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Naval Today said:

The third of four ships of the new F 125 frigate class of the German navy has been christened in a ceremony on March 4.

The FGS Sachsen-Anhalt, as the ship is named, was christened at the Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems yard in Hamburg, Germany.

Construction of the Sachsen-Anhalt started with the keel laying on April 8, 2014. The lead ship of the class, ‘Baden-Württemberg’ is expected to join the fleet mid-2017 at its future homeport in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

The four F 125 class frigate will replace the eight frigates of the F122-class, which will be gradually decommissioned. F 125 ships were specifically designed for contemporary and future tasks of the German navy. The traditional duties of state-defense were broadened to encompass conflict prevention, crisis response as well as international intervention and stabilization operations.

By the end of the decade, the four ships will be operated by a total of eight crews with a total of 120 personnel each. The Navy refers to this as the multiple-crew model where the eight crews will be operating as a closed team on a rotation principle.

The Navy hopes that the use of low-maintenance technology will allow the ships to stay deployed for up to two years at a time. The reduced transit times would thereby heighten the international presence of the German Navy.

With a length of 149 meters and a displacement of 7000 tonnes, the new frigates will be the biggest operational ships in the German Navy.

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Buba ( it will recognize ) maybe you get a G suit for piloted a Soviet fighter hehe
But definitely greedy in fuel.

Sell at auction, many MiG, from 8000 €, contact Albania !

It is difficult to find a good deal on a fighter these days. But if you're willing to put some time and money into a restoration project, Albania is the place to do business.

In a move to modernize its military, which is far from being present, Albania is preparing to auction tens of aircraft from the Cold War. Some fighters are really "period" since they date back to 1950. The base price of these devices starts at € 8000, only.

A strong interest surrounding this auction has forced the Albanian authorities to postpone the event once and to consider increasing the starting bids for the forty aircraft to acquire. On the ranks, it is obviously aeronautical museums and private collectors, nostalgic or not of the Cold War and aviation across Eastern Europe. But more surprisingly, the United States have expressed interest in some of the old fleet of fighters, especially those who fly until 2005. Is it a desire to set up a squadron molesters , certainly a little aged?

This batch of devices includes combat aircraft like MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19 and MiG-21, as well as Yak-18 aircraft training and four Mi-4 transport helicopters. Some were purchased from the Soviet Union until Albania break its relations with the USSR in 1962. After that, the communist regime in Albania (increasingly paranoid) continued to buy aircraft and spare parts to China for 15 years or more, when relations with this country also deteriorated.

Increasingly isolated and without allies during the rest of the Cold War, the regime of Albania has continued to maintain its aging fleet in flight, despite its location in the heart of the Balkans constantly shaken throughout the years 70-90 . at the end of the cold War, Albania had something like 200 planes and 40 helicopters at hand, not to mention some money to maintain them.

Twenty-five years later, Albania, now a member of NATO and official candidate for EU membership, is modernizing its armed forces. It has already strengthened by the purchase of Western helicopters, but the sale of its ancient fleet should finance new acquisitions for its armed forces.

The Albanian Minister of Defense said the auction, whose date has not been set, will be like a test. If successful, Albania could sell another batch of 100 older aircraft, which it plans to dispose in the near.

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Last advanced Stallions up for delivery in Germany

Fifteen more years of useful service. In 2010, that was the goal of an Airbus Helicopters modification program for German Air Force CH-53G Stallion heavy transport helicopters. Over the past years, these green giants have been getting modernized cockpits, new avionic and warfare suites and countless other upgrades.

The end is near for the modification program, delivering fourty modernized helicopters to the German Air Force. They are known as CH-53GA, signifying ‘Germany Advanced’. As it should.
In the Airbus Helicopters Military Support Center (MSC) in Donauwörth, Germany, well over a dozen Sikorsky CH-53s receive attention. Among them are the last of fourty of these airborne workhorses to be upgraded to CH-53GA. When done, the upgrade shows itself by no uncertain means in the cockpit, where avionics and communications systems almost identical to those used in the NH90 and Tiger attack helicopter, present themselves to awaiting pilots. All is contained in a completely new glass cockpit.

Miles away
With five multi-function displays, the new cockpit is miles away from the analogue workplace it used to be. “We’re taking out all the old mechanical instruments and we put in multifunctional displays that provide the crew with enormous flexibility and increased efficiency”, says Michael Hoofdmann, head of programs at the MSC.

A huge upgrade is the newly designed four-axis autopilot with auto-hover automatic flight control system that is similar to the NH90’s auto pilot. An electronic warfare system for threat recognition and electronic self-protection protects crews in hostile environments. A forward looking infrared (FLIR) sensor turret is also part of the update.

Four decades
The first modernized Stallion was handed back to the German Air Force in 2012, close to four decades after the first of 110 helicopters were introduced in German service. Externally, the CH-53GA lacks the big fuel tanks that identified the past CH-53GS update, a program that mainly served to add personnel recovery and extraction capabilities. An internal fuel tank has been installed in the latest variant instead.

Fleet
The current German fleet consist of forty CH-53GA and 26 remaining CH-53GS helicopters, adding up to 66 in total. To examine the remaining service life, one CH-53G has been completely dismantled and inspected for signs of fatigue at Donauwörth. The fleet saw extensive use over the last decades, deploying to Afghanistan and Kosovo. In the same timeframe, all remaining helicopters were transferred from the Germany Army to the German Air Force. The NH90 took the CH-53’s place in the Army.

With so many CH-53s in one space, foldable tails help save space. (Image © Dennis Spronk)

Twilight
Updated or not, truth is the Stallion is in the twilight of its career. Berlin is looking at its options, being either the CH-47F Chinook or… the CH-53K. The ‘Kilo’ is the latest incarnation of the Stallion,

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. There is no road map yet for a purchase, but it seems likely the Germans will decide on a new heavy transport helicopter in the next two or three years. Deliveries are still at least six years away.

Until then, the CH-53GA is the tool of the trade when it comes to heavy helicopter transport in Germany. “They are now state of the art again”, concludes Michael Hoofdmann. “No more upgrades needed for these helicopters.”

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Sweden puts new life in Cold War fighter jet strategy

Gripen combat fleet survivability
The Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) is putting new life into a war-time strategy developed during the Cold War: fighter jet operations from road strips. There is a difference: the armed forces have got to do the same job with less personnel.
Welcome to Vidsel Airbase in the Swedish far north. This is the Edwards, or Boscombe Down, of Sweden – a place for testing air weapons and the heart of many (inter)national military combat exercises when it comes to air operations.

Riksväg runway
Vidsel does have a main runway, but serviced by a network of taxiways are three additional short and less-wide runways ideal for testing road strip operations without having to close down any real riksväg (regional main roads).

And that is exactly what Swedish Air Force SAAB JAS 39C Gripen no. 229 was doing the last couple of days. At the Gripen’s F21 Wing at Luleå-Kallax Airbase 60 miles (97 km) east they call it “a new concept”, but it is actually just perfecting an old plan to the current state of the military. Meaning, things have to be done with less people and less equipment since Sweden abolished obligatory military service to all young men on 1 July 2010 and has suffered from severe budget restrains.

The redefined concept will see the Gripen serviced, (re)armed and (re)fueled by 6 personnel on a forward operating location, using only two modified vans with equipment per jet plus a fuel truck travelling between several aircraft and a fuel depot.

Gripen combat fleet survivability
Initially four conscripts would be enough to maintain the first Gripen A version, where many systems are easily exchangeable modules. But some sort of grouping with more personnel and vehicles was still the starting point. The new concept makes it possible to have a unit of one fighter jet, a pilot and six aircraft technicians can operate entirely on its own. Aircraft dispersed over a larger area increases the survivability of the combat fleet in times of war, since they will be complicated to hit by the enemy.

Europe’s largest test range
Sweden’s military future when it comes to the air weapon is very much probed near Vidsel, where the test range close by is Europe’s largest overland. During the past half a century everything from parachutes to ATC systems and space vehicles have been tried there. NATO jets are regularly using the 6,210 square miles (10,000 km2) of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles (3,300 km2) of restricted ground space as well.

With recent tests of the Gripen at a Forward Operating Location at Vidsel being very positive F21 Wing is now eager to have additional try-outs on all its three main bases in the north of Sweden: Luleå-Kallax (homebase), Vidsel and Jokkmokk. The latter, on the edge of the Polar Circle, has not only one main runway but three shorter and smaller runways on base plus three road strips just outside the base perimeter. The latter three are only to be used in wartime though, and will not be put to the test at the moment.

The new concept will likely be “exported” to the other two Gripen units of the Swedish Air Force as well: F17 Wing at Ronneby near Sweden’s main naval base in Karlskrona in the southeast of the country and F7 at Såtenäs in the heart of Central Sweden.

Gripen E roll-out
Combined the three combat wings of the Swedish Air Force fly 76 operational single-seat C and 12 two-seat D versions. Like Brazil, Stockholm has ordered the new, larger and more capable Gripen E, of which at least 60 are to stream to the Swedish Air Force the coming years. The first prototype Gripen E is to be rolled out by SAAB in Linköping on 18 May this year.

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