Daily Archives: October 11, 2016

Brazil seeking exports sales for ALAC anti-armour weapon

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84 mm ALAC (Arma Leve Anti-Carro)

The ALAC ( The rma L eve A nti c arro) or recoilless rifle Disposable 84mm is a recoilless rifle anti-tank 84mm shoulder designed for single use in the approximate antitank combat, produced by the Brazilian Army Technology Center (CTEx) in partnership with GESPI Aeronautics, a company specializing in maintenance and repair of aeronautical and industrial turbines. It was planned as part of the National Defense Strategy , which aims, among other objectives, toadvance the technological growth of the Brazilian army .

It is an analog of AT-4 , one of the anti-tank weapons more sold in the world, with changes to the operation. Source wikiwand.com

Techincal Data:

Weight and Dimensions		Characteristics
Rocket Caliber: 84 mm		Muzzle Velocity: 240 m/s
Total lenght: 1020 mm		Time off light to 300m: 1,5 seg
Total Weight: 7,5 Kg		Effective range: 300 m
War Head Weight: 2,4 Kg		Steel armored penetration: > 300 mm
Weight of box with Two ALAC: 27 Kg		Warhead: HEAT

Technical data gespi.com.br

AT-4

Basic version of the antitank system AT-4 – Image @pbrasil.files.wordpress.com

The AT-4 (also AT4 , AT4 CS, AT4-CS , or AT-4CS ) is a 84-mm gun unguided, portable, single – shot recoilless and smooth hole produced in Sweden by Saab Bofors Dynamics (formerly Bofors Anti-Armour Systems) since the late 1960s the Saab had considerable sales success with the AT4, making it one of the most common anti – tank weapons individual in the world.

The term “CS” represents the “confined space” referring to the propellant charge being designed to operate effectively in buildings in an urban environment. It is intended to give infantry units a means to destroy or disable armored vehicles and fortifications, though it is usually not enough to defeat a modern main battle tank (MBT). The launcher and the projectile are manufactured pre-packaged and shipped as a single unit of ammunition with the launcher discarded after a single use. Source wikiwand.com

Crunch choice on new jet fighter looms over Tokyo air show

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By Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo | TOKYO

Faced with a growing North Korean threat and expanding Chinese power, Japan’s military and aerospace industry will use this week’s airshow in Tokyo to push the case to develop a highly advanced, and costly, stealth fighter jet.

The new fighter, dubbed the F-3, will serve as a key component of Japanese air power in the coming decades and could cost Asia’s second biggest military as much as $40 billion, depending on its specifications.

Tokyo faces a crunch choice between ordering an industry-pleasing advanced stealth fighter or opting for a cheaper conventional combat jet that will deliver a bigger bang for taxpayers’ yen.

In March, Japan’s Ministry of Defence issued a request for information (RFI) to gauge interest among foreign aerospace companies for jointly developing the F-3, which would operate alongside Lockheed Martin’s new F-35s and older F-15s.

“It cuts to the core of the future of Japanese defense industry,” said an industry source, who asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to talk to the media. “The rising threat from China and most immediately North Korea no longer supports a relaxed industrial base. There is now a premium on actual capability.” North Korea’s nuclear tests and recent rocket tests, particularly the apparent successful launch in June of an intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile, have spooked Japan.

Tokyo is also dealing with record encounters with Chinese military jets in the skies around disputed islands in the East China Sea.

PREVIOUS FAILURE

A final decision on the project is expected by early 2018.

The strongest supporters of a cheaper conventional aircraft are officials close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said the sources. Abe’s government has reversed a decade of defense cuts with spending reaching record levels. However, those increases are a fraction of the extra China is spending every year on its military.

A cheaper fighter program would free up funding for other purchases and a lower cost jet that other nations could afford opens up the prospect of overseas sales that would further lower unit costs for Japan’s Self Defence Force.

Pushing for a more advanced fighter are defense ministry bureaucrats and local companies seeking to secure jobs, underpin defense industry supply chains and compensate for business lost to U.S. defense industry suppliers.

Proponents aim to build a jet more advanced than the U.S. Lockheed’s F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, said another of the industry sources.

A decade ago, the U.S. government refused to sell the Raptor to Japan after it deemed the technology too sensitive even for its closes Asian ally. Japan’s last domestic fighter jet, the F-2, which the F-3 will replace, is widely regarded as an expensive failure. Based on F-16 it was built two decades ago by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Lockheed.

It was the world’s first production aircraft built with composite carbon fiber wings, but cracks in the composite plagued the program.

An initial plan to produce 141 jets was pared down with less than 100 entering service, costing around four times that of an equivalent off-the-shelf fighter.

FISHING FOR IDEAS Ahead of the defense ministry’s RFI, Mitsubishi Heavy tested a prototype jet, dubbed the ATD-X, showcasing numerous stealth technologies. The RFI, however, does not specify what type of aircraft Japan wants, said the sources. “The request is very vague,” said another industry official who saw the document. It may be an attempt by Japan to fish for ideas while it mulls its choice between an expensive stealth program and a lower cost fighter, he added.

His company will join almost 800 other commercial aerospace and defense firms that are exhibiting at Japan Aerospace 2016, the four-day show which begins in Tokyo on Wednesday.

The event, held only once every four years, is the first major aerospace show since Abe two years ago ended a ban on military exports, allowing Japanese firms to export arms for the first time since the end of World War Two.

On the commercial side, Japan is promoting the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), the nation’s first attempt in half a century to build a commercially viable civilian aircraft. The 100-seat MRJ, which has been delayed by five years, is aimed at taking on regional jet makers Bombardier Inc in Canada and Brazil’s Embraer.

(Editing by Lincoln Feast)

Original post @reuters.com

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Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin: Details

USAF taps Boeing to select new F-15 sensor supplier

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AN/AAS-42 system

F-14D AAS-42 – Image @sistemasdearmas.com.br

Lockheed Martin’s IRST is a development of the AN/AAS-42 system that was originally carried by Northrop Grumman F-14D Tomcats. However, it has been undergoing development since then, first for the abortive pod-mounted system for the F-15 Eagle, and now further refined for the Super Hornet application. Source ainonline.com