CV32

From Jane's Defence Weekly Nagging software problem plagues Super Hornet radar Stephen Trimble JDW Americas Bureau Chief Washington DC The advanced radar developed for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet has completed a key testing period with a nagging software problem still unresolved but showing improvement, according to the US Navy. The Raytheon APG-79 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar - the first dual-mode sensor in service on a US military fighter - completed its operational test and evaluation phase on 6 December 2006. The APG-79 continues to suffer from software glitches but programme officials believe that projected growth curves will produce an effective product by the time the first squadron is due to deploy by the end of Fiscal Year 2007, said Commander John Green, integrated product team leader for the radar. Currently, some of the 28 APG-79-equipped fighters fly more than 200 hours without experiencing a shutdown of the sensor, while others are reporting such system failures more frequently, said Shirley Franko, deputy leader of the integrated product team for the AESA radar.

Welcome Brandon !

From Defence Talk Report On Israeli Iran Strike Incorrect Says Foreign Ministry Agence France-Presse | Jan 8, 2007 Jerusalem: Israel said Sunday that a report in The Sunday Times that the Jewish state had drawn up plans to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment facilities in a tactical nuclear strike was "incorrect." The story is "incorrect," foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev said. "Israel is 100 percent behind the international community's efforts to bring about an end to Iran's nuclear program. Israel totally supports Resolution 1737 and the international community must be ready to take even tougher measures against Iran," he said. Earlier Immigrant Absorption Minister Zeev Boim dismissed the report in the British newspaper -- which in 1986 first exposed Israel's undeclared nuclear arsenal -- as "rumors." He told reporters before Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting that "it's better for Israel to remain in the backlines and support international efforts to prevent Iran's nuclear program." And a senior Israeli official dismissed the report as "absurd." "This is absurd information coming from a newspaper that has already in the past distinguished itself with sensationalist headlines that in the end amounted to nothing," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "To think that we will launch an atomic attack against Iran, and on top of that that we would reveal it in advance to a foreign newspaper is doubly ridiculous," he said. "The Israeli policy on this dossier, recommended by former prime minister Ariel Sharon and followed by his successor Ehud Olmert, has not changed and Israel is not planning to attack Iran militarily," he said. "The solution that we recommend, along with the international community, is that of sanctions imposed on Iran." Quoting several Israeli military sources, the Sunday Times said that Israel has drawn up plans to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment facilities in a tactical nuclear strike using low-yield "bunker busting" bombs. It quoted the sources as saying that two of the Jewish state's air force squadrons are training to use the weapons for a single strike. The plan is similar to one said in a report in the New Yorker magazine last April to have been considered by the United States. The White House dismissed investigative reporter Seymour Hersh's article as "ill-informed". Iran, which has defied UN Security Council demands to halt uranium enrichment, says its nuclear program is meant for civilian purposes only. But Israel, widely considered the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, suspects -- together with the West -- that the Islamic republic's real aim is to develop a nuclear arsenal that would dramatically tip the balance of power in the region. From Defence Talk Iran Warns It Will Respond Instantly To Any Aggression RIA Novosti | Jan 8, 2007 Tehran: Iran will respond instantly to any aggression against the Islamic Republic, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said Sunday. The diplomat said Israel's possible attack on Iranian nuclear facilities will not affect the will of the people of Iran to continue civilian nuclear activities. According to Hosseini, any aggression against Iran will not be left unanswered and the aggressor will instantly regret about its actions. Hosseini said Iran's nuclear program is meant for civilian purposes and complies with international norms. Iran has been at the center of international concerns over its uranium enrichment program, which some countries suspect is a covert program to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran has consistently denied the claims, and says it needs nuclear power for civilian purposes. On December 23, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution against Iran for refusing to suspend its nuclear research program. The resolution stipulates that all countries must stop supplying Iran with nuclear technology and materials that could enable the Islamic Republic to proceed with its suspected atomic weapons program. Hosseini also said Iran intends to continue cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

From Air Force Times January 08, 2007 Holloman squadron bound for Korea The Associated Press ALAMOGORDO, N.M. — About 300 airmen with Holloman Air Force Base’s 49th Fighter Wing and a squadron of F-117A Stealth fighters will begin a four-month deployment to Korea on Monday, base officials said. The regularly scheduled deployment is not related to a particular threat or event but part of ongoing measures to maintain a credible deterrent and presence in the Western Pacific, said base spokesman Tom Fuller. The deployment will keep the “pilots and crews on their toes” and practice moving men and equipment over a long distance and operate in a forward area, Fuller said. This will be the fourth time since 2003 that the 49th Fighter Wing has been deployed to the region. The wing operates the only two operational F-117A squadrons in the Air Force.

mmmm, Firefox ...

Scary stuff indeed. Selling the Type 22's was not a surprise, but I have to admit raising an eyebrow when they started selling off some of the Type 23 frigates. If the new carriers are never built, the Royal Navy is in dire straits for sure. (Sharker, please provide a link for stories like these, thanks).

From Aviation Week Raptor Scores in Alaskan Exercise By David A. Fulghum and Michael J. Fabey 01/07/2007 09:51:16 PM As the F-22 begins its operational life, interest has turned to assessing just how well suited the stealthy Raptor is to its role as the premier air-to-air fighter, while taking a peek at some of the surprises for pilots and maintenance crews as they explore what the aircraft can do. As part of the research for this series of articles on the F-22, Michael Fabey flew in the back seat of an F-15D while the Eagle and Raptor pilots demonstrated their aircraft's capabilities in the air-to-air ranges at Tyndall AFB, Fla. (For additional details of the Raptor's unique air-to-air capabilities, see AW&ST Sept. 6, 1999, p. 84.) The F-22 is proving it's a dogfighter after all. While it wasn't part of a hard-turning furball, an F-22--with its Amraams and Sidewinders expended--slipped into visual range behind an F-16 and undetected made a simulated kill with its cannon during the stealth fighter's first large-scale exercise and deployment outside the continental U.S. Those and other revelations about the F-22's emerging capabilities are increasingly important as the first combat unit, the U.S. Air Force's 27th Fighter Sqdn., begins its initial Air Expeditionary Force deployment this month to an undisclosed site. And the first F-22 unit, the 94th Fighter Sqdn., will participate in Red Flag in February. The gun kill is a capability Air Force planners hope their F-22s won't use. The fighter is designed to destroy a foe well beyond his visual and radar range. Within visual-range combat and, in particular, gun kills are anachronisms. In amassing 144 kills to no losses during the first week of the joint-service Northern Edge exercise in Alaska last summer, only three air-to-air "kills" were in the visual arena--two involving AIM-9 Sidewinders and one the F-22's cannon. The 27th Fighter Sqdn. aircraft--on deployment from Langley AFB, Va.--didn't get to show off their J-Turn and Cobra maneuvers or their high-angle-of-attack, high-off-boresight (which actually will arrive with the AIM-9X) and unique nose-pointing capabilities. The reason, those involved say, was because the victims of the three encounters, flying conventional fighters, never had a clue they were being stalked by F-22s until they were "killed." Raptor pilots agree that their preferred location for the fighter while in the battlespace is at high altitude, well above the other fighters, where they can adopt a fuel-efficient cruise, sweeping both the air and ground with radar and electronic surveillance for targets. From a superior altitude, the F-22 used sustained supercruise to range across hundreds of miles of airspace before an enemy fighter could threaten friendly high-value surveillance, command-and-control and tanker aircraft. Perhaps the most important revelation by the 27th Fighter Sqdn. was demonstrating the F-22's ability to use its sensors to identify and target enemy aircraft for conventional fighters by providing information so they could engage the enemy sooner than they could on their own. Because of the advanced situational awareness they afford, F-22s would stick around after using up their weapons to continue providing targets and IDs to the conventional fighters. "We always left F-22s on station to help, but we didn't designate any one aircraft to provide data," says Lt. Col. Wade Tolliver, the unit's commander. "It was critical that every F-22 out there provided all the data he had." With its high-resolution radar, the F-22 can guarantee target altitudes to within a couple of hundred feet. Its ability to identify an aircraft is "sometimes many times quicker than the AWACS," he says. "It was a combination of high-resolution sensors and being closer to the targets." The F-22's radar range is described only as being more than 100 mi. However, it's thought to be closer to 125-150 mi., which is much farther than the standard F-15's 56-mi. radar range. New, active electronically scanned radar technology--optimized for digital throughput--is expected to soon push next-generation radar ranges, in narrow beams, out to 250 mi. or more. The ability to close on the enemy without being targeted also allowed the F-22s to operate in threat areas where conventional fighters could not survive. This enabled the Raptor to engage targets at a greater distance from the aircraft and homeland they were defending. Raptor pilots had all the available data on the airspace fused and displayed on a single, easy-to-read screen. "When I look down at my scope and put my cursor over a [friendly] F-15 or F/A-18, it tells me who they are locked on to," he says. For example, "I could help them out by saying, 'You're double-targeted and there's a group over here untargeted' . . . to make sure we got everybody." F-15 targets will be latent because of the radar sweep. However, these messages are less and less verbal. "When you watch [tapes of the Alaska] exercise, it's fairly spooky," says Gen. Ronald Keys, chief of Air Combat Command. "There's hardly a word spoken among Raptor pilots." That silence also previews some of the fighter's possible future capabilities. "Because of the way the aircraft was designed, we have the capability to do more," Keys says. "We can put unmanned combat aircraft systems in there with Raptor. You've got three fairly low-observable UCAS in the battlespace. An air defense system pops up, and I click on a UCAS icon and drag it over [the emitter's location] and click. The UCAS throttles over and jams it, blows it up or whatever." In Alaska, because the F-22 remained far forward at high altitude, with an advanced radar it could monitor rescue missions that the AWACS 150 mi. away could not. "We could see the helicopters down in the valleys and protect them," Tolliver says. In addition to AWACS, the F-22 also can feed data to the RC-135 Rivet Joint signals intelligence aircraft to improve situational awareness of the battlespace. "If a Rivet Joint is trying to get triangulation [on a precise emitter location], he can get more [voice] information" from an F-22, Keys says. "If an AWACS sees a heavy group 40 mi. to the north, Raptor can come up and say it's two F-18s, two F-15s and four F-16s." Moreover, Keys says, modifications are underway to transmit additional target parameters--such as sensitive, high-resolution infrared data--from the F-22 with a low-probability-of-intercept data link. "Getting data into an F-22 is not hard," Keys says. "Getting it out [while staying low observable] is more difficult. We bought the links, but we just don't have them on yet." The F-22's advanced electronic surveillance sensors also provided additional awareness of ground activity. "I could talk to an EA-6B Prowler electronic attack crew and tell them where a surface-to-air missile site was active so they would immediately know where to point their electronic warfare sensors," Tolliver says. "That decreased their targeting time line considerably." In addition, the F-22 can use its electronic surveillance capabilities to conduct precision bombing strikes on emitters--a capability called destruction of enemy air defenses. "And future editions of the F-22 are predicted to have to have their own electronic attack capability so that we'll be able to suppress or nonkinetically kill a site like that," he says. The F-22's operating altitude and additional speed during the Alaska exercise also garnered praise. "We stayed high because it gives us an extra kinetic advantage with shooting, speed and fuel consumption," Tolliver says. "The Raptor typically flies way higher than everybody else and it handles like a dream at those altitudes." Tolliver wouldn't confirm the operating altitude, but Pentagon officials have put it at 65,000 ft., which is at least 15,000 ft. higher than the other fighters. "There were times we went lower, maybe to visually identify a threat or if we were out of Amraams and there was a bandit sneaking in at low altitude," he says. "The Raptor would roll in and kill him with a heat-seeking missile." The lopsided combat ratio resulted because, "they never saw us," Tolliver says. "We got there without being detected, and we killed them rapidly. We didn't do any major turning. It's not that the J-Turn maneuver isn't fun, but we didn't get a chance to use it." The F-22's Mach 1.5 supercruise capability also got a workout in Alaska. Because only eight F-22s were ever airborne at once during the exercise, four of them were constantly involved in refueling from tankers flying orbits 150 mi. away. Supercruise got the fighters there and back quickly. On station, the fighter would conserve fuel by cruising at high altitude. "We also used supercruise quite a bit because the fight was on such a large scale," Tolliver says. "The airspace was roughly 120 mi. by 140 mi. We could sit up at high altitude and save our gas and watch. We don't hang out at Mach 1.5. With our acceleration, when we saw the threats building, because we could see them so far out, we'd dump the nose over, light the burners and we were right up to fighting speed." During a typical day in the Alaska "war," 24 air-to-air fighters, including up to eight F-22s, defended their aerial assets and homeland for 2.5 hr. Air Force F-15s and F-16s and Marine F/A-18s simulated up to 40 MiG-29s, Su-22s, Su-24s, Su-27s and Su-30s (which regenerated into 103 enemy sorties in a single period). They carried AA-10s A to F, Archers, AA-12 Adders and the Chinese-built PL-12. These were supported by SA-6, SA-10 and SA-20 surface to air missiles and an EA-6B for jamming. Each day, the red air became stronger and carried more capability. As a result of all the emitters in the battlespace, the F-22's ability to map the electronic order of battle (EOB)--what's emitting and from where--proved critical. "I love intel, but it's only as good as the last time [analysts] got a data update, which could have been hours or even a day earlier," Tolliver says. An F-22 "gets rid of the time delay. I can plot an EOB in real time. I'm not saying we're better than a Rivet Joint, but I can go places that it can't. If he's 150 mi. away, he's probably not going to be able to plot a high-fidelity threat location as quickly as I can." The adversaries were wily and didn't want to lose. "We had guys running in at 500 ft. off the deck," Tolliver says. "We had guys flying in at 45,000-50,000 ft. doing Mach 1.6, trying to shoot me before I know they are there. They would mass their forces and try to win with sheer numbers. None of it worked." A tactic used by the F-22s was actually developed and practiced in smaller scale at Langley before the exercise. Raptors worked in pairs, integrated with F-15Cs or F/A-18E/Fs. "I could help target for them from behind and above," Tolliver says. "We really don't have a name for what we were doing other than integrated ops. I was able to look down and smartly target F-15s or F/A-18s to groups at ranges where they could not yet [detect] the target." Yet, there are a number of F-22 capabilities that are shrouded in mystery, including electronic attack, information warfare and cruise missile defense. "It's no secret that one of our mods is to put electronic attack on board and then we will play a role in combating networks," Tolliver says. "We're already involved in the collection part. When we come back from a mission, we have the ability to download EOB data that's turned into intelligence pictures. This makes us an intelligence platform doing nontraditional ISR by bringing back emitter data so that teams can go out and conduct information operations." The next step will be to pass the detailed information about surface-to-air missile locations, capabilities and emission details (called parametrics). "If I have characterized, say an SA-10, I can send it verbally to AWACS and they can send it out to other platforms," says Maj. Shawn Anger, an F-22 instructor with the 43rd Fighter Sqdn. at Tyndall AFB, Fla. However, "I can't pass the parametrics characterization. Hopefully, we'll be able to shoot it up the radar"--a new capability for the radar, which is being developed to send large, high-bandwidth imagery files.

HCDB-070105 Aircraft: EH101 ASH - Italy MC-130W - USA MiG-29G - Germany Su-30MKA - Algeria UH-72A Lakota - USA Ships/Mobile Land Units: Aditya AOR - India BAC AOE - Spain Bereg Bty - Russia Jalashva LPD - India Jyoti AOR - India Kora (Type 25A) FFL - India Kirch (Type 25A) FFL - India Nicobar TRAN - India Petr Velikiy BCGN - Russia SAM RBS23 BAMSE Bty - Intl SAM SA-20b Gargoyle Bty - Intl Seaward Defence Boat - India Shardul LST - India Installations: Balad Airbase - Iraq Hydroelectric Dam - Intl

A new version of the Harpoon Classic Commander's Edition (HCCE) Database (HCDB-070105) is now available. Get it at HarpGamer via the DB Share button. New additions (or overhauls of existing entries) include: Aircraft: EH101 ASH - Italy MC-130W - USA MiG-29G - Germany Su-30MKA - Algeria UH-72A Lakota - USA Ships/Mobile Land Units: Aditya AOR - India BAC AOE - Spain Bereg Bty - Russia Jalashva LPD - India Jyoti AOR - India Kora (Type 25A) FFL - India Kirch (Type 25A) FFL - India Nicobar TRAN - India Petr Velikiy BCGN - Russia SAM RBS23 BAMSE Bty - Intl SAM SA-20b Gargoyle Bty - Intl Seaward Defence Boat - India Shardul LST - India Installations: Balad Airbase - Iraq Hydroelectric Dam - Intl Starting the New Year right. Enjoy !

The CIC Warfare Plotter is a nifty little tool created by Stratsims. You can read more about it here.

How about some pics ?

From Flight International Russia gets first new fighters for 15 years as Sukhoi Su-34 debuts By Vladimir Karnozov First two jets delivered for combat training centre Moscow plans to buy 200 in total Sukhoi's Novosibirsk Aviation Industrial Association (NAPO) has delivered the first two production Su-34s to the Russian air force, marking the service's first induction of new fighters since 1992. The multi-role fighter-bombers will initially be based in Lipetsk at the air force's combat training centre, where Su-34 tactics and weapons delivery techniques will be developed. Together with six more Su-34s due to be delivered in 2007 and 10 in 2008, the aircraft will join Russia's front-line bomber force and be declared operational in 2010. The Russian air force plans to operate 57 aircraft by 2015 and eventually a total of 200, says commander-in-chief Gen Vladimir Mikhailov. The NAPO plant has built eight Su-27IB/Su-32/Su-34 prototypes and last year aircraft No 8 was accepted by the air force as a specimen for series production. Mikhailov says the service will transition smoothly from the Su-24 to the Su-34, with the former being phased out "some time in the 2020s". Some of the Su-24s are being upgraded to the Su-24M2 standard at NAPO and other Russian air force repair stations. NAPO delivered four Su-24M2s in 2006. Sukhoi general director Mikhail Pogosyan says the potential export market for the Su-34 is estimated at 100-200 aircraft, raising the potential production run to 300-400 units. The type is expected to stay in production at NAPO for over 20 years, well after the fifth-generation PAK FA fighter is due to enter service. Pogosyan says more than 350 Sukhoi fighters have been delivered in the past decade and he expects 100 aircraft to be assembled each year from 2010, although more than half of these will be civil aircraft types. In its current production configuration, the Su-34 is equipped with standard NPO Saturn AL-31F engines and the Leninets passive phased-array radar. "Although this aircraft was designed with higher-thrust engines in mind, the current production AL-31F appeared sufficient to meet the Russian air force specification," says Sukhoi. "In future we will replace them with a more powerful model, either MMPP Salyut AL-31F-M2/3s or NPO Saturn 117Ss." The manufacturer says the Leninets radar will later receive an active array antenna, adding: "Although the radar already has very high performance, we are planning a further increase in its capabilities."

From DefenseNews U.S. Tries Putting Patriots on F-15s By KRIS OSBORN U.S. fighter jets laden with Patriot missiles may one day help shoot down incoming ballistic missiles, Lockheed Martin officials said. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control is working with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to put Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles under the wing of an F-15 fighter, said Mike Trotsky, the division’s vice president. The firm is working under a contract from 2005 worth roughly $2 million. A new contract, expected to be worth about $3 million, will start work with other fighter planes. “We’re looking at the F-16. F-22, F-35, F-15,” said Trotsky. Developers say the PAC-3, which is normally fired from ground launch tubes, could be fitted on fighter jets, whose speed and maneuverability can put them in a better position to fire upon incoming missiles. Trotsky outlined various threat scenarios under which “a PAC-3 on an aircraft would be in a position to take the shot.” Another advantage, Lockheed officials say, is that PAC-3-equipped tactical aircraft could intercept an approaching threat in a much less expensive fashion than diverting Aegis ships or Patriot battalions for the mission. The program, called Air-Launch Hit-to-Kill (ALHTK), is being developed for boost phase intercepts as well as for homeland defense against cruise missiles or tactical ballistic missiles. A statement from Lockheed developers said “the weight of the PAC-3 and any associated launch container will be well within the capabilities of the aircraft mentioned.” The plane’s sensors would feed fire-control data to the missile, developers said.

The possibility of naming the next carrier the USS Gerald Ford came up in about June 2006. And while I (like most, it seems, at least around here) am not particularly fond of naming warships after politicians, I do have to admit that its more palatable now that the man is deceased (as weird as that may sound).

From Defense Aerospace Antony Favours Brahmos Model to Develop World-Class Defence Products (Source: Indian Ministry of Defence; issued Dec. 28, 2006) Defence Minister Shri AK Antony has favoured more BrahMos-type cooperation with industry to develop world class defence products for the country. Speaking to a large number of scientists, industrialists and service personnel from both Russia and India after his maiden visit to the missile centre here today, Shri Antony said the fastest supersonic cruise missile BrahMos has given a boost to the country's defence preparedness with its speed, precision and power. He desired the quick development of the air version of the missile for its early induction into the Indian Air Force. The Indian Army and the Indian Navy have already accepted the missile for induction and placed the order for production. The serial production of the missile has already started. The Defence Minister spent over two hours at the BrahMos Aerospace Complex in the capital and was briefed by its Chief Dr A Shivathanu Pillai, Joint Managing Director Mr. Alexander Maksichev and other top scientists. A large number of senior officials and technologists including Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Gokhale, Director General Artillery Lt Gen AS Bajwa, representatives from the Russian Embassy, senior officers of the three services and captains of various public and private industries involved in the project were present on the occasion. Shri Antony visited the BrahMos exposition, where he was shown and briefed about the technological complexity and the superiority of this world's best supersonic cruise missile. Among the notable features in the exposition, which caught Shri Antony's interest, where the displays depicting the long association of India and Russia in various fields. The Minister was particularly impressed at the capabilities of this missile to be launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air. He was given a video demonstration of all the past missile firings. The Minister also visited the BrahMos technology exhibition to witness the full scale missile hardware and acquainted himself with the process of missile integration, for which, elaborate facilities have been established at Hyderabad. The BrahMos design team briefed him on the major plans currently being undertaken by them and also the future plans. BrahMos the world's best supersonic cruise missile has evolved out of the joint efforts of Indian and Russian scientists, under the joint venture company BrahMos Aerospace, DRDO of India and NPO Mashinostroyenia of Russia along with a consortium of Indian and Russian industries. The company came into existence consequent to an Inter-Governmental agreement signed between the two countries in Feb. 1998. The acronym BrahMos is perceived as the confluence of two great nations represented by two great rivers, the fury of River Brahmaputra of India and the grace of River Moscowa of Russia. The aim is to design, develop, produce and market the Supersonic Cruise Missile, BrahMos. The world has been dominated all along by subsonic cruise missile due to their capability and universality of being launched from different platforms, low altitude and precision attack capabilities. Supersonic cruise missiles have the advantage of speed and higher kinetic energy on impact ensuring lethal effect giving virtually no time to the enemy to react. The future therefore lies in supersonic cruise missile. Seeing the opportunity India has straight away leapfrogged in the area of missile technology by going in for the development of a supersonic cruise missile taking advantage of the development effort in Russia in the Ramjet engine technology through the joint venture partnership. The missile can fly at 2.8 times the speed of sound. It can carry warheads up to 200 kg in weight and has a maximum range of 290 km. The missile is capable of being launched from multiple platforms based on land, sea, sub-sea and air. The modular design of the missile and its capability of being launched at different orientations enable it to be integrated with a wide spectrum of platforms like warships, submarines, different types of aircraft, Mobile Autonomous Launcher and silos. The company started its activities in the year 1998. The capabilities of the missile have been demonstrated in twelve successive successful flight tests starting from June 2001. Combat firing of the missile have been conducted in April 2005. Large amount of potential exists for export of the missile. Various countries have shown their interests for purchase of the missile. Due to high performance of the product, BrahMos will have the competitive edge in the world market.

Congratulations to the winners. Well deserved. Hope you enjoy those very nice prizes. (And a special thanks to Tony for going above and beyond in keeping the community's Pooner awards very much alive and well. Great job !)

Happy New Year from HarpGamer ! Hope you have a good one.

Looks like you handed the Russkies their butts on Day One. Nice AAR !

HCDB-061224 Aircraft: CH-149 Cormorant - Canada E-737 (E-X) - South Korea EH101 CSAR - Portugal EH101 SAR - Portugal EH101 SIFICAP - Portugal MCH-101 - Japan Merlin Mk 512 - Denmark RA-5C Vigilante - USA Ships/Mobile Land Units: SAM Chu-SAM Bty - Intl Submarines: Barracuda SSN - France

A new version of the Harpoon Classic Commander's Edition (HCCE) Database (HCDB-061224) is now available. Get it at HarpGamer via the DB Share button. New additions (or overhauls of existing entries) include: Aircraft: CH-149 Cormorant - Canada E-737 (E-X) - South Korea EH101 CSAR - Portugal EH101 SAR - Portugal EH101 SIFICAP - Portugal MCH-101 - Japan Merlin Mk 512 - Denmark RA-5C Vigilante - USA Ships/Mobile Land Units: SAM Chu-SAM Bty - Intl Submarines: Barracuda SSN - France Merry Christmas !

Couple of nice pics from the manufacturer's Code One magazine:

From BBC News "... one of the most potent symbols of Cold War division of Germany and of Europe."

From DefenseNews Posted 12/21/06 14:59 France Orders Six Nuclear Subs By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, PARIS The French government ordered six Barracuda nuclear submarines on Dec. 21 for 7.9 billion euros ($10.4 billion), the defense ministry said. The attack submarines, which are propelled by nuclear power but do not carry nuclear weapons, have been ordered from France’s state-owned naval shipyards DCN and from Areva-Technicatome and were due to be delivered from 2016. ”The Barracuda program constitutes an essential part of (France’s) submarine fleet for the next 50 years,” a ministry statement said. The new subs are due to replace France’s Rubis-type models, some of which have been in service for 20 years. French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie had said in October that the contract for the new program was to be ratified by the end of the year.

From DefenseNews Posted 12/21/06 15:10 New Submarine To Be Delivered to U.S. Navy Early By CHRISTOPHER P. CAVAS General Dynamics Electric Boat is expected to deliver the new submarine Hawaii to the U.S. Navy on Dec. 22, several weeks ahead of schedule. The Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine earlier had been scheduled for a March 31, 2007 delivery, but shipbuilders Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman Newport News worked to speed up delivery in order to hold down construction costs, shipyard officials have said. Capt. Dave Johnson, the Navy’s Virginia-class program manager, confirmed the expected new delivery date. The Hawaii ran a series of builder and acceptance trials in December to check out its systems. The submarine is the third Virginia-class submarine to be completed. The Virginia was delivered in October 2004, and the Texas was turned over to the Navy in June. The Electric Boat and Newport News shipyards cooperate equally in building the SSN 774 Virginia-class submarines, with each yard responsible for specific portions of the ships. The yards alternate in final assembly of the submarines. Electric Boat builds major portions of the subs at its Quonset Point, R.I., facility and assembles ships in Groton, Conn., while Northrop Grumman’s work is done at Newport News, Va. The Hawaii is expected to be formally commissioned by the Navy in the spring and, after final outfitting, will be based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

That's good stuff, Pete, thanks. I should be around on IRC tonite.