2009 Military Aviation News
12/31/2009
India’s capability of building state -of- the art fighter planes and rockets would be put to test in the New Year.Scientists are confident of propelling the country’s aerospace industry into a new orbit in the coming decade.
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12/31/2009
Lockheed Martin has announced that the United Kingdom has sanctioned funds for the purchase of its third Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II operational test aircraft. The decision, it said, reinforced the UK's continued commitment to the Joint Strike Fighter programme's upcoming Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E).
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12/31/2009
After supplying modernised Su-24M2 bombers, the Sukhoi Company has delivered two Su-34 frontline fighter bombers to the Russian Air Force.
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12/30/2009
The prototype of Sukhoi’s fifth-generation fighter, known as PAK-FA or T-50, has started taxi trials with an aim to make first flight early in January, industry sources say.
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12/30/2009
Flight Lieutenant Manu Akhouri’s greatest passion was flying. As a child, his only toys were planes and helicopters and he would rush out to see aircraft flying past. His father, Colonel Sanjay Akhouri, doesn’t know whether the students in a government school at Bhisiana village of Gidderbaha did the same when Manu’s plane went down nearby on September 10, reportedly as the 24-year-old made his best to ensure he didn’t crash into the building.
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12/29/2009
Dr Mahathir said that with the country’s current economic conditions, he wondered whether the government could afford new acquisitions. He argued that the MiG-29Ns should actually be refurbished as that would be more cost-effective.
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12/28/2009
The newest aircraft to the Air Force's inventory arrived Dec. 27, 2009, to Bagram Airfield. The MC-12 aircraft, tail number 090623, was the first of an undisclosed number of aircraft for the new 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron here.
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12/28/2009
Despite a pending order from the Indian Air Force (IAF) for 20 light combat aircraft (LCA), India can manufacture only eight such aircraft annually, a senior Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) official has said.
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12/28/2009
The commander-in-chief of the Air Force of Russia Colonel General Alexander Zelin has signed the «Certificate about ending of the state joint tests of a combat-trainer aircraft Yak-130». This document allows operation of Yak-130 aircraft in units of the Air Force of the Russian Federation for training and combat purposes.
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12/28/2009
The Indian Navy has invited five global makers of combat planes, including the US-led F-35C Joint Strike Fighter, to participate in a competition for deck-based aircraft that it wants to buy.
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12/28/2009
The trials all the six aircraft competing for the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) deal will be completed before April end next year, Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Naik said, according to a media report.
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12/27/2009
The U.S. military wrapped up a war games exercise in the Middle East in the first deployment of the F-22A Raptor, the U.S. Air Force announced.
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12/27/2009
On Dec 18/09, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced [pdf] Egypt’s request to buy parts and services from GE Aircraft Engines, in order to upgrade its most modern F-16s. Egypt wants to upgrade 156 of the F-110-GE-100 engines that power its F-16 C/D Block 40+ fighters through the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP). Egypt will also buy transportation services, spare and repair parts, support equipment, publications and technical documentation, and U.S. Government and contractor te
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12/25/2009
The Russian Air Force will start receiving Il-476 heavy transport planes in 2012, the commander of the Russian Air Force's military transport aviation said on Friday.
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12/24/2009
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the first four upgraded Lynx Mk.9A helicopters for the British Army have been delivered, with the fourth aircraft delivered today, just 12 months after contract award.
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12/24/2009
The U.S. Army fired two TALON Laser-Guided Rocket guided test vehicle rounds during the Aviation Multi-Platform Munition Demonstration.
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12/23/2009
The number of strategic bombers performing routine patrols could be doubled if the Russian General Staff makes such a decision, the commander of Russia's strategic aviation said Tuesday.
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12/23/2009
The Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) program has announced that the United Kingdom has received financial approval to purchase its third Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II operational test aircraft, reinforcing the U.K.'s continued commitment to the Joint Strike Fighter program's upcoming Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E).
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12/23/2009
Boeing said today it has acquired Alenia North America's half of Global Aeronautica, LLC, a South Carolina fuselage subassembly facility for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, and is now the sole owner of that entity. Alenia North America is a subsidiary of Italy's Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica company.
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12/22/2009
Lockheed Martin recently completed Phase 2 of its Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) B-52 integration program at Barksdale Air Force Base, LA. Sniper pod integration on the B-52 will provide aircrews with critical long-range, positive target identification and video downlink capability to forward-deployed forces for non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
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12/19/2009
The final Defense Appropriations bill for 2010 includes a provision to postpone movement of any F-15s from Tyndall until April 1, 2010.
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12/19/2009
Senior U.S. military officers working for the Joint Chiefs of Staff discussed the danger of Russia and China intercepting and doctoring video from drone aircraft in 2004, but the Pentagon didn't begin securing the signals until this year, according to people familiar with the matter.
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12/19/2009
Boeing has successfully completed the first phase of flight test for a B-1 bomber upgraded with new digital avionics. The B-1 Fully Integrated Data Link (FIDL) flight test plan for Phase 1 concluded Oct. 16; it included nine sorties performed by the U.S. Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base.
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12/19/2009
Boeing Defence UK Ltd., a subsidiary of The Boeing Company, today confirmed the Nov. 30 delivery of the first converted Chinook Mk3 helicopter to the Royal Air Force (RAF). Following the early delivery, the RAF declared Initial Operational Capability for Chinook Mk3, enabling the aircraft to begin supporting operational needs in locations such as Afghanistan.
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12/18/2009
SkyGrabber is a simple enough concept: grab the signals that spill from a satellite broadcast (or even narrowcast), aimed from a satellite towards a specific location, and turn them into TV feeds you can look at. Or as the website puts it: "You don't have to keep an online internet connection. Just customise your satellite dish to selected satellite provider and start grabbing."
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12/17/2009
Saab has signed a contract for the sale of two airborne surveillance systems to the United Arab Emirates. The contract is worth approximately 1.5 billion SEK.
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12/17/2009
The Boeing Company and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence this week announced an agreement for the acquisition of a seventh C-17 Globemaster III for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Boeing is scheduled to deliver the aircraft in December 2010.
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12/16/2009
Northrop Grumman Corporation has successfully completed maritime sensor demonstrations using a company-owned MQ-8B Fire Scout tactical Vertical Unmanned Aircraft System (VUAS). Fire Scout was equipped with the Telephonics' radar and FLIR Electro Optical Infrared system, and highlighted the versatility of the unmanned helicopter's modular payload architecture and its flexibility in integrating off-the-shelf payloads.
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12/16/2009
The German Air Force’s Jagdbombergeschwader 31 “Boelcke” has received today its first four Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. The Eurofighter Typhoons have been handed over in a ceremony at the Wing’s base, Nörvenich, in North Rhine Westphalia and will replace the Tornados today in service with the Wing by the end of June 2010.
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12/16/2009
Raytheon Company's Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared pod, which provides pinpoint accuracy and real-time target assessment from long standoff ranges, has marked more than 500,000 hours of operational flight on the U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet.
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12/16/2009
Boeing today announced that it has completed a demonstration for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) at Fort Bragg, N.C., that integrated both air and ground unmanned systems to perform psychological operations (PSYOP) wartime missions for combatant commands.
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12/15/2009
Sikorsky Military Systems, a business unit of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., and Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) have successfully completed the Armed BLACK HAWK (ABH) demonstrator program, proof-of concept for the development BATTLEHAWKTM helicopter. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.
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12/15/2009
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. today celebrated the formal delivery of a UH-60M BLACK HAWK helicopter to the Defense Forces of Bahrain. It is the first of nine aircraft that will ultimately be delivered. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.
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12/15/2009
Raytheon Company demonstrated the capability to employ the AIM-9X Sidewinder advanced infrared-guided air-to-air missile to attack surface targets.
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12/15/2009
It’s the perfect job for anybody who likes the Joker better than Batman or cheers for Tom instead of Jerry.
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12/14/2009
Airmen from Ramstein Air Base, Germany participated in an exercise Dec. 1 through 10 at Nevatim Air Force Base, Israel to accomplish various training requirements for the C-130J Super Hercules which are not allowed in Germany because of country regulations.
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12/14/2009
Thirty Royal Danish air force F-16 Fighting Falcons took to the sky over their homeland Dec. 8 to rendezvous with a Royal Air Force Mildenhall-based KC-135 Stratotanker and perform semi-annual aerial refueling training.
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12/14/2009
Boeing today announced that it has delivered the 500th Combat Track II kit, an airborne intelligence system for U.S. Air Force cargo and bomber aircraft that enhances situational awareness, increases aircrew survivability and improves airframe effectiveness.
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12/11/2009
The Air Combat Command accident investigation board is attributing the July 18 crash, the first fighter-jet crash in Afghanistan since the war started, to aircrew mistakes.
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12/11/2009
Russia's plan to supply Lebanon with 10 MiG-29 fighter jets will enter its final phase soon, the Beirut-based Al-Markazia news agency reported.
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12/11/2009
The two EC225s ordered by the French Armament Procurement Agency (DGA) will be the first to be operated by the French Navy. The helicopters, which will be used to perform search and rescue (SAR) missions off the coast of Brittany, are slated for delivery in the first half of 2010 and will be assigned to the Lanvéoc naval air station in the Finistère region. They are destined to replace the navy's Super-Frelon helicopters, which are near the end of their service life, and will be operated until s
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12/11/2009
Today (Dec. 10th, 2009) was the first delivery of the Heron Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to the Canadian company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA), and to the customer, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The Heron UAS, made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), includes an aircraft, mission payloads, Advanced Ground Control Station (AGCS), spare parts, and ground support equipment.
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12/10/2009
Wreckage discovered in the Tatar Strait in the past three days was confirmed to belong to the Russian military Tu-142 plane that crashed to the surface in the strait in early November, a search team member has said.
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12/10/2009
Northrop Grumman Corporation's Jim Culmo, vice president of Airborne Early Warning & Battle Management Command and Control Programs, said today that the company's E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Program is on track for initial operational test and evaluation in 2011. Culmo provided a program overview at the Airborne Early Warning and Battle Management 2009 Conference in Amsterdam.
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12/10/2009
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) of China has taken delivery of two Grand light twin helicopters during an official ceremony held at AgustaWstland's Vergiate facility in Italy today.
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12/10/2009
Saab has entered into a partnership with Thai company Avia Satcom Co. Ltd., to form a joint venture for developing high technology products within aviation and defence.
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12/10/2009
Two Russian Tu-95 MS Bear strategic bombers have accomplished a routine patrol mission over neutral waters of the Arctic and Pacific oceans, an Air Force spokesman said on Thursday.
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12/10/2009
A secure, internet-like tactical network is one step closer to providing joint warfighters with unprecedented access to voice, data and video communications, as well as a level of interoperability never achieved before. The Lockheed Martin team has announced the successful completion of Critical Design Review (CDR) for the Airborne, Maritime/ Fixed Station Joint Tactical Radio System (AMF JTRS). The Lockheed Martin team includes BAE Systems, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon.
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12/09/2009
A fuel leak on board India’s most advanced fighter could have led to the engine fire that caused the Su 30 MKI crash on Monday. Investigators, including an HAL engine expert, have reached the site of the crash and sources said a problem with the fuel system was likely to have caused the fire on board the aircraft that forced both pilots to eject.
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12/09/2009
Not many modern armed forces unite in their inventory, and particularly among their key assets, technology from two – in political terms – entirely opposite origins. It is more common in the countries of the former Soviet bloc where, since the fall of the iron curtain, Western technology slowly but ever increasingly found its way into countries primarily equipped with Russian weapon systems. In the past two decades the Middle East and southern countries of the Asian continent have become areas i
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12/09/2009
The test flight of India’s naval version of indigenous light combat aircraft Tejas began at the naval air station INS Hansa here on Tuesday.
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12/09/2009
Pakistan has received the first of four Saab-2000 Erieye Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft from Sweden, with the air force claiming it will boost operational capabilities manifold over land and sea.
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12/09/2009
Russian Helicopters is pursuing modernisation of constituent companies by introducing prospective industry technology to the manufacturing process. As part of this move Arsenyev Aviation Company Progress named after N.I. Sazykin will see full-scale technical overhaul in 2009—2015. The company manufactures the famous Ka-50 Black Shark and Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters and the Ka-60/62. The new light Mi-34C2 Peregrine is about to enter production.
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12/09/2009
Russia's MiG aircraft maker said on Tuesday it has delivered the first four MiG-29 Fulcrum-D carrier-based fighter jets to India.
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12/08/2009
Lockheed Martin has received a $14.75 million U.S. Navy contract to integrate a digital messaging interface that will improve the flow of data the MH-60R anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare helicopter can send to U.S. Navy ships across the new Ku band tactical data link.
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12/08/2009
Vietnam could become a key importer of Russian weaponry if several contracts on the purchase of diesel submarines and aircraft are signed in the near future, a Russian newspaper said.
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12/07/2009
The Boeing AH-64D Apache Block III program has completed the first flight of its structures test aircraft. The test, conducted Nov. 23 in Mesa, demonstrated flight characteristics and handling maneuvers. Tests to continue to expand the helicopter's flight envelope are expected to continue for the next several weeks.
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12/03/2009
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has grounded its entire fleet of Sukhoi fighter jets after one crashed during a routine training exercise in Rajasthan state.
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12/02/2009
A Boeing and a Raytheon employee complete installation of an APY-10 radar antenna on P-8A Poseidon test aircraft T2 last month at the Boeing Developmental Center in Seattle. T2 is the P-8A program's primary mission system test article.
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12/01/2009
Lockheed Martin has marked successful entry into low rate initial production on the F-35 Lightning II Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS). The first production units have been delivered to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, TX, for integration onto the aircraft.
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12/01/2009
The Boeing EA-18G Growler was approved to advance into Full Rate Production (FRP) by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) on Nov. 23. The St. Louis-based EA-18G program now can proceed from Low Rate Initial Production to FRP quantities of approximately 20 aircraft per year.
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11/30/2009
An Indian Su-30MKI fighter jet crashed on Monday near Jaisalmer in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, but both pilots survived, an Air Force spokesman said.
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11/30/2009
Boeing today announced it has received a $23 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for Phase 2 of the B-1 Laptop Controlled Targeting Pod software upgrade. The upgrade will add additional capability to the B-1 bomber aircraft's targeting system by allowing it to more accurately identify both stationary and moving targets.
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11/28/2009
The Boeing Company today delivered the first two Project Wedgetail 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
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11/25/2009
Alenia Aermacchi (a subsidiary of Alenia Aeronautica) – and ARMAEREO (Direzione Generale per gli Armamenti Aeronautici) signed a contract worth EUR 220 million to provide the Italian Air Force with six M-346 Master advanced trainer aircraft (T-346A) and related flight simulators, which together comprise an Integrated Training System (ITS). This contract forms part of a broader agreement to supply a total of 15 M-346 Masters and related support.
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11/25/2009
Northrop Grumman Corporation completed the first three MQ-8B Fire Scout production deliveries to the U.S. Navy, which completes the first year of Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) for the Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicle (VTUAV) program.
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11/25/2009
Russia has completed the delivery of 28 Su-30MKA Flanker-C multi-role fighters to Algeria.
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11/25/2009
Boeing has completed delivery of two more trainers for the U.S. Air Force's C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) to Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The Avionics Part Task Trainer and Cockpit Familiarization Trainer were declared "Ready for Use" on Sept. 25 and Oct. 22, respectively.
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11/24/2009
Pakistan has reportedly reached a deal with China to buy 36 Chengdu J-10B fighters in a deal worth around $1.4 billion.
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11/21/2009
Two Russian Tu-95 MS Bear strategic bombers have accomplished a routine patrol mission over neutral waters of the Arctic and Pacific oceans and the Aleutian Islands, an Air Force spokesman said on Friday.
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11/21/2009
Demonstrating the increase in the C-130J build and delivery rate, Lockheed Martin simultaneously delivered two C-130Js on Nov. 19 to two different customers – a C-130J to the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and a KC-130J to the U.S. Marine Corps.
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11/21/2009
Lockheed Martin has received a $17.8 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for a software upgrade that integrates critical communications and situational awareness capabilities into the A-10C close air support fighter.
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11/20/2009
Lockheed Martin and U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) officials marked the delivery of the first CBP set of new production P-3 Orion wings from the company's Marietta, Ga., production facility today.
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11/20/2009
Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) on Nov. 18 commissioned a C-17 Globemaster III Aircrew Training System (ATS) at RAAF Base Amberley.
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11/19/2009
The Boeing Company in May demonstrated the ability of mobile laser weapon systems to perform a unique mission: track and destroy small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
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11/18/2009
The Saab 340 Erieye AEW flight took two hours and 14 minutes and was executed by Magnus Fredriksson and Åke Wargh from Saab.
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11/17/2009
Russia will offer a new package of proposals on military-technical cooperation to countries in the Middle East at a major air show in the region, Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said.
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11/17/2009
The first Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) stealth fighter arrived Sunday at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., where it will conduct its first hovers and vertical landings. The ferry flight initiates a sequence of F-35 arrivals at Patuxent River this year and next.
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11/17/2009
Lockheed Martin's first optimized conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35 Lightning II fighter made its inaugural flight on Saturday, Nov. 14, the fourth F-35 to begin flight operations.
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11/13/2009
While Israel is interested in purchasing the fifth-generation stealth Joint Strike Fighter from Lockheed Martin, it will likely hinge its order on US acceptance of its demand that Israeli defense industries be allowed to participate in the aircraft's production, senior defense officials said Thursday.
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11/13/2009
Raytheon Company moves closer to its first international sale of RACR (Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar) following approval for the company to move forward with technical discussions with at least two potential customers.
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11/13/2009
The Boeing Company received a $500,000 U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory contract on Sept. 30 for the first phase of a program to demonstrate miniature weapon technology for use on unmanned airborne vehicles (UAV).
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11/12/2009
Saudi Arabia has carried out airstrikes against rebel positions in northern Yemen, hitting dozens of targets, and has moved thousands of troops to the border.
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11/12/2009
The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] at this year’s Dubai Air Show will showcase a range of advanced commercial and defense products and services designed to meet the needs of customers in the Middle East. The show runs Nov. 15-19.
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11/12/2009
Engine failure could have caused Friday's crash of a Russian military Tu-142 plane in the Tatar Strait, the chief of the Russian General Staff said on Wednesday.
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11/12/2009
The Boeing Company on Sept. 28 received a $275,000 contract from the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) for a study of the magnetic noise associated with the heavy-fuel propulsion system on Boeing's MagEagle Compressed Carriage (MECC) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). The MECC, designed and built to be magnetically quiet, is a special-mission variant of the company's ScanEagle Compressed Carriage UAS.
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11/11/2009
Lockheed Martin will present a variety of program briefings for members of the media at the "Dubai Airshow." The show takes place Monday, Nov. 16, through Thursday, Nov. 19.
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11/10/2009
Capt. Steve Ritchie, left, piloted an F-4 Phantom in Vietnam with Capt. Charles DeBellevue as his weapons systems officer. The two shot down five MiGs together during the war. (Courtesy photo)
“There are two saddest days in a pilot’s life,” says Chuck DeBellevue. “The day he walks out to an airplane knowing it’s his last flight and the day he walks out to an airplane not knowing it’s his last flight.”
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11/10/2009
An F-16 pilot takes aim at a ground target, losing track of just how steep and low his jet is. Too confused to eject, he crashes.
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11/10/2009
Northrop Grumman Corporation is participating in the Dubai Airshow 2009 where it will highlight its global security capabilities and programmes, including its world leading expertise in airborne early warning and control systems, fire control radars and infrared countermeasures.
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11/10/2009
The Russian Pacific Fleet suspended on Saturday all flights of its naval aviation following the crash of a Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance plane in Russia's Far East, the fleet spokesman said.
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11/10/2009
Maj. Gen. Michael Snodgrass, chief of staff, U.S. Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany, today accepted the seventh of 14 Lockheed Martin C-130Js to be based at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The USAF Europe C-130Js based at Ramstein also support the airlift needs of Africa Command.
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11/10/2009
The Boeing Company has been awarded a $72 million U.S. Air Force contract for more than 2,900 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kits.
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11/09/2009
The Boeing Company announced today that it has successfully completed tests of the Counter Measures Dispenser System (CMDS) for Project Wedgetail, Australia's Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system. The tests were conducted in September and October off the Washington coast and over Puget Sound, Wash.
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11/08/2009
There is no indication that the crew of a Russian military Tu-142 plane that crashed late on Friday made use of emergency equipment, a highly-placed Air Force source told RIA Novosti on Saturday.
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11/07/2009
There were 11 people on board the Pacific Fleet's Tu-142 plane that has crashed off Russia's Pacific coast, an Air Force source in the Far Eastern Military District said on Saturday.
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11/07/2009
Lockheed Martin has received three contracts totaling $7.7 million from the U.S. Air Force for the continued modernization and sustainment of the A-10 close air support fighter jet.
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11/07/2009
Boeing submitted a proposal to the U.S. Air Force on Nov. 5 for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase of the Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) II weapon system program, following the completion of a successful 42-month risk reduction program.
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11/07/2009
Boeing and development teammate ACME Worldwide Enterprises delivered the first Remote Aerial Refueling Operator (RARO) Trainer to the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) on Oct. 12.
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11/06/2009
Boeing today announced that it delivered the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) third F/A-18F Block II Super Hornet three months ahead of schedule on Sept. 30, after completing production on the multirole fighter at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems' St. Louis facility.
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11/05/2009
The new M-346 Master advanced trainer designed by Alenia Aermacchi, a Finmeccanica company, has reached the symbolic 1,000-flight milestone.
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11/05/2009
Boeing today delivered F-111 A08-135 to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at a ceremony at RAAF Base Amberley. The jet is the 28th and final F-111 serviced by Boeing under the Deeper Maintenance program.
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11/02/2009
Raytheon Company and the U.S. Navy completed the first free-flight demonstration of the Joint Standoff Weapon Extended Range air-to-surface precision guided missile.
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11/01/2009
A Russian heavy-lift military cargo plane crashed on takeoff Sunday in Siberia, killing all 11 crew members on board, officials said.
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10/31/2009
Lockheed Martin successfully completed the first in a series of flight tests of the paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) guidance kit. The paveway II Plus LGB uses an enhanced laser guidance package, significantly improving precision when compared to existing paveway II LGBs.
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10/31/2009
The Boeing Company, with partner Bell Helicopter, has received a contract from the U.S. Navy to upgrade the CV-22 Cabin Part Task Trainer (CPTT) with modifications including an Aircrew Flight Simulation (AFS) that deploys a fused reality system that fuses video images with virtual reality. The upgrade will be delivered to Air Force Special Operations Command, 58th Training Squadron at Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, N.M. Financial terms were not disclosed.
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10/31/2009
The Boeing Company today announced it has received an $84 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for additional upgrades of the B-1 bomber fleet's avionics software.
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10/29/2009
Rheinmetall Defence and the German Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement (Bundesamt f?r Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung – BWB) signed a service provider contract today to provide the German Bundeswehr with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities through the deployment of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system. This bridges the gap prior to the “SAATEG (System zur Abbildenden Aufkl?rung in der Tiefe des Einsatzgebietes)” acquisition programme. Under the curren
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10/29/2009
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II team has established three new leadership positions to ensure a successful F-35 Initial Operational Capability (IOC) and introduction into U.S. military fleets. The new program managers, one each for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, will provide a direct link between Lockheed Martin and the individual services.
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10/29/2009
Boeing transported a 170-foot-long C-17 Globemaster III fuselage by tractor-trailer from its facility in Long Beach to Seal Beach, Calif., and then by ship to Fort Lee, Va. -- a monthlong journey that ended on Aug. 22.
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10/28/2009
NASA and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) today announced the initial flight of a Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to be used for environmental science research.
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10/28/2009
Alenia Aeronautica has delivered on the 21st of October 2009 to the Air Force of the Lithuanian Republic the last out of 3 C-27Js, as per the contract signed in June 2006, fully meeting time schedule.
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10/27/2009
The Austrian Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoons were significantly involved in air policing missions during meetings of NATO’s Defence Ministers held in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 October 2009.
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10/27/2009
The Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) successfully completed Lot 7 Reliability Assessment Program flight tests with a record of 15 successes out of 16 flights, as officially scored by an independent test data scoring board.
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10/27/2009
Lockheed Martin’s new multi-functional AGM-114R HELLFIRE II missile scored a direct hit during its first proof-of-principle (POP) flight test recently at Eglin Air Force Base, FL. The HELLFIRE II design, now entering the qualification phase, features a new multi-purpose warhead that enables a single missile to cover all of the target sets of the current laser-guided HELLFIRE II variants.
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10/26/2009
Fourteen Americans were killed in Afghanistan on Monday in two crashes involving helicopters, making it one of the deadliest days in America’s eight-year war here.
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10/24/2009
Lockheed Martin officials briefed reporters Tuesday at the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition about the proven capabilities of the C‑130J Super Hercules, all of which are key components in aiding global security. Attendees gained insight into how the C-130J meets 90 percent of the world’s airlift needs, how the aircraft is used today and its future capabilities.
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10/24/2009
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program is the only fighter program delivering 5th generation capabilities internationally, a Lockheed Martin executive said Tuesday at the Seoul Air Show.
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10/24/2009
The Boeing Company submitted two proposals to the Indian Air Force this week, offering the AH-64D Apache and the CH-47F Chinook for India's attack and heavy-lift helicopter competitions.
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10/23/2009
The nation's fleet of B-2 stealth bombers will all receive a new Northrop Grumman Corporation developed radar system following the U.S. Air Force's decision to authorize full-rate production of the units by the company's Radar Modernization Program (RMP).
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10/23/2009
The Boeing Company has successfully completed its industrial cooperation program for the AH-64D Apache Armed Helicopter Program for the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs. This achievement, reached one year ahead of schedule and exceeding the reinvestment obligation, demonstrates the company's continued success in meeting its industrial cooperation commitments. Boeing has successfully implemented industrial participation programs totaling more than US$31 billion in nearly 40 countries over
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10/21/2009
The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a $17.5 million contract to upgrade existing anti-submarine warfare systems aboard the P-3C Orion aircraft to improve current acoustic capabilities and significantly reduce parts obsolescence.
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10/20/2009
In preparation for its Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E), Northrop Grumman's (NYSE:NOC) first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye test aircraft, known as Delta One, has successfully completed its first land-based catapult launch tests - a required phase of testing prior to fleet introduction. Both E-2D System Development and Demonstration (SDD) aircraft, Delta One and Delta Two, are currently undergoing shore-based carrier suitability testing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., conducted b
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10/20/2009
The first Gripen NATO Pylon manufactured at Aero Vodochody in the Czech Republic was handed over to Saab during a ceremony on October 8.
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10/20/2009
BAE Systems has been awarded a five and a half year contract worth more than £400m by Eurofighter GmbH. The new contract will provide support for the radar and defensive aids sub systems (DASS) on the Typhoon fleets for the air forces of Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
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10/18/2009
A military delegation from Iraq will visit Moscow in the near future to discuss the purchase of Russian weaponry, an Iraqi parliament member has said.
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10/16/2009
Northrop Grumman Corporation and EADS Defence & Security (DS) introduced the first Euro Hawk(R) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in an unveiling ceremony today at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, Calif., facility. The Euro Hawk(R) marks the first international configuration of the RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) UAS, and solidifies Northrop Grumman's first transatlantic cooperation with Germany and DS.
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10/16/2009
The Boeing Company will highlight its partnerships with Korean industry as it presents the company's leading-edge commercial and defense technologies and capabilities at the 2009 Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition, starting Oct. 20 at Seoul Airport.
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10/15/2009
Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport expressed the hope on Wednesday that it could initiate military-technological cooperation with the sultanate of Brunei.
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10/14/2009
Russia's Navy will buy at least 24 MiG-29K (Fulcrum-D) fighters to be deployed on the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, an unnamed Defense Ministry official said on Friday.
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10/14/2009
Lockheed Martin unveiled the first of 18 new F-16s being produced for Pakistan in ceremonies today at its Fort Worth, Texas, facility. Officials including the Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. and Pakistan Air Forces were on hand to witness the event.
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10/14/2009
The Boeing A160T Hummingbird unmanned helicopter successfully completed 20 test flights from Aug. 31 to Oct. 8 with the Foliage Penetration Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Tracking and Engagement Radar (FORESTER). The tests, conducted at Fort Stewart, Ga., validated the radar-carrying A160T's flight characteristics with more than 50 hours of flying time.
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10/14/2009
The Boeing Company and the U.S. Air Force on Sept. 19 damaged a moving ground vehicle from the air using the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) aircraft, completing ATL's first air-to-ground, high-power laser engagement of a mobile target.
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10/13/2009
A flight instructor and a trainee are considered missing following a combat trainer crash in Ireland on Monday, a local newspaper reported citing the country's Air Corps officials.
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10/13/2009
A Su-24 Fencer fighter-bomber has accidentally dropped a bomb on a house in southern Kazakhstan, which did not explode, Kazakh military prosecutors said.
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10/13/2009
The Boeing GBU-40 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) II team successfully concluded a 42-month risk reduction program on Sept. 29 with a flight test in which the weapon impacted its target.
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10/12/2009
The Russian air force has grounded its mainstay heavylift cargo planes following an accident in which an engine broke off the wing of one of the aircraft just before take off, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.
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10/11/2009
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman will leave for the United States in a few days to attend the Pakistan F-16 Peace Drive I inauguration ceremony and a luncheon at the Lockheed Martin aeronautics company, the manufacturers of the state-of-the-art aircraft.
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10/10/2009
Saudi Arabia is the only Arab state contiguous to Israel to maintain a full state of war with Israel since 1948 without ever agreeing to any cease fire or peace treaty with the Jewish state. In the context of that war, the Saudi government has been negotiating for a new major order of the F-15 fighter jets from the United States.
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10/10/2009
India will discuss the modernization of the Russian-made Su-30MKI aircraft in service with its air force during an upcoming military-technical cooperation meeting in Moscow, the country's Defense Ministry said on Friday.
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10/09/2009
After five years of developing capabilities for the RAF’s frontline Typhoons, BT005, a development aircraft based at BAE Systems Warton, will now transfer to RAF Coningsby to join its frontline colleagues.
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10/09/2009
Lockheed Martin recently completed a successful test of a new infrared sensor turret aboard its Desert Hawk III Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), marking the first time a small UAS has flown with a 360-degree infrared sensor.
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10/09/2009
The Boeing Company today delivered a third C-17 Globemaster III to the NATO Airlift Management Organization (NAMO) in support of NAMO's 12-nation Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) initiative. The delivery, which took place at Boeing's final assembly facility in Long Beach, completes SAC's first fleet of the advanced airlifters.
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10/08/2009
Boeing today announced that the AH-6i light attack/reconnaissance helicopter successfully completed its first flight on Sept. 16, seven months after the company started work on the prototype aircraft.
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10/06/2009
Saab has submitted an update on the proposal offering 36 Gripen Next Generation (NG) to the Brazilian Air Force. The offer consists of a cost-effective solution, a comprehensive Technology Transfer and a unique competitive partnership between Brazil and Sweden.
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10/05/2009
Boeing on Oct. 2 in Brisbane received an Engineering Excellence Award, Resource Development category, from the Queensland Division of Engineers Australia. The award from the state's top engineering organization recognizes Boeing Defence Australia's best practices in support of Australia's F-111 strike aircraft fleet.
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10/05/2009
Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Monday it will exhibit a wide range of aircraft, air defense systems and high-precision guided missiles at an airshow in Libya.
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10/03/2009
The opening of the Typhoon Support Centre and the Typhoon Maintenance Facility at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on 30th September 2009, marks the official start of the Typhoon Availability Service (TAS) for which BAE Systems will take a major role in ensuring the availability of the Typhoon fleet to meet its standing and operational commitments.
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10/03/2009
India wants to buy another 50 Sukhoi-30MKI multi-role fighters, an Indian daily reported on Friday. According to The Times of India, the 50 air-superiority fighters will come on top of the 230 already contracted from Russia in three deals worth a total of $8.5 billion.
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10/03/2009
Two Boeing programs, the Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW) and the AH-64 Apache, participated in a successful integrated capabilities event this summer at the U.S. Army's C4ISR On-The-Move (OTM) Event 09 at Fort Dix, N.J. For the first time during this large-scale exercise, Boeing flew a WNW-equipped Apache helicopter and demonstrated the Army's concept for networking the Future Force by transmitting data, voice and video communications between air and ground forces.
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10/02/2009
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the ATAK Team, comprising Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI), Aselsan and AgustaWestland, has successfully performed the maiden flight of the first T129 prototype.
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10/02/2009
On September 25, 2009 Alenia Aeronautica delivered at Capodichino the first of the 18 G.222 tactical airlifters ordered by the United States Air Force for the Afghan National Air Corps in September 2008.
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10/02/2009
The 4th Air Wing of the Italian Air Force have reached the key milestone of 10,000 flight hours with the Eurofighter Typhoon.
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10/02/2009
The Boeing Company announced today that a (K)DC-10 modified with Fokker Services and Boeing's Cockpit Upgrade Program (CUP) has completed a certification flight-test program that began in July 2008.
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10/01/2009
Russia's MiG aircraft maker said on Tuesday it has successfully tested on board the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier four MiG-29 carrier-based fighter jets due to be delivered to India.
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10/01/2009
Lockheed Martin delivered the first set of new production P-3 Orion wings to the company’s launch customer, the Royal Norwegian Air Force, on Sept. 25. The milestone delivery ushers in a new era of P-3 life cycle sustainment.
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10/01/2009
Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM ER) missile system recently reached two program milestones -- the first launch from an F-16 aircraft and the 100th missile launch. Both flights took place at the U.S. Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake, Calif.
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09/30/2009
Boeing has connected two additional F-15E Mission Training Centers (MTC) to the U.S. Air Force's Distributed Mission Operations Network (DMON) -- one at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., and one at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom.
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09/28/2009
When the Israeli army's then-Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Halutz was asked in 2004 how far Israel would go to stop Iran's nuclear program, he replied: "2,000 kilometers," roughly the distance been the two countries.
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09/28/2009
The DSCA notified US Congress of two possible Singapore Air Force pilot training programs. Singapore wishes to continue training in the Continental United States (CONUS).
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09/28/2009
Russian strategic and tactical bombers equipped with new high-precision weapons systems have successfully conducted live-firing drills at a practice range in Belarus, a Ground Forces spokesman said on Sunday.
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09/25/2009
General Dynamics C4 Systems has received a $37 million contract to supply the U.S. Air Force with Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Mode 5 (KIV-78) cryptographic modules and spare parts. The IFF cryptographic modules enable precise identification of ‘friendly’ aircraft by ships, ground forces and other aircraft operating in increasingly large and crowded battlespaces. Deliveries from the five-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract begin in May 2010; the initial delivery or
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09/25/2009
The Boeing Company today received the Draft Request for Proposal document for the KC-X Tanker competition from the U.S. Air Force, and released the following statement:
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09/25/2009
Eurofighter has delivered the 15th and final aircraft ordered by the Austrian Armed Forces today. The aircraft was rolled out from the the EADS Defence & Security Manching assembly line, close to Munich, Germany.
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09/25/2009
Lockheed Martin has signed a foreign military sales contract to deliver Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pods (ATPs) to the Royal Moroccan Air Force. The $30 million contract includes integration support, product spares and logistics support. The Sniper ATPs will fly on the Royal Moroccan Air Force’s newly-purchased F-16 block 50 aircraft.
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09/25/2009
The Boeing Company announced today that it has received two separate contracts from the U.S. Air Force to support modernization of the service's fleet of 365 A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. The contracts, which have a total value of $4.2 million, consist of several tasks ranging in duration from three to 18 months.
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09/22/2009
Turkey has increased its requirement for Boeing CH-47F Chinook transport helicopters from 10 to 14 aircraft, with its undersecretariat for defence industries, the SSM, having added four for special forces applications.
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09/21/2009
ELTA Systems Ltd., a group and wholly owned subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), has been awarded a contract to supply its self-protection systems, Flight Guard, for commercial planes in Israel. Contracts for various customers in Israel and abroad for the self-protection systems are estimated to be valued at tens of millions of dollars, over period of years. This is the only system to be tested and authorized by the Israel Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA).
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09/21/2009
The defence and security company Saab has received an order valued at MSEK 130 from FMV (the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration) for the development and upgrade of the Armed Forces SK60 training aircraft.
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09/21/2009
The same video management technology that helps sports broadcasters assemble the day’s top highlights will soon help military commanders track the action on the battlefield. The U.S. Joint Forces Command awarded a Lockheed Martin team a $29 million contract for Valiant Angel, a new system that will apply highly advanced broadcasting technologies to help commanders collect, manage, process, exploit and disseminate full-motion video.
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09/19/2009
Criminal charges have been laid against the top management of a company accused of providing low-quality equipment for MiG-29 fighters later rejected by Algeria, Russia's business daily Kommersant said on Friday.
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09/19/2009
Russia will finish upgrading MiG-29 fighters in service with the Indian air force in 2013, a Russian defense industry source has said.
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09/19/2009
Russia's Phazotron NIIR corporation said on Thursday it has developed a new-generation airborne radar for MiG-35 fighter jets which participate in the Indian fighter tender.
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09/18/2009
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] senior leadership briefed members of the media about three growing air mobility business areas at this year’s Air Force Association Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition. Speakers provided details on how well the C-5M Super Galaxy and C-130J Super Hercules are performing and the company offered insight into future airlift technology concepts.
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09/18/2009
Lockheed Martin’s Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) demonstrated its advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability during the recent joint forces Empire Challenge exercise. The enhancements respond to U.S. defense officials' call for improved ISR for convoy route reconnaissance and battlefield situational awareness.
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09/18/2009
The Boeing Company today delivered to the NATO Airlift Management Organization (NAMO) a second C-17 Globemaster III that will support NAMO's 12-nation Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) initiative. The delivery took place at Boeing's final assembly facility in Long Beach.
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09/18/2009
A Boeing Harpoon Block II missile equipped with a redesigned Guidance Control Unit (GCU) flew for the first time in a test conducted on Sept. 10. It was launched from the USS Princeton off the coast of California and scored a direct hit on a land-based target on San Nicolas Island, Calif.
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09/18/2009
The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today kicked off a two-day conference with 140 potential partner and supplier companies in São Paulo, reaffirming its commitment to fulfill all of Brazil's requirements with its Super Hornet solution to the F-X2 fighter competition.
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09/18/2009
Boeing has completed delivery of the U.S. Air Force's first simulator for the C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) to Little Rock Air Force Base. The Weapon System Trainer (WST) passed government acceptance testing and was declared "ready for use" on July 20.
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09/15/2009
A joint U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin flight crew flying a C-5M Super Galaxy strategic transport claimed 41 world aeronautical records in one flight on September 13.
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09/15/2009
Raytheon Company completed GBU-53/B datalink flight testing. This concludes all testing requirements for the company's Small Diameter Bomb II risk reduction program.
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09/14/2009
.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets will take part in two-stage military exercises in Estonia and Lithuania aimed at improving interoperability and combat readiness of NATO forces in the Baltic region.
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09/14/2009
Boeing today unveiled additional details of the company's potential offering in the U.S. Air Force KC-X tanker competition, saying the KC-7A7 will offer maximum capability at the lowest cost.
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09/13/2009
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will supply its Heron Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA), who have been awarded a contract by the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) for an unmanned aerial surveillance solution.
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09/13/2009
If you are a paid Taliban operative or an Iraqi insurgent you may think you know how to slip through the mountains or skulk in the desert without U.S. forces noticing. Guess again. There’s a little thing invented in America in the 1980s called Ground Moving Target Indicator. It’s a radar-based sensor that paints you, your truck and the other two-legged and four-legged movers near you as dots on a map. A bunch of smart Americans at computer terminals can learn an awful lot about you every time yo
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09/13/2009
The first four Russian-made MiG-29K/KUB fighter jets, purchased by India for the modernized Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, will be delivered to the Indian navy in October, an Indian defense source said.
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09/09/2009
In November 2007, “Brazil Embarking Upon F-X2 Fighter Program?” discussed both the revived fighter competition, and Brazil’s surprising 50% boost to its defense budget. Other programs mentioned in that article included Brazil’s selection of a medium transport helicopter and of an attack helicopter, with other programs to follow. After decades of neglect, Brazil is reconstituting both its armed forces, and a defense industry that once offered an array of competitive products on the global stage.
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09/08/2009
Maj. Gen. Ronald "Ron" Ladnier, commander, 17th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Africa, recently accepted the fifth of 14 Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] C-130Js to be based at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
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09/08/2009
The deal was announced in a statement issued by Presidents Luis Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Nicolas Sarkozy of France, who together took part in Brazil's Independence Day ceremonies in Brasilia. The precise value of the aircraft sale was not released pending final agreement on the terms but observers estimate its value at more than $2 billon.
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09/08/2009
The induction of advanced jet trainers into India’s Air Force has been a long and difficult process. After a nuumber of false starts, and indigenous efforts like HAL’s Ajeet that didn’t quite live up to expectations, a 20-year procurement process came to an end when India selected BAE’s Hawk 115Y as its future advanced jet trainer in 2004. The 66-plane order was worth about $1.2 billion, and included options for another 40 aircraft. The first 24 Hawk Mk.132 AJTs have already been delivered by BA
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09/04/2009
Russia and Syria are in talks on the delivery of at least eight MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors under a contract signed two years ago, a Russian business daily said on Thursday, citing an industry official.
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09/03/2009
Boeing the world's largest aerospace company, will present several key elements at Asian Aerospace 2009. Boeing will spotlight its commercial airplane family, with several of its Commercial Airplanes business unit experts speaking at the conference sessions and will conduct a pair of media briefings focusing on the current market as well as Boeing products and services. Asian Aerospace takes place Sept. 8-10, at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong.
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09/03/2009
Existing on-board sensor capability of tactical fighter aircraft can be leveraged to provide near real-time intelligence and enhanced situational awareness, as demonstrated by Lockheed Martin during the recent U.S. Air Force Empire Challenge exercise.
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08/31/2009
United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates visited Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] final assembly operation for the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter today, conveying optimism for the program’s future and emphasizing the F-35’s importance to global security.
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08/31/2009
Russia is concluding talks with Saudi Arabia on selling 30 Mi-171B helicopters, a source close to the negotiations said on Tuesday.
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08/20/2009
The Russian Defense Ministry and the Tupolev aircraft maker have signed a contract on the development of a new-generation strategic bomber, the company's general director said on Wednesday.
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08/20/2009
Russia will fulfill a contract on the delivery of eight Su-30MK2 fighters to Vietnam in 2010, state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Wednesday. Russia and Vietnam signed a of $500 million agreement on the sale of eight Su-30MK2 fighters in January 2009.
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08/18/2009
Russia's Air Force may receive over 60 Su fighters worth at least 60 billion rubles ($1.9 bln) under a contract expected to be signed at the MAKS-2009 air show.
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08/18/2009
Production of MiG-35 multirole fighters offered for sale to India cannot start before 2013 or 2014, a Russian aircraft maker said on Thursday.
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08/17/2009
A short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter has become the first F-35 to complete an aerial refueling test using the Navy- and Marine Corps-style probe-and-drogue refueling system. Thursday’s successful mission is the first in a short series of tests that will clear the STOVL F-35B variant for extended-range flights, particularly to its primary test site at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.
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08/13/2009
Boeing on July 29 successfully completed the first flight of a B-1 bomber upgraded with the Fully Integrated Data Link (FIDL). This upgrade includes new processors, color displays and communications architecture, enhancing B-1 crews' situational awareness and communications capability. The U.S. Air Force 419th Test Squadron conducted the flight from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
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08/12/2009
Indian media report that India and Russia will sign a contract for 5 more Russian Kamov-31 airborne early warning helicopters, after India’s Cabinet Committee of Security (CCS) cleared the purchase on Aug 4/09. The rumored cost is INR 9.5 billion (about $195-200 million), but that remains to be finalized in negotiations. Note that transparency is often low with Russian contracts, and India has often found that the final price differs from any negotiated deal with Russian firms.
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08/12/2009
In August 1990, Iraq’s Air Force had more than 500 aircraft in their inventory. The IqAF was decimated in 1991, after Saddam invaded Kuwait and ended up facing the US military and its allies. What remained was hobbled by extensive, and expensive, no-fly zones, until the war formally concluded in 2003 with a US-led invasion that eliminated Saddam’s regime. Rebuilding the IqAF under the new Iraqi government has been a slow process.
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08/11/2009
The Boeing Company and Schiebel Industries AG of Austria today announced they have signed a teaming agreement to pursue marketing and support opportunities for Schiebel's S-100 CAMCOPTER. The S-100 is a compact unmanned aerial vehicle that provides a platform for a wide variety of payloads, including a stabilized video system for surveillance and reconnaissance.
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08/11/2009
Boeing today delivered Qatar's first C-17 Globemaster III airlifter to the Qatar Emiri Air Force during a ceremony at the company's facility in Long Beach.
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08/10/2009
The Russian-built Sukhoi Su-30MK, the high-performance fighter being exported to India and China, consistently beat the F-15C in classified simulations, say U.S. Air Force and aerospace industry officials.
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08/10/2009
The Boeing Company today announced that it has received a US$1.15 billion contract from the Canadian government for 15 new CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. Under the contract, Boeing will match Canada's purchase price by executing contracts and investments of equal value with Canadian industry.
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08/10/2009
The Boeing Company received a $500,000 contract from the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory on Aug. 5 to demonstrate the company's A160T (YMQ-18A) Hummingbird for the Marines' Immediate Cargo Unmanned Aerial System Demonstration Program.
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08/09/2009
Russian investigators in Nizhny Novgorod have opened a criminal case into the illegal sale of MiG-31 Foxhound aircraft hulls at $5 instead of $3.7 million, the Prosecutor General's Office said Thursday.
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08/09/2009
New and modernized aircraft will comprise 70% of the Russian Air Force by 2020, the Air Force commander said on Wednesday.
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08/07/2009
Northrop Grumman Corporation's RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) recently reached a major milestone -- 25,000 combat hours -- during an operational sortie July 8-9 from a deployed location.
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08/07/2009
Boeing on Aug. 5 delivered to the U.S. Air Force a B-52 Stratofortress upgraded with Combat Network Communications Technology (CONECT), a modification that equips the B-52 with 21st century situational awareness and mission flexibility. The upgraded systems will be tested and verified during flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base.
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08/07/2009
In May 2006, India Defence quoted Air Chief S.P. Tyagi saying that “the IAF is planning to buy C-130J planes” for its special forces and Border Security Forces. Reports indicate that the IAF is particularly attracted to the C-130J’s ability to land and take off even in improvised or short airfields, and without lights. Those characteristics have served the Hercules well in other anti-terrorism scenarios like Operation Yonatan in Entebbe, and are now more routine maneuvers thanks to the C-130J He
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08/06/2009
NETMA (NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency), Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH and EUROJET Turbo GmbH signed today the production contract for a further 112 aircraft, including 241 engines, for the four partner Nations: Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
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08/05/2009
A successful demonstration of Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) System took place last week in Brazil. The demonstration was done at the request of the Brazilian federal police, which is testing UAV use for several purposes, including border security, and smuggling, natural resource theft, and drug trafficking concerns.
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08/05/2009
Morocco’s combat air force currently flies 2 squadrons of old F-5s, and 2 squadrons of only slightly newer Mirage F1s; T-37 light jets serve as key transitional trainers. Their neighbor and rival Algeria flies MiG-23s of similar vintage, but the Force Aerienne Algerienne also flies SU-24 Fencer and SU-25 Frogfoot strike aircraft, even more modern and capable MiG-29s, and is set to receive multi-role SU-30MKs as part of a multi-billion dollar weapons deal with Russia.
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08/05/2009
Russia's Kronshtadt defense company has developed a new- generation heavy unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for military purposes, a senior company official said on Tuesday.
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08/05/2009
McDonnell Douglas’ A-4 Skyhawk, aka. “Scooter,” has a long and storied career as a carrier-based attack aircraft with the US Navy. It’s old enough that Sen. John McCain was flying one when he was shot down over North Vietnam. It also has a storied land-based career with the Israeli Air Force, who used this simple, pilot-friendly aircraft from late 1967 onward as a versatile attack aircraft with surprising air-air teeth.
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08/04/2009
Lockheed Martin today delivered the first fully modernized C-5M Super Galaxy to the U.S. Air Force at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins AFB, Ga.
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08/01/2009
Northrop Grumman Corporation recently completed a series of static and dynamic proof load tests to validate the design and structural integrity of the U.S. Navy's first X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) for aircraft carrier launches, recoveries and at-sea operations under the UCAS Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program.
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08/01/2009
Northrop Grumman Corporation has finished assembling the first Euro Hawk(r) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for the German Ministry of Defence (MoD). With a wing span larger than a commercial airliner and endurance projected at up to 30 hours, the Euro Hawk(r) will serve as the German Air Force's high-altitude, long-endurance signals intelligence (SIGINT) system.
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07/31/2009
Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport has said military aircraft will continue to dominate the company's foreign sales in 2009, and will total about $2.6 billion.
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07/31/2009
The Afghan National Army Air Corps is procuring 4 Mi-17 variant helicopters and related tool kits from Defense Technology Inc. (DTI) in Huntsville, AL for $43.5 million. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD, manages the firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-09-C-0089).
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07/31/2009
Boeing in June delivered the first four Harpoon Block II missiles equipped with a redesigned Guidance Control Unit (GCU), which provides growth capabilities and resolves obsolescence issues. The missiles were delivered to the U.S. Navy for transfer to two Foreign Military Sales customers.
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07/31/2009
The Boeing Company and the U.S. Navy today formally unveiled the service's newest maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, the P-8A Poseidon, during a ceremony at the Boeing facility in Renton, Wash.
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07/30/2009
Raytheon Co. in El Segundo, CA received a maximum $48.7 million firm-fixed-price sole-source contract for spare AN/APG-73 radar systems and parts for the U.S. Navy F/A-18C/D Hornet fighter aircraft. Raytheon will perform the work in California, Massachusettes, Mississippi and Texas. There was originally 1 proposal solicited with 1 response. The date of performance completion is July 2012. Defense Logistics Agency Procurement Operations in Philadelphia, PA manages the contract (N00383-07-G-700H-T
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07/30/2009
Lockheed Martin has been awarded an $821 million maintenance, repair, and overhaul contract for the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) P-3 Orion fleet. The contract is for a base period of one year, with nine additional one-year options. CBP currently operates 16 P-3s, updated with a suite of modern surveillance sensors oriented towards conducting homeland security missions.
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07/29/2009
The Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) at Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is all geared up to develop a low-cost
indigenous radar system, which they claim can be similar or more advanced than the Israeli Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS). This will reduce India’s dependence on Israel and create more business opportunities for the local industry.
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07/29/2009
India will begin field trials in August to buy 126 fighter jets, defense officials said on Wednesday, moving forward on the $10.4 billion deal two days after New Delhi agreed a defense pact with the United States.
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07/29/2009
The Typhoons of the Gioia del Colle Air Base’s 36th Stormo of Italian Air Force have started their air policing task over the Albanian air space as requested by NATO.
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07/29/2009
A ceremony today at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth plant marked the rollout of the U.S. Navy’s first-ever stealth fighter, the F-35C Lightning II. The aircraft will enable the Navy to possess 5th generation fighter capabilities at sea, extending America’s reach and reducing the timeline from threat to response.
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07/28/2009
According to India Defence Online, the Indian Defence Ministry has clearly reiterated that the 67 MiG-29 aircraft with the Indian Air Force (IAF) will not be decommissioned. The Defence Ministry also stated that the Russians have furnished the reason for the crash of the MiG-29 in India in December 2008.
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07/28/2009
In January 2008, EADS North America announced that The Royal Saudi Air Force will acquire 3 of EADS A330 Multi-role Tanker/Transports (MRTTs), equipped with both EADS centerline-mounted ARBS (advanced Air Refueling Boom System) for use with its F-15s et. al., and a pair of underwing hose-and-drogue refueling pods suitable for use with the Saudis’ forthcoming Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 2s. The configuration is similar to that specified for the Royal Australian Air Force’ KC-30B refueling aircraf
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07/28/2009
The Boeing Company today recognized the service of the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter, which completed its first flight 45 years ago this month. One hundred sixty-eight of the 624 aircraft originally produced remain in operation with the U.S. Marine Corps and are still maintained by Boeing.
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07/28/2009
The U.S. Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a $142 million follow-on production contract for the Apache Arrowhead® system, the combat-proven, Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) for the AH-64D Apache attack helicopter.
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07/27/2009
The first Boeing C-17 Globemaster III acquired by the NATO Airlift Management Organization and the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) consortium officially joined the Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW) at Pápa Air Base, Hungary, today, as part of a ceremony commemorating the activation of a new airlift capability for 10 NATO and two Partnership for Peace nations.
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07/25/2009
The Boeing Company today announced that it delivered the 400th F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to the U.S. Navy in June.
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07/24/2009
Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Air Force have successfully demonstrated that the new radar developed for the B-2 stealth bomber can fulfill the performance requirements for its required missions, both conventional and strategic.
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07/24/2009
Northrop Grumman Corporation is playing a major role in Empire Challenge 09 (EC 09), a joint military exercise to demonstrate how U.S. and coalition forces can better work together to collect, analyze and share reconnaissance information.
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07/23/2009
The Boeing Company today announced that it has received a $44 million Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract for the Block 40/45 upgrade of the U.S. Air Force Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) fleet. The contract, awarded by the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., marks the official beginning of the Block 40/45 production phase.
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07/22/2009
The Eurofighter Typhoons in service with the Air Surveillance Wing of Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte, Austria’s Joint Armed Forces Command, have reached the 1,000 flying hours milestone.
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07/22/2009
Two of the KC-767 aerial refueling tankers that Boeing is building for the Italian Air Force recently performed a series of airborne boom contacts and fuel offloads in observation test flights with the U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base. The flights included KC-767 fuel transfers with a U.S. Air Force F-16 aircraft as well as from one KC-767 to the other.
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07/22/2009
The first Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F/A-18F Super Hornet takes off from Lambert International Airport in St. Louis July 20 to begin its initial flight. Boeing unveiled the aircraft July 8 at the company's Integrated Defense Systems facility in St. Louis.
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07/21/2009
In a significant step that puts decades of Cold War baggage behind the world’s two largest democracies, the United States and India have achieved consensus on a key bilateral agreement that promises to bolster the U.S. and India as reliable partners for the long future in the sensitive areas of defense and security trade.
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07/20/2009
Twenty years ago today, the first Air Force/Northrop Grumman Corporation developed B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, a tailless, bat-like flying wing named The Spirit of America, lifted off for its maiden flight from Air Force Plant 42 here. That historic flight from Palmdale to Edwards Air Force Base lasted just over two hours, but it would alter forever the face and nature of modern air warfare.
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07/20/2009
A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet crashed early Saturday in central Afghanistan, killing the two crew members, the U.S. military said.
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07/20/2009
Two RAF pilots are being treated in an Afghan hospital after their fighter jet crashed in the south of the country.
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07/14/2009
The Boeing Company today delivered the first Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) C-17 Globemaster III during a ceremony at its final assembly facility in Long Beach, paving the way for the advanced airlifter’s historic arrival at Pápa Air Base, Hungary, later this month. The SAC’s approach to shared use of the strategic airlifter is regarded as a model for the pooled acquisition and management of defense capabilities.
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07/13/2009
Lockheed Martin has launched DAGR™ rockets from an airborne AH-6 Little Bird helicopter and successfully hit the target in two separate trials. This is the second platform DAGR has fired from in the past few months—Lockheed Martin also fired DAGR rockets from the AH-64D Apache helicopter in March.
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07/11/2009
During a 2004 friendly exercise with the Indian Air Force in Gwalior, India, the U.S. Air Force was humbled when the Indian SU-30 MK1 fighter outscored the best U.S. air domination fighter, the F-16C. U.S. General Hal Hornburg, commander of the Air Combat Command, lamented that it was a “wake-up call” for the U.S. Air Force and that it had been bested by the relatively unknown air power, India.
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07/11/2009
Chile plans to continue talks with Russia on the delivery of five Mi-17 multirole helicopters for the Chilean Air Force despite pressure from the United States, a government spokesperson has said.
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07/10/2009
Israel has ordered at least 25 U.S. F-35 stealth fighter aircraft to counter any potential threat from the delivery of Russian advanced air defense systems to Iran and Syria, an Israeli daily said on Friday.
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07/09/2009
Northrop Grumman Corporation has delivered to the U.S. Navy two retrofitted BQM-34 Firebee aerial targets, the first delivery in a series of BQM-34 targets retrofitted with current production avionics hardware and software capability from the BQM-74E product line.
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07/09/2009
Eurofighter Typhoon’s Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) have been busy lately, pushing forward in the testing of the fleet of development aircraft. IPA 7 recently completed a Paveway IV bomb handling, qualities familiarising flight at EADS site in Manching. The flight which took two hours and seven minutes saw the aircraft flying with six Paveway IV bombs, four MRAMMs and two SRAAMs missiles on board.
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07/09/2009
India is satisfied with the performance of Russian Su-30MKI fighters, despite a crash in April, and plans to double the number in service with the air force by 2015, the defense minister said on Wednesday.
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07/09/2009
Moody Air Force Base A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots operating over Iraq and Afghanistan this fall will be armed with new targeting pods designed to increase the already lethal capabilities.
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07/09/2009
Boeing today unveiled the first of 24 F/A-18F Block II Super Hornets for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during a ceremony at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems' production facilities in St. Louis. The aircraft will be delivered later this month, three months ahead of schedule.
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07/08/2009
Excellent results were achieved after the first operational evaluation made by NATO of a Eurofighter Typhoon Wing. A NATO evaluation team certified the Italian Air Force’s 4th Fighter Wing at the Grosseto Base as a NATO Quick Response Force.
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07/08/2009
Lockheed Martin yesterday delivered the 14th of 16 C 130J Super Hercules to Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The aircraft will be assigned to the 41st Airlift Squadron, the first active-duty combat C-130J squadron in the U.S. Air Force. This latest C-130J Super Hercules was accepted by Major General Winfield W. Scott III, Commander 18th Air Force, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
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07/07/2009
Boeing Defence UK Ltd., a subsidiary of The Boeing Company, today announced that a UK Chinook Mk3 helicopter successfully completed its first test flight on June 6 at the Ministry of Defence's Boscombe Down facility during the flight testing and evaluation phase of the Mk3 reversion program.
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07/06/2009
U.S. Air Force combat search and rescue crews on HH-60G Pave Hawks fly throughout Afghanistan to provide airlift and medical care to servicemembers wounded on the battlefield.
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07/06/2009
A giant, unmanned airship capable of hovering at about 70,000 feet promises to give future warfighters an unprecedented eye on the battlefield.
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07/06/2009
India has decided to retire 60 percent of its 250 MiG-21 fighters over the next two years. The only ones remaining will be the upgraded MiG-21bis models. The reason is simple, the aircraft are too expensive to maintain and too dangerous to fly. Last month, India lost another MiG-21 to an accident. In the last few years, India believed it had cleared up many of the reliability problems with the MiG-21. Actually, they have, but the MiG-21 remains a dangerous aircraft to operate. India has been usi
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07/06/2009
Sri Lanka has dropped a plan to acquire the Mikoyan MiG-29, a fourth generation multi-role jet fighter currently in service in over 30 countries.
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07/06/2009
Congress and the Obama administration are locked in a dogfight over the future of the F-22 fighter jet.
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07/04/2009
A military helicopter crashed in Orakzai Agency near the Afghan border on Friday, killing 26 security personnel.
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07/03/2009
The Indian Air Force has chosen Boeing’s C-17Globemaster III for its strategic airlift capability, preferring the American aircraft over traditional supplier Russia.
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07/01/2009
Switzerland has been planning to buy 22 Eurofighter aircraft, a deal worth over $2 billion. But now, after a year of negotiations and flight tests, Swiss politicians have told Germany (the principal member of the consortium that produces the aircraft) that the deal won't go through unless there are some concessions on other matters (bank secrecy, taxation and air traffic). Linking defense sales to politics is nothing new, and shouldn’t surprise anyone.
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07/01/2009
The air force's MiG-29N jetfighters will be sold off and replaced with new aircraft, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.
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07/01/2009
In “Hydra-70 Rockets: From Cutbacks to the Future of Warfare,” Sen. Leahy’s [D-VT] work to keep the Hydra 70mm rocket family alive through special appropriations was discussed, just in time for the Hydras’ potential on the battlefield to rise again. The key was the addition of low-cost precision guidance, which would expand the number of precision weapons carried by helicopters, aircraft, and even UAVs. “APKWS II… Hydra Rockets Enter SDD Phase,” discussed a laser-guided version from BAE, General
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06/30/2009
The Air Force is replacing Boeing’s current fleet support contract for the USA’s B-52 heavy bomber fleet, with a 10-year, $750 million firm-fixed-price Engineering Sustainment Program contract. All of the USAF’s 94 remaining B-52Hs were built at and delivered from Boeing’s Wichita, KS facility, and the ESP contract will support about 150 Boeing jobs.
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06/29/2009
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and the U.S. Air Force unveiled the next-generation of high-flying unmanned aircraft - the RQ-4 Block 40 Global Hawk - in a ceremony today at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, Calif., manufacturing facility.
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06/29/2009
Russia's Air Force has resumed Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft flights after a 10-day suspension following two crashes in mid-June, a Defense Ministry official said on Monday.
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06/29/2009
Boeing has connected the F-15E Mission Training Center (MTC) at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, to the U.S. Air Force's Distributed Mission Operations Network (DMON), enabling F-15E pilots at the base to train virtually with pilots located around the world for the first time. Mountain Home is the first of three F-15E training centers Boeing will link to the network this year.
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06/28/2009
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman said on Saturday that the first Pakistan-made JF-17 Thunder aircraft would start flying by the end of this year.
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06/27/2009
Air Force officials here announced June 26 its proposed force structure realignment for fiscal 2010.
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06/26/2009
In January 2007, the big question was whether there would be a competition for the USA’s KC-X proposal, which will cover 175 production aircraft and 4 test platforms. The cost for this first phase alone is likely to reach $35+ billion spread over about 20 years, but the USAF believes that adding new plane types to America’s 40-50 year old aerial tanker fleet is its #1 priority. Otherwise, unpredictable age or fatigue issues, like the ones its F-15A-D fleet experienced in 2008, could ground its a
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06/26/2009
Like a swarm of angry bees, unmanned aerial, ground, and sea vehicles automonously converge on enemy troops, aircraft and ships, decide what to do, then engage the enemy with surveillance or weapons to help U.S. forces defeat them. All this without direct human intervention. Sounds like science fiction? The American military is one of several working on the technology, called “swarming,” in order to make this scenario a reality.
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06/26/2009
The Elbit Systems/Rockwell Collins joint venture Vision Systems International, LLC recently announced $54.1 million in contracts. These awards will begin production of their Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS), which will equip all American and exported F-35 fighters. The contracts will cover low rate initial production (LRIP) Lots 1, 2 and 3, and run through 2012. They include Lockheed Martin’s purchase of 52 F-35 Gen II Helmet Mounted Displays, and 30 aircraft shipsets. VSI also received cont
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06/26/2009
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is delivering the first batch of upgraded Kfir fighter jets to the Colombian Air Force in a ceremony held at IAI's facilities in Israel. In attendance at the ceremony was Juan Hurtado Cano, the Colombian Ambassador to Israel, high ranking officers from the Colombian Air Force, and executives from the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD-SIBAT), and IAI.
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06/24/2009
Boeing today announced that the AH-64D Apache Block III prototype helicopter successfully demonstrated Level IV unmanned aircraft system (UAS) connectivity on June 8 during a flight test over the Arizona desert.
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06/23/2009
Members of the 413th Flight Test Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla., and contractor Boeing recently successfully fired the high-power laser aboard the Advanced Tactical Laser aircraft for the first time in flight.
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06/23/2009
The U.S. military has to have flexibility across the spectrum of conflict to handle the threats of the future, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.
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06/22/2009
Russia has bought 12 unmanned aerial vehicles from Israel in a recent deal worth $53 million, a Russian government official said on Monday.
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06/21/2009
International participants in the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program have begun purchasing aircraft and making long-range commitments to integrate the fighter into their fleets, a Lockheed Martin executive said Wednesday at the Paris Air Show.
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06/19/2009
At the 2009 Le Bourget air show, Alenia Aeronautica announced that Italy’s Air Force has signed a long-awaited contract to buy Alenia’s new M346 Master advanced trainer jet. This initial agreement covers 6 jets and an integrated training service, with an option for another 9 aircraft.
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06/18/2009
The US Marines’ helicopter force is aging on all levels, from CH-46 Sea Knights that are far older than their pilots, to the 1980s-era UH-1N Hueys and AH-1W Cobra attack helicopters that make up the Corps’ helicopter assault force. While the V-22 program has staggered along for almost 2 decades under accidents, technical delays, and cost issues, replacement of the USMC’s backbone helicopter assets has languished. Given the high-demand scenarios inherent in the current war, other efforts are clea
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06/18/2009
The Russian Defense Ministry has received three strategic missiles, 20 combat aircraft, 20 tanks, three spacecraft and other military hardware since the beginning of the year under government defense contract, a senior military official said on Wednesday.
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06/18/2009
The Boeing Company will dedicate funding to further development of the F-15 Silent Eagle program, with the goal of a flight demonstration in the third quarter of 2010. The announcement came at the Paris Air Show following meetings with potential customers and reaffirmed a commitment to the prototype program made by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems President and CEO Jim Albaugh at the air show on June 14.
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06/17/2009
“The demand for Russian aircraft and helicopters grows despite the ongoing global financial crunch. It makes us feel special obligations and responsibility both as a supplier, and as a reliable time-tested partner,” head of the Rosoboronexport delegation Alexander Mikheev emphasised. “We take every necessary measure and constantly revise every line of defence cooperation, which nowadays actively expands, among other things due to developing relations with NATO member-states.”
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06/17/2009
Northrop Grumman’s E-2C Hawkeye serves as the US Navy and French Navy’s carrier-capable “mini-AWACS” aircraft. Its primary role is advance warning of incoming aerial threats; ship-based radars are far larger and more powerful, but cannot scan below the angle of the horizon. Secondary roles include strike command and control, land and maritime surveillance, search and rescue, communications relay, and even civil air traffic control during emergencies. E-2C Hawkeyes began replacing previous Hawkey
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06/17/2009
BAE Systems has been awarded a $33.6 million low-rate initial production contract for the ALE-55. The AN/ALE-55 is part of the U.S. Navy’s Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM) system that provides fighter aircraft with electronic defense against radar guided missiles.
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06/17/2009
The Boeing Company announced today that it has completed satellite communications and air traffic management upgrades on the U.S. Air Force's 32 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) surveillance aircraft as part of the Integrated DAMA/GATM (IDG) program.
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06/16/2009
Global competition in the 20-ton air transport segment continues to intensify, with Brazil’s launch of its KC-390 program. Embraer figures reportedly place the global C-130 replacement market at around 700 aircraft. In response, it will develop a jet-powered rival to compete with Lockheed Martin’s C-130J, the larger Airbus A400M, Russia’s AN-12 and its Chinese copy the Yunshu-8, and the bi-national Irkut/HAL MRTA project. Smaller aircraft like the EADS-CASA C-295M and Alenia C-27J may also repre
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06/16/2009
Russia would like to expand sales of such warplanes as the Su-34 throughout the world, President Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with Chinese TV released on Monday.
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06/16/2009
A Turkish military delegation has come to Russia to discuss the possible acquisition of Mi-28 attack helicopters. This is not the first time the two countries have discussed cooperation.
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06/15/2009
The Bell Boeing Program Office announced today that it has been awarded Phase 1.5 of a two-phase Joint Performance Based Logistics (PBL) contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to support the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft for the Marine Corps (MV-22), and Air Force Special Operations Command (CV-22).
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06/15/2009
Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Defence and Aviation Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan received the Kingdom’s first two Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft at a ceremony hosted by BAE Systems at its Warton plant near Preston on June 10.
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06/15/2009
Despite all of the high-tech fighter hours flown in theater, Hawker Beechcraft’s twin-propeller King Air 350 continues to gain traction as an affordable, long-endurance option for light cargo delivery in remote areas – and effective manned battlefield surveillance and attack. Iraq’s Air Force was the first to order them, and an initial 6-plane order from the US Marines/Navy followed in July 2008.
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06/13/2009
The P-3 Orion remains the USA’s main maritime patrol aircraft, and is also finding use in overland surveillance roles despite the fleet’s age. Earlier DID articles have noted the extra effort required to preserve the USA’s P-3C Orion maritime surveillance & patrol aircraft, along with radar and weapons upgrades. Lockheed has even opened a new production line for the international fleet to cover wings that have to be replaced.
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06/13/2009
BAE Systems recently completed its $14.7 million acquisition of Advanced Ceramics Research, a Tucson, AZ-based maker of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ceramic materials for military and commercial application. The initial agreement was originally announced on March 12/09; this latest step represents its finalization and approval. The company will now become part of BAE Systems, Inc., headquartered in Rockville, MD.
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06/12/2009
Brazil has now made a pair of requests for UH-60Ls to fulfill its strategic commitments for search and rescue, air mobility, “and provide for the defense of vital installations and close air support for ground forces.”
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06/12/2009
France and Germany said Thursday that they were giving themselves another six months to decide whether to proceed with Airbus’s troubled A400M military transport plane, prolonging the agony — and the costs — for the European aircraft manufacturer, which is already grappling with the worst industry downturn in decades.
(Read More...)
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06/11/2009
The F-5E/F Tiger II was a follow-on upgrade to the wildly successful F-5 Freedom Fighter, a low-budget aircraft designed to capture the lower tier of the non-Soviet global fighter market in the 1960s and 1970s. A number of countries still operate F-5s, but the airframes are very old. The Swiss bought 72 F-5E/F fighters in 1976, and another 38 in 1981, for a total of 110 (98 single-seat F5E, 12 two-seat F-5F). Switzerland currently flies about 54 F-5s; A squadron of 12 were leased to Austria whil
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06/11/2009
The Boeing Company has been awarded a four-year U.S. Air Force contract to sustain the A-10 Thunderbolt II weapon system and integrate current and future upgrades into the aircraft’s avionics, mechanical and structural systems. Boeing is one of three contractors that will fulfill A-10 Thunderbolt Life-Cycle Program Support (TLPS) task and delivery orders for the Air Force. The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity TLPS contract will allow the Air Force to authorize up to $1.6 billion of aircra
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06/11/2009
Boeing and teammate L-3 have delivered four Block II F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Tactical Operation Flight Trainers (TOFT) to the U.S. Navy and declared them “Ready for Training.” Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Va., has two of the trainers, and two are located at NAS Lemoore, Calif.
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06/10/2009
Almost 22 months after its first flight over the skies of St. Augustine, Fla., Northrop Grumman's (NYSE:NOC) first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye test aircraft flew north to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, in Maryland, to begin the next phase of testing in preparation for Initial Operational Test and Evaluation in 2011.
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06/10/2009
The Indian Air Force says no one survived when one of its transport planes carrying 13 people crashed near the border with China.
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06/10/2009
Despite a slew of upgrades that recently got 2 of its P-3/CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft sent to map key areas in Afghanistan, only 45% (9/20) are available at any one time. That fleet’s other duties include patrolling Canada’s long Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Ocean coasts. Its 1960s-era H-3/CH-124 Sea Kings, which have been described as “10,000 nuts and bolts flying in formation,” have an availability rate of just 35.7% (10/28).
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06/10/2009
The U.S. Defense Department says one of the aircraft involved in bombing an Afghan village a month ago, during an operation that caused numerous civilian casualties, violated rules designed to protect civilians. But a spokesman says there is no indication that the violation caused the casualties. Procedures for protecting civilians will be part of a 60-day review that the new U.S. commanders heading for Afghanistan have been ordered to conduct.
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06/10/2009
Back in February 2006, InsideDefense.com’s Inside The Air Force (ITAF) reported that momentum was building within the Air Force to sell the ultra-advanced F-22A Raptor abroad to trusted U.S. allies, as a way of plussing up numbers and production. The USAF originally initially intended to purchase 700-800 F-22 fighters, but that was cut to 442, then 381, and recently cut again to just over 180. These cuts have had obvious effects on the cost per aircraft, and on the ratio of aircraft to total R&D
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06/09/2009
The current US Air Force fleet, whose planes are more than 23 years old on average, is the oldest in USAF history. It won’t keep that title for very long. Many transport aircraft and aerial refueling tankers are more than 40 years old – and under current plans, some may be as many as 70-80 years old before they retire. Since the price for next-generation planes has risen faster than inflation, average aircraft age will climb even if the US military gets every plane it asks for in its future plan
(Read More...)
06/09/2009
Air Mobility Command's hub for global airlift, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation is "all in" with its commitment to support joint worldwide operations, kicking off efforts this week to airlift more than 300 Stryker vehicles to military forces in Afghanistan.
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06/08/2009
France will consider leasing or buying Lockheed Martin C-130J air transports as part of a plan to meet urgent airlift requirements until it receives its first A400M transports, or in the event the program is terminated.
(Read More...)
06/07/2009
The RQ-4 Global Hawks isn’t a full successor to the famous U-2 spy plane just yet, which is why the USA is keeping its U-2s for now. It’s close, however, and some people have described the HALE UAV as the equivalent of having a photo satellite on station. Flying at 60,000 feet for 30-40+ hours at a time, the jet-powered UAV uses sophisticated radars and other sensors to monitor developments on land, sea, and air over an area of about 40,000 square miles/ 100,000 square km. Reported image resolut
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06/05/2009
Martin has signed a contract with the Sultanate of Oman for a C-130J Super Hercules. The aircraft, to be delivered in mid-2012, is in the longer C-130J-30 configuration.
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06/05/2009
Boeing P-8A Poseidon test aircraft T2 takes off from Renton Field today to begin its successful first flight. T2 took off at 10:32 a.m. Pacific time and landed two hours and 56 minutes later at Boeing Field in Seattle at 1:28 p.m.
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06/05/2009
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Axsys Technologies, Inc., (NASDAQ: AXYS) for $54 per share of Axsys Technologies’ outstanding common stock. The cost of the transaction would be $643 million.
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06/04/2009
Lockheed Martin today released its media briefing schedule for the 2009 Paris Air Show. Briefings will take place in the Lockheed Martin Press Center, Lockheed Martin Chalet, Row A, No. 397, unless otherwise designated below.
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06/04/2009
The Boeing Company today outlined its presentation schedule for the Paris Air Show, which begins later this month and is marking its 100th anniversary this year.
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06/04/2009
FLIR Systems announced today that it is experiencing a strong demand around the world for the company's Star SAFIRE and Talon classes of stabilised, multi-sensor airborne systems.
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06/04/2009
The Afghan National Army Air Corps is a vital and rapidly growing component of Afghanistan's security forces and is building airpower to deny terrorists a safe haven in Afghanistan, a U.S. Air Force general here said.
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06/03/2009
On Tuesday, June 2, Lockheed Martin and the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) successfully conducted the initial demonstration flight of the Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft (ACCA). This flight marks the final and most significant milestone of Phase II of AFRL’s ACCA program, in which Lockheed Martin replaced the mid/aft fuselage and empennage of a Dornier 328J aircraft with an advanced composite structure.
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06/03/2009
The United States Department of Defense has awarded Lockheed Martin a $2.1 billion contract modification to produce 17 F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters in the third lot of low-rate initial production (LRIP). The buy also includes the first international orders – two F-35 operational test aircraft for the United Kingdom and one for the Netherlands.
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06/03/2009
Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force have successfully completed Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) A-10C site activations at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, AZ, and Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany.
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06/03/2009
The 19-ft-long, 5,000lb bombs can penetrate over 20ft of concrete and 100ft of earth and could be used to target North Korea's intricate system of military bunkers and a series of munitions tunnels along the border.
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06/02/2009
"Syria Buying MiG-31s, MiG-29s for $1 billion" covers ongoing speculation about a potential fighter deal with Iranian financing; some reports even place the Islamic Republic of Iran as the ultimate recipient. Recent reports say that Russia has put the deal on the backburner, though Syria denies this. What’s even more interesting are the parallel reports that Israel may be selling UAVs to Russia, and speculation that the 2 sets of events may be related.
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06/02/2009
The Boeing Company on June 1 submitted a proposal offering its A160T Hummingbird for the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory's Immediate Cargo Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Demonstration Program.
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06/01/2009
The Indian air force has slanted to a more ornithologically conscious approach to flight planning following a bird strike involving one of its aircraft and reported in the flight levels. A huge four-engine IAF IL-76 transport was flying at more than 22,000 feet when it struck a yet-unidentified bird.
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06/01/2009
After inducting its first Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), the IAF is planning to replace the Russian IL-76 aircraft with some other "modern aircraft" as the platform for the system in future. India is the first country in South Asia to own an AWACS, popularly called 'an eye in the sky'.
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05/30/2009
To replace its ageing helicopter fleet, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has released the much-awaited tenders for 22 combat and 15 heavy lift choppers to US, European and Russian manufacturers.
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05/29/2009
The U.S. Department of Defense formally notified Congress on April 12 of Egypt's intent to purchase 24 more F-16 aircraft. This begins a 30-day review period.
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05/29/2009
The acquisition of new aircraft for Russia's military transport aviation will begin in 2012, while modernized Il-76, An-22 and An-124 aircraft will remain in service for another 20-30 years, a senior Air Force official said on Friday.
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05/29/2009
The Russian government has approved the 49-year term of its lease of an airbase in Kyrgyzstan, with an automatic prolongation every 25 years.
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05/29/2009
The Czech Air Force is now responsible for protecting the airspace of the Baltic countries. Czech Gripens are therefore policing the skies over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
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05/29/2009
A CHINESE-BUILT Pakistan Air Force FT-7 fighter jet crashed in central Pakistan on Friday during a training run but the pilots ejected safely, officials said.
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05/29/2009
In the third crash of a fighter plane in Rajasthan in a month, a MiG-21 went down in a village about 40km from Jodhpur on Wednesday. The pilot was brought down by villagers from a tree into which he fell after ejecting safely.
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05/29/2009
In August 1990, Iraq’s Air Force had more than 500 aircraft in their inventory. The IqAF was decimated in 1991, after Saddam invaded Kuwait and ended up facing the US military and its allies. What remained was hobbled by extensive, and expensive, no-fly zones, until the war formally concluded in 2003 with a US-led invasion that eliminated Saddam’s regime. Rebuilding it under the new Iraqi government has been a slow process.
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05/29/2009
Israel Air Force test pilots are flying MIG 29 jets and conducting dogfights against the IAF's F-16 fighters.
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05/28/2009
Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has been awarded a contract worth $80 million by the U.S. Air Force to provide AE 2100D3 spare engines and parts to power Lockheed Martin C-130J military transport aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, the Royal Norwegian Air Force and the Indian Air Force.
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05/28/2009
The first Russian-made A-50 Mainstay AWACS aircraft developed on the basis of Il-76MD military transport plane officially entered service on Thursday with the Indian Air Force (IAF).
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05/27/2009
On April 18, the London Times reported that "the Israeli military is preparing itself to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government."
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05/27/2009
Embraer delivered the 100th Super Tucano
aircraft, today, at the Company’s
headquarters in São José dos Campos, State
of São Paulo, Brazil. The Brazilian Air Force
(Força Aérea Brasileira – FAB) established
the technical-operational requisites for this
advanced turboprop, designated as the A-29
by the FAB, which has ordered 99 aircraft,
and now receives this commemorative unit.
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05/26/2009
A United States B-52 bomber aircraft on Tuesday violated Pakistan’s airspace over North Waziristan Agency.
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05/26/2009
The latest North Korean nuclear test was not just a political act. Pyongyang is actively developing its nuclear capabilities. This is the opinion of Dr. Charles M. Perry, which he expressed in an interview with RIA Novosti. Dr. Charles M. Perry is vice president and director of studies at the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, Inc., and vice president of National Security Planning Associates, Inc.
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05/26/2009
The development of the fifth-generation jet fighter is one of the most widely discussed issues in Russia's military.
What's more, with its potential involvement in developing the jet fighter, India, one of Russia's long-standing partners in military technical cooperation, confirms its interest in Russia's future project.
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05/26/2009
India has dropped Russia from a $1-bln tender to supply six aerial tankers for the Indian Air Force due to poor after-sales maintenance services, the Hindustan Times cited the air force chief as saying.
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05/26/2009
The Boeing Company today announced that three KC-767J aerial refueling tankers recently achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) and have been placed in an active air wing in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF).
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05/26/2009
A USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) officer has broken stereotypes in the Navy across all ranks during the past 22 years.
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05/26/2009
The United Arab Emirates and France are continuing negotiations on the Gulf Arab state's potential purchase of French Rafale fighter planes, the UAE's foreign minister said on Monday.
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05/26/2009
Escorted by combat jets, the first of three Indian Air Force (IAF) "eye-in-the-sky" airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) flew in from Israel to the Jamnagar airbase in Gujarat Monday and will be formally inducted into the force here Thursday.
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05/25/2009
The past few days shocked the Korean Peninsula at least twice. Roh Moo Hyun, who served as South Korea's president from 2003 to 2008, jumped from a 100-foot cliff on May 23 while hiking near his home. On May 25, North Korea expressed condolences to South Korea and at the same time announced a successful test of a nuclear weapon.
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05/25/2009
Bolivia may order weaponry worth several million dollars from Russia in the near future, a deputy foreign minister said on Friday.
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05/25/2009
Australia has committed to buy eight Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft as part of an investment of $A5 billion. These aircraft will maintain the capability currently provided by the AP-3C Orion aircraft, when that aircraft is retired in 2018 after 30 years of RAAF service.
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05/24/2009
The Air Force has announced plans to retire legacy fighters to fund a smaller and more capable force and redistribute people for higher priority missions. This proposal includes the 28-year presence of F-15s at Elmendorf drawing to a close in 2010 when the last of its 24 F-15s depart.
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05/23/2009
Following the May 7 roll-out of the fiscal year 2010 budget proposal for the Department of Defense, Air Force officials announced plans to retire legacy fighters to fund a smaller and more capable force and redistribute people for higher priority missions.
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05/22/2009
Few believed him when Sri Lanka's powerful defence secretary said he required three years to defeat the once invincible Tamil Tiger rebels.
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05/22/2009
Boeing today announced the successful first flight of a B-52 Stratofortress upgraded with Combat Network Communications Technology (CONECT), a modification that equips the legendary B-52 with 21st-century situational awareness and mission flexibility. The aircraft made the 3.5-hour flight on May 21 from the Boeing Integrated Defense Systems facility in Wichita.
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05/22/2009
Boeing announced today that it recently received a contract from U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services using the ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system (UAS). The contract has a potential value of $250 million.
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05/21/2009
Russia has put on a hold a contract to deliver MiG-31E Foxhound interceptor-fighters to Syria, a Russian business daily reported on Wednesday, citing defense-industry sources.
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05/20/2009
Indonesian officials say a military transport plane crashed into homes and burst into flames Wednesday near an air force base in East Java, killing at least 97 people and injuring more than 10 others.
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05/19/2009
The Boeing Company was awarded a $38 million contract April 27 to develop and test a nonlethal, high power microwave (HPM) airborne demonstrator for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Counter-electronics High power microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP).
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05/18/2009
Martin was awarded a $4 million contract by the Boeing Company for the technology development phase of the F/A-18E/F Infrared Search and Track (IRST) program.
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05/18/2009
Unmanned aircraft likely represent the future for U.S. military aviation, with next-generation bombers and fighter planes operating without pilots onboard, the top U.S. military officer said Thursday.
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05/18/2009
The 60-minute flight was made by the two prototypes and LRIP00, representative of the series production configuration, while the M-311 aircraft acted as camera ship.
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05/18/2009
Israel's alleged atomic arsenal poses "the real danger" in the Middle East and not Iran's nuclear programme, Arab League chief Amr Musa said on Sunday.
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05/14/2009
President Asif Ali Zardari has said Pakistan’s nuclear arms are in safe hands and those foreign governments, which could have apprehensions in this regard, are satisfied with the security situation in the country and with the command and control system that Islamabad already has.
The matter of acquisition of technology in order to tackle militancy and terrorism had been taken up in his talks with the US leaders during his visit to Washington and there would be a breakthrough and good news very
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05/13/2009
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) will display a range of its maritime defence capabilities and programmes including navigation and ship control systems, landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious ships and the International Patrol Frigate, at the International Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference (IMDEX), Singapore.
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05/13/2009
The Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic has signed an agreement for the acquisition of four C-295 military transport aircraft from Airbus Military. The agreement extends to logistical support. These aircraft will replace the former fleet of Antonov An-26 aircraft.
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05/13/2009
India is expected to acquire its first Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) next week, officials said on Monday, crowning its drive to achieve air dominance over rival Pakistan.
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05/13/2009
The United States has bought two Su-27 Flanker fighter jets to help train U.S. pilots to cope with the growing number of Russian 4th-generation aircraft sold around the globe, a U.S. online magazine said.
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05/12/2009
A Russian deputy prime minister said Monday that flight tests of a fifth-generation fighter will start in Russia by the end of 2009.
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05/12/2009
Before late 2008, the B-1B Lancer was known primarily as a bomber, but since then the aircraft was modified to include the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod now provides nontraditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to ground forces.
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05/12/2009
U.S. and Republic of Korea Air Force personnel began the second 7th Air Force-designed Max Thunder bilateral air training exercise here May 7.
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05/11/2009
Boeing has delivered a C-17 Aircrew Training System (ATS) to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), making Australia the first C-17 ATS customer outside the United States.
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05/09/2009
THE Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has received its first four F-15SG fighter jets, armed with the most advanced air-to-air missiles and the sharpest sensors outside the United States.
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05/07/2009
Defying Congress for a fourth straight year, the Pentagon on Thursday submitted a budget proposal for fiscal 2010 that once again zeros out funding for an alternate engine for the F-35 fighter plane being developed by General Electric Co and Rolls-Royce Group Plc.
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05/07/2009
A pair of Russian Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers have carried out a routine patrol flight over the North Atlantic and the Arctic, an Air Force spokesman said on Thursday.
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05/06/2009
Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) exhibit at the International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (IMDEX Asia 2009) will feature a broad range of products and technologies that demonstrate the company's leadership in developing solutions to meet current and future maritime needs.
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05/05/2009
The first painted P-8A Poseidon aircraft rolls out of the paint hangar at Boeing's Renton, Wash., facility, displaying its new U.S. Navy livery.
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05/05/2009
Raytheon Company's KillerBee unmanned aircraft system demonstrated it can be recovered from a net on a moving platform, simulating an at-sea recovery.
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