Platinea: Requests for Information

[Etoile Arcture]

Aerodyne Inc. official sales solicitation
To: Armada Aérea Platano, Republic of Platinea
Subject: Request for Information #3 - replacement of the Plavia/Lockheed Martin F-16AP/BP

Sir,

Aerodyne Inc. registers its interest to bid on the Armada Aérea Platano RFI #3 requirements for a replacement lightweight tactical fighter. This bid consists of two offers of separate airframe types which may be purchased alternatively or together in a single purchase order, or produced in Platinea under a licensed manufacturing agreement. Our offer in detail consists of the F-25 Revolution multi-role fighter and the F-39 Fearless light combat aircraft.

Both aircraft are available in single and tandem seat versions for lead-in fighter training, featuring a reconfigurable advanced cockpit for pilot training and operational use, high manoueverability, handling characteristics and low observability similar to that found in the latest fourth and fifth generation combat aircraft.

To contain costs these aircraft are fitted with an austere avionics fit but one still capable of all weather and day/night operations, and equipped with advanced weapon interfaces for employing the latest air-to-air and air-to-ground ordnance. Aerodyne Inc. can also offer a structured program of Block upgrades to customise airframes and avionics to tailor aircraft to the Armada Aérea Platano specific needs.

In addition our company can provide comprehensive support to the aircraft throughout their lifespan, including spare parts, special tools, ground equipment, product support services and consumable stores for the support and operation of the aircraft. As part of any purchase agreement Aerodyne Inc. also provides initial ground school training, operational conversion training and simulator training.

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For further information concerning the F-25 Revolution and the F-39 Fearless please view the attached product literature.

Link: F-25 Revolution lightweight multirole fighter



Link: F-39 Fearless light combat aircraft



About Aerodyne Inc.

Aerodyne Inc. is a leading manufacturer of military aircraft, electronic and defence systems, missiles, rocket engines, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems.

[Platinea]

To: Aerodyne, Inc.

Your offers are appreciated, and will be considered strongly. The Ministry appreciates your concern for cost as well as quality.

Sincerely,
Alberto Serrano, Minister of Defense

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Boeing offers the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet for the Armada Aéreo Platano. The Super Hornet is a modern 4.5-generation fighter. Featuring the low-probability-of-intercept AN/APG-79 AESA radar, it can detect intruders far away without giving away its position. The Super Hornet also features the AN/ALE-55 towed decoy and the AN/ALQ-214 jammer, further adding to its electronic warfare capabilities. Further, the RCS of the Super Hornet is among the best in its class, making it that much more effective. The Super Hornet can carry over 8 tonnes of ordnance on its 11 hardpoints; individual planes can serve as tankers, using the 'buddy store,' extending the Super Hornet's combat radius significantly. The Super Hornet is well worth its $60 million unit price; still, we are prepared to offset this offer, through domestic production programs, investment in Platano companies, and domestic production licenses for the AGM-84H SLAM-ER anti-ship cruise missile.

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OOC: East Fancania, that's not the tank I'm looking for. Way too heavy, way too complex. The design, for that matter, looks kinda questionable - too fast for its weight, and too complex a design to be effective. You should probably check out the NS Draftroom; they offer constructive (if occasionally harsh) critique, improving design quality significantly.

[Platinea]

* Developmental assistance: PlaFord, having acquired rights to IvecoFiat's Centauro family of vehicles, made a private offer to the Ejército Platano to replace much of its existing vehicle park with updated Centauro family vehicles. The Ejército agreed; however, the Ministry of Defense, recognizing that PlaFord does not have experience with modern armor, electronics, and vehicle-mounted weapons, requests that a partner company provide technical and developmental assistance. The Ejército requires the following variants:

• Tank - firepower must be equivalent or superior to the 105G1 cannon fitted to the TS-64; mobility and protection should be equivalent or superior to the TS-64. Please note that this variant will also be serving as a recon vehicle, and should be designed accordingly.
• Tank destroyer - can be fitted with same armament as tank variant, or as an ATGM carrier, but the anti-tank system deployed must be capable of defeating the protection schemes of such modern tanks as the Lyran LY4 and LY7 series. Mobility should be equivalent or superior to the TS-64.
• IFV - should be capable of carrying up to 7 troops and providing them with adequate direct fire support. A company of these vehicles must be capable of replacing the support provided by a typical heavy weapons platoon. Protection should be sufficient against shell fragments and 14.5x114mm rounds.
• APC - should be capable of carrying up to 10 troops.
• Mortar vehicle - should carry a heavy mortar or gun-mortar and an adequate supply of ammunition.
• Ambulance - should be capable of safely transporting up to 5 litter-bound or 8 standing patients, along with two medics.
• Command vehicle - should be capable of carrying a platoon command section of 7 troops.
• Air defense vehicle - should be capable of detecting and intercepting low-flying aircraft and helicopters (at up to 2.5km altitude) at a range of up to 2.5km.

Other requirements may be listed as they emerge. All vehicles should be integrated into a battlefield management network system. Unless otherwise stated, protection should be sufficient against shell fragments and 7.62x51mm NATO rounds.
Bids should highlight experience on cooperative ventures, estimate developmental costs, and provide an estimate of the overall market for this family of vehicles; specifications are not needed at this time. Please note that vehicles built as a result of this RFI for the Ejército must be assembled in Platinea, but that the partner company will be granted full rights to export these vehicles to other nations, provided that appropriate royalties are paid to PlaFord. This RFI supercedes RFI #7.

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Lockheed Martin has received permission to offer Platinea the right to become a Security Cooperative Participant in the F-35 Lightning-II program. The F-35A is a fifth-generation multirole fighter, equipped with the AN/APG-81 AESA radar and featuring a reduced radar signature compared to predecessors. An Electro-Optical Targeting System allows the F-35A to pick out ground targets with pinpoint accuracy without compromising stealthiness, while the AN/AAQ-37 distributed aperture system and AN/ASQ-239 EW suite provide the pilot with the information needed to find and evade attackers, in daylight and at night. The Multifunction Advanced Data Link allows multiple Lightnings to communicate swiftly and stealthily. Lightning-II costs $83 million per unit; as an SCP, Platinea would be permitted to locally manufacture these fighters. As a further offset, the designs to the AIM-120D medium-range air-to-air missile, the AIM-132 short-range air-to-air missile, and the AGM-158 standoff cruise missile, will be provided to Platano firms for domestic production with the delivery of the first F-35A into Platano service.

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United Aircraft Corporation's Sukhoi branch wishes to offer the Su-35BM for RFI #3. As a modern 4++ generation fighter, the Su-35BM is more than adequate as a replacement for the F-16 in service with the Armada Aéreo Platano. A derivative of the widely-sold Su-27 family, the Su-35BM retains its predecessor's deadly maneuverability, while extending its range, improving its stealthiness, and modernizing its electronics. Equipped with two powerful thrust-vectoring AL-41F1 turbofans, the Su-35BM is capable of post-stall maneuvers such as Pugachev's Cobra. The radar signature has been reduced when compared to previous Su-27 family aircraft, while the N035 Irbis-E passive electronically-scanning array radar is fitted to the Su-35BM. Up to 30 targets can be detected at up to 400km, and 12 can be attacked at any one time; even low-RCS aircraft are vulnerable, as targets with an RCS of 0.01m² can be detected at 90km out. Jam-resistant datalinks, fly-by-optics flight control, LCD screens, and compatibility with helmet-mounted displays make the Su-35BM a thoroughly modern fighter. At $65 million a unit, it is more affordable than fifth-generation competition; with the RVV-MD and RVV-SD air-to-air missiles (whose domestic production licenses will be included as offsets), the Su-35BM can easily defeat them. As a further offset, design assistance from Sukhoi's work on the Superjet-100 regional jet, and direct investment by UAC, will be provided to Plavia if the Su-35BM wins this RFI.

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Dassault offers the Armada Aéreo Platano the Rafale, a modern 4.5-generation fighter. Rafale is equipped with the Thales RBE2 AA AESA radar, allowing it to detect targets at long range without being easily detected by its own radar emissions. Modern heads-up and helmet-mounted displays provide the pilot with information in an instant, unlike heads-down monitor displays on older fighters. The Thales SPECTRA integrated defensive suite keeps the Rafale safe and hidden from attackers, while the Thales-Sagem OSF IRST lets it pounce on targets at close range. Rafale's innovative airframe and powerful engines allow it to take off from even 400-meter runways, and give it impressive maneuverability, with a thrust-weight ratio of 1.13. While Rafale costs $80 million per unit, Dassault offers the following offsets:

• Local production of the Rafale, and of any needed spares
• Domestic production rights for the MICA-IR and MICA-EM air-to-air missiles, the SCALP-EG cruise missile, and the AASM precision -guided munition
• Investments, worth at least half the price of this contract, in Platano companies
• Assistance in training aircrews and maintenance crews

The Rafale is an excellent replacement for the F-16, and will serve Platinea well into the 21^st century.

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Chengdu Aircraft Industries Corporation and Pakistan Aerospace Complex offer the JF-17 Thunder for RFI #3. The JF-17 is a modern lightweight fighter, perfectly suited to replace the F-16. The Electronic Flight Information System and Heads-Up Displays provide pilots with information at their fingertips, and will not fog up in tropical environments; Platano-developed HUDs and MFDs can be easily integrated in their place. Stability-augmented controls and fly-by-wire technology are components of the Thunder's composite flight control system. Over 3600kg of ordnance can be carried on seven hardpoints; these are guided by information provided via data-link or by the Thunder's own KLJ-7 X-band radar, which can detect up to 40 distinct targets with RCS of 5m² at 135km out, can track 10 targets at once, and can engage two targets simultaneously. An IRST and a FILAT targeting pod can be fitted, providing additional capabilities for the Thunder. The WS-13 Taishan turbofan provides the Thunder with 86kN of thrust and a service life of 2200 hours, featuring superior reliability and performance to the Klimov RD-93. At $15 million a unit, the Thunder is priced appropriately for the Armada Aéreo Platano. To offset the costs of this contract, we offer domestic manufacture of the JF-17, domestic production rights for the CATIC SD-10 long-range air-to-air missile and the EOTDC PL-9C short-range air-to-air missile, and investments worth at least 60% of the price of this contract in Platano firms, along with promotional assistance for Platano products in the Chinese and Pakistani markets.

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DCNS and Fincantieri offer the FREMM multipurpose frigate for RFI #5. FREMM can be refit for the anti-submarine or land-attack roles; common to all refits are Otomat Block 4 anti-ship missiles, a SYLVER VLS for the Aster series of surface-to-air missiles, an Otobreda 76mm Super Rapid and two 25mm cannon, the MU90 Impact ASW torpedo and MU90 Hard-Kill anti-torpedo torpedo, the Empar radar, and the ability to operate two EH101-sized helicopters. In the ASW role, the Captas UMS 4249 towed sonar array and a multi-beam echo sounder are fitted, and the Milas anti-submarine missile can be operated. In the land-attack role, SCALP-Naval cruise missiles and an Otobreda 127/64 LW cannon are fitted; the former has a range of up to 1500km, while the latter can fire guided Vulcano rounds out to 120km. While each ship will cost $500 million, we offer the following offsets:

• Use of Platano shipyards for construction and outfitting of five of the six ships to be purchased
• Refits to the Almirante Brown-class destroyers to operate the Mica-VL and the Otomat Block 4, performed in Platano shipyards
• Domestic production rights for Otomat Block 4, Aster 15 and Aster 30, Mica-VL, MU90 and MU90 Hard-Kill, Milas, SCALP-Naval, and the guided Vulcano shell
• Joint training exercises with the Marine Nationale and the Marina Militare

We hope that the Armada Platano makes the right choice and selects the FREMM multipurpose frigate.

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OOC: I'll move RFI #3 to RFP very soon; I may end up having the Armada Aéreo buy a mix of light and heavy fighters, in part to match the acquisition of LY908s by the Armada Platano and in part due to the resurgence of the Gothic powers convincing the Cabildo to spend more on defense. I also will select a partner company for RFI #7b, rather than moving it to RFP first.

[Platinea]

CPMIEC, IAI, RAFAEL and Roketsan wish to lay out the following bid for RFI #6:

• 6 or 16 FangDun-2000 long-range SAM batteries, each with four launchers and an SJ-212 G-band radar (with a range of 300km): $420 million or $1.12 billion
• 6 or 18 EL/M-2080 Great Pine radars (with a range of up to 900km): $498 million or $1.494 billion
• 6 or 18 battalions, consisting of 3 batteries of 4 vehicles each, of SPYDER short/medium-range SAM systems (ranges of 1-15km [Python-5] or 20-65km [Derby]), guided using the EL/M-2106 ATAR radar (which can track up to 500 targets at a range of 100km): $415 million or $1.245 billion
• 6 or 18 Machbet batteries (each with 6 vehicles): $25.2 million or $75.6 million
• Stocks of 600 or 1600 FD-2000 missiles, 1200 or 3600 Derby missiles, 1200 or 3600 Python-5 missiles, and 7200 or 21600 Roketsan-built FIM-92E Stinger missiles: $192.8 million or $765.2 million

Elta's Great Pine radar allows for detection of targets well before they get into range, allowing the Fuerzas Armadas Platanos to prepare for the upcoming engagement. The FangDun-2000 long-range SAM can engage targets as far out as 200km or as far up as 30000m altitude; the SJ-212 allows an FangDun-2000 battery to track 100 incoming targets and engage up to six simultaneously. RAFAEL's SPYDER system can target incoming missiles or aircraft at a range of up to 65km; it uses the Derby and Python 5 missiles, based on the combat-proven Python family of air-to-air missiles. Finally, the Machbet, an M113 fitted with an M168 six-barrel 20mm mount and two 4-missile FIM-92 Stinger pods, provides close-in air defense.
To offset the cost ($1.55 billion or $4.7 billion), we are prepared to make the following offsets:
-Domestic production of FD-2000 and SPYDER missiles.
-Investment in Platano electronics firms.
-Marketing assistance in China, Israel, and Turkey.
-Technical assistance, training, provision of spare parts, and procurement advice