CHINAS Drone Look Like U.S. Aircraft
Monday, June 24, 2013 12:29
Firms Test-Fire Portable Cannon on MC-27J
SEEMS LIKE TO ME OBAMA IS GIVEING OUR TECH TO CHINAWHY ARE CHINAS AND US S PLANES AND DRONES SO ALIKE
WELL LET ME SEE OH COULD IT BE THAT OBAMA GIVES THEM OUR SECERTS
The new aircraft, designated MC-27J, is designed to give customers a system that could be used for both cargo and gunship missions, among others.
As part of an ongoing evaluation to demonstrate the concept, the companies installed a 30mm chain gun made by Arlington, Va.-based ATK to the medium-sized military transport plane made by Alenia Aermacchi, part of Rome-based Finmeccanica, using a standard pallet that can be rolled on and off the aircraft.
The weapon, a modified version of the GAU-23 automatic cannon, was connected to a targeting system made by FLIR Systems Inc. and fired from the plane in a test flight over the Gulf of Mexico in a range operated by Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Video of the exercise showed the projectiles splashing into the water in a line near the target.
The first of three phases finished in March, according to William Kasting, vice president and general manager of ATK’s defense group. The second phase, set to finish in 2014, is designed to fully link the weapon and the targeting system, he said. The third phase, expected to wrap up in 2015, would show the ability to launch a precision-guided munition from the rear of the plane, he said.
Officials declined to say how much the plane would cost or how much they’ve invested in developing and testing the technology.
The so-called modular design is meant to appeal to potential customers in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South America, Kasting said. The company is working on getting exemptions for export licenses from the U.S. government, he said.
“Across the world, especially in this market, you really want the aircraft to do more than one thing,” Bruce VanSkiver, director of airlift programs for Alenia’s North America unit, referring to multiple missions.
The aircraft wasn’t designed for any particular military program, but may align with an effort underway in Italy, officials said. It’s based on the C-27J Spartan, which has been purchased by countries including Italy, Australia and the U.S.
Making a case for the U.S. to buy more of the planes, even so-called multi-mission versions, may be difficult, though. The C-27J is in the middle of a battle between the Air Force’s active-duty component, which says it can’t afford to operate the planes Congress keeps funding, and the Air National Guard, which was to receive the brunt of them.
The Air Force is set to follow through with plans to send the fleet — including brand new aircraft rolling off the assembly line — directly to the service’s boneyard at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. They will sit in storage there unless another federal agency claims them.
The service has spent about $1.6 billion to purchase 21 of the aircraft.
Tags: Alliant Techsystems, C-27J, cargo plane, Finmeccanica SpA, gunship, MC-27J, Paris Air Show
China’s Fighters, Drone Look Like U.S. Aircraft
by Brendan McGarry on June 20, 2013
PARIS — China’s models of military planes at the Paris Air Show bear resemblance to U.S. aircraft, drawing attention to the rising concern in the Defense Department that the country is using cyber espionage to obtain sensitive defense technology.
The state-run Aviation Industry Corporation of China had a large exhibit of military and civilian models of aircraft at the show, held outside Paris at the historic Le Bourget airfield.
The display included three fighters and a drone: a single-seat version of the FC-1, a single-engine fighter built for the Pakistani air force and designated JF-17; a dual-seat variant of the FC-1 in development; the dual-seat, twin-engine L-15 trainer; and an unmanned system called Wing Loong.
The fighters looked like the F-16 made by Lockheed Martin Corp. and the drone bore resemblance to the MQ-1 Predator made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., without the inverted tail. The Chinese drone is designed as a low-altitude craft that can fly up to 16,500 feet and loiter for 20 hours.
A spokesman from the Beijing-based corporation was quick to note that the FC-1 is “a lot cheaper than the F-16,” though he declined to provide a figure. The man gave a brief overview of the systems to Military.com but declined to be named, citing corporation policy.
Notably missing from the exhibit was any display of the J-20, China’s classified stealth-fighter program.
During talks this month at an estate in Rancho Mirage, Calif., President Barack Obama reportedly warned the new Chinese President Xi Jinping that cyber attacks against the U.S. threaten the two countries’ strategic relationship. Xi insisted China is also the victim of computer hacking.
Obama faced pressure to raise the issue after the recent leak of a classified section of a Defense Department report showed that designs for the most advanced U.S. weapons have been compromised by suspected Chinese hackers. The list of weaponry includes the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Littoral Combat Ship, and the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, among others.
The Pentagon in its latest annual assessment of China’s armed forces for the first time blamed China directly for targeting its computer networks. The attacks were focused on extracting information, including sensitive defense technology.
“In 2012, numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the U.S. government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to the Chinese government and military,” it states. “The accesses and skills required for these intrusions are similar to those necessary to conduct computer network attacks.”
That document also concluded that the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, considers the strategy of “information dominance” a critical form of defense against countries that it views as “information dependent,” such as the U.S.
China called the accusations “groundless” and “not in line with the efforts made by both sides to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation,” according to a May 9 article published on the state-run website, “People’s Daily Online.” The country is a “victim itself of cyberattacks,” it states.
A Chinese espionage group since 2006 has stolen hundreds of terabytes of information from at least 141 companies across 20 major industries, including aerospace and defense, according to a February report from Mandiant, a closely held company based in Alexandria, Va., which sells information-security services.
Read more: http://defensetech.org/2013/06/20/chinas-fighters-drone-look-like-u-s-aircraft/#ixzz2XAA0y93Q
Defense.org
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