Airbus Military lands C-295 deal with Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan's air force is to receive up to eight C-295 medium transports under the terms of a new agreement signed with Airbus Military. The nation's state-owned Kazspets export agency has signed a contract for two aircraft to be delivered by April 2013, plus a separate memorandum of understanding covering a planned further six, Airbus Military said on 1 March. The production order also includes support services, spare parts and ground support equipment, according to the European manufacturer.

Photo Credit: Airbus Military/Flight Global

 The C-295 is already operated by users including the Spanish air force

"Separate firm contracts will be signed progressively over the next few years," said Airbus Military, with the company to also deliver technical training to enable Kazakh personnel to support the type independently in the future. The Kazakhstan air force's current airlift fleet includes a combined 10 Antonov An-12, An-24/26 and An-72 transports, as recorded by Flightglobal's MiliCAS database.


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Moscow approves deal for 92 Su-34 bombers

Photo Credit: Military Photos.net

Russia's defense ministry signed a deal for 92 Sukhoi Su-34 "Fullback" strike aircraft on 1 March, marking the biggest deal for a single aircraft type for the nation's air force in more than 20 years. To cover deliveries until 2020, the deal was signed by defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Sukhoi general director Igor Ozar. The Su-34s will replace all the Su-24 bombers in service, Serdyukov said. A source quoted by Russia’s Interfax news agency put the value of the deal at around 100 billion roubles ($3 billion).

The defense ministry had previously said 70 Su-34s would be delivered by 2015. Six aircraft are in service at Russia's test and evaluation center at Lipetsk, with a further 10 due to be delivered this year. The Russian air force will eventually field a total of about 120 Su-34s in five squadrons of 24 aircraft each, its commander Col Gen Alexander Zelin said at last year's MAKS air show near Moscow.

Powered by two AL-31MF turbofan engines, the twin-seat Su-34 is designed to conduct precision strikes on heavily defended targets under all weather conditions, day or night. It is armed with a GSh-301 30mm cannon and a wide variety of air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles and bombs.

Noting that the Su-34 is entering service more than a decade behind original plans, Douglas Barrie, an air warfare analyst with the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, said: "The Su-34 will, with the appropriate avionic and weapons systems, provide the air force with a capable long-range strike platform, with considerably more punch than the Su-24."

The defense ministry has said the air force will procure more than 1,500 new aircraft by 2020. Moscow's Su-34 order was signed only two days after the Russian navy confirmed an order for 24 RAC MiG-29K/KUB carrier-based fighters.


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Kuwait seeks AIM-9X deal for Hornet fleet

Kuwait wants to enhance the air defense capabilities of its Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet fighters via a $105 million acquisition of Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.

Detailed by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 27 February, the proposed deal includes the delivery of 80 AIM-9X-2 weapons, plus captive training rounds and associated equipment and training.

"The Kuwait air force is modernizing its fighter aircraft to better support its own air defence needs," the DSCA said. "The proposed sale of AIM-9X-2 missiles will enhance Kuwait's interoperability with the US and among other Central Command nations, making it a more valuable partner in an increasingly important area of the world."
Kuwait's Hornet fleet was introduced from 1991, as recorded by Flightglobal's MiliCAS database. Its air force still operates 34 C/D-model examples of the type.


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