Latest news with #F-35A
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Royal Navy To Arm Its Carriers With Long-Range Missiles
The United Kingdom has outlined plans for its future carrier air wing, which should include drones and undisclosed long-range missiles that would be launched from its deck, alongside the F-35B stealth fighters that currently go aboard its two flattops. While there have been ongoing efforts to trial drones aboard the two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, the long-range weapons, and the broader effort stressing the combination of 'high and low' capabilities in the future carrier air wing are new developments. What are described as 'the first European hybrid air wings' are laid out in brief in the latest Strategic Defense Review, published yesterday by the U.K. Ministry of Defense. 'The Royal Navy must continue to move towards a more powerful but cheaper and simpler fleet, developing a 'high-low' mix of equipment and weapons that exploits autonomy and digital integration,' the review states. 'Carrier strike is already at the cutting edge of NATO capability, but much more rapid progress is needed in its evolution into 'hybrid' carrier air wings, whereby crewed combat aircraft (F-35B) are complemented by autonomous collaborative platforms in the air, and expendable, single-use drones. Plans for the hybrid carrier air wings should also include long-range precision missiles capable of being fired from the carrier deck.' That the F-35B remains the cornerstone of the carrier air wing's strike capability is no surprise. The Queen Elizabeth class carriers were tailored for operations involving the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) jet, although there remain questions about exactly how many of these aircraft the United Kingdom will procure. In the past, the U.K. government said it planned to buy 138 F-35Bs. So far, however, firm orders have only been placed for 48. Meanwhile, the previous Conservative government confirmed it was negotiating to buy another 27 for delivery by 2033. Most analysts consider that many more than 48 F-35Bs would be required to meet the ambition of 24 jets available for the baseline Carrier Strike mission, across both ships. Considering training and other demands, a figure of 60-70 jets is generally thought to be reasonable. In the meantime, U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs are being relied upon to make up the required aircraft numbers during carrier cruises. The review concludes only that 'More F-35s will be required over the next decade.' However, it doesn't put any final number on the Joint Strike Fighter buy. Moreover, it suggests that the future Lightning force could comprise a mix of conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35As and F-35Bs. The F-35A, of course, is unable to operate from aircraft carriers, but such a mix could be adopted 'according to military requirements to provide greater value for money.' The F-35A is not currently operated by the United Kingdom. The F-35A is less expensive than the F-35B and, apart from STOVL, is more capable, boasting superior range and payload. The F-35A is also a 9G-capable jet, while the F-35B is cleared for 7.5G. Some commentators have taken the reference to a potential U.K. F-35A buy as evidence of plans to join the NATO nuclear sharing arrangement, under which these aircraft are provided with U.S.-owned B61-12 tactical nuclear bombs. However, the review doesn't mention this possibility, or any plans to field tactical nuclear weapons. Should the United Kingdom choose to buy F-35As, it might even threaten the future of the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), the future air combat initiative at the heart of which is the Tempest crewed stealth fighter. Regardless of its impact on that, it would leave the Royal Navy struggling to meet its Carrier Strike demands. With that in mind, it would likely have to rely much more heavily on drones and long-range weapons. In regard to these, the review outlines 'autonomous collaborative platforms in the air [and] single-use drones' as part of the hybrid carrier air wing of the future. The Royal Navy has, for some time now, been looking at ways to integrate drones into its future carrier air wing. Back in 2023, the Royal Navy revealed details of its intention to fit its two carriers with assisted launch systems and recovery gear, enabling operations by a variety of fixed-wing uncrewed aircraft and, potentially, also conventional takeoff and landing crewed types. 'We are looking to move from STOVL to STOL, then to STOBAR [short takeoff but arrested recovery], and then to CATOBAR [catapult assisted takeoff but arrested recovery],' Col. Phil Kelly, the Royal Navy's Head of Carrier Strike and Maritime Aviation, told the Combined Naval Event conference in 2023. ' We are looking at a demonstrable progression that spreads out the financial cost and incrementally improves capability.' Even before this, there had been indications that the service wanted to at least explore adding different drones to its future carrier air wing. The United Kingdom is not alone in this, with China and Turkey, most notably, also increasingly putting drones aboard big-deck amphibious warfare vessels and other non-conventional-takeoff-and-landing aircraft carriers. The Royal Navy kicked off the project with tests of the General Atomics Mojave short takeoff and landing (STOL), drone aboard the carrier HMS Prince of Wales in late 2023, as you can read about here. The Mojave's impressive STOL capabilities mean that no launch and recovery systems were required for these tests. The 'cat and trap' plan for drone operations aboard U.K. carriers is known as Project Ark Royal (named after the Royal Navy's last aircraft carrier that was capable of CATOBAR operations). If realized, the project will see the Queen Elizabeth class carriers start to operate drones able to undertake a variety of missions and then increasingly heavier, complex, and higher performance ones. Later on, full CATOBAR capability could also add fixed-wing crewed aircraft, too. After the Mojave trials, the next phase of Project Ark Royal aims to install some kind of recovery system on the Queen Elizabeth design, allowing operations by larger fixed-wing drones. Uncrewed aircraft in this category are an aspiration that the Royal Navy is already working toward under Project Vixen, which you can read more about here. Finally, the Queen Elizabeth class design is planned to be reworked with catapult launch gear, allowing the warships 'to operate the heaviest aircraft you can imagine,' in the words of Col. Kelly. That would include larger, high-performance drones, but potentially also crewed fixed-wing aircraft, which would be a very significant development for the Queen Elizabeth class. As it stands, the carriers are unable to operate fixed-wing airborne early warning aircraft or airborne tankers, putting limits on their offensive operations. In the future, these functions could potentially be taken on by a catapult-launched fixed-wing aircraft, whether crewed or uncrewed. A replacement for the carrier air wing's airborne early warning capability will become especially urgent, with plans to retire the current Merlin Crowsnest helicopter, which currently fulfills this role, at the end of 2029. According to previous reports, the Royal Navy has already been looking at different catapult launch solutions, including the U.S.-developed Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), the introduction of which has been far from trouble-free, as well as the U.K.-developed Electro Magnetic Kinetic Induction Technology demonstrator. Finding room for complex launch and recovery systems, as well as fielding the manpower to maintain and operate them, will be a challenge no matter how much extra space the vessels have to accommodate them. As we have explored in the past, there are many more technological hurdles for the Royal Navy to overcome, beyond the launch and recovery systems. It will also need to develop control stations, datalinks, unique procedures, and much more to ensure the drones can be safely and effectively integrated within the carrier air group, for example. Even working out the intricacies of deck handling and flow integration involving drones combined with crewed fixed-wing jets and helicopters will be a considerable effort. The Queen Elizabeth class has a notably wide deck, but there's no angled landing area, which would enable simultaneous launch and recovery operations. Also unclear is to what degree drones could operate from the carriers' existing takeoff ramps, which are required to make the maximum use of the STOVL F-35B. Ultimately, however, the Royal Navy might look to a loyal-wingman-type drone, of the kind that the U.S. Navy is working on under its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. These uncrewed aircraft will be highly autonomous but still designed primarily to work closely together with crewed platforms, at least initially. In the past, the U.S. Navy has said it wants to have uncrewed platforms make up the majority of its future carrier air wings, with up to 60 percent of all aircraft on each flattop being pilotless in the coming decade or two. The kinds of ambitions the U.S. Navy has for its CCAs would certainly seem to tally with the aspiration to field 'autonomous collaborative platforms' aboard the U.K. carriers. Last year, General Atomics presented a vision for how a new uncrewed aircraft, a carrier-capable member of its Gambit drone family, could fit into a future air wing aboard the Queen Elizabeth class carriers. A rendering, shown below, featured a catapult-equipped HMS Prince of Wales with a Gambit-series drone ready to launch. The rendering also depicts an air wing that includes carrier-capable MQ-9B drones fitted with a STOL kit, a separate concept that General Atomics unveiled in 2022, as well as F-35Bs. 'We first started thinking of this as a carrier-capable version of Gambit 2, our air-to-air UCAV [uncrewed combat air vehicle] variant, so that's what is reflected on the Farnborough booth graphics,' C. Mark Brinkley, a General Atomics spokesman, told TWZ at the time. 'Lately, we've been thinking of it as a new concept we're calling Gambit 5, designed for carrier launch and recovery, but weapons delivery need not be a primary requirement. It could be ISR [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] focused, like Gambit 1, or even some hybrid.' Other options for the Royal Navy might include a version of the U.S. Navy's MQ-25 Stingray, which is initially being developed for aerial refueling, but which could potentially be adapted for other missions, including surveillance and electronic warfare, and even strike. As well as the MQ-25, the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, a loyal-wingman-type drone designed by Boeing's Australian subsidiary, seems to have attracted some official interest in the United Kingdom. In February, Rear Adm. James Parkin, Director Develop for the Royal Navy, gave a presentation that included a slide with a Boeing rendering showing a variant or derivative of the MQ-28 with a visible tailhook landing on a Queen Elizabeth class carrier. .@RoyalNavy briefing on future unmanned rotary capabilities at #IMHelicon, but note the carrier landing MQ-28 Ghost Bat… #drone #drones — Gareth Jennings (@GarethJennings3) February 21, 2023 Outside of larger drones (and potentially even CTOL crewed aircraft), the review also sees a place for 'single-use drones' aboard the carriers. Already, the Royal Navy has conducted trials involving smaller, jet-powered drones, with the QinetiQ Banshee Jet 80+, best known as a target drone, being launched from HMS Prince of Wales in 2021. An adaptation of this, or a similar drone, could fulfill this role. The Banshee can be launched using a portable catapult from the deck of the carrier, and — provided it's not expended — it can be recovered via parachute and land in the water after completing its mission. The Royal Navy's experiments with smaller carrier-based drones are being carried out under Project Vampire, which specifies the use study of 'lightweight, fixed-wing carrier-borne crewless autonomous systems,' for which the twin-jet-engine-powered Banshee provides a useful surrogate. Operational drones in this class could provide the carrier air wing with important new vectors for carrying out missions, including strike, electronic warfare, and surveillance. Notably, after its appearance on the Prince of Wales, an operationalized version of the Banshee appeared in combat in Ukraine, as you can read about here. Most intriguingly, the hybrid air wing should, 'eventually,' also feature 'long-range missiles capable of being fired from the carrier deck,' the report recommends. The explicit mention of a missile (rather than a drone) suggests that the Royal Navy is looking at the option of launching a cruise missile from the carrier, perhaps even a hypersonic weapon. A ballistic missile is also a possibility, albeit less likely. Currently, only the Russian Navy operates a carrier with provision to launch its own cruise missiles, something you can read about in depth here. However, in recent years, there have been questions about whether the P-700 missile tubes on the Admiral Kuznetsov were still active, let alone whether they were filled with live rounds of the anti-ship missiles. This is more or less academic now, anyway, with the Admiral Kuznetsov out of operational service since mid-2022 and little sign that this will change anytime soon. While the Admiral Kuznetsov was outfitted with cruise missiles to maximize the offensive weapons that could be directed against U.S. Navy Carrier Battle Groups and high-value convoys, the Royal Navy would likely be looking to add an additional land-attack capability to its carriers. On the other hand, a dual-use missile could also be a possibility, especially with a resurgence of interest in anti-surface warfare. Long-range cruise missiles would also not have to be stowed in below-decks launchers, as in the Admiral Kuznetsov, which would require significant changes to the internal layout of the boat, but could instead be fired from the flight deck using a truck, trailer, or container-based launcher. Currently, the Royal Navy uses conventionally armed Tomahawk cruise missiles to arm its Astute class nuclear-powered attack submarines. However, it also plans to provide a Tomahawk capability on its forthcoming Type 26 and Type 31 frigates, via the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS). The current Type 45 destroyer also has the potential to be retrofitted with a Tomahawk capability. The Tomahawk has a range of around 1,000 miles with a 1,000-pound unitary warhead. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom is increasingly looking at new long-range strike weapons, notably a 'deep precision strike' weapon with a range of over 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) that it is pursuing with Germany. While details of the missile are yet to be finalized, it could well be developed with the option to be fired from carrier decks as well as ground launchers. New heights in military cooperation – Defence Ministers Healey & Pistorius agreed: develop 2,000km Deep Precision Strike Capability joint procurement of Sting Ray torpedoes for P-8 Poseidon aircraft strategic land systems partnership continue BOXER co-operation — German Embassy London (@GermanEmbassy) May 16, 2025 Whatever happens, there's no doubt that these plans for the so-called hybrid air wings are full of technological challenges. Not only will it be complex to introduce these new capabilities on vessels that were not originally designed for them, but it will be a very costly endeavor. Coming at a time when there are many competing high-profile U.K. defense programs, it remains unclear how realistic these aspirations are, from a fiscal perspective. Contact the author: thomas@
Asahi Shimbun
5 days ago
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Japan offers to purchase U.S. defense items in negotiations
Ryosei Akazawa, right, minister in charge of economic revitalization, shakes hands with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ahead of tariff negotiations in Washington on May 1. Bessent is accompanied by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, third from right, and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. (Pool) Japan is using fighter jets and cruise missiles as potential bargaining chips in negotiations over U.S. tariffs, telling the United States that it will buy trillions of yen worth of U.S. defense equipment over several years. According to government sources, the overall amount of planned purchases was presented to the U.S. side during tariff negotiations that started in April following discussions within the government. A large part of defense equipment covered by the plan are items that the government already decided to source from the United States over five years through fiscal 2027 under the Defense Buildup Program, which was established at the end of 2022, the sources said. The program calls for procurement of Tomahawk cruise missiles, F-35A fighter jets and other U.S. defense equipment items in phases over the five-year period. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has said national security issues should not be linked with tariff negotiations. But U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly complained about the country's trade deficit of about 10 trillion yen ($69 billion) with Japan. A government official said it is important to show Trump how much Japan will buy from the United States by the numbers. Ryosei Akazawa, minister in charge of economic revitalization, met with Ishiba on May 29 before flying to the United States for a fourth round of tariff negotiations with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other senior U.S. administration officials. Akazawa told reporters after the meeting that national defense, tariffs and trade policies should not be lumped together for negotiations because 'different logic and standards apply to each.' Still, he suggested that Japan's purchases of U.S. defense equipment, which are expected to help reduce the bilateral trade imbalance, might have a role to play in Japan-U.S. negotiations. During Trump's first presidency, the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to buy 105 additional F-35 fighter jets from the United States in the midst of bilateral trade negotiations. (This article was written by Taro Ono and Mizuki Sato.)
Newsweek
22-05-2025
- General
- Newsweek
US and Russia Flex Military Muscles on Same Stage
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United States and Russia have deployed their air and naval assets to Malaysia for a defense exhibition as Washington and Moscow jostle for influence in Southeast Asia. Newsweek has contacted the Pentagon and the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email. Why It Matters The encounter in Malaysia marked the second time this year that U.S. and Russian militaries have shared the same stage at a defense-related event in Asia. Stealth fighter jets from both nations—the F-35A and the Su-57E—also participated in an air show in India in February. Southeast Asian nations have carefully navigated the rivalries between major powers, including China, amid the great power competition. For the U.S., the region is a key component of its Indo-Pacific strategy, while Russia seeks to assert its influence as it remains engaged in a war in Europe. A United States Air Force C-130J transport aircraft sitting on the flight line during an opening ceremony flyover at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in Malaysia on May 20. A United States Air Force C-130J transport aircraft sitting on the flight line during an opening ceremony flyover at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in Malaysia on May 20. Senior Airman Alexzandra Gracey/U.S. Air Force What To Know The Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition was held from Tuesday to Saturday on Langkawi Island in the Strait of Malacca off the northwestern coast of Malaysia. The biennial event featured 102 aircraft and 35 naval ships from different nations. The U.S. military deployed two F/A-18E fighter jets, a C-130J transport aircraft, an MH-60R helicopter, the destroyer USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee and more than 400 personnel to the event, showing the shared commitment of the U.S. and Malaysia to "a free and open Indo-Pacific." Meanwhile, photos show the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, which was previously tracked transiting the Strait of Malacca en route to the Indian Ocean, docked at Port Klang—near Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur—on Wednesday, with the destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur. "Malaysia continues to be a key partner for us in the Indo-Pacific," said Vice Admiral Fred Kacher, the commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet. He said his command had strengthened close naval cooperation with Malaysia through numerous joint exercises and exchanges. Russia sent two Pacific Fleet corvettes—the Rezky and the Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov—to Langkawi Island on Monday, while the country's aerobatic team, the Russian Knights, performed at the exhibition's opening ceremony the following day. Fighter jets of the Russian Knights aerobatic team performing in the sky during an aerial demonstration at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in Malaysia on May 20. Fighter jets of the Russian Knights aerobatic team performing in the sky during an aerial demonstration at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in Malaysia on May 20. VCG/VCG via AP Rosoboronexport, Russia's state-run defense export agency, said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reviewed the Russian military equipment on display. Malaysia operates several Russian-made weapon systems, including the Su-30MKM fighter jets. Last week, Anwar paid an official visit to Moscow and met with President Vladimir Putin. He described Malaysia's relationship with Russia as "special," adding that both nations were committed to upholding the principles of rule of international law and sovereignty. What People Are Saying U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard Kagan said: "From our aircraft and warships to our companies and innovators, the American presence at [the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition] demonstrates our robust military and commercial engagement across the region. We are proud to stand with Malaysia as partners, friends, and defenders of a free and open Indo-Pacific—working to build a region that is safer, stronger, and more prosperous." Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said: "We ascribe to the [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] position of centrality takes a very strong committed position to engage with all our neighboring countries and partners, East and West, United States, China, India, Australia and the rest and I think this for me, means truly strategic engagements with partners that will secure and ensure peace for the present and future." Russian President Vladimir Putin said: "Russia and Malaysia are bound by long-standing traditions of friendship and mutual understanding. We have always strived to consider each other's interests, work as partners, and build cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit, and we continue to do so." What Happens Next It remains to be seen how the U.S. and Russia will maintain or expand their military presence in Southeast Asia alongside China, where disputes in the South China Sea remain unsolved.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The US and South Korea just rewrote the rulebook on salvaging a downed F-35
A South Korean F-35A that crash-landed in 2022 has been revived thanks to an intriguing new procedure. Engineers removed and reattached its wings so it could be moved to a maintenance site. This operation is now part of the F-35 program's standard maintenance protocols. An F-35A stealth fighter jet that crash-landed on its belly in 2022 has been given a new lease of life thanks to a dramatic operation to remove and then reattach its wings. The South Korean air force aircraft made headlines three years ago after a catastrophic mid-flight bird strike caused an F-35 pilot to make a "belly landing," or gear-up landing, at Seosan Air Base, near the country's eastern coast. The South Korean pilot walked away from the high-risk maneuver unharmed, but the damage left the Lockheed Martin fifth-generation fighter unfit for service. Local media reported a year after the bird-strike incident that South Korea was considering dumping the fighter after estimated repair costs to get the jet flying again following its unfortunate run-in with an eagle could be almost the price of a new F-35. According to the F-35 Joint Program Office, a new plan was then devised with South Korea's air force to repurpose the jet as a training platform at the country's dedicated F-35 maintenance facility. However, transporting it there would be prohibitively costly and difficult, the JPO said. The air base and the maintenance facility are roughly 60 miles apart, making it a tough overland journey for the aircraft and its 35-foot wingspan. The JPO, with South Korea's approval, opted for a novel approach to this problem, and US Air Force, US Navy, and Lockheed Martin personnel gathered in South Korea to work with the local military to remove the jet's wings before transfer and then reattach them on-site at the new location. "This was a significant challenge, as it was the first attempt at removing F-35 wings as part of a concept demonstration," said Matt Trodden, the F-35 Lightning Support Team Aircraft Crash Recovery Lead Engineer, in a statement. The process — never conducted before on an F-35A — has now been adopted as part of the F-35 program's standard heavy maintenance, repair, and reuse protocols. The project took inspiration from an earlier repair project dubbed "Frankenbird" or "Frankenjet" which saw two damaged F-35s fused together into a fully operational aircraft. Initiated in 2023, the project — led by engineers from manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force — resulted in a successful test flight with the jet earlier this year. Salvage operations of this kind could help mitigate the cost of losing an F-35, which has an estimated price tag of over $80 million for the A variant that South Korea flies. The jet comes in three different variants: the internal gun-equipped As, the Bs with a lift van for short takeoff and vertical landing, and Cs for carrier operations. The "Frankenbird," by contrast, cost around $6 million to cobble together, and it is due back into operational service this year. South Korea took delivery of its first F-35A Lighting II in 2019. It now operates roughly 40 of them, with a plan to have a fleet of 60 by 2028, according to the manufacturer. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
21-05-2025
- General
- Business Insider
The US and South Korea just rewrote the rulebook on salvaging a downed F-35
An F-35A stealth fighter jet that crash-landed on its belly in 2022 has been given a new lease of life thanks to a dramatic operation to remove and then reattach its wings. The South Korean air force aircraft made headlines three years ago after a catastrophic mid-flight bird strike caused an F-35 pilot to make a "belly landing," or gear-up landing, at Seosan Air Base, near the country's eastern coast. The South Korean pilot walked away from the high-risk maneuver unharmed, but the damage left the Lockheed Martin fifth-generation fighter unfit for service. Local media reported a year after the bird-strike incident that South Korea was considering dumping the fighter after estimated repair costs to get the jet flying again following its unfortunate run-in with an eagle could be almost the price of a new F-35. According to the F-35 Joint Program Office, a new plan was then devised with South Korea's air force to repurpose the jet as a training platform at the country's dedicated F-35 maintenance facility. However, transporting it there would be prohibitively costly and difficult, the JPO said. The air base and the maintenance facility are roughly 60 miles apart, making it a tough overland journey for the aircraft and its 35-foot wingspan. The JPO, with South Korea's approval, opted for a novel approach to this problem, and US Air Force, US Navy, and Lockheed Martin personnel gathered in South Korea to work with the local military to remove the jet's wings before transfer and then reattach them on-site at the new location. "This was a significant challenge, as it was the first attempt at removing F-35 wings as part of a concept demonstration," said Matt Trodden, the F-35 Lightning Support Team Aircraft Crash Recovery Lead Engineer, in a statement. The process — never conducted before on an F-35A — has now been adopted as part of the F-35 program's standard heavy maintenance, repair, and reuse protocols. The project took inspiration from an earlier repair project dubbed "Frankenbird" or "Frankenjet" which saw two damaged F-35s fused together into a fully operational aircraft. Initiated in 2023, the project — led by engineers from manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force — resulted in a successful test flight with the jet earlier this year. Salvage operations of this kind could help mitigate the cost of losing an F-35, which has an estimated price tag of over $80 million for the A variant that South Korea flies. The jet comes in three different variants: the internal gun-equipped As, the Bs with a lift van for short takeoff and vertical landing, and Cs for carrier operations. The "Frankenbird," by contrast, cost around $6 million to cobble together, and it is due back into operational service this year. South Korea took delivery of its first F-35A Lighting II in 2019. It now operates roughly 40 of them, with a plan to have a fleet of 60 by 2028, according to the manufacturer.
