13 mars 2015 Romandie.com (AFP)

Séoul - La Corée du Nord a tiré jeudi sept missiles dans la mer, au large de ses côtes orientales, sur fond de tensions ravivées sur la péninsule coréenne, a annoncé vendredi le ministère sud-coréen de la Défense.

Le dirigeant nord-coréen, Kim Jong-Un, aurait lui-même supervisé l'opération jeudi soir à partir d'un site de lancement situé près de la ville de Sondok.

Ces tirs surviennent pendant les manoeuvres militaires annuelles menées par la Corée du Sud avec son allié américain et qui chaque année provoque des réactions indignées de la Corée du Nord qui les considèrent comme une répétition générale à l'invasion de son territoire.

Ces tirs de missiles constituent une nouvelle démonstration de force du Nord eu égard aux manoeuvres, a indiqué à l'AFP le porte-parole du ministère sud-coréen de la Défense.

La Corée du Sud et les Etats-Unis ont conclu vendredi une partie de leurs manoeuvres conjointes. L'exercice Key Resolve, commencé le 2 mars, a mobilisé environ 10.000 soldats sud-coréens et 8.600 américains, mais il s'agit avant tout d'une simulation par ordinateur.

Le général Curtis Scaparrotti, chef du Commandement des forces conjointes américano-sud-coréennes, a affirmé vendredi que ces exercices étaient cruciaux pour assurer la défense de la Corée du Sud.

L'autre phase des manoeuvres, baptisées Foal Eagle et commencées en même temps, est prévue pour durer huit semaines. Elle doit mobiliser des dizaines de milliers de soldats de part et d'autre.

La Corée du Nord avait déjà manifesté sa vive désapprobation en procédant au tir de deux missiles à courte portée au large de ses côtes orientales début mars.

Séoul et Washington affirment qu'il s'agit d'exercices purement défensifs, mais Pyongyang les voit comme le prélude à une invasion.

La Corée du Nord et la Corée du Sud se sont constituées en Etats indépendants en 1948 et la guerre de Corée (1950-1953) a consacré cette division.

Les deux Corées sont techniquement toujours en guerre, n'ayant pas signé de traité de paix après l'armistice de 1953.

Mar 13, 2015 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Project On Government Oversight; posted March 12, 2015)

DOT&E Report: The F-35 Is Not Ready for IOC and Won't Be Any Time Soon (excerpts)

Inside-the-Beltway wisdom holds that the $1.4 trillion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program is too big to cancel and on the road to recovery. But the latest report from the Defense Department’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) provides a litany of reasons that conventional wisdom should be considered politically driven propaganda.

The press has already reported flawed software that hinders the ability of the plane to employ weapons, communicate information, and detect threats; maintenance problems so severe that the F-35 has an “overdependence” on contractor maintainers and “unacceptable workarounds” (behind paywall) and is only able to fly twice a week; and a high-rate, premature production schedule that ignores whether the program has demonstrated essential combat capabilities or proven it’s safe to fly.

All of these problems are increasing costs and risks to the program. Yet rather than slow down production to focus resources on fixing these critical problems, Congress used the year-end continuing resolution omnibus appropriations bill—termed the “cromnibus”—to add 4 additional planes to the 34 Department of Defense (DoD) budgeted for Fiscal Year 2015.

The original FY2016 plan significantly increased the buy to 55, and now the program office is further accelerating its purchase of these troubled planes to buy 57 instead.

At some point, the inherent flaws and escalating costs of a program become so great that even a system with massive political buy-in reaches a tipping point. The problems described in the DOT&E report show that the F-35 has reached a stage where it is now obvious that the never-ending stream of partial fixes, software patches, and ad hoc workarounds are inadequate to deliver combat-worthy, survivable, and readily employable aircraft.

This year’s DOT&E report also demonstrates that in an effort to maintain the political momentum of the F-35, its program office is not beneath misrepresenting critically important characteristics of the system.

In sum, the old problems are not going away, new issues are arising, and some problems may be getting worse.

Below are some of the key issues raised by the DOT&E report.

Cooking the Numbers

The Joint Program Office, led by Air Force Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, is re-categorizing failure incidents to make the plane look more reliable than it actually is. This kind of number-cooking has been done in other important areas of the program, such as using gimmicks to lowball acquisition costs and operating costs per flying hour.

…/…

Section headings:

-- Testing Being Deferred, Not Completed
-- Significant Safety Risks Are Still Unresolved
-- Wing Drop Concerns
-- Engine Problems Continue to Hold the F-35 Program Back
-- Dangerous Helmet Failures
-- Initial Combat Capabilities for the Marine Corps Variant Will Be Even More Limited Than Planned
-- ALIS Software Failures
-- Software Snarls Jeopardize Combat Suitability
-- Hiding Today's Failings While Building a Huge Future Cost "Bow Wave"
-- A Maintenance Nightmare
-- Conclusion: Exquisitely Limited Capability

(end of excerpt)


Click here for the full story (with many onward links) on the POGO website.

March 12, 2015: Strategy Page

The U.S. Army is sending the latest version of its electronic troop location and communications system, JBC-P (Joint-Battle Command Platform) to troops to use during training and special exercises to specifically test the new features of JBC-P. This new version was eagerly awaited by troops who had used earlier models. The most welcome improvement was much faster (almost instantaneous) updates of information. The satellite signals are now encrypted and work no matter the weather, temperature of distance. While every vehicle is equipped with one of these devices, Individual troops on the ground now have a smartphone type device that allows them to chat and quickly shows on the display the location of nearby JBC-P users and has a zoom capability similar to Google Earth. Troops can quickly update enemy locations, bombs or otherwise dangerous areas. These smartphones are typically worn on the forearm for easy use in combat. The purpose of all these improvements is to enable troops arriving (by land or air) in an area where contact with the enemy is expected to immediately go into action knowing where everyone (on foot or in vehicles) is and where they are moving to.

These location devices and their subsequent improvements have changed the way American troops fight. The location devices allow brigade, battalion and company commanders to see, in real time where there troops are and what they are doing. The latest JBC-P version gives squad and platoon level operations instant awareness of their situation whenever there is a clash with the enemy or a patrol or raiding party looking for the enemy. This makes a big difference in the effectiveness of the operation, reduces friendly casualties as well as accidental injuries to nearby civilians.

There have been regular upgrades in these devices since first introduced as Blue Force Tracker (BFT) in 2003. In early 2013 the previous upgraded device, JCR (Joint Capabilities Release), was sent to Afghanistan for use in combat. JCR is part of an effort to link everyone in a combat brigade electronically while in the combat zone and, most importantly, while in combat. The new JCR version equipped individual troops as well as vehicles. Commanders could use a handheld device or laptop to view BFT locations. The commanders app could also be used to take data from troops about enemy locations or where minefields or other obstacles are and post it, so that everyone else with JCR equipment can see and share it. JCR also included better encryption and improved reliability.

This all is part of an effort that began in 2003 to perfect the “battlefield Internet”. All of this goes back to the American 1990s era Force XXI Battle Command Brigade-and-Below (FBCB2) project. Back in 2003, parts of FBCB2 (mainly BFT) were quickly issued to the troops for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. BFT is a GPS/satellite telephone device that was suddenly in thousands of combat vehicles. Anyone with a laptop, satellite data receiver, the right software, and access codes could then see where everyone was (via a map showing blips for each BFT user). The spectacular success of BFT got the attention of generals everywhere.

Over the next five years the U.S. Army built new versions of the BFT. Because this hasty (all the stuff was still in development) experiment was a huge success, the United States proceeded to add more of this capability and then produced and distributed 50,000 additional BFT devices by 2008.

There were some problems, however. The biggest hassle was the delay (often up to five minutes) between getting updated data from the satellite. Another big problem was that stationary icons, placed on BFT user screens to indicate enemy troops or dangers (like minefields or roadside bombs), didn't get updated accurately or in a timely fashion. Once the troops begin to encounter a lot of roadside bombs that don't exist (although BFT showed them), they began to lose faith in the system. Fixing this wasn’t easy, and several different solutions were tried before a stable solution was found.

The army eventually fixed the major complaints and in 2011 BFT2 was sent to the troops. This version has a ten second (or less) delay between satellite updates. New software cleared away inaccurate icons indicating where the enemy is or may be. The BTF2 network allowed users to send more information to each other, including attachments. This enabled BFT2 to be used in automated command and control systems that work more effectively because they can pass more information, more quickly, between the headquarters and the troops.

Currently, the army and marines have over 130,000 BFT tracking devices (plus thousands of laptops, special vehicle mounted computers and tablet type computers commanders on foot, all equipped to display BFT data for commanders). Since 2011 the army has found that that the BFT2 upgrade was over 40 times faster than the original BFT and transmitted data 30 times faster. This allowed BFT2 users to send each other pictures and documents. But while BFT2 took a long time to perfect, the army upgraded other aspects of FBCB2 as well and this led to JCR.

BFT and the battlefield Internet was not the first time radical technology sneaked up on the military. Portable radio, first widely used during World War II, radically changed how commanders operated, especially at the tactical level. But the current revolution is different in that the signals can easily be encrypted and carry visual, as well as speech, data. Thus commanders at all levels can eliminate face-to-face meetings, and just video conference, or talk freely about plans. But even Instant Messaging has become a powerful tool because many times a few short text messages are all that is needed to solve problems.

Finally, the Internet provided, for the military, many new ideas on how to efficiently handle information. The Internet has been militarized much faster than anyone expected. That has led to the military adopting new database and visualization tools as well. In a single decade the way commanders run their units and battles has changed more than it has in the past half century.

10 March 2015 army-technology.com

Sikorsky Aircraft is reportedly set to install Battlehawk kits on the UAE Armed Force's UH-60M Black Hawk multi-mission helicopters.

The company received a $270.5m contract in February 2011 to upgrade 23 of 70 UH-60M helicopters with Battlehawk kits, DefenseNews reported.

Sikorsky Aircraft Sales vice-president Robert Kokorda said the UAE-funded programme for the kit production to weaponise Black Hawks is currently in the final stages of development.

Kokorda said: "We have been underway now for a couple of years and it's going along well, where we are working to finalise the different configurations that the UAE want on the aircraft and are in the testing phase."

Certification of the UAE-mandated weapons kit will be completed after the test-firing programme is finalised.

Comprising guided weapons and optical and laser-guided anti-armour missiles such as Hellfire and laser-guided rockets, the Battlehawk kits are claimed to provide the most advanced weaponised Black Hawk helicopter on the market.

International Institute for Strategic Studies military aerospace senior fellow Douglas Barrie said: "[The kit] would make it a weaponised utility helicopter, which goes some of the way of being an attack helicopter, but not all the way."

While the development has been funded by the UAE, the kit is also being marketed to other countries.

Kokorda added: "Right now, [this product] is for them and until we have finished creating the product for them, we are actively marketing it, telling everybody that we are going to have this weapons kit available, but we are not necessarily developing other things beyond what the UAE is looking to put in."

In addition to armed reconnaissance and attack missions, Battlehawk-equipped UH-60Ms are expected to perform troop transport, search and rescue, and disaster relief operations, Deagel reported.

11 March 2015 army-technology.com

Orbital ATK has been awarded a contract to supply additional precision guidance kits (PGKs) to the US Army for 155mm artillery systems.

Under the terms of the $120m agreement, the company will be responsible for the production, lot acceptance testing and delivery of guidance fuses for the US and select allied forces.

PGK is a guidance fuse designed to fit within the fuse well of 155mm high-explosive artillery projectiles and can transform existing, conventional artillery projectiles into precision weapons that significantly reduce dispersion to 30m or less, enabling accurate targeting.

Orbital ATK Defense Systems Group Armament Systems division vice-president and general manager Dan Olson said: "This contract signing marks another significant milestone for the PGK programme.

"Fielding PGK for use with existing artillery projectiles provides soldiers with a distinct battlefield advantage, by greatly reducing the inherent dispersion associated with conventional artillery.

"As a proven and qualified technology, the next step is growing PGK into future precision applications for either existing or new direct and indirect-fire weapons systems."

The kit features a fixed-canard guidance and control approach with gun-hardened electronics and a self-generated power supply, and also incorporates a fail safe option, which prevents PGK-equipped artillery from detonating if it fails to get close enough to the target.

The kit was supplied to the US military for training and tactical operations in Afghanistan through an urgent release in March 2013.

PGK programme management, systems integration and production is overseen by Orbital ATK Defense Systems Group's Armament Systems division in Plymouth, Minnesota, US.

Deliveries are scheduled to start next year, without a production break from low-rate initial production, which started in January.

NORFOLK (March 11, 2015) U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Wolpert/Released

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) departs Naval Station Norfolk for a scheduled deployment. The deployment is part of a regular rotation of forces to support maritime security operations, provide crisis response capability, and increase theater security cooperation and forward naval presence in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation.

March 10, 2015 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: US Central Command; issued March 09, 2015)

Eagle Resolve 2015 Multilateral Exercise Kicks Off in Kuwait

MACDILL AFB, Fla. --- U.S. forces, Gulf Cooperation Council nations and international partners are participating in the multilateral Eagle Resolve exercise held in Kuwait, according to U.S. Central Command officials.

Eagle Resolve 2015 kicked off March 8 and the exercise concludes March 31, officials said. Exercise events are being held in Kuwait and its territorial waters, officials added.

Eagle Resolve will consist of a weeklong series of "injects," simulated events designed to exercise participants' ability to respond as a multinational headquarters staff, followed by a series of tactical demonstrations of land, maritime and air forces from several nations, officials said.

The exercise ends with a senior leader seminar to foster an environment for commanders to discuss issues of regional interest, officials said.

About 3,000 U.S. military personnel representing U.S. Central Command headquarters and its components along with military representatives from more than a dozen other nations will support the exercise, officials said.

This is the Kuwaiti government's first time hosting this exercise, officials said.

Qatar hosted Eagle Resolve 2013, officials said. The first iteration of the exercise was held at Centcom’s headquarters in Tampa, Florida, in 1999.

March 11, 2015 by Donaldson Company - army-technology.com

Donaldson Aerospace & Defense has completed delivering system development versions of its engine air particle protection system (EAPPS) to Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation's CH-53K program that will provide the next-generation heavy-lift helicopter for the US Marine Corps.

The 12 Engineering Development Models delivered by Donaldson Aerospace & Defense, a division of Donaldson Company, Inc, support the system development and demonstration phase of the CH-53K programme.

This phase is scheduled to achieve a key milestone this month when the CH-53K ground test vehicle 'lights off' to test its three turbine engines, main and tail rotors and transmissions at Sikorsky's West Palm Beach, Florida facility.

The first flight is scheduled for 2014, with initial operating capability of the first CH-53K squadrons targeted for the Fiscal Year 2019.

The Marine Corps plan to acquire 196 CH-53Ks, which are designed to have twice the payload and combat radius capability of the current heavy-lift CH-53E, and perform better in 'high and hot' operating conditions, all while maintaining the same footprint as the CH-53E when deployed on ships.

In addition to flying at high altitudes in hot temperatures, the CH-53K will carry troops and cargo to remote, unimproved landing sites in dusty and dirty conditions.

Its three, 6,000-shaft-horsepower-class engines are key to achieving these goals and Donaldson's EAPPS are necessary to ensure the engines perform safely and reliably in such challenging conditions.

Donaldson Aerospace & Defense general manager Mark Rigby said: "The CH-53K will provide critical heavy-lift capabilities for the most urgent missions the Marines perform, including combat deployment and support, troop positioning, and resupply and humanitarian relief after natural disasters.

"Donaldson is honored that our advanced filtration technology will play an essential role in this impressive helicopter's success on those missions."

Using its patented Strata™ Tube technology, Donaldson developed the lightweight, high-efficiency EAPPS to protect the CH-53K's engines from the damaging effects of dirt, dust, sand, and other contaminants.

Strata technology offers low airflow restriction, high filtration efficiencies and minimal maintenance. Strata panels are used successfully in many military applications, including the D and E versions of the CH-53.

To learn more about the Donaldson Aerospace & Defense group, visit www.DonaldsonAerospace-Defense.com.

Mar 11, 2015 ASDNews Source : US Army

In preparation of Network Integration Evaluation, or NIE, 15.2, Fort Bliss, Texas, transforms into the epicenter for one-of-a-kind vehicles equipped with the most technologically advanced Army network systems.

Engineers, technicians and Soldiers are beginning to immerse the Integration Motor Pool, or IMP, to integrate systems onto the vehicles that will be used during NIE. During spring, NIE 15.2 will be executed and Soldiers, from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, will begin testing the systems.

Read more

Mar 9, 2015 ASDNews Source : Kelly Ann DeWitt, AMRDEC Public Affairs - US Army

Three Army technologies were in play at the recently conducted Army Expeditionary Warfighter Experiment, or AEWE, on Fort Benning, Georgia.

"AEWE is (Training and Doctrine Command, or TRADOC) live, prototype experimentation campaign," said Harry J. Lubin, chief of the experimentation branch, Maneuver Center of Excellence. This year, 66 industry and military technologies participated in AEWE.

U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center, also known as AMRDEC, technologies participating in spiral "J" included the TowerHawk weapons system, Containerized Weapons System, and the Maneuver Aviation Fires Integrated Application, also known as MAFIA.

TowerHawk is a transportable, modular remote weapon system. Soldiers can employ it as an integrated capability of the Combat Outpost's Force Protection network or as a stand-alone capability, said Stephen W. Stillwell, Jr. project engineer, Engagement and Effects Tech Area, Mission Systems Focus Area, Aviation Applied Technology Directorate, Aviation Development Directorate. In either configuration, TowerHawk provides surveillance, enhanced perimeter defense, and an extended range of precise lethal response.

TowerHawk combines a modular remote weapon system consisting of a highly accurate .338 Lapua Magnum semi-auto rifle equipped with a 10 or 35 round magazine, day and night optics, and a laser rangefinder/pointer, an electro-optical/infrared sensor ball.

The operator controls the system remotely using secure fiber optic communications between the weapon and the ground station enabling the system to engage man-sized targets at ranges more than 1,200 meters with a reduction in civilian casualties or collateral damage, Stillwell said.

The Containerized Weapons System, or CWS, was designed to provide enhanced lethality and bolster force protection. This "weapons system in a box" concept combines a rapidly deployable Container Express, also known as CONEX, with the Commonly Remotely Operated Weapons Station M153 system, with various levels of firepower ranging from .50 caliber to the Javelin.

CWS works to augment or replace existing guard towers, said John Dillon, a mechanical engineer with the Weapons Development Directive, Platform Integration group. CWS provides a scalable, standalone force protection or threat suppression asset. This technology has been completed and qualified through testing and demonstration and is deployed in numerous locations under the management of Program Executive Office Missiles and Space, Program Management-Close Combat Weapons Systems.

MAFIA is a collaborative software application that allows field artillery and infantry small unit leaders to create precise, category one coordinates for accurate, timely, and predictable fires support, said Michael V. Murray, government lead and training coordinator, Battlefield Operations Software Suite team, Software Engineering Directorate.

The application provides full motion video from various Small Unmanned Aerial Systems, also known as SUAS, directly to the squad level, and supports cursor on target commands. The application is fully government owned, and is hardware agnostic, allowing for future hardware migration.

Lubin said the AEWE used the technologies in three cases: a live-fire exercise and two force-on-force events with Soldiers and Marines integrating the participating technologies into each mission.

The Army Test and Evaluation Center will analyze the results of the experiments and publish a final report, followed by an "experiment to action plan" to help TRADOC discover and develop "technologies of merit," Lubin said. That plan enables TRADOC organizations and the Army's Science and Technology community to place evolving technologies into the hands of deploying Soldiers earlier and more often, he said.

The three technologies performed well, said Lubin, who was especially complimentary of MAFIA, in its third year of experimentation at AEWE.

"We have over the last few years established a really great working relationship with AMRDEC. They have been linked to everything we do," said Lubin, crediting the MAFIA team's constant contact with the Maneuver Center of Excellence. "That constant contact enables this integrated development over time. We see that partnership continuing to grow over time."

Initial feedback from the participants of AEWE was also positive on the CWS and TowerHawks systems, he said. Both provide the sought-after expeditionary aspect for further development. "With their expeditionary emphasis, we can certainly see some utility for both," Lubin said.

"This was a great opportunity to hear about strategic challenges facing the Army's continuing transition as an agile, networked, expeditionary fighting force," said AMRDEC Director James Lackey, who attended a visitor's day March 3. "The overall focus at AEWE on building a networked infrastructure was a key takeaway for me. This reinforces the importance of how all of our AMRDEC systems interface along networks. It's all about linking various levels of command and control to sensors and shooters and pushing warfighting control to the lowest practical unit."

"AMRDEC's products of MAFIA, Containerized Weapon System and TowerHawk demonstrate networked sensor to shooter warfghting value for the expeditionary fight," Lackey said. "In my talks with the Soldiers at AEWE, they provided overall complimentary opinions of these specific capabilities. Through forums like AEWE, AMRDEC retains a tuned ear to the valuable, operational voice of the user. Their inputs drive our overall purpose and direction."

March 9, 2015 By Paul McLeary – Defense News

Civilian advisers, contracted helicopters, on the Pentagon's shopping list to help in Iraq

WASHINGTON — The Department of Defense only has about 250 civilian contractors in Iraq supporting the 2,700 US troops deployed there; but a handful of new solicitations and potential contracts may soon add to that number, according to items posted to a federal contracting Web site.

For the past two decades, the resource-heavy American way of war has dictated that where US troops go, civilian contractors follow. It's a way of doing business that has become ingrained in the Pentagon's culture as end strength has slowly been whittled away while global commitments show no sign of slackening.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have doubled down on the practice, with the number of contractors more than doubling the number of uniformed personnel on the ground at various points over the past decade.

And it's a trend that continues in Afghanistan, where the 10,000 US troops there are dwarfed by the 39,600 contractors supporting their training and advising mission, 14,200 of which are American citizens.

In Iraq, Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright said in an email, DoD contractors are tightly focused in their activities, "primarily performing translator/interpreter, communications, logistics, and maintenance functions."

Overall, there are about 5,000 mainly State Department contractors in Iraq which represents a relatively modest footprint as compared to previous years, where there were over 160,000 during the height of the fighting. There are also 54,000 civilian contractors working across the Middle East for US Central Command.

But more could be on their way to Iraq.

On March 3, the US Army issued a solicitation for Security Assistance Mentors & Advisors to support the Iraqi Ministry of Defense "with designing, implementing, and sustaining systems that increase its institutional capabilities."

Asked about the document, the Pentagon's Mark Wright explained that while the contract does not specify any particular number of advisers, "it is not anticipated to be greater than a half dozen ministry advisors. These persons are not required to be armed and are not intended to directly support combat operations, but to provide administrative assistance."

And its not only civilian personnel that are being tapped to support the uniformed personnel in Iraq. On Feb. 27, the US Transportation Command issued a Request for Information looking for a contractor to provide eight "heavy Rotary Wing aircraft."

While not an official solicitation just yet, the US government said that it is looking to identify contractors who can provide birds that can each ferry a minimum of 12 passengers and move a load of at least 5,000 pounds. The aircraft and their civilian crews would be positioned at the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, and "missions may involve destinations throughout Iraq" transporting troops, food and water, fuel, and ammunition.

The Diplomatic Support Center is a 350-acre facility run by the State Department next to the Baghdad International Airport, which is also thought to house the US Army Apache helicopters sent to Baghdad last year.

While their numbers are still relatively small in Iraq, the use of contractors in American military deployments in recent years has stirred plenty of controversy—particularly the use of security contractors. Critics have charged that the use of civilians to perform so many non-combat functions has served to downplay the true size of the American commitment.

There have also been plenty of issues revolving around poor contract oversight, human rights issues revolving around contractors from third-world countries, and plenty of waste, fraud, and abuse. In fact, the Commission on Wartime Contracting has reported that as much as $60 billion was lost to waste or fraud in Iraq, as contractors often subcontracted out to other contractors and the trail of money went wobbly.

Air-to-air right side view of an USAF T-38 Talon aircraft from 560th Flying Training Squadron, Randolph AFB, TX, taken from the 3rd aircraft in echelon formation as lead aircraft banks to the left.- photo USAF

10/03/2015 par Antony Angrand – Air & Cosmos

Après Northrop Grumman, c'est maintenant au tour de Lockheed de garder sous la main une alternative possible concernant le programme T-X. Northrop Grumman est reparti d'une feuille blanche en abandonnant la version du T-X autour du BAE Hawk, faisant appel à Scaled Composites pour sa nouvelle mouture. Lockheed garde en option un appareil créé de toutes pièces, en parallèle au T-50 Golden Eagle.

Suite de l’article