Category: Defense

An Iraqi Air Force Sukhoi Su-25 ‘frogfoot’ attack plane returning from a bombing mission against ISIS targets on Monday July 7th 2015 accidentally dropped a bomb while overflying Baghdad.  The bomb fell on inhabited properties causing the death of 12 residents among which at least three were children and two women. Another 25 people were also wounded. An Iraqi official General Saad Maan Ibrahim speaking to the Associated Press evoked the possibility of a technical malfunction as the cause of the accidental ordnance release.   The Iraqi Air Force first received a batch of ex-Russian Air Force Sukhoi Su-25 on June 28th 2014. By July 1st another 7 Su-25 had been transferred from Iran to help Iraq’s defense against the Islamic State. The 7 aircraft sent from Iran were reportedly from dozens of Saddam Hussein’s era Iraqi Air Force jets flown to Iran during the 1991 Gulf War in an attempt to escape destruction from US bombardments.

The Indonesian Air Force Lockheed C-130B aircraft that crashed into a neighborhood on Tuesday June 30th 2015 and was carrying near maximum payload had been built in 1951. While no one from amongst the 122 passengers nor 12 crew members survived the air disaster, another 7 people on the ground had also reportedly been killed. The Lockheed C-130B carried the registration number A-1310 with construction number 3616 and had just taken off from Soewondo Air Force Base bound for a set of remote Indonesian islands at a 7 hours flight distance. The aircraft did not stay airborne more than 2 minutes following its take-off. Onlookers observed that one of the aircraft propeller was not rotating properly when the airplane started veering to its right, plunging towards a neighborhood in the town of Medan.

The Indonesia Air Force had operated anywhere between 16 and 24 C-130 types of aircraft from the early 1960’s onwards. The aircraft that crashed on Tuesday was a early variant -B model operated by 32 Squadron. Already in 2009 another C-130 had crashed killing more than 100. With a nation consisting of thousands of islands spanning 3 time zones, the C-130 seems to have been a perfect fit for supplying remote bases while also ferrying civilians. The later case would explain the high number of passengers on board that aircraft.

In the previous decades numerous embargoes on military equipment imposed by the US (on account of Indonesia human rights abuse in East Timor and other places) did impact the readiness of the already aging fleet of C-130B and C-130H all Vietnam era airframes. By 2009 various contracts had been authorized by the US aiming at re-conditioning particularly the C-130B fleet consisting of 5 aircraft.

While the large number of passengers on board the aircraft (135) indicates the aircraft may have been operating beyond its maximum payload limit. In such case the unavailability of one of four engines would most likely prevent the aircraft from remaining air borne. Most C-130 versions would accept a maximum of 92 troops or 64 paratroopers with their gears but special scenario envision a maximum load not to exceed 124.  The investigation is ongoing.

by Karim Toure

The crash of a lone F-16 flying a night training mission over the Arizona desert  Wednesday June 24th 2015 did not initially hint of a setback for a major security program between the US and Iraq. The following day, a Iraq Defence Ministry spokesperson Brigadier General Tahseen Ibrahim revealed that Iraqi Air Force Brigadier General Rafid Mohammed Hassan was at the control of an Iraqi Air Force-owned F-16 Fighting Falcon that had crashed the previous evening a few miles from the town of Douglas, Arizona. Confirmation of the death of Brigadier general Rafid Mohammed Hassan came on June 26th when after battling an intense fire ignited following the accident, rescue teams recovered his body from the crash site.

Iraq Air Force general demise over the Arizona desert

The tragic and highly published death of such high ranking Iraqi Air Force officer had occurred at the most unlikely of places and circumstance. News of the downed F-16 had almost immediately evoked the certainty that an American pilot was at the control of an Arizona Air National Guard 162 Fighter Wing own F-16, the large F-16 unit based 120 miles away in Tucson. In fact death of an Iraqi Air Force general piloting a fighter plane over desert terrain could only logically occur in Iraqi territory where it is most currently needed to carry out combat missions notably against ISIS.

Instead the high ranking pilot had been flying alone in what has been reported to be a brand new Iraqi-owned twin seat F-16D Block 52 factory #1601, the very same aircraft paraded as the IrAF own first-of-the-kind on June 5th 2014 at Lockheed Martin’s main facility in Fort Worth Texas. That aircraft had first flown on May 2nd 2014 according to F16.net database.

A unit awaiting being re-located to Balad Air Base, Iraq
Brigadier General Rafid Mohammed Hassan had belonged to an aerial outfit consisting of 8 brand new F-16 Block 52 aircraft delivered from June 2014 onwards. This was part of the 36 aircraft order made by Iraq to Lockheed Martin, a deliberate effort sanctioned by American defense administration planners to re-arm the nation air arm post Saddam Hussein regime. With the tense security situation prevailing in Iraq and the perceived vulnerability of Balad Air Base complex where the aircraft were due to be stationed, decision had been made to deliver the aircraft directly to the group of Iraq pilots in-training with the 162 Fighter Wing at Tucson International airport. Delivery scheduling probably saw the first three of the new fighter planes arrive at Tucson by December 2014, subsequent to which one aircraft was added every month from January 2015 to May 2015 bringing the outfit to a total of eight aircraft. Iraq’s Defence Ministry recently indicated that with the fight against ISIS raging, the unit was expected to re-locate to its Balad home base, Iraq on July 12th before immediately starting full combat operations.

Life in the US with the 162 Fighter Wing

At the time of his death, General Rafid Hassan had been living in the US taking part in the program for 4 years. The group of Iraqi pilots had increased in size initially from 2 to 16 in 2012 and 26 currently. The 162 Arizona Air National Guard Fighter Wing based in Tucson International Airport had long housed the International Training Program for F-16 client nations pilots. The unit has relied on a core of 80 F-16 instructor pilots to work with 70 international trainee pilots each year getting them familiarized with operating the sophisticated combat jet. As early as April 1992, the program began training F-16 fighter pilots for the Republic of Singapore, followed in 1993 by Bahrain, Portugal in 1994 and Thailand, Indonesia and Turkey in 1995. By 1996 Belgium also joined followed in 1997 by Jordan and Norway, Denmark in June 1998, and Japan in late 1998. Italy was added to the program in October 2000 and Greece joined in January 2001. The United Arab Emirates gained access to the program in August 2001. By 2004 Oman and Poland had also joined. Other nations such as Israel, Chile and Taiwan have also participated either receiving initial F-16 pilot training or gaining advanced F-16 handling experience on specific weapons or qualifying F-16 instructor pilots. A six-to-eight month basic course is normally dispensed until flight lead upgrade training thus paving the way for the famed instructor pilot certification.
At one point the base’s own 162nd Fighter Wing Resident unit has also served host to foreign units such as the 148th Fighter Squadron, a United Arab Emirates outfit equipped with 13 F-16E/F (Block 60) aircraft instituted from June 27th 2004 until October 20th 2010.

Uncertainty lingers for the Iraqi F-16

With the Iraqi core F-16 pilot cadres having lost what is likely to have been their most senior member, the unit seems to have a long road to travel before becoming the combat ready outfit that Iraq so badly needs in the face of lingering adverse security issues. The pressing schedule motivated by a showdown with ISIS may adversely affect the morale and maturity of the entire unit compounding the risks for the entire program and especially Iraq.

In a surprise move, the Egyptian government has announced it had agreed with French aircraft maker Dassault on the purchase of 24 sleek Rafale fighter jets. The announcement on February 13^th 2015 triggered acclamations from French quarters over the aircraft long awaited first foreign sale.

The deal worth Euros 5.2 billion consists of 24 aircraft part of weapons package also including a frigate along with “associated related equipment”. The deal which is rumored to have taken less than 3 months to close will be executed in a similarly remarkably short amount of time with 3 aircraft being delivered before the end of the year and another 3 next year 2016. Credit financing on at least half of the purchase contract has been enacted via Coface, France main credit-risk assessment house, and will involve some of France’s largest banks taking portions of the facility. As well an unnamed Gulf nation is said to have contributed financially on the deal.

The aircraft which has equipped France Air Force and Naval Aviation beginning in 2001 has struggled to acquire a single foreign client. In 2013 a $5 billion deal with Brazil for 36 aircraft fell through in favor of the Swedish Gripen NG fighter jet. An outstanding order with India for 126 aircraft worth 11 billion Euros has yet to fully materialize while rumors that the deal will is being jeopardized on account of France’s unwillingness to unlock its most prized technology on the aircraft. Again the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Russia’s big, super maneuverable fighter / interceptor which is already operated by India’s Air Force stands ready to fill that void.

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi first mentioned the need for the aircraft during a September visit by French Defence Minister Jean Yves Le Drian who had come to offer upgrades for the 19 Dassault Mirage 2000 aircraft that Egypt, at the time first export customer for the type, acquired in 1981. By December, Dassault top executives had secured an agreement. This direct and expedited sale process may highlights Egypt pressing security priorities. And there may be many.

The Sinai Islamist insurgency which has escalated following the bloody crack down against the Muslim Brotherhood by the Army and the rapidly worsening civil war in neighboring Lybia have now seemingly taken front stage, relegating the regions traditional military power struggle involving Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iran to a second role. However this may not be entirely so. Egypt’s Air Force, the world’s largest operator of F-16 (with 220 aircraft following the US, Israel and Turkey) evidently does not need another sophisticated, very expensive jet for counterinsurgency operations. That job is best left to US made AH-64 Apache gunship helicopters of which Egypt operates more than 30 and to some extent, to French-built SA-342 Gazelle light attack helicopters. To some degrees Russian-made Armed/Assault Troops Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopters will also give valuable operational assistance in those missions.

The Rafale on the other end is a vary capable 4^th generation multirole fighter aircraft, maybe the West’s most capable, along with its Euro-cousin Typhoon both originating from a similar requirement issued in the 80’s.

Its air-to-air capabilities when armed with MICA or MAGIC II missiles Infra Red homed or guided by RBE2 electronically scanned array radar gives it tremendous effectiveness. With the canard foreplane configuration mated to a twin-engine powered airframe, the design is simply the most capable dog-fighter currently available in the world along with the super maneuverable Flanker Su-27/30/35 family of fighter aircraft.

This aircraft uses the SPECTRA self protection system, an integrated and programmable sensor-enabled suite in order to operate in the most hostile, highly defended environments. In an air to ground offensive scenario, the Damocles Electro Optical/Laser targeting pod, the aircraft long range of 3,700+ km (2,000+ nmi) with 3 drop tanks, and a payload of precision air to ground armament including MBDA Apache & Storm Shadow / Scalp EG stand-off cruise missiles attached to some of the aircraft’s 14 hard points compound highly improved capabilities for Egypt.

In comparison the venerable Mirage 2000 has 9 hard points and a combat range of 1,550 km (837 nmi, 963 mi) with drop tanks.

In all, Egypt new ‘civilian vested’ military government showed its true virtue of continuously expending conventional military capabilities at a strategic level since the Rafale is well fitted to penetrate deep into any highly defended air space and employ precision weapons in order to take out high value target. This acquisition has the potential for seriously re-igniting a new regional arms race. Some of the aircraft’s acquisition financing it may turn out, was generously contributed via petro-dollars originating from a small Gulf state who (coincidentally) is also probably bent on keeping Israel strategic planners awake while at the same token challenging Saudi Arabia influence. All in one shot, this would also permits serving notice to Iran that the preeminent military Arab nation has now acquired even more capabilities.

A Lockheed C-130J-30 belonging to the Indian Air Force crashed Friday morning about 72 miles from Gwalior Airbase while on a routine flight, causing the death of the 5 IAF personnel on board. The Air Force it seems had no initial explanation regarding the cause crash of the aircraft whose flight to Gwalior had originated at Agra Airbase. A Court of Inquiry has been set up to help determine what may have caused the brand new ‘Super Hercules’ C-130J-30, one of six aircraft delivered brand new throughout 2011, to crash.

Following its induction into Indian Air Force service on February 5th 2011, the Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 has earned notoriety by being involved in events of national significance, cementing both an endearing and enduring presence in the nation’s service, to a point where early reports of today’s accident actually caused widespread shock and bewilderment.

The six airframes received as part of a 2008 $1.1 Billion Foreign Military Sales contract involving the US Air Force and manufacturer Lockheed Martin saw the Indian Air Force receive the 6 C-130J-30 newly registered as KC-3801, KC-3802, KC-3803, KC-3804, KC-3805, KC-3806. These 15-foot stretched variants (designated -30) of the standard late 50’s C130 vintage Hercules fuselage represent the latest iteration of the type; employing a modern glass cockpit reducing the flight crew to 2, assisted by a load master and a combat system operator. In order to meet India’s military airlift requirement, the aircraft was not only to fill a gap between the cavernous Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and Antonov An-32,  but at the same time being the work horse of special operations forces. The aircraft with its natural pre-disposition for transporting 64 armed paratroopers or 92 assault troops or altogether 22 Tonnes of cargo secured additional flexibility thanks to the enhanced performance delivered by the 4 Rolls-Royce AE2100D3 turboprop engines to which are attached the 6-blades ‘scimitar’ composite propellers, characteristic of the J models. Despite the lack of sensitive on board high precision navigation/communication systems (not made available through the FMS due to India’s non-adherence to the US-sponsored Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement CISMOA), the 6 aircraft were rumored to have received third-party supplied Global Positioning System (and Inertial Navigation System) as well as the low level night navigation & landing suite that can better exploit the aircraft in-flight refueling capabilities in special operations missions.

Flown by then-formed 77th ‘Veiled Vipers’ Squadron based at Hardon Airbase near New Delhi, the aircraft quickly established itself as the workhorse of rescue airlift operations particularly during the flash floods of Uttarakhand. But it took the April 2013 alleged attempt by neighboring China to lay claim on some remote mountainous located it appeared on Indian territory. At that junction, C-130J-30 made history by landing on the most elevated airstrip in the world at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO). The capability to conduct military airlift operation at a 16614 feet (5065 meters) airfield convinced the whole world that India could in fact ferry sufficient amount of men and materiel in order to face any military contingency. This show of force greatly enhanced India military posture and national prestige, was only made possible by the C-130J-30. Some of these episodes so positively highlighted the C-130J-30 potential that, by December 2013, India had firmed up on its follow up order for six additional aircraft.

The tragic episode confronting a still nascent and highly promising program is not likely to derail India’s drive for deepening its experience operating the type. On a very short span of time, this aircraft has enriched the IAF experience by a significant margin. To date, the aircraft has sold around 300 units to 15 air arms world wide.