Russian AF Bears bring about JASDF interceptors (again)

Tu-95MS Bear photographed by intercepting Japanese fighters (Japanese MoD photo). Click on image for high-res version

Japan has lodged a formal complaint with Russia regarding the intrusion into Japanese airspace by a pair of Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-95MS Bear bombers near Fukuoka in Japan's main southern island of Kyushu.

According to the press release (in Japanese) issued by the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the instrusion took place on the 22nd of August between 1209 and 1211 local time. The bombers were intercepted by Mitsubishi F-2 fighters, almost certainly from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's 6th Hikotai based at Tsuiki.

Bear tracks (in red)

It has become something of a scripted event in recent times. Whenever Japan brings up the issue of the disputed Kuril Islands that were seized by the former Soviet Union in the closing days of World War II, Russia sends over its military aircraft to buzz Japan.

I reckon it's like the 1980s movie Beetlejuice, and Japan saying "Kurile Islands" is saying "Beetlejuice" 3 times in the movie, with the difference being that saying the former brings Russian aircraft to Japan's doorstep.

Asia-Pacific Military Aviation News roundup: 22 Aug 2013

AV-8B Harrier II of VMA-214 Blacksheep

More details have emerged regarding the unintended dropping of practice and unarmed bombs by U.S. Marine Harriers on the Great Barrier Reef during Talisman Saber in July.

It has been happening for a while, but news has just got out that the F/A-18D Hornets of VMFA(AW)-242 Bats are currently in Tindal, Australia for Exercise Southern Frontier.

The Korean Aircraft Industries (KAI) FA-50 is to begin service with the Republic of Korea Air Force this week. 60 of the light attack aircraft will be replacing the RoKAF's F-5E/F Tiger II interceptor fleet.

If you still doubted that the ongoing Red Flag - Alaska (which I wrote about here) was practice for a North Korea scenario, this story about DHC-2 Beavers simulating An-2 Colts at the exercise should erase them.

Asia-Pacific Military Aviation News roundup: 21 Aug 2013

Vietnam has reportedly acquired 12 more Sukhoi Su-30MK2V Flanker fighter jets from Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport. Delivery will take place in 2014-2015, in three batches of four aircraft. According to my calculations, that will make it 36 Su-30MK2Vs in the Vietnamese People's Air Force's (VPAF) inventory.

In a further sign of its interest, local media is reporting that Japan is looking to purchase the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces. I hope this happens, the Osprey should look pretty darn good in JGSDF camo!

Republic of Singapore AF Black Knights F-16C 2013 scheme artwork

Click on image for high res image

Edwin Khoo has done this very cool rendition of the recently unveiled Republic of Singapore Air Force Black Knights Demonstration Team F-16C in his signature style. Click on thumbnail for full size image. Nice work Edwin!

Remember, the team will be performing at the Singapore Airshow 2014, which is being held from 11-16 February, so if you want to catch them in action, be there!

Japanese and South Korean Eagles taking part in Red Flag Alaska 13-3

For the first time, the Republic of Korea Air Force and the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force are taking part in an exercise together. Contingents of F-15 Eagles from both countries are currently participating in Red Flag - Alaska 13-3. Here's a piece about the exercise I've written for War Is Boring.

Asia-Pacific Military Aviation News roundup: 20 Aug 2013

The aerobatic team of the Chinese People's Liberation Air Force, August 1st, will make their overseas debut when they perform at Russia's MAKS 2013 International Air Show at Ramenskoye Airport from Aug 27 to Sept 1. The team flies the Chengdu J-10 fighter jet.

Meanwhile, Taiwan has sorted out with Lockheed-Martin the details of the Republic of China Air Force's F-16 fleet upgrade. The US$1.85 billion Foreign Military Sales contract will be centred around an Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, expected to be Northrop Grumman's Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR).

A few days ago, the first Republic of Korea Air Force Lockheed-Martin C-130J-30 transport made its first flight. Its painted in a pretty nice camo too. Makes for a nice change for the usual grey. Anyway, here's a pic.

Asia-Pacific Military Aviation News roundup: 19 Aug 2013

Remember those bombs dropped by the US Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park during Talisman Saber '13 that caused such a ruckus in the international media? They've been found.

The consensus is that the Lockheed Martin F-35 has been eliminated from the South Korean F-X III competition due to the bid's failure to stay within the budget. Word is Eurofighter's Typhoon has also been dumped. Which leaves the Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle as the last man standing.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force will be forced to leave one of its main airbases. The RSAF's Paya Lebar airbase will be redeveloped into a residential/light industrial zone. The RSAF aircraft currently based there will be moved to a redeveloped Changi East Airbase, which currently houses a squadron of F-16D+ fighter jets.

While we're on the topic of Changi East Airbase, the full transcript of the Defence Writers' Group's late July meeting with PACAF Commander General "Hawk" Carlisle has been released. He talks about the USAF's potential pivot to Changi East (among other places in the region) and that Singapore has decided to acquire the F-35B for its first batch of the Lightning II JSF.

Talisman Saber and America’s Pacific Pivot

My first ever piece to appear on The Diplomat, about Talisman Saber and America’s Pacific Pivot is now online. Please have a read, critique and comments welcome. Be nice, please?

As usual, a big thank you to the Royal Australian Air Force, in particular Mr. Eamon Hamilton of Air Lift Group for the opportunity to fly with the KC-30A during the refueling mission!

[UPDATED] U.S. military helicopter crashes in Okinawa

A United States Air Force Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) helicopter has crashed on the island of Okinawa. The crash happened at a maneuvering ground inside the U.S. Marines' Camp Hansen in central Okinawa, and three of the four crew on board have reportedly survived while one, flight engineer Tech Sgt. Mark A. Smith was unfortunately killed in the crash. Above is a reportedly a screengrab of the crash site as shown on Japanese broadcaster NHK.

The HH-60G would almost certainly to have been from the USAF's 33d Rescue Squadron, based at nearby Kadena Airbase. The squadron is part of the USAF's 18th Wing.

China ups the ante with Japan (by just that little bit) with overflight

PLAN Y-8J intercepted (and photographed) by the JASDF (© Japanese MoD)

On July 24, the Joint Staff of the Japanese Defense Ministry released a statement that the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) had scrambled interceptors against a Shaanxi Y-8 Maritime Patrol/Airborne Early Warning aircraft. Nothing new about that, given that the Japanese MoD had already previously noted that scrambles triggered by Chinese military aircraft entering Japan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) had been on the increase for years, except that this time it came with a slight twist. The aircraft, which turned out to be a Chinese Naval Air Force Y-8J, wasn’t content with skirting the hotly disputed Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands as the usual practice, but flew an approximately south-easterly course through international airspace between Japan’s southern Okinawa and Miyakojima Islands, headed out into the Pacific, before coming back up the same way heading towards its base in mainland China (see image of Y-8’s route, in red below).

Apparently, this is some kind of big deal. Well, I suppose it sort of is, given the much more modest nature of China’s previous aerial activities around Japan, and this is reportedly the first time Chinese military aircraft have reportedly flown this route (although Chinese Navy ships are semi-regular users of the international waters below). However, it still pales in comparison with five foreign aircraft poking around your airspace in one day (which included cruise missile-carrying intercontinental bombers circumnavigating international airspace around Japan)

The difference, I guess, is the simmering dispute over ownership of the supposedly resource-rich Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands between Japan (who currently administers the islands and calls it the Senkakus) and China (who claims the islands and calls it Diaoyu) which means that such Chinese overflights make the mainstream news much more readily than Russian ones. At the end of the day, it IS an escalation, even though in the greater scheme of things, it's not one that really should raise eyebrows by a large margin.

Just a little backgrounder: The Chinese aircraft in question, a Shaanxi Y-8J serialed 9321, is a converted Y-8 transport, which is itself a Chinese-built version of the Soviet Antonov An-12 ‘Cub’, an aircraft roughly the size, capability, performance and versatility of the Lockheed-Martin C-130H Hercules.

The Y-8J is among the oldest of the myriad special mission Y-8 variants which are known to be in use with the Chinese military. Equipped with a Racal (now Thales) Skymaster Pulse-Doppler air-and-sea-search radar in a enlarged, drooping nose radome, the variant was first spotted in 2000 and it is believed that the Chinese operate at least four aircraft with the Chinese Navy’s 2nd Naval Aviation Division, 4th Air Regiment based at Laiyang, Shandong Province.

Note: Excerpts of this post appears in a collaborative, much longer, piece over at War Is Boring.

Singapore re-forms Black Knights, to perform at 2014 airshow

Click on thumbnail for high-res (© Singapore Ministry of Defence)

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has re-formed the Black Knights aerobatics team in a ceremony at Tengah Airbase today. The Black Knights will feature six RSAF F-16C Fighting Falcons, with the aircraft to be painted in a new paint scheme featuring the traditional red and white colours and incorporate Singapore's national symbols of the crescent moon and five stars. The team will be preparing for the Singapore Airshow 2014 from July onwards and training is expected to intensify nearer the event, which will be held in February 2014.

The first Black Knights team was formed with Hawker Hunters in 1973, making this the 40th Anniversary of the team. Unlike other air forces, the Black Knights are not a full-time display team, and pilots are not full-time performers and continue to hold operational appointments. The team's last appearance was at the 2008 Singapore Airshow.

Frankly, the scheme looks awesome. Just sayin'...

RAAF Chief: Airbus A330 MRTT boom woes yet to be resolved

© Commonwealth of Australia

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Chief Air Marshal Geoff Brown says that Airbus Military has yet to resolve problems with the A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport's refuelling boom. Speaking in London, Air Marshal Brown says the KC-30A tanker and troop transport has been on the Australian defense department’s Projects of Concern list since 2010 and is the “biggest priority at the moment,”

In an coincidental twist, we flew on board one of the RAAF's KC-30s just as the news came out, refuelling a flight of RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornets over the Coral Sea just off Brisbane during a Exercise Talisman Saber mission. Photos from that will appear on the website soon.

Preparations in full swing Down Under for Exercise Talisman Saber 2013

ROCKHAMPTON, Australia (July 8, 2013) U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Ward Massey oversees offload of an HH-60H Sea Hawk assigned to the Firehawks of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Eighty-Five (HSC-85) from a C-17 Globemaster assigned to the 729th Airlift Squadron of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing. The High Rollers will provide aerial support to Exercise Talisman Saber 2013. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (AW) Christopher D. Blachly/RELEASED)

Preparations for the upcoming Exercise Talisman Saber 2013 between the Australian and United States militaries are in full swing, with an increasing number of American military assets rolling into Queensland over the past week. A number of USAF C-17, Navy/Marine C-130 and C-40 transports (among others) have been noted by Aussie planespotters arriving into Townsville and Rockhampton, while the USS Blue Ridge, Germantown and Bonhomme Richard have made port calls to Australian ports.

Jointly sponsored by the U.S. Pacific Command and ADF Headquarters Joint Operations Command, the Talisman Saber exercise series is a biennial training event aimed at improving Australian Defence Force (ADF) and U.S. combat readiness and interoperability as a Combined Joint Task Force. The 2013 exercise, which runs through August 5, is designed to enhance collaboration in support of future combined operations, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters. Talisman Saber 2013 will incorporate U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, the ADF and other government agencies from each country.

For the public, tomorrow (14 July) will see the Talisman Saber 2013 Open Day at the Rockhampton Showgrounds, with the attractions being military hardware, aircraft and displays. Visitors can also talk to defence personnel from the Australian Army and visiting US forces and enjoy performances by US 7th Fleet Band and the Australian Army Band Brisbane.

VIDEO: J-15 operations on Liaoning and land-based ski jump

A second round of flight tests have concluded on board China's carrier, the Liaoning in June. During the cruise, pilots "executed several continuous take-off and landing exercises, making China one of the few countries in the world that can train its own carrier-borne jet pilots", according to a statement on China's defence ministry website. Five People's Liberation Army - Navy (PLAN) pilots and an unspecified number of deck crew have been certified for aircraft carrier operations, following the 25-day training deployment by the Liaoning. The following video is Chinese state broadcaster's CCTV-7's news piece of the recent cruise:

Like most aircraft carriers, hangar and other space inside the Liaoning is at a premium. It's very interesting to watch the (Russian) turntable rotating the J-15s once they've been struck down to the hangar deck via the elevators. Another point worth noting the tight clearances while on the elevator. The J-15's main landing gear was almost on the edge of the elevator (at 0:51 in the video), while the nose is almost scraping the edge of the flightdeck!

The piece also includes footage of J-15s taking off from a land base using a ski jump, most likely at the PLAN's base at Huangdicun, Liaoning Province (40°29' 51"N 120°39'25"E) which is used for training PLAN pilots in carrier operations with its ski jump(s) and a section of runway painted and marked like a carrier deck.

One last takeaway from the video is that J-15 serial number 554 with the shark artwork took part in this round of flight operations on the Liaoning, and appears to have been re-engined with the Russian Saturn AL-31F turbofan engine. It was seen before powered by the Chinese-built WS-10H turbofan. It would appear that the Chinese still do not have enough confidence in the WS-10H to perform carrier operations yet.

Uncensored photos of J-20 flying with internal weapons bay open

Click for higher-res image

The first photos of China's Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter's main internal weapons bay are making the rounds on the internet. The original ones have been censored (by the photographer?), most likely for fear of running foul of China's notorious state internet censors. However the uncensored version didn't take long in coming, and here it shows that 4 missiles can be carried.

The missiles are an hitherto unknown type, with the consensus that its circumference is too large to be a PL-12 BVRAAM. However another possibility is that it could be a shortened version of the PL-12 (which would cause the circumference to appear bigger) to fit inside the weapons bay. There appears to be room in the main weapons bay for larger (though not longer) weapons as well.

This is in addition to the side weapons bay that was blogged about here a while back...

Romeo Must Fly: Australia's first MH-60R Seahawk takes to the air

© Commonwealth of Australia

The first of 24 Royal Australian Navy Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters flew for the first time at Sikorsky’s Production Facility in Connecticut on 26 June 2013. The acquisition of 24 MH-60Rs allows the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to provide at least eight helicopters embarked at any one time with Australia’s Anzac Class frigates and the new Hobart Class air warfare destroyers, with the remainder based at HMAS Albatross in Nowra. The "Romeos" will replace 16 older S-70B-2 Seahawks currently operated by the RAN.

More photos at http://images.navy.gov.au/S20130572

S Korean F-X III bidders still over budget; asked to resubmit bids

Photo © BAe Systems

What if they held a fighter competition and all the bidders refused to submit bids under the customer's budget? It's looking that way in South Korea's FX-III fighter program.

The bidding for 60 aircraft has opened 2 weeks ago, and South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration has conducted 30 bidding sessions, but the three contenders have consistently submitted proposals over the target budget of 8.3 trillion won (US$7.3 billion). The bidding process will resume July 2nd, and given the current market, we reckon the bidders will most likely cave in eventually. But given the disparity in the budgeted amount and listed price of US$10.8 billion in the DSCA notification for the sale of F-35s to South Korea, there may be interesting days ahead for the program.

F-X III is South Korea's largest defence acquisition program ever; the three contenders for the contract are the Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle, the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.

VIDEO: Exercise Aces North (and a reference to the movie Top Gun)

An interesting piece over at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, who reported with the Royal Australian Air Force's 75 Sqn at Exercise Aces North, which recently concluded over at the RAAF bases in Australia's Northern Territory.

Aces North 2013 is the final phase of the No 32 Fighter Combat Instructor (FCI) course, which is conducted every two years and provides experienced F/A-18 A/B Classic Hornet, F/A-18F Super Hornet Pilots and Weapon System Officers with five months of highly specialised training in all air combat related roles. The exercise was held from June 3-28 and involved the RAAF's F/A-18A/B Hornet, F/A-18F Super Hornet, the E-7A Wedgetail and a KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport.

And fans of the movie Top Gun will make instantly make the connection between the name of CO 75 Sqn RAAF and his callsign, as seen from the below screengrab of the ABC video:

For those who are unaware, the main character in the 1986 movie Top Gun (played by Tom Cruise) is Pete Mitchell and his callsign is Maverick.

PHOTO: RAAF C-130Js carry out low-level training

© Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence. Click on thumbnail for high resolution image.

Four Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Lockheed-Martin C-130J Hercules transport aircraft conducted an early morning tactical training flight on 21 June 2013. Departing RAAF Base Richmond at dawn, the aircraft flew a simulated airdrop mission in central New South Wales (NSW), before flying at low level for the NSW coast and tracking along the coastline, before heading inland to the Blue Mountains and returning to base. The Hercules crews, from No. 37 Squadron, were practicing their ability to navigate whilst flying in a tactical formation, similar to what they may do if conducting an airdrop of paratroops and cargo loads to a drop zone.

More Images are available in this Australian Defence Force Gallery

Helicopters to join increased Marine detachment in Darwin from 2014

US Marine CH-53E Sea Stallion (US DoD Photo/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ken J. Riley)

Here's an interesting announcement by the Australian Prime Minister's Office/Department of Defence that seems to have pretty much flown under the radar of the defence media; from 2014 the Marine presence in Darwin will increase to 1,150 from the current 250. The Marines will also station four "heavylift helicopters" (Ed: CH-53 Sea Stallions, I presume? The MV-22 Osprey can haul more, but they aren't technically "helicopters" per se) at RAAF Darwin with 130 personnel to support the deployment, which will occur on six-month rotations during Darwin's dry season (May to October).

The press release repeats the plan to increase the Marine presence in the Northern Territory to 2,500 personnel from 2016, which will then comprise of a full MAGTF (Marine Air-Ground Task Force).