Archive for category Cruise missiles

Assessing expenses allocated to operations in Libya

Apr 13

Posted by Recce 233 Savoie in American, C1, F-15, HOT SPOTS, Humanitarian, Libya, Libyan no-fly zone, LISTEN, Money, PLS 4 / SLP 4, Tomahawk, USA | No Comments

As far as Odissey Dawn is concerned, the cost of missiles launched would nearly reach $ 300,000,000 according to the Pentagon.

Almost 200 Tomahawks – almost $ 1.5 million each
Operating a fighter jet – $ 10,000 an hour
Almost 500 one-ton warheads – $ 40,000 each
One downed F-15 – $ 60 million
A limited no-fly zone – $ 30 to 100 million a week
Arming the rebels – up to $ 100 billion a year!
Humanitarian aid – $ 25 million so far
Rebuilding Libya – not mentioned

Watch the video:

Special thanks to Thierry Hermas for proofreading as I misunderstood the first figure

Tags: American, Armament, Arming, Arms, Costs, Cruise missile, Dollars, Downed, Economic, Expenditures, F-15, FIGHTER aircraft, HOT SPOTS, Humanitarian, Involvement, Libya, Libyan, LISTEN, Military, Missiles, Money, No-fly zone, Odissey Dawn, Pentagon, PLS 4444, Price tag, Rebels, Rebuilding, Situation, Spending, Tax-payers, Tomahawk, U.S., US, USA, USAF, Video, Wallet, Warheads, Weaponry

FREMM multipurpose frigate

Mar 31

Posted by Recce 233 Savoie in A2, Bilingual, Exocet, France, FREMM, Italy, Morocco, NH90, PLS 1 / SLP 1, R&D, READ, Sailors, SCALP, Stealth | No Comments

FREMM stands for Frégate multi-mission or Fregata Europea Multi-Missione, which mean multi-purpose frigate. This warship has been delivered to the French, Italian, and Moroccan Navies. A new version – FREDA – has been planned for air-defense purpose.

Video with bilingual French/English captions:

Tags: A70, Aquitaine, Artemis, ASM, Aviation, Bilingual, BILINGUE, Block 3, Boat, Boats, Bridge, Captions, Center, Central Operations, CIC, Command Information Center, Control, D650, DCNS, Deck, Depth, Electric, Electrique, ENGINES, English, Exocet, Flyin, FRANCE, French, French Navy, Gas, Gaz, GE/Avio, Hangar, Helicopter, Héraklès, IRST, Italian, Italian Navy, Italy, Jammer, Living spaces, Locaux vie, Machine, Marina Militare, Marine nationale, MARITIME, MM-40, Moroccan, Morocco, Motor, Multi-mission, Multi-purpose, Multimission, Najir, Naval, NAVY, Nexter, NH90, Otobreda 76 mm, Passerelle, PLS 1111, Propulsion, Quarter deck, R&D, READ, RECM, Room, Royal Moroccan Navy, Samahé, SCALP, Sea, SHIPS, Sigen, Sonar, Stealth, Sylver, Thales, Turbine, UMS 4410 CL Hull, Variable, Vessel, Video

Nations backing the no-fly zone & suppressing Gaddafi’s air defenses

Mar 20

Posted by Recce 233 Savoie in Aeronautica Militare, American, Armée de l'Air, C1, Canada, CH-46 / CH 113, CV-22, E-3, EdA, F-16, France, Harrier, Harrier AV-8B, HH-60, HOT SPOTS, Italy, J3 Operations, Jordan, Libya, Libyan AF, Libyan no-fly zone, LISTEN, M-346, Mirage 2000, Misc., MQ-1, NATO, Pilots, PLS 4 / SLP 4, Qatar, Qatari AF, R91 Charles de Gaulle, RAF, Rafale, RCAF, S-125/SA-3, S-200/SA-5, S-75/SA-2/V-750, Satellites, Saudi Arabia, SCALP, Spain, Tomahawk, Tornado, UAE, UAEAF, UK, USA, USAF, V-22 | No Comments

According to the BBC, RAF Tornado warplanes would have launched Storm Shadow cruise missiles (equivalent to French MBDA SCALP) on Libya to destroy Gaddafi’s military assets. The Storm Shadows punch holes in runways, radar facilities, and bunkers thanks to their BROACH warheads. (BROACH means Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented CHarge)

The French aircraft – Mirage 2000, and Rafale – seem to have carried out missions over Libya before SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) and flew under the threat of Gadhafi’s GBADs (Ground Based Air Defenses). The UAE and the Qatari air forces could be committed to Operation Odyssey Dawn. Here is the situation according to CNN:

Tags: .50 BMG, Aeronautica Militare, AI, AIR FORCES, Air Interdiction, Air-to-Air, Air-to-Ground, AIRCRAFT, American, Amphibious assault, Angara, Arleigh Burke, Armament, Armée de l'air, Arms, ASW, Attacks, Austin, AWACS, Az Zawiyah, Ballistic, Benghazi, BGM-109, Bin Jawad, Blue Ridge, Bombing, British, Bushmaster, Canada, cannon, CAOC, CH-46, Charles de Gaulle, Class, Coalition, Command ship, Crater, Cruise missile, DDG-52, DDG-55, Destroyer, Dubna, Dvina, E-3, Ejército del Aire, F-16, FIGHTER aircraft, FIGHTERS, FRANCE, French, Gaddafi, Gadhafi, Gammon, Goa, GR4, Great Britain, Ground-Attack, Guideline, Harrier AV-8B, Harrier II, HH-60H, HOT SPOTS, Imagery, Installations, Italian, Italy, J3, Jamming, JCC-20, Jordan, Knight Hawk, LCC-20, LHD-3, Libya, Libyan, Libyan AF, LISTEN, Los Angeles class, LPD, LPD-15, M-346, Mark 36, Mediterranean, Military, Mirage, Misrata, Misratah, Missiles, Misurata, Mk 32, Multinational, NAVY, Neva, NEWS, Odyssey Dawn, Ohio, Ohio class, Operation Ellamy, Opération Harmattan, Operation Mobile, Operations, Osprey, OTAN - NATO, Pechora, Phalanx CIWS, Pilots, PLS 4444, Pounding, Prohibit, Qatar, Qatari, Radars, RAF, Range, Ras Lanuf, RECCE, Recce 233 Savoie, Reconnaissance, RIM-156, Rolling Airframe, RUM-139, S-125, S-200, S-75, SA-2, SA-3, SA-5, SAM, Satellite, Saudi Arabia, Sea Hawk, Sea Knight, Sea Sparrow, SEAD, SH-60, SH-60F, SHIPS, SM-2, Spain, Spanish AF, SRBOC, SSGN-728, SSN-719, Strike, Submarine, Targets, Tomahawk, Torpedo, Tripoli, U.S., UAE, UAEAF, UNSCR 1973, US, USA, USAF, USS Barry, USS Florida, USS Kearsarge, USS Mount Whitney, USS Ponce, USS Providence, USS Stout, V-22, Vega, Video, VL-Asroc, VMM-261, Weapon, Zawiya

Israeli DELILAH loitering cruise missile

Nov 6

Posted by Recce 233 Savoie in American, B1, Cameras, Delilah, Electronic/IR, EO/IR, F-16, Israel, Israeli, Israeli AF, LISTEN, N. Ordnance, NAVY, Pilots, PLS 2 / SLP 2 | No Comments

Tags: Accuracy, Altitude, Armament, Arms, ASM, Boost, Capabilities, Capability, Characteristics, Cruise missile, Decoy, Deep strike, Delilah, Electro-optic, EOs, F-16, F-16I, F-4E, F16, GPS, Guidance, INS, Israel, Israeli, Israeli AF, LISTEN, Loiter, Loitering, Man-in-the-loop, Missiles, Moving, Naval, Operational, Pilots, PLS 2222, Precision, Range, Re-locatable, Rocket, SA, Shock and awe, Specifications, SSM, Strike, Systems, Targets, Video, Warhead, Weaponry

RAFALE evaluation in SWITZERLAND

Oct 18

Posted by Recce 233 Savoie in AIR FORCES, AIRCRAFT, METEOR, MICA, MULTIROLE, SCALP, Swiss AF | 1 Comment

The next aircraft (the last one was the Gripen) being evaluated in the framework of the replacement of the Swiss F-5, is the Dassault-Aviation-manufactured RAFALE until November 7. Two two-seaters stationed at Emmen airfield – Switzerland – are being tested the same way the two Swedish Gripens were tested previously.

Latest Dassault Aviation creation, the RAFALE performed its maiden flight on July 4, 1986! Its program highlighted all the major French suppliers such as: SNECMA for the M88 engine; Thales (former Thomson – CSF) for the RBE-2 phased array radar; Dassault systems; SAGEM (electronics and optronics); and the English Messier – Dowty for the landing gear.

Unlike the Mirage 2000 which versus its American competitors, the RAFALE does not fear its opponents as far as technical performance is concerned:

RBE-2 phased array radar
Latest generation SPECTRA (electronic warfare system)
OSF (Front-sector optronic system)
a GPS (Global Positioning System)
last but not least: a lower cost of development and maintenance compared to the majority of its opponents…

The RAFALE has a wide range of weapons at its disposal: the infrared and radar MICA missile, the SCALP (air-to-surface cruise missile) as well as the future long-range European METEOR missile. The multirole Dassault fighter aircraft is able to be equipped with various American-made bombs: Laser-guided Paveway III, for instance, but it is a shame that foreign weapons have not been licensed for the RAFALE yet.

The RAFALE fighter aircraft are parted into three standards:

F1 standard: air-to-air-mission dedicated only. This standard fields the French Fleet Air Arm.
F2 standard: encompasses the F1 standard, and has the air-to-surface capability to its disposal. The French Air Force is fielded with these aircraft.
F3 standard encompasses the previous skills plus the strategic capability which enables this fighter to carry out nuclear-deterrence/strike missions, reconnaissance missions, and anti-ship-strike missions. This latter standard might field the Swiss Air Force (without the nuclear and anti-ship capabilities)

On October 28, information for the medias :

http://www.ar.admin.ch/internet/armasuisse/de/home/aktuel…

Photos 1 & 2 French Air Force, Rafale 5/330 Squadron Côte-D’argent at Dijon.

Photo 3 Pascal Kümmerling, Rafale of the 5/330 at Geneva during BEX meeting in 2007.

Bern, 09th of October 2008 - Photo: Pascal Kümmerling – The second applicant to the replacement of the Tigers ( TTE ) landing at Emmen. The French RAFALE has already started the second TTE in-flight and ground-test series in Switzerland. The European EADS Eurofighter third and last applicant will follow in November.

About thirty flights are scheduled among which some night flights for the tests at Emmen. Around 50 sorties will be needed. They will be carried out by F/A-18s, and F-5s in order to make up the targets (means playing the role of targets) and the formation flying tests. The assessment flights occur within the frame of the flights share, which means that there should not be any increase in the number of sorties on the airfields that are concerned.

The sequel: The arrival of the European EADS Eurofighter is expected on November 6, 2008. The testing syllabus is the same for the three fighter aircraft.

The flight and ground tests will be examined as well as the tenders that were handed in on July 2nd, 2008. The collected data will be used as a basis for a second call for tenders in January 2009.

The choice of the type of aircraft should come after the evaluation of the second tender, assessing equipment and price, and when everything has been put down on a balance-sheet report expected in May 2009. Then the choice should be stated in July 2009.

These aircraft belong to the 1/7 “Provence” Fighter Squadron stationed at Saint Dizier – Robinson. The “Provence” was the first squadron that had been operational with the RAFALE. The first 1/7 RAFALE flight happened in 2006. Photos: Pascal Kümmerling.

VERY SPECIAL THANKS to Pascal Kümmerling since this post is adapted from his articles on his blog called AVIA NEWS: http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/

Tags: 4, 4.5, 4th generation fighters, 5, AIRCRAFT, Emmen, Evaluation, FRANCE, METEOR, MICA, NAC, OSF, Radars, RAFALE, RBE, SCALP, SPECTRA, Switzerland, Tests, TTE

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