UK The UK CVF, or “Future Aircraft Carrier,” is taking shape. Displacing 60,000 tons full load, it will have an air group of 48 aircraft, including the STOVL version of the F-35, six Merlin HM.1, and four AEW aircraft. They’re still trying to determine what platform will be used for the AEW mission. It will be a STOVL carrier, with a ski jump but no catapults or arresting gear. Space is set aside for both if the RN decides later to convert it into a CTOL carrier. Two are planned, with construc-tion to start in 2005. They would enter service in 2014 and 2017. Crew will be between 600 - 700, plus embarked staff. Armament hasn’t been decided on, and the only certainty about its propulsion is that it will not be nuclear. China The Luda-class destroyer Zhan-jiang (hull 165) has been refitted, returning to service in the spring of 2003. The older twin 130mm guns have been replaced by automatic twin 100mm, an 8-round launcher for the HQ-7 SAM has been added on the after deckhouse, and 16 YJ-1 [CSS-N-4 Sardine] have replaced the Styx launchers midships. Three twin automatic Type 76A 37mm have replaced the earlier 37mm. Kaifeng was similarly refitted in 1999, except that she received Crotale NG instead of the locally-developed HQ-7, and she retained her 130mm guns. China is working to expand her airborne C 3 capability. She is working on airborne early warning aircraft based on the Russian A-50 and the Chinese Y-8 airframes. Other projects involve an ELINT aircraft, an offensive jammer and a command and control aircraft, all based on the Y-8 aircraft. Two of the ELINT versions have already entered service, the others may become operational soon. India The Project 1135.6 Talwar-class frigates built by Russia have now been accepted into Indian service, about a year late. Problems with the Shtil-1 [SA-N-7b] SAM system have been resolved. The Israeli Barak antimissile system is being refitted to many Indian ships. Ships listed as having Barak include three of Delhi-class DDGs, three of the Russian-built Kashin II frigates, Ganga, a Godavari-class frigate, and Viraat, the remaining operational carrier. Exact details of the fits are unavailable. India plans to refit all the Godavari and Kashin FFs and the newer Delhi class with the Barak system. India has adopted the Barak system because of the disappointing performance of the locally-developed Trishul SAM. Development of Trishul continues, however. An another sale of Israeli equipment, India will purchase three Phalcon AEW radars, which will be installed on Indian Il-76 airframes. There is no information yet on when the aircraft will be operational. India has also started to upgrade its Il-38 May ASW aircraft to Il-38SD standard. The SD stands for Sea Dragon, the name of its new ASW system. This includes a new radar, ASW processor, FLIR, 3rd Gen ESM, and the ability to fire ASMs, possibly the Kh-35 or the locally developed BrahMos missile. Russia will upgrade its Il-38 aircraft to Il-38N standard with the similar Novella system. At the same time, showing its characteristic dual-track procurement strategy, India is negotiating with the US to buy 8 P-3Cs from US Navy inventory, with the option to buy 10 more. India’s carrier saga continues, with the Gorshkov deal still being finalized, and an announcement of plans to order three locally-built carriers. The first would be commissioned in 2008, if funded properly, which it isn’t. Japan Japan plans to refit the Kongo-class Aegis DDGs with SM3 missiles, giving them an antiballistic missile capability. This is part of a larger plan that includes buying PAC-3 missiles for its six Patriot batteries. They will be operated by the JASDF and will be based at Iruma, Narashino, Kasumigaura, and Takeyama. Japan also plans to upgrade its air defense and command network to take advantage of the SM3 and PAC-3 missiles’ capability. Everything is to be finished by 2007. Russia Russia plans to make some small aircraft purchases and to upgrade some of its fighters. Out of the six different plans to upgrade the Su-27, already existing in numerous variants, the Russian Air Force has chosen the Su-27SM, the first five examples of which may enter service this year. The upgrade converts the single-seat single-purpose Su-27 Flanker B into a multirole fighter. While Sukhoi attempted to do this before with the Su-27M/Su-35, it was not successful (high workload in the single seat cockpit). This upgrade draws on Sukhoi’s experience with its many two-seat export variants. Features of the upgrade include improved cockpit avionics, an improved radar, and the ability to employ a wide range of air-to-ground weapons. The recent MAKS air show in Moscow features upgraded versions of almost every major Russian aircraft in service, including the MiG-29, MiG-31, Tu-95, Tu-160, Su-24, Su-25, and Su-27. The upgrades to the Tu-95 and Tu-160 were described in the April 2003 issue (#24). Russia will also buy a limited number of Yak-130 trainers and Su-27IB/Su-32s to replace some of its Su-24 Fencers. The Su-27IB/Su-32 Fullback was originally to enter service in the late 1990s. If the current program stays on schedule, it will now be deployed sometime before 2010. Because of the slow pace of the development program, the plane is undergoing a limited upgrade program so that its avionics will be state of the art when it is deployed. The commander in chief of the Russian air Force has announced that a conventional cruise missile with a range of 1350 - 1500 nm has entered service with the upgraded Tu-160 and Tu-95MS bombers. This could be either the Kh-555 or the Kh-101. Both were discussed in the April 03 issue. USA USS Midway, commissioned in 1945 and decommissioned in 1992, has been signed over by the Navy to the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum. She will open to the public next year. USS Constellation, pictured on page 22, was decommissioned on 7 August 2003, after 41 years of service and 21 deployments. Ronald Reagan is her replacement. The Mk13 launchers are being removed from all remaining O.H. Perry FFGs. These vessels were the last US ships to be fitted with the SM1 SAM, and the removal of the system from the inventory will mean a major cost saving for the Navy. Since the launcher also fires Harpoon, the ships lose not only area SAM but ASuW capability as well. They retain all their ASW weapons and sensors, and the US Navy is considering fitting the class with RAM. On the positive side, the first five Aegis CGs, hull numbers 47 - 51, will be decommissioned. These ships have never been upgraded. Bunker Hill (CG-52) and later will be upgraded starting in 2006 with CEC (Combined Engagement Capability), ESSM and VL ASROC capability, Phalanx IB, the Mk45 Mod 4 5 in/62 with ERGM, and an improved radar. Automation will allow for a reduced crew. The Small Diameter Bomb has been designated the GBU-39/B. This project is going great guns, with the US planning to buy tens of thousands of these 250-lb weapons for the F-35, the F-22, the B-1, the B-2, and almost anything else that flies. The first version will weigh 130 kg, have a 23 kg warhead (5 damage points) and will have I/GPS guidance. Standoff ranges of up to 60 nm have been quoted, but this must assume that it is fitted with some form of aerodynamic wing kit, because it is unpowered. It can penetrate 91 cm of reinforced concrete. IOC for the first version is 2006. A second version is planned with a terminal seeker. BT Back to The Naval Sitrep # 25 Table of Contents Back to Naval Sitrep List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2003 by Larry Bond and Clash of Arms. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history and related articles are available at http://www.magweb.com