Tuesday’s Roll-up of Defense News

Press the edge of the technological envelope and sometimes it snaps back and bites you.  Promise the moon and fail to even deliver a scintilla (and oh yes, demand more money in the process) and the customer naturally gets a little testy. These themes are at the core of a couple of today’s news items – the first, dealing with a serious problem budding on the F-35 followed by reaction from the Indian navy over Russia’s demand for an additional $1.2B to resurrect the Gorshkov.

F-35 Beset By Serious Flaws?

In an article in today’s Defense Industry Daily, detail is given to an incident earlier this year in flight test with the electrical flight controls that led to an aborted test flight and emergency recovery.  That in and of itself should come as no surprise as it should be expected as part of flight test – that’s why they call it ‘flight test.’  The problem apparently stems from concern re. the design of the electrical actuators that control the flight surfaces of the aircaft.  The F-35 flight control actuators (electro-hydrostatic actuators or EHAs), as described in the article, have an internal closed-loop hydraulic system, but unlike contemporary aircraft, are controlled and driven by electricity – not hydraulics (and apparently 270vAC).  During the flight in question, the electrical system failed at 38,000 ft while performing supersonic maneuvers, and resulted in a 220 knot emergency landing that damaged the wheels and gear.   The fault was traced to a 270v lead coming in contact with a junction box cover (generally not a good thing) and in the process, other issues are coming to light.  These include the design of the EHA’s, which Lockheed wants to redesign, the engine (the F-35C’s power generator was mistakenly designed to only 65% of the required electric output necessitating a re-design) and perhaps most importantly, the weapons software modules for air superiority, which will not be ready until around the 2015 timerame, meaning that when first deliveries are taken around 2012 it will primarily be able to employed only as a bomber.  Not so much of an issue for the US (perhaps) as it is for the European partners in the JSF program who may re-examine Eurofighter, Gripen and maybe even Super Hornet options outfitted with AESA as risk reduction options in light of the above.

Indian Navy Fires Shot Across Russia’s Bow

In an article appearing in today’s Calcutta Telegraph, the chief of the Indian Navy, Admiral Sureesh Mehta takes the Russians to task for their repeated failure to deliver on contracted promises – missing delivery dates and overshooting targeted costs by orders of magnitude.  Of course the poster child (ship) for this whole sordid affair is the ex-Admiral Gorshkov/INS Vikramaditya.  In a wide-ranging interview the admiral was pretty forthcoming in his crticism of the Russians and his recommendations for the Indian military to seek out Western suppliers in greater numbers.  Specifically addressing the issue of the Gorskov, Mehta noted:

"When we took the Gorshkov which the Russians said they were giving free of cost, for just $1 (and for the cost of its refit), it was a sort of partnership. Of course we wanted that ship. We did a very detailed contract. It is a very good contract. When we went over there (to the Sevmash shipyard in Russia where the vessel is being refitted), the shipyard was in a decrepit state. Over the years we have seen how the shipyard has improved with our money… the workforce on the Gorshkov is far less than what we would like it to be,"

As noted here earlier this week, India would be hard pressed to give up the Vikramaditya as over $500M has already been put into it and indeed, that was underscored in the course of the article.  But with Russia pressing for renegotiation of an order for 40 Su-30’s, rolling on promises for delivery of three frigates, and generally acting as if the rules of the game are the same now as they were forty years ago, one wonders how much longer before India pushes back.  Along with China, Iran, and Syria, India is one of Russia’s most important arms customers and given the importance of the arms industry to Russian trade (next to petroleum export), the loss of a major arms sale, like the current $10B multi-role combat aircraft competition currently underway, would be a severe blow.

Indian Air Force to Join Red Flag in 2008

An item in today’s Asian Times notes that India has gained approval to join in Red Flag training with the cycle beginning in August 2008.  The IAF has previously participated in more limited training venues in COPE THUNDER in Alaska with elements of the USAF and Alaskan ANG, but with Red Flag they will come into a much wider panoplay of nations and services.  This also follows on the heels of the extensive "Malabar" exercise earlier this year that saw the participation of a US carrier strike group led by the USS Nimitz (and included a first time port visit in India by Nimitz) along with other naval forces from Australia, Singapore and Japan.  Word on the street is Beijing is "displeased."