Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

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Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 142

Due to a huge public demand Special Operations proudly presents
(drumroll).........Asian Aircraft Retrofits AAR or Air to Air Refuling if you are a pilot from a rich country! :)

No wonder I never get any work done, hope you guys will find me employment if I get the Old Spanish Archer (El Bow) from work! :)

I am getting most of this info from Asian Defence Journal which is sent to me free every month! hahaha!

Aussie upgrades

F-111 Avionics Upgrade Programme

Pave Tack and Raytheon AXQ-14 data link pods
additional electronics for Harpoon
Smiths Industries data transfer system (enables mission planning on a PC USING 256KBYTE disks)
two Honeywell MFDs
integrated communications navigation identification set
Terrai following radar
new AN/APQ-171 TFR
New Lockheed Martin Digital Flight Control system

F/A-18A/B Hornet upgrade phase 1a

new APG-73 radar
new EW suite
helmet mounted cueing system
ability to fire ASRAAM and AMRAAM
basically it is turing their A/Bs into C/D Hornets!

Indian Air Force

The Jags are back!

Jaguar upgrade
new el-op HUD
Sextant LCDs
moving map display
INS/GPS
terrain map generator
Elta airborne jammer
Indian RWR
Rafael ligening designation pod
Smiths and HAL are working on mission computer

MIG 21 upgrade their is already a thread on that which is doing a better job then I ever could! :)
but says here they will be able to fire the R-73 and R-77 missiles, but the project is still late and delayed!

MIG-27 upgrade

New HUD
LCD Displays
IFF
RWR
airborne self protection jammer
and refueling probe

Pakistan Air Force
Mirage 3/5 upgrades

83 aircraft have ALL been completed in France and Kamra

MAESTRO (modular avionics Enhancement system targeted for retrofit operations) same as Belguim Mirage 5 upgrade

Grifo radar
Uliss 92 INS/GPS
TERCOR terrain macthinga and automatic terrain following radar
combined with UTR-90 autopilot/low level terrain avoidance
MFDs
wide angle stroke and raster HUDs
HOTAS
Circe 2001 mission planning system
Night vision cockpit lighting and NVGs
thermal imaging and FLIR
laser range finder
ATLAS 2 pods
EW suite
airborne jammer
onboard oxygen geberation system
single point pressure refueling
Pakistani developed IRST sensor

These babies are very advanced strike birds!

Pakistan F-7

Grifo radar
french EW and avionics suite
ability to fire magic/sidewinder and PL-5
IFF
french nav attack
martin baker mark 10 seats

guys am knackered

will post Indonesian, Sinapore and Thai upgrades later!

SO

Original post

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,400

RE: Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

You forgot the significant airframe work being done to both RAAF F-111s and RAAF Hornets. Should be able to squeeze an extra 3000 hours out of the F-111s and another 5000 out of the Hornets.
The new designation for the RAAF F/A-18A/B Hornets is F/A-18A+/B+. (just thought u might wanna know). Also, the F-111 work included integration of the AGM-142 Raptor stand off missile, the F-111's only stand off weapon, apart from the Harpoon.

MinMiester

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 354

RE: Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

LAST EDITED ON 16-Jan-01 AT 07:04 AM (GMT)[p]duplicate!

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 354

RE: Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

LAST EDITED ON 16-Jan-01 AT 07:05 AM (GMT)[p]Damned triplicate post!

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 354

RE: Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

The mirage upgrade is quite comprehensive ~ 4 squadrons worth!
looks like the PAF is depending upon them as the mainstay of the fleet in the years to come.The F16 notwithstanding....

The mig21 news ,iirc, is outdated.The delivery of upgrade kits has started.

RE: Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

Regarding the upgrade of 83 PAF Mirage-III's and Mirage-V's, sounds pretty intimidating as far as ATG capability goes, but I didn't see any mention of adding the capability to fire the Super-530D BVR missile. This makes a huge difference obviously.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 123

RE: Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

I read *showhere* that these upgraded PAF Mirages III/5 have BVR installed which was capable of handling MICA but were equiped with South African Dartar BVR. It was also said that PAF's Mirages and F-16 are equipped to carry South African MUSPW(?).

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 354

RE: Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

Baxter,
Caesar a retd, PAF f16 pilot made a reference to the PAF acquiring (or trying to) super 530d's .He could throw more light on this.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 142

RE: Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

Yes Baxter

It seems that the PAF mirages have strike capabilities similar to that of RAF Tornados, but how one pilot (even though Pakistanis on this forum praise them highly) could cope with flying ultra low level through heavily defended Indian airspace, using NVGs, using FLIR and atlas pod and firing the weapon is beyond me, surely this is a two man job!? Or perhaps One mirage will designate for 3 or 4 others!?

The IRST pod is an interesting addition, it means they can try and penetrate airspace with their Grifos off, hence hiding any radar emissions but using the IRST to try and spot enemy aircraft.

Anyway

Thai Air Force

F-5 upgrade

BAe type 956 HUDWAC
litton LN-39 INS
ALR-46 RWR
1553 databus
Tracor chaff/flare

Indonesia

F-5E upgrade

BAe HUDWAC
Litton LN-94 RLG INS
ALR -91 RWR
APQ-159 Radar upgraded
Vinten video recorder
maverick missile launchers

SO

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,400

RE: Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

Btw, the AUP performed on the F-111Cs was completed last year. It also included replacing the TF-30P3s with more powerful TF-30P9s.

MinMiester

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 142

RE: Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

>Btw, the AUP performed on the
>F-111Cs was completed last year.
> It also included replacing
>the TF-30P3s with more powerful
>TF-30P9s.
>
>MinMiester

Yes You are right, sorry, could not be bothered to write all the details, it was a long article!!!
In the same issue there is interesting articles on modern hand held SAMs and IRSTs.

SO

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 102

RE: Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

This is not me being jealous:-)...but seriously are the Mirage upgrades :

1. For ALL the 83 aircraft.
2. Do they really include all the goodies mentioned...that package would cost quite a bomb...........? any guesses on figures so we can compare them to published sources from Pakistan.
3. Whats the diffrence between a terrain following radar / terrain map generator....does the former have an autopilot capability and the latter does not???...pls help me out here.

IIRC the Mig 29s of the IAF were also getting some sort of an upgrade...what exactly no clue.....??any dope on that

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 142

RE: Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

Ahjor

I am taking everything from Asain Defence Journal, it states 83 aircraft being completed!

In my experiance your assumptions are correct a terrain following radar actually "flys" the plan at ultra low level, whit a map generator acts as a moving map image on a multi function display showing the pilots position in relation to a map position, being constantly updated.

Do not be jealous, these plans still have 30 year old airframe and engines, but very advanced avionics, they are a substitute for new strike aircraft which the PAF cannot afford!

SO

RE: Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

Here are the details:

DASSAULT MIRAGE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY UPGRADE PROGRAMMES
Combat aircraft upgrades (Mirage III/5/50 and Mirage F1).
PROGRAMME:

Although the first generation Mirage (types III, 5 and 50) remains available to special order, series production has now ended. At the beginning of 1990, orders totalled 1,422, of which 1,415 had been delivered, including 949 exported. Many of these remain in service, or are in storage awaiting resale. Since 1977, Dassault has been involved in programmes to update the navigation and attack systems, flight aids, radio com/nav, power plant and other features of in-service Mirage III/5/50 aircraft. In particular, several air forces have awarded Dassault contracts to install an inertial platform, digital computer, CRT head-up display, air-to-ground laser rangefinder and other equipment for improved navigational accuracy, easier target acquisition, and high bombing precision in the various CCIP (Continuous Computation of the Impact Point) or CCRP (Continuous Computation of the Release Point) modes, including standoff capability through the introduction of CCRP with initial point. Combat efficiency in the air-to-air gunnery mode is improved considerably by display of a highly accurate hot-line on the HUD.

Another major improvement available for the Mirage III/5/50 series is a flight refuelling kit offering an increase of 30 to more than 100 per cent in radius of action. Already ordered by several air forces for their Mirage 5s, this system was demonstrated in flight before becoming generally available to Mirage operators in 1986. It involves lengthening the nose of the aircraft by 90 mm (3{1/2} in) to accommodate system changes associated with a non-retractable probe on the starboard side, forward of the windscreen, and a single-point pressure refuelling port for both internal and external tanks. With the addition of a pressure refuelling system, time for refuelling on the ground is reduced from 15 to 3 minutes.
Over half the air forces operating Mirage III/5/50s have now opted for update programmes, some of which are undertaken at least partly by local organisations and are of sufficient complexity to warrant mention in other national sections in this book. Brief details are listed below.

UPGRADES:

Pakistan: Update programme completed on original aircraft. There were 50 ex-Australian Mirage IIIOs acquired in 1990 for re-work at the Mirage Rebuild Factory, Kamra, with some export sales in prospect.

SAGEM holds full responsibility for a programme to upgrade the Mirage III fleet of the Pakistan Air Force. First production order issued in June 1993. Two versions are being retrofitted, trainer/strike and multirole fighter. The first version has been fully qualified and production is in progress. Upgrade plans include air-to-ground capability as well as installation of a pulse Doppler radar.

Several standards of equipment for modified or new airframes have been offered by Dassault in recent years, including the Mirage 3NG and Mirage 50M. Most recent of these, the Mirage IIIEX, was revealed in 1989 as a modified IIIE (being replaced in French service) with a longer, Mirage F1-type nose; underfuselage strakes (as on Mirage 5D series); an in-flight refuelling probe, offset to port, ahead of the cockpit; and fixed canards. The Doppler fairing below the forward fuselage is deleted.
Israel Aircraft Industries (which see), seeking to export surplus Kfirs to nations not authorised to receive the GE J79 turbojet, is undertaking trial installation of a SNECMA Atar 9K-50, thereby `re-inventing' the Mirage 50.

MAESTRO nav/attack system

SAGEM SA has designed the Modular Avionics Enhancement System Targeted for Retrofit Operations (MAESTRO) with flexibility so it can be easily tailored to any customer's specific requirements and offer capabilities at par with those of current front line fighters. MAESTRO features full inertial and GPS performance provided by SAGEM navigation and mission computer systems implementing the Embedded GPS-Inertia (EGI) concept, Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOR) for stealth navigation and blind attack in combination with the SAGEM high-capacity data transfer system, wide field-of-view FLIR-compatible HUD, glass cockpit, Hands On Throttle And Stick (HOTAS) interface, air-to-ground and air-to-air fire control, including multimode pulse Doppler radar and/or laser rangefinder, full EW suite comprising radar warning, missile launch detection, chaff and flare self-protection and/or jamming systems and the all digital CIRCE 2001 mission planning system. MAESTRO can be adapted to new aircraft of western or eastern origin.

Operational status

In production. Applications include the upgrade of Belgian Air Force Mirage 5, Chilean Air Force Mirage 5 and C-101 combat/trainer aircraft, Indian Air Force Jaguar, PZL Irdya Polish trainer/attack aircraft and Pakistan Air Force Mirage III and 5.

COMPANY NAME : SAGEM SA, Defence and Security Division, Paris

Sigma ring laser gyro inertial navigation systems

The Sigma family of inertial navigation systems is implemented by the combination of high-performance laser gyro sensors and a GPS receiver. Such systems are intended for use in combat aircraft equipped with a multiplexed databus. Sigma systems offer all the benefits of tight hybridisation between ring laser gyros and a GPS receiver by a multisensor Kalman filter for both alignment and navigation. The synergy between these three elements brings the following advantages; reduction in size, weight and power consumption through the integration of inertial and GPS functions; short alignment time on the ground, in the air or at sea; monitoring of sensor performance and integrity for GPS and INS; automatic in-flight calibration of inertial sensors; long-term stability of inertial performance and higher resistance to jamming and improved dynamic behaviour of the GPS. Some versions combine the navigation and fire-control functions. These versions provide aircraft position, velocity and attitude information, computation of navigation and steering information to waypoints; position updating by navigation fixes; terrain reference updating; weapon delivery computations consisting of ballistics, determination of release point, ripple spacing of weapons, safety pull-up information; head-up display information for target acquisition and commands for the blind release of stores; attack modes; air data computations and multiplex bus control.

Sigma 92G inertial nav/attack system

The Sigma 92G uses three ring laser gyros and three quartz accelerometers. It is fitted with an embedded GPS receiver and performs weapon delivery functions.

SPECIFICATIONS :

Dimensions: 194 x 191 x 380 mm
Weight: 17 kg (with GPS)
Power supply: 28 V DC, 60 W
Accuracy: 0.8 n mile/h in pure inertial mode

Details of PAF Mirages from France.

Elements of SAGEM's MAESTRO (modular Avionics Enhancements System targeted for Retrofit Operations) digital package, installed some years earlier in 20 belgian Mirage 5BA/BDs, and applied to the PAF's Mirage 5s include the SAGem ULISS 92 INS/GPS, with the TRECOR terrain-matching system and UTR-90 computer, Honeywell radar altimeter, multifunction cockpit and wide-angle stroke and raster head-up displays, hands-onthrottle-and-stick, SAGEM Circe 2001 mission planning system, provision for night-vision goggles, plus thermal-imaging forward looking infra-red (FLIR) and laser rangefinder in a forward ventral fairing.

Smart weapons capabilities may be further exploited by the navigation/tageting pod shown SAGEM's Mirage 5F at Le Bourget.

Although described as the dart, this appears identical to Rafael's LITENING pod. Other Mirage 5F upgrades included an integrated electrnoc warefare suite, on-board oxygen generation system (OBOGS), and single point pressure refuelling. Delivery of the last upgraded 5F from SAGEM to Pakistan was expected in mid 1999.

RE: Retrofit programmes for Asian Fighter Aircraft

According to january issue of Airforce monthly;

Pakistan has a requirment of 80 MGs which will be called F-7MP. The delivery of 60 is expected to be in 2001and most of them are already built at the Chengdu Factory. This version is fitted with more powerful engine WP-13F turbojet which provides a thrust of 14,550lb with full afterburner. the first 20 will be delivered without the radar cause the radar supplier culdn't deliver it within the short time frame. The option is between Grifo S7 or marconi SSR, Super Sky ranger.

trials with SSK are believed to be taken place in Pakistan this summer, meaning 1999 on the demonstration model 0144.