http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gene...0Cockpit%20Mods
By Alon Ben-David
Tel Aviv
Israel is pressing ahead with its purchase of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, after securing U.S. approval to install Israeli munitions on the aircraft and a pledge to adjust the electronic warfare suite to emerging Middle East threats.
“The aircraft will be designated F-35I, as there will be unique Israeli features installed in them,” a senior Israel air forceofficial tells Aviation Week.
Israel’s initial batch will be almost identical to the international JSF offered to other countries, with one difference: The F-35s manufactured for Israel will include several cockpit interfaces to accommodate the air force’s command, control, communications, computer and intelligence systems. The F-35 main computer will enable a plug-and-play feature for Israeli equipment
The U.S. also is not standing in the way of an Israeli requirement to install a 600-gal. detachable fuel tank to increase the F-35’s range. Although the deployment would undermine the JSF’s stealth benefit, “in some missions, you can fly nonstealthy part of the way and become stealthy as you enter the danger zone,” explains the air force official, hinting at a potential confrontation with Iran.
However, the fielding timeline for the JSF means it does not feature in any possible near-term Israeli plans to attack Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Moreover, several senior officers of the Israel Defense Forces and defense ministry officials still think the F-35’s limited payload capability and range should have driven Israel to consider other alternatives, such as more F-15s.
The air force has won that argument, although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still has to endorse the decision of the defense minister, Ehud Barak, to proceed with the purchase. Negotiations with Lockheed Martin on the specific costs are ongoing, but the air force plans to begin receiving its fighters in 2015.
According to the agreement now being formalized, Israel will pay $2.75 billion for the procurement, including support and training costs. Israel hopes to buy 20 fighters for that money, although that will require further cost-cutting by Lockheed Martin, as that amount would currently only pay for 19 of the aircraft.
The air force plans to receive the first JSF for test flights in the U.S. in 2015. Three aircraft would be delivered in 2015, and another three in 2016. The rest would follow in 2017.
Years of negotiations on Israeli requirements to install indigenous technologies on the F-35 as well as to include Israeli industries in the project were concluded during a meeting between Netanyahu and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on July 7.
Israel was forced to realize that the highly integrated electronics structure of the F-35 will not enable installment of its own electronic warfare systems on top of the aircraft’s EW suite, and that the U.S. will not grant Israel the source code to alter threat and jamming libraries. Instead, the two countries agreed on a mechanism by which the U.S. will make the required software changes to meet any new threat that might emerge in the region.
For nonstealth missions requiring an active EW system, Israel will be able to fit an external jamming pod on its JSFs.
Owing to a concerted Rafael push, Israel also insisted that it be able to install its future air-to-air missile in the aircraft’s internal weapon bays. While the successor of Rafael’s Python 5 is not even on the drawing board, Israel believes the current U.S.-made air-to-air missiles offered with the F-35 will not be sufficient.
However, Israel is planning to develop an air-to-air derivative of the Stunner dual-mode (radar, infrared) missile, which is being developed by Rafael and Raytheon as part of the David’s Sling counter-missile and rocket system. One threat it aims to neutralize is from “U.S.-made fighters equipped with advanced radars,” says the Israeli air force source, hinting at the pending sale to Saudi Arabia of F-15s equipped with an active, electronically scanned array radar.
An additional requirement is the capacity to install Rafael’s Spice air-to-ground guided bomb in the F-35’s internal bay. In order to fit the Spice internally, Rafael will be required to make structural changes in the weapon, which will demand defense ministry development funding.
Now the air force must develop a proper operational doctrine for the fighter. Several officers admit that while trying the F-35’s simulator, they flew at low altitude, disregarding the aircraft’s stealth capability. “It is always like that with new aircraft,” says the air force source. “We will not be able to fully appreciate the JSF’s capabilities until we receive it.”
The focus also shifts to hammering out details of the purchase plan and, with Lockheed Martin, the procurement cost and payment schedule. Israel will seek a loan to finance the contract and keep payments low in the first year, with the bulk of the money flowing in 2014-15.
Lockheed Martin’s willingness to allow Israeli industrial participation in the project, with work worth $4 billion, sweetened the deal for Israel. The main beneficiaries will be Israel Aerospace Industries, which will build wing parts for the F-35, and Elbit Systems, which provides the helmet-mounted display. Israeli government officials still hope to drive the workshare through the program’s life to $5 billion.
The letter of agreement, which will be issued soon, will call for the acquisition of 75 JSFs. However, following the first batch of 19-20 aircraft, Israel will not be able to fund procurement of more than another 20-25. The air force fighter fleet will thus decrease, as Israel will be forced to decommission its aging F-16A/B fighters before the end of the decade. With 60 F-16 “Netzs” currently in service and only 40-45 new F-35 fighters to be acquired, the order of battle will shrink by nearly 20 fighter aircraft.
ראשי
צ'אט
15-08-2010, 15:43
מר רוג - כי החיים קצרים מדי לשמות מלאים 
).
מצב כלאיים
