بذلك للايفاء بمتطلبات التسليم السريع ، بينما بعض الشركات سوف تجد صعوبة في القيام بتسليمات باكرة وسريعة دون سحب بعض الطائرات من الخدمة
لكن افضل الفرص الحالية والمرجحة لتصدير التايفون هو ما يأتي من الطلبية الجديدة من التايفون للسعودية ، وقد كان اداء التايفون جيداً للغاية في خدمة القوات الجوية السعودية فوق اليمن كما افاد Stephen Phipson ، وقال على الرغم من وفاة قائد القوات الجوية السعودية وهذا سوف يغير فقط توقيت عقد الطلبية الجديدة في المستقبل ولكن لا يؤثر على التزام السعودية في الطائرة او وجهة نظرها بها
ويحتاج ائتلاف Eurofighter لايجاد فرص تصدير جديدة للتايفون خلال 18 شهر المقبلة (حتى ديسمبر 2016) لابقاء خطوط انتاجها مفتوحة ومستمرة والا ستغلق في عام 2018 بعد تسليم جميع الطلبيات للسبع الدول التي تعاقدت عليها
Paris Air Show 2015: UK senses Eurofighter opportunity in India, Qatar after reduced Rafale buy
Key Points- As India and Qatar have opted for small numbers of Rafale fighters from Dassault, the UK sees chances for the Eurofighter to fulfil their total requirements
- Eurofighter is by some margin the most numerous of the current western European fighter designs, but needs to find more customers in the next 18 months to maintain production
India's announced intention to purchase just 36 Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft represents a renewed opportunity for the Eurofighter Typhoon in India, the head of the UK's defence export support organisation believes.
Speaking at the Paris Air Show, Stephen Phipson, head of UK Trade and Investment's Defence Support Organisation (UKTI DSO), was keen to talk up Eurofighter's continuing chances on the export market, despite a recent run of wins for the Rafale.
"India has a large requirement there," he said. "They've made their first selection of a very limited number of Rafales compared to the initial requirement for 126 fast jets. So our belief, and I was in India all of last week talking with them, is that the competition is still open with what they do with their second and maybe even third tranche of fast jets in India."
But Phipson acknowledges a Eurofighter sale to India is not imminent. "Of course, that will be a long slow process," he said.
While many will be sceptical of the prospects of a Typhoon sale now to India, Phipson sees an advantage in the possibility of local production, not now happening with the Rafale. He added that the "Hawk programme - where we are with BAE systems and Rolls-Royce assembling Hawks and the engines for Hawks in India - really does fit closely with Modi's aspirations for localised manufacturing, and you will notice with the recent announcements, Rafale they are not committing to do that manufacturing, that's going to be done in France."
Even Qatar, which signed a contract for 24 Rafales in May, could still yet order Typhoons, said Phipson. He noted that the country's requirement was for 72 fast jets.
"We're getting all the signals that they're still considering whether or not to push forwards with Typhoon, and we will continue to work on that very closely with the Qatari government and give them the option of Typhoon for the next time they buy," he said.
Phipson thought this could come as early as 2016, saying an order for more aircraft "will probably be next year … so we still remain optimistic on Qatar and Typhoon and the relationship's getting stronger every time we have a meeting with them, so that's very good".
Elsewhere, the UK is looking to potential export opportunities for Eurofighter in Malaysia, as well as potentially Belgium and Denmark. Meanwhile, the Italian-led campaign in Kuwait was going "very well", he said.
Phipson said Eurofighter benefits from the consortium having four production lines currently open for the aircraft. "There is great flexibility in terms of capacity," he said. He added that, "in fact, one of the things that we have been pushing is that we can do early deliveries on some of these requirements because we have the capacity to do that, while other manufacturers would find it difficult to do early deliveries without withdrawing in service jets".
But the Eurofighter's best chances probably come from a new order of aircraft for Saudi Arabia. The aircraft had performed very well in Saudi service over Yemen, Phipson noted, although the recent death of the commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force might change the timing of any future follow-on Saudi Typhoon order, but not the country's commitment and thoughts towards the aircraft.
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رد: متابعة وتغطية معرض باريس الدولي للطيران 2015
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رد: متابعة وتغطية معرض باريس الدولي للطيران 2015
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