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Lockheed delivers ‘Warthog’ upgrade

Lockheed Martin has delivered the second major element of the US Air Force’s A-10C Precision Engagement (PE) upgrade. The digital stores management system (DSMS) has been delivered for flight testing as work continues to define an engine upgrade for the attack aircraft, writes Graham Warwick.

Replacing an analogue system, the DSMS automates management of the aircraft’s weapons and integrates its targeting pod – Lockheed’s Sniper or Northrop Grumman’s Litening – added to the Fairchild-produced A-10 in the first stage of the upgrade.

This first increment of the PE programme will undergo operational suitability assessment in the first quarter of next year, says Lockheed programme director Roger Il Grande.

The first increment upgrades the cockpit with two colour multifunction displays and expanded hands-on-throttle-and-stick controls.

The second increment, which adds smart weapons – Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munition and Lockheed’s Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser – and the SADL situational awareness datalink, will be released by the end of the year for flight testing in the first half of 2007, says Il Grande.

The USAF plans to upgrade all 356 of its A-10s over three years, with the first production aircraft to be inducted into the modernisation programme during April. Development of an upgrade for the type’s General Electric TF34 engine, primarily to increase thrust by using technology from the commercial CF34, is expected to begin in fiscal year 2007 and take three years, Il Grande says.

The planned upgrades to the A-10 fleet are expected to extend operations of the type until 2028.

 

http://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2006/03/28/Navigation/190/205692/Lockheed+delivers+%e2%80%98Warthog%e2%80%99+upgrade.html

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Now all we need is a Chinese J-10 that has a "...weapons of mass destruction like 'Nucular' weapons..." voice recognition software.

And I hope my country will start producing 'nucular' weapons to piss somebody off :p Wonder how such horrible devices would work.

Creedence Clearwater Revival:worthy:

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Does Holland actually have an Armed Service? You learn something everyday ;) </sarcasm>

 

 

We have 6 F-16s, and 4 Apache's, the 2 130's we use along with Belgium...

 

Oh, and our Marines are allowed to wear their hair in a ponytail. :icon_weed

 

The Netherlands is fully counting on Germany and the U.K. to back em up in times of crisis. In about 5 years time we'll have 2 active airbases, the other 5 will be closed.

 

The Dutch armed servicemen who heard they were going to Afghanistan actually quit their jobs.

 

Holland however does stimulate same sex coupling, and smoking weed is considered a folklore.

:D

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The Netherlands is fully counting on Germany and the U.K. to back em up in times of crisis.

You can always count on the UK, I have Dutch friends.

Is it true the Dutch army built a big artificial hill so they could practice fighting on hills or is that just a silly story?

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

Sorry Death, you lose! It was Professor Plum....

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We have like 70 MLUs, something like that, had lots of F-16, but they vanished somehow (spare parts, not upgraded block 10s). We also have converted DC-10-30s serving as tankers and crew transports (same planes) called KDC-10s, and they have 3d cameras instead of the stone age USAF KC-10s with looking holes for the boom oprtator.

 

AFAIK the Dutch military trains in Germany for tank warfare, no need to build hills here, but maybe they did build them in Oirschot, who knows :p

 

Our marines can wear ponytails, be gay and smoke weed off duty, how's that for l33t infrantry? Oh, and they are some times often involved in elaborate cocaine smuggling, or usage. (no joke)

 

The funniest thing I ever saw at an airshow here was some kind of white container (standard steel, white sea container) and white smoke pouring out of it, I thought they had a big hookah bong in there :icon_weed To this day, that container remains a mystery to me.

 

Too bad the open door days are way up north this year, but, the Blue Angels will fly there, so it could be worth it.

Creedence Clearwater Revival:worthy:

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Stormin, the jets at Nellis are testing the avionics for the A-10C that's why they have the DSMS system installed,. field unit A-10s don't not have this system...yet.

 

The "Kit poof" for the PE (A-10C) will start here at Hill next week. After that field units will start being moded changing their A-10A's into A-10Cs.

Ugly but well hung!

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I'm curious how much more thrust the hog will make with it's engine upgrades. I know the hogs TF34's make about 9k lbs of thrust each, but with the CF34 parts upgrades who knows. The stated range of thrusts for the CF's are from 9k-20k lbs. Some of the CRJ model aircraft make in the 19k range. We all know one thing, the hog really needs more POWER.

Althlon X2 6400+ 3.2 ghz

EVGA 8800GT SC - 512mb

X-45

MOMO pedals

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I find it weird that they were supposed to kill the hog way before the first Iraq war..and the F-14 was to live forever...and infact its the complete opposite.

 

Long Live the Hog!

 

It keeps my uncle employed (he works at Fairchild...been tryin to get a job there forever). And my OTHER uncle works for Lockheed down in GA. Oxygen systems for the C-130 (been trying to get in THERE forever too LOL)

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Stormin, the jets at Nellis are testing the avionics for the A-10C that's why they have the DSMS system installed,. field unit A-10s don't not have this system...yet.

 

The "Kit poof" for the PE (A-10C) will start here at Hill next week. After that field units will start being moded changing their A-10A's into A-10Cs.

 

 

Hi Dice,

 

Roger that. The A-10C PE program is still being tested at Nellis. See the PM I just sent to you.

 

Later,

Carl

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