The IAF force matrix for the coming years revolves around the 270 Sukhoi-30MKIs contracted from Russia for around $12 billion, the 126 MMRCA and 120 indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, apart from upgraded MiG-29s and Mirage-2000s.

In the decades ahead, the advanced stealth FGFA to be developed with Russia will be the mainstay of India's combat fleet. "Our FGFA will be cheaper than the F-35. Moreover, the intellectual property rights of the FGFA will equally and jointly vest on both India and Russia, with full access to the source code and the like,'' said another senior official.

With a potent mix of super-manoeuvrability and supersonic cruising ability, the "swing-role'' FGFA will of course not come cheap. The cost of designing, infrastructure build-up, prototype development and flight testing has been pegged at around $11 billion, with India and Russia chipping in with $5.5 billion each.

Over and above this, each of the 250-300 FGFA India hopes to begin inducting from 2020 onwards will cost around $100 million each. In all, India will spend upwards of $35 billion over the next two decades in its biggest-ever defence project till now.

The Indian FGFA will primarily be based on the single-seater Sukhoi T-50, the prototype of which is already flying in Russia, but will include a twin-seater version and a more powerful engine with greater thrust.

"Its complete design will be frozen by the end of the 18-month PDC. Six to seven of its prototypes should be flying by 2017. After that, there will be 2,500 hours of flight-testing over 25 months before the series production begins in 2019,'' he said.

Lockheed Martin, which is working with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems, is developing three versions of the aircraft, which are being designed for ground attack as well as reconnaissance missions.
The F-35A is designed to replace the F-16 and A-10 of the US Air Force, while the F-35C is designed for deployment on aircraft carriers to supplant to F-18, and the F-35B would have a vertical takeoff capacity and replace Harrier aircraft.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has warned the cost overruns cannot continue and expressed particular concern over the short take-off and vertical landing variant.

"The culture of endless money that has taken hold must be replaced by a culture of restraint," he said recently.

For the short-takeoff version, Gates has ordered "the equivalent of a two-year probation," adding that "if we cannot fix this variant during this time frame and get it back on track in terms of performance, cost and schedule, then I believe it should be canceled."

As part of a cost-saving drive, the Pentagon chief has decided to delay the purchase of 124 of the 449 units of this version until 2016.
Another bone of contention is a second engine being developed for the fighter by General Electric and Rolls Royce in case the Pratt & Whitney engine is not up to par. Gates contends this second engine is "unneeded."

Private analysts say the whole F-35 program is becoming a money pit.
"The incredibly unfortunate phrase 'too big to fail' applies to this aircraft more than any other defense program," said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace industry analyst with the Teal Group.

"It's difficult to think of a civil or military program in the past decade that hasn't experienced similar delays and cost overruns."

Still, it may be hard to make many changes to the F-35 program because Britain and seven other countries have been closely involved in its development.

The United States is covering 90 percent of the cost of the development but has participation from Britain, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Australia. 

Other nations, including Israel and Singapore, have signed contracts to buy the plane.

"The US wants a globalized JSF program for a combination of strategic and economic reasons," said Aboulafia.

"It greatly simplifies logistics, training and doctrine for coalition warfighting. Dominating the military aerospace export business is certainly a strong draw, too. It's as much an industrial policy as a fighter."

F-35:
Sukhoi’s T-50  PAK FA:

The Sukhoi PAK FA is a fifth-generation jet fighter being developed by Sukhoi for the Russian Air Force.The current prototype is Sukhoi’s T-50. The PAK FA, when fully developed, is intended to replace the MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker in the Russian inventory and serve as the basis of the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA project being developed with India. As a  fifth generation jet fighter, it is designed to directly compete with Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. The T-50 performed its first flight January 29, 2010.Its second flight was on February 6 and its third on February 12. As of August 31, 2010, it made 17 flights in total.Sukhoi director Mikhail Pogosyan has projected a market for 1,000 aircraft over the next four decades, which will be produced in a joint venture with India, two hundred each for Russia and India and six hundred for other countries.He has also said that the Indian contribution would be in the form of joint work under the current agreement rather than as a joint venture. The Indian Air Force will “acquire 50 single-seater fighters of the Russian version” before the two seat FGFA is developed. The Russian Defense Ministry will purchase the first ten aircraft after 2012 and then 60 after 2016.



Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA):


The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), formerly known as the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA), is a twin-engined 5th generation stealth multirole fighter being developed by India. It will complement the HAL Tejas, the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA, the Sukhoi Su-30MKI and the yet undecided MRCA in the Indian Air Force. The main purpose of this aircraft is to replace the aging SEPECAT Jaguar & Dassault Mirage 2000. The Medium Combat Aircraft [MCA] is envisioned as a replacement for the British Jaguar and Mirage 2000 the IAF flies, which as of 2002 were to be phased out by 2015. Development costs were expected to be over US $2 billion. At that time, India’s DRDO intended to develop a stealth Medium Combat Aircraft, a further extension of its LCA design, in order to replace the Jaguar and Mirage inventory beginning around 2010.The MCA designers plan to pursue technologies superior to anything currently on offer. India’s aeronautical designers see the MCA programme as crucial for taking forward the expertise that has been painstakingly accumulated in the Tejas LCA programme.


J-XX Stealth Fighter:


China has already launched its next generation stealth fighter aircraft programme, and Shenyang Aircraft Industry Co. (SAC) has been selected to head research and development of a new fighter for the PLA Air Force (PLAAF). According to the reports, development of the subsystems including the engine and weapon suite for the next generation fighter, which was code named by the Western intelligence as J-XX, has been underway for some time. Images of the concepts show a twin-engine aircraft sharing some design traits with Lockheed Martin’s stealth F/A-22 “Raptor” multirole fighter such as the internal carriage of its weapons.

Not too much public information about the programme is available at the moment. Sources within China’s confirmed that the SAC is looking at a twin-engine, single-seat, single vertical tale fin design, but other design proposals has yet been ruled out.  As China has developed close ties with Russia’s aerospace industry and has license produced many planes of formal Soviet designs, it can be predicted that the J-XX would include some, if not many Russian technologies and designs. China has been offered a ‘joint development and production’ of a new fifth-generation fighter by Russia -LFI. Russia has been trying to sell this concept both to China and India for some time, but neither of them has committed fully yet. Stealth and thrust vectoring are two must-have features in all aircraft being designed in the 21st century. It is not clear that how much progress Chinese designers have made in these areas, and Chinese aircraft industry may have to take Western/Israeli/Russian helps to make the J-XX truly fouth-generation (or fifth-generation using the Russian standards). Once introduced, the J-12′s immediate rival will be U.S. F/A-22, JSF and India’s MCA (Medium Combat Aircraft).


JASDF Stealth Fighter ATD-X:


JASDF (Japan Air Self-Defense Forces) planners have been attempting to acquire the American F-22 Raptor jet fighter to replace their current F-15 Eagle fighter planes. The F-22 Raptor is packed with the latest avionics and stealth technology but its high tech features have the Pentagon concerned about security leaks. Even though the United States would lose out financially by not selling Japan the F-22, security issues are front & center these days and Japan is now looking to its own aircraft designers to provide a home-grown solution.


The Mitsubishi ATD-X Shinshin is a Japanese aircraft being developed by the Ministry of Defense Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) for research purposes. ATD-X is an acronym which represents “Advanced Technology Demonstrator – X”. The main contractor is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. This aircraft will be used as a technology demonstrator and research prototype to determine whether domestic advanced technologies for a fifth generation fighter aircraft are viable. The aircraft’s first flight is scheduled for 2014. The design of the aircraft reflects those of several American fourth and fifth generation fighters, most notably the F-22. Japan is set to develop its own next-generation stealth fighter jets to reduce its dependence on foreign technology and counter similar moves by China and Russia.

F-35-JSF-Fighter

The tranche ofF-35s, known as low-rate-initial production Lot-4 (LRIP-4), is seen asa crucial bellwether to the survival of the program.

Lockheed officials have said since April that the final price ofLRIP-4 will be more than 20 percent below damning 2009 Pentagonestimates predicting the planes would cost $76 million per unit in 2010dollars. Schwartz backed up this claim, saying the final price will bebelow the 2009 Pentagon estimates.

In June, executives fromLockheed said that the LRIP-4 deal was nearly finished. Schwartz didnot comment on why the LRIP-4 has not been signed.

When askedabout the progress of negotiations in late August, company spokesmanJohn Kent would only say that "negotiations are protracted and ongoing.This is the first of many fixed-price contracts, and it is critical forboth parties to get a full understanding of the terms and conditions asit will be the benchmark for all future contracts. We anticipate a fairsettlement soon."
 Courtasy

Israel's defense minister Lt. General (Ret) Ehud Barak has given thego-ahead to a $2.75 billion purchase of 20 Lockheed Martin F-35ILightning II fighter jets.
The new fighter will be provided along withan integral support package, sustaining the aircraft through itsservice life. The decision has yet to pass the approval of the Israeligovernment. The purchase will be funded by U.S. military aid to Israel.Israel originally planned to buy 75 such planes, with an initial optionof 25 aircraft. According to Israel MOD sources, the flyaway cost ofthese aircraft will be $96 million, but this cost reflects only the netplatform price.

The expenses including the preparation of the new squadron, initialinfrastructure, logistical and support package is expected eventuallyto exceed $150 million per plane. Given the additional integration costof locally developed Israeli systems planned for integration into thishighly complex aircraft, the cost is expected to rise significantly forthe fully equipped F-35Is in following years. Furthermore, for theseenhancement and adaptations Israel may have to rely on local currencyfunding, unlike the aircraft acquisition program that will be fundedentirely by the annual U.S. aid amounting over $2 billion per year.

How Much it Really Costs?

What Price InJuly this year Canada has ordered 65 F-35As fora total amount of C$9billion, reflecting a flyaway cost of $138 million. According toLockheed Martin, the Canadian F-35A is configured as the least costlyversion of the aircraft offered at a cost of US$60 million peraircraft. The remaining amount reflect training, logistics and supportcosts. Israel is expected to opt for one of the more expensive versionsof the stealth fighter, therefore it was priced slightly above theaverage cost of the F-35A (US$92.5 million). The manufacturer LockheedMartin is offering the new fighter with turnkey life cycle supportprogram. Although the cost and specific details of these supportpackages has not been announced yet, given the high readiness levelrequired by the IAF, U.S. analysts have determined the estimated lifecycle cost of the aircraft could reach up to $380 million.
Israeli pilots will begin training on the new aircraft by 2014 and thefirst aircraft are expected to arrive in Israel by 2015. The firstsquadron could become operational in less than two years at one of theIsrael Air Force (IAF) southern air bases. Four Israeli pilots havealready flew in the F-35 simulator in the U.S.A. The F-35 cockpit andavionics are not strange to the Israelis. Elbit Systems is the supplierof the advanced Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS), which providesthe pilot's primary interface with the aircraft.
Thedecision marks the culmination of a debate within the Israel defenseestablishment about the high cost of the program. Some argued thatcommitting such a large portion of the annual defense budget to asingle acquisition program is not justifiable, and that Israel shouldseek less costly alternatives for the modernization of its air force,especially, given the changing priorities of Israel's defense. Othersclaim that the fielding of the world's most advanced fifth generationaircraft creates an important deterrence, while maintaining the IAFqualitative edge over its regional opponents. Another issue was theinclusion of indigenous Israeli systems in this Fifth Generationfighter aircraft.
The initial F-35I will representstandard F-35A models. However, the F-35I acquisition agreement isopening opportunities for the installation of Israeli systems in futureproduction batches. These opportunities will also open the aircraft formarketing Israeli systems to other air forces, reflecting anopportunity worth several billions of dollars for the local industry.Maj. General (ret) Udi Shani, Director Israel of Israel MOD has statedthat the acquisition agreement also includes a framework for buybackpurchasing from the Israeli industry worth $4 billion. The introductionof Israeli components, systems and technologies into the world's newestfighter plane will also open a potential market opportunity worth about$5 billion among the aircraft users.

New Opportunities for Israeli Systems

The airframe,subsystems and components for the current models of the F-35 – the landbased F-35A, Carrier model F-35C and Short TakeOff Vertical Landing(STOL) F-35B are all contracted, but some of the weapons systems areyet to be decided, and open future opportunities for the Israelis.Among these are the air/air missiles – the types currently consideredfor the F-35 are the U.S. made AIM-9X, and AMRAAM, and European ASRAAMand Meteor. The Israelis could opt for the Stunner missile (Python 6)under development under a joint venture between Rafael and Raytheon.
TheStunner will provide a common missile that could replace both AIM-9Xand AMRAAM with a single missile. The missile is currently indevelopment a surface-to-air missile, due for first deployment in 2013.Its specifications have already been set to enable carriage andoperation by the F-35. Another weapon considered for the aircraft isthe Spice guided weapon. These weapons will be instrumental for thestealth fighter's 'first day' missions, where the networked-stealthfighters are expected to be penetrate and destroy enemy air defenses,paving the way for other strike fighters in their missions againstairfields, air defenses, and enemy fighters, to achieve air supremacy.Currently RAFAEL is offering a 2,000 lb and 1,000 lb versions of theSpice, all these weapons can be fitted within the F-35's internalweapons bay. The 500 lb version of the Spice, currently in development,could introduce multiple weapon carriage capability for the F-35, alongwith a full load of air-to-air missiles.
Communicationssystems will introduce another opportunity for the Israeli industry. Tointegrate within the Israeli command and control system the F-35I willhave to carry suitable datalinks, satellite communications terminalsand air to ground radios, to ensure integration with the IAF networkcentric system. The IAF may have to settle with the baseline systems,designed to maintain the aircraft low-observability. Yet theintegration of local protocols and waveforms is mandatory for the longrun, either on individual aircraft or over manned or unmanned supportsystems which could also offer interesting solutions for air forcesfacing the same challenge.
Another opportunity for theF-35 community is the employment of a new escort jammer developed byIsrael. Israeli EW systems are often offered with full access to theElectronic Warfare techniques generator, while U.S. jammers often relyon highly classified operating modes restricting the export of suchsystems. If the Israeli stand-off jammer can be adapted to the F-35stealth platform, it could provide an important capability that couldbe highly attractive for many F-35 users. The standoff 'escort' jammeris under development as part of collaboration between IAI/Elta andRafael could, could be adapted for the F-35, it could offer anattractive capability which is currently unavailable for export.

FORT WORTH, Texas: The F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/verticallanding (STOVL) variant has demonstrated during testing that itproduces excess vertical thrust - more than required to carry out itsmissions. The tests, conducted on a specially instrumented "hover pit,"also validated the performance of aircraft software, controls, thermalmanagement, STOVL-system hardware and other systems.
"The performance level measured was absolutely exceptional," said J.D. McFarlan, Lockheed Martin F-35Air Vehicle lead. "We demonstrated 41,100 pounds of vertical thrustagainst our requirement of 40,550 pounds. This means we will deliverexcellent margin for the vertical landing and short takeoff performancewe've committed to our STOVL customers," he said. Those customersinclude the U.S. Marine Corps, the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, and the Italian Navy and Air Force.

The F-35B is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney F135 enginedriving a Rolls-Royce lift fan. The F135 is the most powerful engineever flown in a jet fighter.
During hover-pit testing, the aircraft is anchored to a metal grate14 feet above a sloped concrete floor, separating the jet from groundeffect and enabling it to simulate free-air flight. Sensors measurethrust and the aircraft's response to pilot inputs. The testing alsodemonstrates control of the doors associated with the STOVL propulsionsystem: engine auxiliary inlet, fan inlet, fan exit, roll posts, anddoors that open to enable the Rolls-Royce three-bearing swivel duct toarticulate and vector engine thrust. In other tests, metal plates areinstalled atop the hover-pit grate, enabling engineers to observe andchart the outflow of gases from the propulsion system.
The testing demonstrates functional operation of all systemsrequired for vertical flight, and measures the installed forces andmoments on the aircraft during STOVL operations. The hover-pit testsare the final series of ground tests before airborne STOVL testingbegins.
"We've demonstrated critical performance such as inlet pressurerecovery, pitching moment, rolling and yawing moment, effective vectorangles of the exhaust, and control-input response time," said DougPearson, vice president of the F-35 Integrated Test Force. "Each ofthese measurements correlates extremely well with our computer models.The outstanding STOVL performance gives us plenty of confidence tobegin in-flight transitions to STOVL-mode flight and ultimately ourfirst vertical landing at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.,this summer."
The F-35B is the first aircraft to combine stealth with shorttakeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) capability and supersonic speed. TheF-35 is a supersonic, multi-role, 5th generation stealth fighter. Threevariants derived from a common design, developed together and using thesame sustainment infrastructure worldwide, will replace at least 13types of aircraft for 11 nations initially, making the Lightning II themost cost-effective fighter program in history.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global securitycompany that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principallyengaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integrationand sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

The first test Joint Strike Fighter(JSF) jet will cost almost just under EUR 110m which is within budget,says junior defence minister Jack de Vries in a letter to parliament onMonday, reports the Trouw.
The letter comes two days before MPs are to decide whether or not to approve the purchase of two JSF aircraft.
Selecting a replacement for the defence department’s current fleet of fighter jets is a long-running and controversial issue within the government.
Until now the actual price of the JSF has been unclear, reports theTrouw. Clarity on price is a prerequisite for two of the threecoalition parties, Labour and the orthodox ChritenUnie, to vote in favour of the acquisition, the paper says.
The JSF is made by US manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Saab is a contender for the contract.
MPs will decide on Wednesday whether to buy the first of the twotest JSFs which will be used for a series of extensive trials. Thesecond will not be ordered until next year, says the Trouw.

The Daily Star on Sunday claims that Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) are unable to fly properly in hot weather because designers of the F-35 Lightning II JSF want it to be 'stealthy' so it won't show up on enemy radar.
The knowledge gained from Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) programmeon the three JSF purchased by the MOD will be fundamental for us tofully understand the aircraft in areas such as operational andtechnical capability. We will make a decision about the furtherpurchaseof the JSF when the evaluation of the IOT&E has been completed.
Two of the JSF IOT&E aircraft will be delivered in 2011 and one in 2012.
Due to past experience we were aware of the potential issues associated with thermal management on a fifth-generation stealth platform. Therefore, in 2000 prior to the contract award, a realistic but demanding requirement for the aircraft to operate in hot conditions, and within a range of realistic operational scenarios, was set.

While meeting this requirement is a demanding task for Team JSF,design work to date together with the experience from flight tests hasindicated that the thermal management system is working to predictionsand is meeting the requirement with margin to spare.
Consequently thermal management is not currently considered to be a programme risk.
Defence Secretary John Hutton said:
"The Joint Strike Fighter will form an essential part of our Future Combat Air Capability. By purchasing three aircraft for testing, we will secure access to the development of the programme.Working alongside their US colleagues, our pilots will gain anunrivalled understanding of this awesome aircraft and its capabilities.This is a vitalprogramme for UK Defence both for the military and for industry, with over 100 UK companies involved in the programme."

Singapore is shining bright at the mega aerospace event. While itwas already favourite for defence tycoons like Dassault, Boeing andEurofighter, due to its fighter replacement programme, it advanced asignificant step in relations with United States by participating more actively in U.S.-led Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme.
Singapore is expected to increase its involvement in the United States-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme which includes the US, Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norwayand Turkey, to develop a new multi-role fighter with stealthcapabilities. According to industry sources, Singapore should, in amonth or so, join the multinational programme as a security cooperationparticipant.
In return for an undisclosedfinancial contribution, it will gain access to more frequent anddetailed updates on the programme's progress than is available tocountries not involved with the programme.

Singapore's decision to get more involved in the F-35 programmecomes a year after the Defence Ministry signed a letter of intent toparticipate. Last February, Mindef said the plane was 'a potentialcandidate' to meet the air force's 'longer-term requirements for a multi-role fighter'.

Lockheed Martin is aggressively countering the belief that the F-35Joint Strike Fighter is becoming unaffordable, claiming its cost willbe competitive with the latest F-16s and F/A-18s — if plannedproduction rates are achieved.
“If we secure theproduction volume to drive down the learning curve, we expect theacquisition cost to be approximately comparable to a similarly equipped[F/A-18E/F] or F-16 Block 60,” CEO Robert Stevens said during a mediaevent near Washington June 17.
The company isprojecting a unit recurring flyaway (URF) cost of “about $60 million”(in 2010 dollars) for the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A,including engine. This compares with the $80 million URF estimate bythe Pentagon’s Cost Analysis and Program Evaluation (CAPE) group, saysSteve O’Bryan, vice president F-35 business development.

Lockheed’sdefinition of URF is not used by the Pentagon to measure F-35 costs.Instead it uses average procurement unit cost (APUC), which includesassociated military construction and is an average across all three JSFvariants. The CAPE estimates the APUC has increased by more than 80%since the program began in 2001, to $92.4 million (in 2002 dollars).Cost growth forced the Pentagon to recertify the F-35 program in May(Aerospace DAILY, June 3).
Lockheed’s assertionis based on contracted costs for the first three lots of low-rateinitial production (LRIP), plus the negotiated price for the fourth lot— a “handshake agreement” which is expected within two weeks. O’Bryansays the aircraft price is 20% below the CAPE estimate for LRIP 3 andwill be “at least 20%” below for LRIP 4.
“Similarlyequipped” is an important caveat, as the price of the F-35 includes theradar, targeting pod, electronic warfare system, jammers,helmet-mounted display and other equipment not included in unit costsfor the F-16 and F/A-18, O’Bryan says.
Lockheedexpects to achieve its $60 million price goal for the F-35A around theend of LRIP in 2016-17, based on the assumption that production willachieve its targeted rate of between 120 and 200 aircraft a year,including production for international partners. “It depends on theramp rate,” he says.
International customers willpay a price “at or below the unit recurring flyaway cost” for an F-35A,O’Bryan says. The short-takeoff and landing F-35B and F-35C carriervariant will be more expensive than the A-model, he says.
Fromthe initial two-aircraft production lot to the negotiated price for the32-aircraft LRIP 4, Lockheed has reduced the air-vehicle cost by 50%,Stevens says. The price does not include the F135 engine, which ispurchased separately from Pratt & Whitney.
“Withadequate production volume and ramp rate, the [fifth-generation] F-35will be very competitive on price tag with fourth-generation aircraftin production today,” he says.
Whereas the firstthree lots were cost-plus, LRIP 4 is being negotiated as a fixed-priceincentive contract, two years earlier than originally planned. Stevenssays this underlines the company’s confidence in its cost estimates.

Nammo and Thales Australia signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) at Eurosatory today for a planned cooperation on the next generation aircraft ammunition.
This is driven by Norway and Australia’s involvement in the F-35fighter program and the need for a new ammunition round capable ofmeeting all requirements and ensuring lethality against both soft andhard targets. This will include cooperation on the Norwegian ammunitionconcept, APEX, and a special traininground as well as Thales’ frangible ammunition round called APFI. TheAPEX development and qualification effort is now fully funded by theNorwegian Ministry of Defense and Nammo.

“This cooperation will create a new platform for ammunition businessbetween two industry leaders. Nammo’s APEX concept is based on morethan 20 years of heritage in the aircraft ammunition business withpresence on nearly all fighter aircraftof NATO and in the western world. This will give the air forcessuperior performance both in the air combat role and in the close airsupport role” said Kjell Kringsjå, the Executive Vice president of Nammo’s Medium and Large Caliber Division.
Chris Jenkins, CEO of Thales Australia, said: “I have highexpectations for this cooperation. Not only will this create a broaderbasis for further business development, but it will also pave the wayfor industrial participation related to the F-35 programme and entryinto the aircraft ammunition area.”
“Our significant expertise in ordnance, combined with ourworld-class propellant technology, is the basis of what will be ahighly productive partnership with Nammo and a product offering thatwill appeal to a wide range of international customers.”
The Nammo Group is an international defense group specializing in design and productionof ammunition products, shoulder fired weapon systems, missile andspace propulsion systems and demilitarization services. The Nammo Groupemploys 1900 people in 7 countries.
Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace and Space,Defence, Security and Transportation markets. In 2009, the companygenerated revenues of 12.9 billion euros (equivalent of AUD 22.7billion) with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 25,000engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design,develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the mostcomplex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional internationalfootprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners.

The U.S. Air Force's top acquisition official said June 18 that theservice is not using the Pentagon's latest cost estimates as itsbaseline price in its negotiations for the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter.

"There is no vectoring by the [F-35] negotiating team" based onestimates by the Pentagon's Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation(CAPE) office released this month predicting that the overall costs ofthe airplanes could reach as high as $92 million each, David Van Buren,assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, said during abriefing. "We're focused on the instant contract proposal at hand."
The Pentagon's top weapon buyer, Ashton Carter, "holds usaccountable not to accept a will cost [estimate] but to drive for thelowest cost across the board," added Van Buren.
This means thatAir Force negotiators are pushing aggressively for what "we believe isthe appropriate cost" for the jets, Van Buren said. He did notelaborate on those numbers.
Lockheed Martin has said for monthsthat the Pentagon's initial offer for the latest batch of 32 low-rateinitial production F-35s, known as LRIP-4, was 40 percent below theCAPE's December 2009 cost estimate for the program, which at the timepegged the costs at roughly $76 million per plane in 2010 dollars.
Officialsfrom the Bethesda, Md.-based firm first said in April that the finalcontract for LRIP 4 will be signed at more than 20 percent below theDecember 2009 CAPE estimates.
On June 17, Steve O'Bryan,Lockheed's vice president of F-35 business development, reiterated thecompany's stance that its LRIP 4 jets will be priced more than 20percent below those estimates, noting that the price of its LRIP 3 lotof jets also came in at a price 20 percent below the Pentagon's 2009predictions.

ASIAN DEFENCE