Aviation

Indian LCA combat aircraft now being armed with American JDAM

Welcome back to Jetline Marvel for another interesting article. Do you know that the Tejas Aircraft is getting a more advanced guided bomb system?

It was recently established for testing a new system made in the United States, the JDAM kit. The Joint Direct Attack Munition is a guidance tail kit that converts unguided free-fall bombs into precision “smart” weapons that may be deployed in bad weather. By incorporating an inertial navigational system and a global positioning system guidance control unit into a redesigned tail piece, JDAM improves the accuracy of unguided, general-purpose bombs in any weather condition. The Joint Direct Attack Munition is a joint initiative of the United States Air Force and the United States Navy..

Since 1999. More than 450 JDAMs were dropped during this testing, recording an unprecedented 95 percent system reliability while achieving a 9.6 meter accuracy rate. JDAM performance has been demonstrated in operationally representative tests including drops through clouds, rain and snow. These tests included a B-2 releasing 80 JDAMs on a single pass against multiple targets.

So, how closely do the JDAM, SPICE, and HAMMER resemble each other?

In a technical sense, none of the three systems are bombs. It’s a set of kits that can be installed on current unguided bombs. Guidance units, fins, wings, and other components are bolted on to existing dumb bombs or even laser-guided bombs to transform them into guided, “glide” bombs that fly to their targets.

Lets understand the various weapons and capacities

Number one specification of Spice which is built by Rafael Advanced Defense system. It has Warhead of Mk 83 is 453 kg and Mk 84 is 907 kg. it can be guided by CCD or Infrared Homing with GPS . It can be carried by the F-15 , F16 and Mirage 2000 and Tejas aircraft.

The SPICE kit offers a range of 60km for 907kg bombs and 100km for 454kg bombs. A new SPICE variant, dubbed the SPICE 250, has also been developed, which is a 113kg weapon that can hit targets 100km away.

Number 2 specification of Hammer which is built in France by Safran Electronics & Defense.

The AASM HAMMER missile consists of a guidance kit and a range extension kit. The kits are fitted with Mk82 warheads including Smart Bomb Unit SBU-38, 64 and 54. The easy to use missile supports operations with 125kg, 250kg, 500kg and 1,000kg bomb bodies, and can be reprogrammed during the flight.

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The basic version SBU-38 HAMMER is provided with hybrid INS/GPS guidance, while the SBU-54 version is equipped with INS/GPS/IR infrared guidance. The latest version SBU-64 uses INS/GPS/laser guidance.

The propulsion system is fitted at the rear of the missile and consists of a solid rocket motor and four winglets for flight control.

The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) is a guidance kit that converts unguided bombs, or “dumb bombs”, into all-weather precision-guided munitions. JDAM-equipped bombs are guided by an integrated inertial guidance system coupled to a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, giving them a published range of up to 15 nautical miles (28 km). JDAM-equipped bombs range from 500 pounds (230 kg) to 2,000 pounds (910 kg).

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Hammer price : US$210,707 per unit

JDAM price : $25,000 per unit

Spice Price : US $397,000 per unit.

The JDAM was meant to improve upon laser-guided bomb and imaging infrared technology, which can be hindered by bad ground and weather conditions. Laser seekers are now being fitted to some JDAM’s.

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Tejas Mark 1 and 2 already has the Spice form the Rafale and Hammer From Safran both are highly versatile. as per the report the Hammer is 7 times more cost then the JDAM that means US$210,707 per unit. and as per the recent order by India was cost of around $397,000 per kit for safran built Spice bomb kit.

Aviation

Aeroflot Buys Used Planes for Spare Parts Amid Sanctions

In the face of ongoing Western sanctions that have severely impacted Russia’s aviation industry, Aeroflot, the country’s largest airline, has devised a strategic plan to bolster its fleet’s spare parts inventory.

The airline is set to acquire five Boeing 737-800BCF freighters from Atran Airlines, a move that will allow it to dismantle the aircraft for critical components. The planes, which will be transferred to Aeroflot’s low-cost subsidiary Pobeda, will not be converted into passenger jets but instead will be stripped for valuable parts to support existing operations.

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Aeroflot’s plan to purchase these Boeing 737-800BCF freighters comes as part of a broader strategy to mitigate the effects of Western sanctions, which have crippled the Russian aviation sector. With the sanctions restricting access to essential aircraft parts and spare components, Aeroflot is exploring alternative ways to maintain and repair its fleet.

Instead of converting the freighters from cargo to passenger planes, a process deemed “unreasonably expensive” under current sanctions, the airline intends to focus on extracting high-value components such as engines, landing gear, avionics, and other essential systems.

The deal will be structured in a way that allows Aeroflot to indirectly purchase the freighters through an insurance settlement with the aircraft’s lessor, AerCap.

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The Russian government’s insurance company will reimburse the aircraft’s value, and the planes will then be leased back to local operators. This method circumvents some of the restrictions imposed by international sanctions while ensuring that the airline gains access to the necessary components to support its fleet.

By dismantling the aircraft for spare parts, Aeroflot aims to secure critical resources for the ongoing maintenance of its existing fleet. Components from the Boeing 737-800BCF freighters, such as engines and avionics, are expected to be reused in other aircraft within Aeroflot’s network, ensuring that the airline can keep its operations running smoothly