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22 July 2020

USAF F-16s now to Remain “Relevant” thru 2048+… with $9 Billion EW Upgrade

Author: Dr. David L. Rockwell, Drawn From: Military Electronics Briefing

In January 2019, a new US Air Force commercial/defense consortium-led “prototyping” program was announced with the goal of deciding how to upgrade or replace hundreds of legacy Raytheon AN/ALQ-184 and Northrop Grumman AN/ALQ-131 ECM (Electronic Countermeasures) pods and other systems aboard USAF F-16s.

Though once expected to be totally replaced by the Lockheed Martin F-35, by 2018 the Air Force planned to keep the single-engined F-16 fleet flying, upgraded, and “relevant” up to 2048. The EW “prototype” program could ultimately lead to a fleet-wide electronic warfare upgrade for more than 900 USAF F-16s – worth as much as $9 billion.

16 June 2020

Super Hornet APG-79

Author: Dr. David L. Rockwell, Drawn From: Military Electronics Briefing

Raytheon’s AN/APG-79 radar with an Active Electronically-Scanned Array (AESA) antenna was developed for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, for new builds and as a retrofit replacement for Raytheon’s AN/APG-73. It provides increased detection and tracking ranges versus the mechanically-scanned APG-73...

18 May 2020

Attack Helicopters and the Three-Way, 20-Year Fighter Pod Battle

Author: Dr. David L. Rockwell, Drawn From: Military Electronics Briefing

Lockheed Martin’s AH-64D/E Apache M-TADS/PNVS (Modernized-Target Acquisition and Data System/Pilot Night Vision System) (was called Arrowhead) will be the most valuable EO/IR targeting system program over the next decade by quite a margin – Teal Group forecasts a total of more than 2,400 M-TADS/PNVS systems will ultimately be produced, with total program funding in our forecast period to be worth more than $6.2 billion (almost $1 billion annually for the next couple of years).

04 March 2020

Bomber Electronics Systems: B-1B, B-2, B-52

Author: Dr. David L. Rockwell, Drawn From: Military Electronics Briefing

Most Bomber electronics programs have been smaller and less expensive programs, either for legacy/rarely-upgraded Cold War systems (B-1B), or for lesser-capability systems (B-52), or for classified (but big) programs (B-2). We will discuss the B-2 Defensive Management System (DMS) in this update.

07 July 2020

Regional Aircraft Market

Drawn From: World Military & Civil Aircraft Briefing

The regional airliner market de­clined 5.1% by value last year. Much of this weakness was due to the tran­sition between Embraer’s E-Jet E-1 Series and the E-2, which first ar­rived last year. But there are several secular trends that are also damaging this segment, with a -5.2% com­pound annual growth rate (CAGR) in 2014-2018 and a -3.1% CAGR in 2008-2014.

03 June 2020

Future US UAV Trends

Drawn From: 2019-2020 World Military Unmanned Aerial Systems Market Profile & Forecast

The compositions and technical features of the current US UAV force was heavily shaped by short-term war requirement for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Systems were acquired to fulfill immediate tactical needs, even if not entirely ideal. With both Iraq and Afghanistan fading in the rear-view mirror, the services are beginning to take a fresher look at fu­ture UAV requirements.

07 April 2020

Six Things To Expect As Plane Makers Enter A Harrowing Downturn

Drawn From: World Military & Civil Aircraft Briefing

It’s been a long time since we’ve had a jetliner market bust cycle. Other than the 737 MAX production stop, we haven’t seen topline output fall since 2002-03. Before that, this industry had been defined by serious downturns every seven years, an unpleasant pattern that stretched back to the start of the jet age in the 1950s.

Yet as a result of this remarkable 16-year run, there’s a new generation of managers who’ve never experienced anything like what we’re about to see. For them, and as a reminder to industry veterans, here’s my guide to six things we can expect.

12 February 2020

Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle

Author: Marco A. Cáceres, Drawn From: World Space Systems Briefing

This is going to be a milestone year for US military space. Since 1994, the Air Force has relied on the EELV (Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle) program to launch its satellites. The central feature of EELV has been to ensure regular, flexible access to space by having two available launch vehicle programs from which to choose. It’s a kind of insurance plan in case one vehicle fails and it is unable to launch again soon.

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