Air Force Plans Lockheed F-22 Upgrade Service Procurement

The US Air Force (USAF) is to launch its latest modernisation drive for the Lockheed Martin F-22 combat aircraft, dubbed Advanced Raptor Enhancement and Sustainment (ARES).

The U.S. Air Force's F-22 program office has indicated its intent to procure lead integrator services from Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) to address future modernization requirements for the fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

“The proposed contract is a follow-on effort to the Raptor Enhancement, Development, and Integration II (REDI II) contract, and will satisfy future modernisation requirements, enterprise management, and select sustainment requirements to improve efficiencies within the F-22 programme,” the synopsis said. Also adding it is contemplated that the indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract will be awarded by June 2021 with a base ordering period of five years and a five year option.

USAF expects to award the Advanced Raptor Enhancement & Sustainment indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to Lockheed through a sole-source acquisition process by June next year, according to a presolicitaion notice posted Wednesday.

The service noted the company's aeronautics segment possesses the technical data and experience needed to facilitate the ARES program as the branch's sole F-22 manufacturer.

ARES will succeed the Raptor Enhancement, Development and Integration II contract and will have a five-year base ordering period plus one five-year option.

Responsibilities listed in the notice include studies, analyses and demonstration; test force and system laboratory support; and flight software modernization and sustainment.

Russia to show RPL-20 light machine gun at Army 2020

Concern Kalashnikov presented the RPL-20 new light machine gun at Army-2020 exhibition.

Short description:

The RPL-20 is gas operated and air-cooled. It has a quick-change barrel, allowing the gunner to rapidly replace an overheated or jammed barrel. A folding bipod is attached near the front of the gun. It can be fed from linked ammunition (5.45x39mm), double-sided safety, new folding stock with adjustable cheek piece. Cartridge box in the photo with a capacity of 100 rounds, weight - with a short barrel 5.2 kg, with a long barrel 5.5 kg.

RPL-20 - new russian light machine gun will show in Army-2020 exhibition

Russia to show Hermes Precision Missile System at Army 2020

Russia’s KBP Instrument Design Bureau will unveil a new generation Hermes precision missile system having a range of up to 100km during Army-2020 Forum scheduled to take place next week.

"During the forthcoming Army-2020 Forum, the KBP Instrument Design Bureau’s display will feature the Hermes high-precision guided missile system with over-the-horizon range of up to 100 km. This is a new-generation system that occupies the niche between precision munitions and artillery missile systems," spokesperson for Rostec’s High Precision Systems that owns KBP, was quoted as saying by TASS.

The Hermes guided weapon system is composed of a combat vehicle, command vehicle, load transporting vehicle, guided missiles and reconnaissance drones.

Hermes has an autonomous missile guidance system of the fire-and-forget type. Hermes guided missiles are capable of being fired from aerial (including drones), land-based and naval platforms.

Specifications

• Maximum range of fire by day and at night - 100 km
• Guidance system in the phase of entering the target area - radio-navigation. inertial

- in the terminal phase - homing

• Number of guided missiles - up to 10 pcs

Algerian BMPT Terminator

Wery interesting video about Algerian BMPT Terminators assembly line in UVZ.

"Strela" armoured amphibious vehicle

Russian Military Industrial Company (Aka VPK) showed the "Strela" armoured amphibious vehicle. Unlike the base vehicle, the new version have hull, which is adopted to amphibious purpose. The company will officially present the vehicle at the Army-2020 exhibition.

Soviet OPFOR (part 3)

Mockups for Soviet OPFOR part 3

(Also you can see the part 1 and part 2 )

Second serial Sukhoi Su-57 stealth jet in the assembly line

Second serial Sukhoi Su-57 stealth jet in the assembly line

5,000 Air Force strikes in the last 5 years

IAF releases data on the 'war between the wars' to prevent Iran's military entrenchment in Syria, transfer of weapons to terrorists.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) presented Thursday, 11 August, the data of the "battle between the wars," which is intended to weaken the enemies of the State of Israel and stop the transfer of weapons to terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, without dragging Israel into a new war.

According the sourses (1, 2, 3) reported that there has been a jump of hundreds of percent in the scope of the Israeli Air Force's covert operations against the build-up of enemy forces in Syria as well as the transfer of advanced weapons.

In the last five years, about 5,000 rounds of munitions of various kinds have been fired as part of the "battle between the wars campaign, in which the IDF has destroyed advanced and new weapons, as well as arms shipments that would be used operate Israel in the next war.

Most of the operations have taken place in the northern arena, primarily in Syria, where Iran has attempted in recent years to entrench itself militarily and to transfer weapons to its underlings in Hezbollah. The firepower used in the last five years is equal to the firepower which would be used in a period of between two weeks and one month in a real war.

So, the statistic include:

• Over the past 5 years (that is, since 2015), the Air Force has used about 5,000 of aviation munitions "at all theaters". Most of them in last three years (from 2017 to 2020), during this three year about 955 targets were attacked, on which 4,239 bombs and missiles were used, dozens of this munitions dropped by F-35I aircraft.

• Since 2017, Syria has fired 873 anti-aircraft missiles, from them about 844 in the last 3 years, i.e. since mid-2017, mainly missiles of the SA-17 (Buk-M2E) and SA-22 (Pantsir-S1) complexes; for comparison - in 2013 - only 2 missiles;

• Over the past two years, the Israeli Air Force has destroyed a third of Syria’s advanced air defense systems, according to IAF assessments.

• The number of surgeries has skyrocketed over the past year, despite the coronavirus epidemic;

• 70% of the pilots who participated in these operations are reservists.