ASIA
THE FIRST of four Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports was delivered to the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) in January 2019 and local media reports suggest that the first of the country’s Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs will follow in March.
In the meantime, Japan is still mulling the future of its fighter force, with a decision announced in early February 2018, that it will pursue an indigenous design, possibly in partnership with a foreign partner. Finally, Indonesia has revealed that it is developing a gunship version of the locally-produced CN235 transport aircraft.
MRTTs and F-35As
The first Airbus A330MRTT for the RoKAF, 18-001 (MRTT050, msn 1787) touched down at Busan Air Base on January 30, 2019.
The aircraft is one of four ordered by the South Korean Government in June 2015 and with its arrival, South Korea becomes the latest operator of the A330- based MRTT, alongside Australia, France, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. A total of 34 MRTTs are currently in service with customer nations, according to Airbus Defence and Space. In RoKAF service the four aircraft will be operated from Busan by the 261st Air Tanker Squadron, which was established in September, 2018.
The first aircraft had arrived in South Korea in November, 2018, before being flown to its new home.
Marking the occasion, Fernando Alonso, Airbus Defence and Space Executive Vice President, said: “The A330MRTT has clearly established itself as the world’s premier tanker and strategic transport aircraft, and has been widely praised by the current operators.”
Alonso added: “It will be a critical asset for the RoKAF and leading air forces worldwide for many decades.”
A ceremony held at Busan Air Base to welcome the Rolls-Royce Trent 700-powered MRTT was attended by South Korea’s Defence Minister, Joeng Kyeoyong-doo and Air Force Chief of Staff, General Lee Wang-keun.
The second aircraft is expected to be delivered in April 2019, followed by a third in August, and the final aircraft will arrive in December 2019. The aircraft are expected to formally enter operational service in 2020. In other news, the Korea Times is reporting that the first two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs will be delivered to South Korea by the end of March 2019.
The RoKAF ordered 40 F-35As in March 2014 and the first aircraft (also serial number 18-001) was ceremonially rolled out from Lockheed Martin’s F-35 production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 28, 2018.
South Korean pilots have been undertaking F-35A training at Luke Air Force Base in the United States and six RoKAF aircraft (18-001, 18- 002, 18-003, 18-004, 18-005 and 18-006) had been delivered to the Arizona base by the end of 2018.
Quoting an un-named RoKAF source, the Korea Time reports that further deliveries of two aircraft will occur each month throughout the year and up to 10 will be in service by the end of 2019.
The aircraft are expected to be supported by US Air Force tankers on their delivery flights and will stage via Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii and Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, the report said.
Japan to develop indigenous fighter aircraft
Japan’s Ministry of Defence confirmed on February 5, 2019 that it will develop a new fighter locally to replace the Mitsubishi F-2 fighters with the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF), local media reported.
The announcement rules out any local production of a current western fighter design, but leaves the door open for foreign companies to partner with Japanese industry. The aircraft is expected to enter service in 2030, the report stated.
In March 2018, Japanese media reported that the government of Shinzo Abe had backed away from an indigenous fighter programme, citing prohibitive cost and risk associated with its development. This latest announcement would seem to confirm that a partnership with a western fighter manufacturer is the most likely outcome.
The Japanese government developed the Mitsubishi X-2 ShinShin technology demonstrator, which first flew in April 2016, to study the processes and technologies associated with an indigenous fighter programme, but it is understood that the project has concluded, and the aircraft is no longer flying.
In related news, Tokyo has decided to cease local assembly of the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightnings on order for the JASDF, following completion of the current production batch. In partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Lockheed Martin established a Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) facility at Nagoya, to assemble 38 of the 42 aircraft Japan has on order. The facility is only the second FACO outside the United States, the other being located at Cameri, Italy. The decision to terminate local F-35 assembly has been made on cost grounds, sources close to the programme said.
Indonesian gunships
PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) has confirmed that it is developing a gunship version of the locallymanufactured Airbus Defence and Space CN235 transport aircraft for the Tentara Nasional Indonesia - Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU or Indonesian Air Force) PTDI builds the CN235 under licence at its facility in Bandung and has previously developed maritime surveillance and maritime patrol variants for the TNI-AU and the Tentara Nasional Indonesia - Angkatan Laut (Indonesian Navy). PTDI Production Director Arie Wibowo said the gunship version was expected to fly before the end of 2019.
Orbital ATK (now part of Northrop Grumman) has designed a gunship kit for the CN235, dubbed AC-235 Light Gunship, with a lightweight M230LF Bushmaster 30mm cannon mounted in the rear cabin door, as well as fuselage weapons pylons capable of carrying Lockheed Martin AGM-114M/AGM- 114K Hellfire air-to-ground missiles or 70mm rockets. The Royal Jordanian Air Force purchased two aircraft, manufactured by Airbus in Seville, in 2014 for Special Forces support operations, but both were for sale in early 2019.
Northrop Grumman also off ers a Palletised Weapons System (PaWS) which uses the company’s 30mm Bushmaster cannon and is a roll-on, roll-off system, which can convert a standard transport CN235 into a gunship in a few hours. However, it is not yet clear whether PTDI will develop an indigenous gunship solution or purchase an off -the-shelf product such as PaWS.
