May, 2012 Military Aviation News
05/31/2012
President Barack Obama's administration appears set to notify the U.S. Congress of plans to arm a fleet of Italian MQ-9 Reaper drones, a step that may spur a wider spread of remotely piloted hunter-killer aircraft. The administration could move ahead within two weeks on the proposal to let Italy join Britain in deploying U.S. drones with weapons such as laser-guided bombs and Hellfire missiles, American officials said.
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05/31/2012
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd of India and Russia's United Aircraft Corporation-Transport Aircraft are jointly building a new military transport. The agreement to build the multirole jet aircraft was signed this week by the representatives of HAL, UAC-TC and Multirole Transport Aircraft Ltd, their joint venture company with Russia's Rosoboronexport.
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05/31/2012
Northrop Grumman officials conducted a briefing at CANSEC 2012 on Wednesday for journalists on its proposal to offer the Harper government a fleet of Global Hawks. Northrop Grumman has dubbed the aircraft the Polar Hawk and is pushing the angle of the unmanned aircraft as being ideal for surveillance in the North. Murray Brewster of Canadian Press has more details.
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05/31/2012
The Air Force showcased its flight skills in a rehearsal Wednesday in Hsinchu, as a preview for an air show to be held Saturday in the northern city. Highlights of the rehearsal at the Hsinchu air base included a 30-minute performance by the Thunder Tiger Aerobatics Team flying seven AT-3 jet trainers in a series of spectacular aerial stunts.
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05/31/2012
The Boeing Co. Defense, Space & Security segment in Mesa, Ariz. will be producing Apache AH-64D attack helicopters for the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program in a $97.3 million dollar contract awarded by the U.S. Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, Ala. on Tuesday. The Boeing AH-64D Longbow Block III is the latest version of the Apache combat helicopter, and is designed with a stronger engine, improved helicopter avionics, better computer-networking capability.
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05/31/2012
Minister of Defense Corneliu Dobritoiu told Agerpres, after a meeting with the reserve military that a team of specialists will go to the Netherlands and Portugal to assess the technical condition of some F-16 type aircraft that Romania might procure for the Army. 'We will assess the jets, to see if they are technically up to our requirements, their upgrading needs, the cost and if we can afford them, or not. The assessments are made in Portugal and the Netherlands', Dobritoiu said.
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05/31/2012
An India-built electronic sub-assembly will be part of the US Navy's combat planes, a statement said Wednesday as Indian companies step up efforts to be part of the global defence supply chain. The sub-assembly provides the cockpit flood lighting compatible with the aircraft's night vision imaging system (NVIS).
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05/31/2012
Selected air units of Russia’s Western military district will start this year preparations to return to abandoned Arctic airfields, the commander of the district’s aviation Maj. Gen. Igor Makushev said on Wednesday. Military airfields in the Arctic were used extensively in the Soviet era, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 they have been generally mothballed.
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05/31/2012
Boeing on May 3 delivered to the U.S. Navy the first EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft with a cockpit subassembly produced by Bangalore-based Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). The subassembly provides cockpit floodlighting compatible with the aircraft's Night Vision Imaging System (NVIS).
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05/30/2012
Despite recent reports, the U.S. remains ahead of the Russians when it comes to the next generation of naval warfare — namely, hosting sporting events on aircraft carriers.
English-language all-Russian-news site RT.com reported Monday that the Major Hockey League, which is actually a minor hockey league (those wacky Russians) to the big-time KHL, is planning to hold a game on a flattop anchored in the Gulf of Finland.
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05/30/2012
THE military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) market will mushroom over the decade through 2020, according to international consultancy Frost & Sullivan, with its value forecast to grow by 60 per cent to US$7.3 billion. The Asia-Pacific is expected to lead this surge, propelled by regional force modernisation programmes and supported by sustained economic growth.
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05/30/2012
Japan may become the fourth country after the U.S., Russia and China to possessits own fighter of the fifth generation. The new fighter, relatively small in size and weight, will become the first battle plane, constructed without assistancein Japan over the past seven decades. In the beginning of May, Japan placed an order for the delivery of the first four F-35 fighters made in the United States.
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05/30/2012
Airbus Military is growing its product line with new developments, such as gunships and airborne early warning aircraft, and is improving its existing offerings, such as the C295, as it adapts to changing market conditions. Airbus Military, at its annual Trade Media Briefing in Spain, attended by defenceWeb, said that the military market for transport, special mission and tanker aircraft is a very irregular one with plenty of ups and downs and is compounded by shrinking military budgets.
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05/30/2012
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will manufacture a Multi-role Transport Aircraft (MTA) with a Russian partner primarily for the Indian and Russian air forces, the state-run defence behemoth said on Tuesday. 'The twin-engine aircraft in 15-20 tone class will be designed, co-developed and manufactured for cargo/troop transportation; para-drop/air drop of supplies, including low altitude parachute extraction system,' HAL chairman R.K. Tyagi said in a statement here.
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05/30/2012
Guam - A C-130 military cargo aircraft landed at North Field just before noon today [Wednesday]. It was the first time since after World War II in 1947 that a U.S. military plane landed on the airfield. The landing at North Field, the Saipan Tribune reports, is considered one of the highlights in the ongoing Exercise Geiger Fury 2012 on Tinian, with 150 to 175 personnel from Marine Aircraft Group-12 out of Iwakuni, Japan participating.
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05/30/2012
China hopes to sell up to 300 Chengdu/Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder fighters in Africa and the Middle East over the next five years. This target was revealed by a spokesman from China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), the country's military aircraft export agency, in an email to Flightglobal.
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05/30/2012
While addressing West Point’s newest graduates last weekend, Vice President Joseph R. Biden praised the gathered cadets as “leaders of your generation” and “the key to whatever challenges the world has in store.” For full disclosure’s sake, Mr. Biden should have added: “For the foreseeable future, however, the advanced weapons and military systems you’ll use in training and in combat will remain shot through with unreliable counterfeit electronics parts.
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05/30/2012
Taipei, May 29 (CNA) F-35 stealth fighters are the new-generation combat aircraft that best serve Taiwan's air defense needs, a military official said Tuesday, the latest hint that the government may not be as keen to acquire advanced F-16 C/D fighters as once thought. The F-35s, with their short takeoff capability, would bolster the country's defense capabilities, as airports are likely to be destroyed by enemy forces in the event of war.
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05/29/2012
It's a familiar scene - military aircraft and personnel in the desert - only in this case, it's part of a war game in southern Jordan involving thousands of troops from all over the world.
Forces from 18 countries including the U.S., Jordan, Lebanon and Italy are participating in the exercise. Dubbed "Eager Lion" the scenarios give troops a chance to learn how to carry out attacks on ground targets in coordination with artillery and air power.
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05/29/2012
They are floating airfields that can deploy a nation's military might across the world's oceans.
In May 1912, the first plane took off from a moving warship, the HMS Hibernia, temporarily adapted for the purpose. The idea of dedicated floating platforms had been mooted in 1909, but it wasn't until 1918 that the HMS Argus became the first proper carrier.
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05/29/2012
Today’s strategic environment provides boundless space for the both the international and regional actors to understand, share and cooperate with each other in order to protect and secure their own national interest and maintain strategic stability within their own region. Every nation in the international affairs has its own strategic significance against another in terms of its strategic location for economic and military means.
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05/29/2012
A helicopter crash killed two NATO service members in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, and a third died in an insurgent attack in the south, the U.S.-led coalition said. The deaths raised the number of NATO troops who have been killed in Afghanistan this year to 172. NATO is aiming to withdraw its combat forces by the end of 2014 and turn security responsibility over to the Afghans.
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05/29/2012
India is slowly but surely bolstering its military presence in the crucial Andaman and Nicobar Islands in keeping with the overall policy to counter China's strategic moves in the Indian Ocean region as well as ensure security of the sea lanes converging towards the Malacca Strait.
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05/28/2012
Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System testbed aircraft, equipped with a new JT-8D propulsion system, has successfully completed flight testing and moved one step closer to receiving its Military Airworthiness Certification.
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05/28/2012
We can best honor those who have given their lives for this nation in combat by making sure our military might is proportional to what America needs. The United States spends more on our military than do China, Russia, Britain, France, Japan, and Germany put together.
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05/27/2012
A public hearing has been set for June 5 on a proposal to add a new fighter jet to the Burlington Air Guard Station in Vermont, which conducts missions in western Maine airspace.
The Air Force last week scheduled the hearing at University of Maine at Farmington after facing complaints from Mainers about why initial hearings on the plan were scheduled to take place only in Vermont.
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05/27/2012
The United States decision to deploy littoral combat ships in Singapore signals a maritime focus in its pivot to the Asia-Pacific. It reaffirms U.S. commitment to support Southeast Asian allies and partners amid China’s growing maritime assertiveness in the region.
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05/27/2012
The China Post news staff--Attack warplanes and land-to-air missiles are being deployed to a Chinese air base with an operational radius reaching both Taipei and the disputed islands in the South China Sea as tension in the region continues to mount, a report said yesterday. The hardware being deployed includes China's Jian 10 and Sukhoi Su-30 jet fighters, unpiloted attack planes, and S-300 anti-aircraft missiles.
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05/26/2012
Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne has taken an hour-long sortie in a Rafale fighter aircraft which has been selected by India for its multi-billion dollar deal to procure 126 jets. On a four-day visit to France, the IAF chief flew the fighter jet at the St. Dizier Airbase and was accompanied by the Rafale squadron Commander Squadron Leader Kubiak Thierry.
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05/26/2012
South Korea government, through the military acquisition programme's spokesperson, announced that the choice regarding the suppliers of fighters aircraft and the helicopters for its air force will be communicated in October. The purchase will involve on the whole 60 fighters, 35 attack helicopters and 8 helicopters for the navy.
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05/26/2012
The cost of fitting out 12 of the RAAF's Super Hornet fighter-bombers with sophisticated electronic warfare equipment appears to have blown out from the original $300 million to $1.73 billion -- slightly more than the Gillard government's budget surplus for the coming year.
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05/26/2012
Despite dire warnings about U.S. military funding cuts, one prominent Washington think tank says fewer dollars give the Pentagon a chance to make sweeping changes to sustain America's warring dominance. The Defense Department is implementing a $450 billion reduction to planned spending over the next decade, and could be forced to take out close to $500 billion more over the same span if Congress fails to pass a $1.2 trillion debt-paring deal this year.
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05/26/2012
Introducing me at a meeting of Singapore’s India Club (for Indian citizens only), Prasenjit Basu, its economist president, recalled that more than 10 years ago my book on India’s relations with the United States of America was called Waiting for America. “We are still waiting for America”, he concluded. It was a perceptive comment. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, the more things change, the more they remain the same.
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05/26/2012
Air dominance is essential to virtually every operation the U.S. military conducts. It is an essential component of the U.S. military’s “DNA.” Budget cuts, shrinking force structure, poor investments in modernization, technological innovation and a growing anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) threat are combining to call into question the Department of Defense’s ability to maintain air dominance in future conflicts. Without air dominance, the U.S. military’s concepts of operations will unravel.
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05/26/2012
Northrop Grumman's 300-foot long, 70-foot tall, remotely piloted Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) airship is scheduled to fly for the first time in early June at Lakehurst, New Jersey. The maiden flight could take place anytime between June 6 and 10, weather permitting, and will be followed by a trip to Florida where it will be outfitted with surveillance gear.
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05/25/2012
Bangladesh is asking for the refurbishment, overhaul and modification of four C-130E aircraft through the Foreign Military Sale program. The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the contract sought by Bangladesh includes spare parts, equipment and training services and is worth about $180 million.
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05/25/2012
The effort to preserve Selfridge Air National Guard Base’s A-10 aircraft gained some altitude Thursday when the Senate Armed Services Committee embraced a provision that would block budget cuts to the Air National Guard. Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said his committee had unanimously approved an annual defense bill that rejects proposals to eliminate Air National Guard aircraft and personnel across the nation, including proposed cuts at Michigan bases.
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05/25/2012
The Senate Armed Services Committee approved a defense bill that would maintain the production lines of the F-18 in St. Louis, nix a new base-closing round, and block an AF plan to shut down air guard units, including one at Jefferson Barracks. While the Senate defense bill’s $631 billion price tag for fiscal 2013 is about $4 billion less than the House-passed version, the provisions of the two bills with direct impact in Missouri and Illinois appeared to be similar.
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05/25/2012
The Pilatus aircraft manufacturer has confirmed a deal to export 75 PC-7 MkII military training aircraft to India worth $523 million (SFr500 million) - the biggest-ever contract for the turboprop trainer in the Stans-based firm’s history. The company also confirmed on Thursday that it is in the final stages of a major contract with Saudi Arabia for 55 PC-21 propeller-driven trainers via a deal with the British defence contractor BAE Systems PLC.
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05/25/2012
First Lt. Zerbin Singleton qualified as the Marine Corps’ last CH-46 Sea Knight pilot with Marine Medium Helicopter Training Squadron 164 aboard Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 23. The MV-22B Osprey is replacing the Sea Knight, making the accomplishment of Singleton particularly noteworthy. Several local news stations came out to record the event.
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05/25/2012
A U.S. drone strike on suspected Islamist militants in northwest Pakistan killed 10 people on Thursday, Pakistani intelligence officials said, an attack likely to raise tensions in a standoff with Washington over NATO supply routes to Afghanistan. The pilotless drone aircraft attacked a compound in a village in North Waziristan, a day after a similar attack killed four suspected militants in the same region.
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05/25/2012
After a prolonged chill, security ties between Israel and China are warming up. With Israel offering much-needed technical expertise and China representing a huge new market and influential voice in the international debate over Iran's nuclear program, the two nations have stepped up military cooperation as they patch up a rift caused by a pair of failed arms deals scuttled by the U.S.
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05/25/2012
The military's reserve components remain ready and capable despite budget cuts and their transition from a strategic to operational force, senior National Guard and Reserve officials told the Senate Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee here May 23.
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05/24/2012
Airbus Military expects to sell 70 light and medium military aircraft to Africa over the next decade, as it shifts it focus to the African continent and other emerging markets. Ghana, Cameroon and Gabon are some of the nations that are in the midst of buying new aircraft or are about to sign, whilst South Africa is a leading potential customer for the C295.
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05/24/2012
1,800 cases of fake ICs in US military aircraft were discovered last year, says the US Senate Armed Services Committee, and 70% of those could be traced back to China. After China come the UK and Canada as the biggest sources of fake chips. Counterfeit parts were found in SH-60B helicopters used by the Navy, in C-130J and C-27J cargo planes and in the Navy's P-8A Poseidon plane.
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05/24/2012
An F-35B Lightning II made its first flight at Eglin Air Force Base today, two months after 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing officially introduced the Marine Corps' fifth generation fighter to the world at the 33rd Fighter Wing.
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05/24/2012
First, it was the NDA regime which was in a hurry to christen it 'Tejas' , with the then PM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, doing the honours in 2003. Now, it's the UPA II government's turn to declare that the indigenous fighter has already been "inducted'' .
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05/24/2012
The signature sound of the tandem-rotored Chinook was multiplied by four as Sortie 2 took to the early morning air over Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga. The new helicopters had been flown to the airfield just a couple of weeks earlier in mid-March from the Boeing production facility in Philadelphia. And though new, the helicopters were far from shiny; their mid-toned, flat green paint was well-designed to offer concealment against terrains in theater operations.
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05/24/2012
At least seven people were injured after a Russian military plane caught fire as it was landing at an airport east of Prague on Wednesday, an emergency official said. Earlier reports said 19 people were injured after the Antonov An-30 aircraft with 23 servicemen on board - 14 Russians and nine Czechs - skidded off the runway while landing at the Caslav Military Airport.
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05/24/2012
Sea trials of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier being overhauled for the Indian navy at the Sevmash shipyard in northern Russia have been postponed until the beginning of June, the shipyard said on Wednesday. The purchase of the Soviet-built Admiral Gorshkov was agreed in 2005 but delivery to India has been long delayed. The cost of refurbishing the aircraft carrier, to be renamed INS Vikramaditya, has since gone up from $947 million to $2.3 billion.
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05/24/2012
The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has received a $368 million Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) contract to develop a design that modernizes the flight deck and avionics of the U.S. and NATO E-3 707 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft fleet.
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05/24/2012
BAE Systems has today been awarded a contract for £1.6 billion to support the future aircrew training requirements of the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF). The agreement was reached between the governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UK, under the Saudi British Defence Co-operation Programme.
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05/23/2012
A US investigation that found suspect counterfeit electronic parts in military aircraft will have repercussions for India with two programmes that the Air Force contracted coming under the scanner. A year-long investigation by the US Senate has pointed to suspected bogus parts — amounting to over a million — in C 130 J transport aircraft as well as the test aircraft of the P 8 Poseiden series of maritime surveillance planes.
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05/23/2012
Bell Helicopter makes aircraft that are the backbone of flight operations for the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force. One of those aircraft, the V-22 Osprey, looks and flies like no other. The tilt-rotor aircraft flies like a plane, but can take off, land, and hover like a helicopter. The unconventional Osprey is used in military operations around the world. That journey beings at the Advanced Composite Center on Bell’s sprawling plant one complex in Fort Worth.
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05/23/2012
The US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) aircrews have started training on full-motion simulators for the MC-130J version of the Lockheed Martin Hercules tactical transport aircraft at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico.
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05/23/2012
President Barack Obama's administration is inclined to sell armed drones to Turkey but has to convince Congress first, Turkey's president told reporters after a meeting with the U.S. leader. Washington, which is providing technical and intelligence to Ankara in its fight against autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels, deployed four Predator drones from Iraq to Turkey last year.
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05/23/2012
During the round table discussion regarding the current state and the process of re-equipment and the prospects of the Russian Air Force Konstantin Makienko, deputy director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, presented his report on the prospects of producing military aviation equipment for export and the use by the Russian Air Force.
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05/23/2012
The U.S. Army's fleet of 219 UH-72A Lakota helicopters surpassed the 100,000 flight hour milestone during operations on May 10. The 100,000 flight hour aircraft, configured for Opposing Force training missions, was flown by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason Lacrosse and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christopher Ezell of the Joint Multinational Readiness Center's Falcon Observer/Controller-Trainer Team in Hohenfels, Germany, during a multinational training exercise.
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05/23/2012
Poland has warned Moscow against interfering in NATO’s plans concerning the deployment of a missile shield in Europe as Russia is not a member of the military alliance, a high-ranking Polish official said on Tuesday. On Sunday, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced the “first step” in the European missile defense system.
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05/23/2012
The Russian Air Force will take delivery of at least thirty Ansat trainer helicopters by 2020, the service's spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said on Tuesday. "The Sokol aerodrome at the Syzransky Flight Training School will get six Ansat- U helicopters this year, and over 30 by 2020," Drik said.
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05/23/2012
Boeing delivered a fifth C-17 Globemaster III airlifter to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force and Air Defence earlier this month. The UAE accepted delivery of four C-17s in 2011 and has one more airlifter on order for delivery later this year.
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05/22/2012
The U.S. military is testing high-tech "battle kites" as a method of lifting communications and surveillance equipment above isolated bases in Afghanistan. The battle kites aren't designed to get involved in dog fights. They are built to fly over forward operating bases that are too small to support the large aerostat blimps familiar to troops at larger facilities such as Kandahar Air Field.
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05/22/2012
A new report from the Senate Armed Service Committee estimates that over a million counterfeit electronic parts from China are currently being used in U.S. military aircraft, according to Defense News. The Senate report, released May 21, says the discovery jeopardizes the safety of American servicemembers as well as U.S. national security.
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05/22/2012
When military aviators of the future look back at the beginnings of the F-35 program, they may see the names of two Florida National Guard pilots listed among the first to fly the Air Force’s fifth-generation fighter jet. Lt. Col. Randal Efferson and Maj. Jay Spohn are the only Guard pilots currently assigned to the 33rd Operations Group at Eglin Air Force Base, and they’ll soon be taking to the skies to master the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.
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05/22/2012
Russia's air force will acquire a new ground attack aircraft similar in concept to the Sukhoi Su-25, but has dropped plans to field an armed version of the Yakovlev Yak-130 jet/combat trainer. "This new type of ground attack aircraft has been included in the state arms procurement programme," says Col Gen Alexander Zelin, an aide to Russian defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov and until May the commander of its air force. "It will be put in service by 2020."
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05/22/2012
The U.S. Defense Department’s 2012 Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China report details China’s growing military capabilities, and points to areas of cooperation between the United States and China, a senior DOD official said here May 18.
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05/22/2012
Peru is going ahead with a $266 million upgrade of its fast aging combat aircraft while it considers how to keep its air force up to speed with changing technologies and modern warfare requirements. Peru faces no external threat, but President Ollanta Humala is under increasing pressure to be more proactive in the government's crackdown on Shining Path guerrilla groups that caused a Cabinet crisis earlier this month with resignations by Defense Minister and Interior Minister.
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05/22/2012
Ahead of finalising a multi-billion contract with French firm Dassault Aviation for 126 Rafale combat planes, the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, left for France Monday on a four-day official visit to explore ways to expand bilateral military relations.
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05/22/2012
Moscow recapitulated its position on European missile defense Monday, saying it will reserve the right to retaliate unless it receives legal guarantees that a NATO missile defense will not be directed at it. “In response to our strong demand to provide the Russian Federation legal guarantees that the system will not be aimed at Russia we have received no guarantees,” said Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council.
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05/22/2012
Boeing delivered the third Peace Eye 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) on May 16. The aircraft was delivered ahead of schedule to ROKAF Base Gimhae, the main operating base for the Peace Eye fleet. Peace Eye No. 3 is the second aircraft in the fleet to be modified into an AEW&C configuration by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) at its facility in Sacheon.
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05/22/2012
The Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) today signed a contract with Airbus Military for the acquisition of eight C295 aircraft, five of them configured as tactical transports and three as maritime patrol aircraft (MPA). They will be delivered from next year.
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05/21/2012
For the first time in history, B-1 aircrews from Ellsworth employed laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions against moving targets during a Weapon System Evaluation Program exercise May 14 to 16. Aircrews from the 37th Bomb Squadron "Tigers" and 34th BS "Thunderbirds" employed six GBU-54 laser JDAMs against targets on the Utah Test and Training Range as part of the Air Force's air to ground WSEP known as Combat Hammer.
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05/21/2012
The House late Thursday approved more than a dozen amendments to the 2013 National Defense Authorization act (NDAA) by voice vote, including language from Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) that would authorize the sale of 66 F-16 fighter aircraft to Taiwan.
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05/21/2012
American servicemen and women are being urged to join the Australian Defence Force (ADF) amid US military budget cuts. The ADF is inviting former foreign military personnel to apply for jobs it claims cannot be filled by Australians. The scheme is attracting huge interest overseas with officers tempted by the higher pay and the offer to pay moving costs.
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05/21/2012
Engineers at the Raytheon Co. Missile Systems segment in Tucson, Ariz., are moving ahead with a project to deploy a small missile called Griffin on unmanned aerial vehicles, ground vehicles, surface ships, and utility aircraft with an $85 million U.S. Air Force contract awarded Friday for Raytheon to build 22 all-up Griffin missiles and 43 telemetry rounds for Griffin tests.
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05/21/2012
The Pentagon has determined China soon will commission its first aircraft carrier, placing it in an elite club of seafaring nations and raising concerns about Beijing's growing global ambitions. In its annual congressionally-mandated report on China's military build-up, the Pentagon states the Peoples' Liberation Army Navy will this year place its Russian-built Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier into its fleet.
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05/21/2012
A civilian piloting a military-contracted jet was killed when his aircraft crashed into a Southern California farm field as he completed a training exercise, authorities said. The privately owned Hawker Hunter jet trainer went down Friday near Naval Base Ventura County, fire department spokesman Steve Swindle said. The pilot was the only person aboard. The high-performance military-style aircraft, contracted to play the enemy in training exercises.
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05/21/2012
For the first time in its history, the Philippines is looking to non-USA sources for combat aircraft to strengthen the nation’s warfighting capabilities. The Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) is reported to be in the market to purchase as many as two squadrons of combat aircraft and, according to DND representatives, has already entered into negotiations with non-USA manufacturers.
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05/21/2012
A Russian-made Mil Mi-17 helicopter has crashed in Venezuela, killing four out of the five people on board, the Globovision television channel said, quoting the country’s defense authorities. The aircraft crashed during a training flight near the northern city of San Felipe on Friday. According to preliminary data, the helicopter lost its tail rotor before the crash.
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05/19/2012
NEW DELHI: India is ready to seal more arms deals and further boost defence cooperation with the US but remains unwilling to ink the foundational military pacts being pushed by Washington for years. This, in essence, is the message US defence secretary Leon Panetta will get when he comes visiting here next month. Panetta, who will hold talks with PM Manmohan Singh, defence minister A K Antony and national security advisor Shivshankar Menon among others.
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05/19/2012
In the year 2015, somewhere over the tribal territories of Pakistan, an American MQ-9 Reaper drone patrols a complex "kill zone"—an area of terrorist activity in which large numbers of civilians are also present. But on this mission, the drone isn't piloted from afar. It's on its own.
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05/19/2012
Washington ignoring a White House veto threat, the Republican-controlled House approved a $642 billion defense budget Friday that breaks a deficit-cutting deal with President Barack Obama and restricts his authority in an election-year challenge to the Democratic commander in chief.
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05/19/2012
China may have started work on it first domestically built aircraft carrier and is likely to produce a number of carriers over the next decade as part of an aggressive effort to modernize its military, the Pentagon said Friday. In its annual report to Congress appraising China's military strength, the Pentagon also cited concern about China's targeting of U.S. and other foreign computer networks as a means of collecting strategic intelligence.
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05/19/2012
Boeing [NYSE: BA] delivered the United Kingdom's eighth C-17 Globemaster III to the Royal Air Force (RAF) today during a ceremony at the company's final assembly facility in Long Beach. "I'm honored and delighted to deliver the Royal Air Force's newest C-17 to join the fleet at Number 99 Squadron, where our seven C-17s are in constant demand flying missions in support of Defence and other government agencies' requirements.
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05/18/2012
B-1 Lancer aircrews from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., employed laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions against moving targets during a weapon system evaluation program exercise May 14 through 16. Aircrews from the 37th Bomb Squadron and 34th BS employed six GBU-54 laser JDAMs against targets on the Utah Test and Training Range near Hill Air Force Base, Utah, as part of the Air Force's air to ground WSEP, known as Combat Hammer.
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05/18/2012
The Russian Air Force will receive the first batch of prototypes of its fifth-generation T-50 fighter for performance testing in 2013, Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said on Thursday. The T-50, developed under the PAK FA program (Future Aviation System for Tactical Air Force) at the Sukhoi experimental design bureau, is Russia's first new major warplane designed since the fall of the Soviet Union.
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05/18/2012
Russia may install foreign manufactured weapon systems on combat helicopters exported to other countries, acting deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday. Foreign partners may be brought in to help master modern, advanced technology - engines, avionics, cockpits and weapons, he said at an international helicopter industry exhibition in Moscow.
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05/18/2012
No decision has been made to withdraw the Russian airbase from the town of Kant, Kyrgyzstan, an aide to the Russian defense minister said on Thursday. “The Air Force main command has not planned any changes in the air component of our base in Kant,” Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said, adding that the base’s organizational and personnel structure will remain as is.
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05/18/2012
No decision has been made to withdraw the Russian airbase from the town of Kant, Kyrgyzstan, an aide to the Russian defense minister said on Thursday. “The Air Force main command has not planned any changes in the air component of our base in Kant,” Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said, adding that the base’s organizational and personnel structure will remain as is.
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05/18/2012
The Russian Air Force will start receiving new ground attack aircraft based on the Sukhoi Su-25SM Frogfoot combat jets by 2020, Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said on Thursday. “This new type of a ground attack aircraft has been included in the state arms procurement program,” Zelin, who is an aide to the defense minister, told a news conference in Voronezh (central Russia). “It will be put in service with the Air Force by 2020.”
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05/18/2012
Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) plans to set up a standalone division to produce military transport aircraft, Acting Vice-Premier Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday at the fifth Heli Russi international helicopter exhibition in Moscow.
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05/18/2012
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will hold on Friday large-scale military air drills in the sky over Chicago to ensure security ahead of the 2012-NATO summit, NORAD said in a statement. “Providing the air defense for special security events like this year’s NATO Summit is a part of our day-to-day mission,” said Lt. Gen. Sid Clarke, Continental U.S. NORAD Region commander.
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05/18/2012
Russian Helicopters today presented the new model of the medium multi-role Ka-62 at the 5th international helicopter exhibition HeliRussia 2012. Dmitry Petrov, CEO of Russian Helicopters said: "We are delighted to present the new model of the medium multi-role Ka-62 to the Russian aviation market. The new model combines all of the traditional qualities that generations of purchasers have come to expect from Russian-made helicopters, and is reliable and easy to operate.
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05/18/2012
The fifth edition of the International Helicopter Technology & Operations Exhibition, known as Dubai Helishow 2012, will take place on November 6-8, organisers the Domus Group announced today. The show will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, at its new venue the Grand Stand, Meydan Hotel, Meydan Racecourse, Dubai.
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05/17/2012
The “Fighting Saints” of Fighter Squadron Composite (VFC) 13 are currently supporting the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group’s Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) from the NAS Jacksonville flight line. COMPTUEX is a series of graded exercise scenarios intended to evaluate and prepare the strike group for its upcoming deployment. For COMPTUEX, the carrier and its strike group of support ships are somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, east of Florida.
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05/17/2012
The US Air Force has concluded that the short take-off vertical landing (STOVL) Lockheed Martin F-35B- model aircraft cannot generate enough sorties to meet its needs; therefore the service will not consider replacing the Fairchild Republic A-10 Warthog close air support jet with that variant. Meanwhile, the USAF and the US Navy are hoping to more closely integrate their forces as part of the US Department of Defense's (DoD) new AirSea battle concept.
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05/17/2012
With major force changes to unfold across Europe, including a drawdown of about 7,000 U.S. forces there, U.S. European Command remains committed to its mission of ensuring a ready force prepared to respond if called upon, officials said. About 80,000 military forces based in Europe remain the command's No. 1 tool - both for maintaining U.S. influence across the theater and, when called upon, for projecting power within and beyond it, the Eucom commander, told Congress.
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05/17/2012
The Ghana Air Force has received its second and final Airbus Military C295 transport aircraft. The first C-295 was delivered in November last year as part of the Air Force’s modernisation drive, which will also see it gain four Mi-17 helicopters in the coming months. Ghana’s second C295 was seen landing in Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands on April 24, and arrived in Ghana the following day. It is based in the capital Accra while the first is based in Tamale.
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05/17/2012
The second copy of China’s stealth fighter prototype has just flown at a research facility in the city of Chengdu. The first flight of the J-20 Mighty Dragon with the nose number 2002 doubles Beijing’s stealth test fleet at a time when America’s latest jet fighters are hobbled by cost overruns, labor disputes and lethal design flaws. But it’s far from certain how much, and how fast, the new Chinese jet will alter the military balance.
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05/17/2012
During the round table discussion regarding the current state and the process of re-equipment and the prospects of the Russian Air Force Konstantin Makienko, deputy director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, presented his report on the prospects of producing military aviation equipment for export and the use by the Russian Air Force.
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05/17/2012
With a photo of a raging lion over their shoulders, senior U.S. and Jordanian generals opened a massive military exercise dubbed "Eager Lion." The kickoff came with adamant statements that the 12,000 troops from 19 countries now in Jordan were here only for the training - and it all has nothing to do with the violence now raging across Jordan's northern border inside Syria.
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05/17/2012
The Mil Mi-28NE Havoc (Night Hunter) attack helicopter and 49 other military exhibits will be displayed by 14 Russian organizations at the 5th International Helicopter Industry Exhibition (HeliRussia 2012) in Moscow, the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation reported. The exhibition will be held on May 17-19 at the Crocus Expo exhibition center in the Russian capital’s northwest. Russia’s Industry and Trade Ministry is its organizer.
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05/17/2012
Russia may buy a large new consignment of unmanned aerial vehicles from Israel and 24 command and control systems worth around $50 million in the foreseeable future, a high ranking source in the Russian defense industry said on Wednesday. Israel Aerospace Industries previously delivered to Russia two Bird Eye-400, eight I-View Mk150 and two Searcher Mk.2 UAVs, totaling $53 million.
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05/17/2012
Russia is to put up for sale a batch of 18 Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighter aircraft, rejected by India on concerns about their engines and returned to Russia in 2003, a defense official said on Wednesday. "The 18 Su-30s previously used by India and then returned, are in an aviation repair plant in Belarus and are on sale to potential buyers," said Alexander Fomin, deputy director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation.
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05/16/2012
After winding along a narrow mountain ridge, a caravan of 38 men and mules paused on the Turkish-Iraqi border. Then they heard the propellers overhead. Minutes later, Turkish military aircraft dropped bombs that killed all but four of the men. Instead it killed civilians smuggling gasoline, a tragic blunder in Turkey's nearly three-decade campaign against the guerrillas. The strike in late December was meant to knock out Kurdish separatist fighters.
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05/16/2012
EADS North America has delivered the fourth and final Airbus Military CN235-300 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) to be supplied to the Mexican Navy under a U.S. Coast Guard managed foreign military sales agreement. The Coast Guard employs the CN235-300 in the HC-144A Ocean Sentry configuration for a range of missions, including search and rescue, disaster relief and drug interdiction.
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05/16/2012
A European naval force operating off east Africa bombarded Somalia for the first time today.
European Union Naval Force (EUNF) said maritime aircraft and helicopters took part in attacks along the coastline of the Galmudug region. No casualties were reported in the raid but pirate commander Bile Hussein said Handulle village was hit and speed boats, fuel depots and an arms store were destroyed.
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05/16/2012
America's Third War is escalating quickly in the skies over Yemen. Despite previous rebuffs from the White House, last month the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and the CIA--which both run parallel drone campaigns in Yemen--were granted broad authority to conduct "signature strikes" against anonymous suspected militants, who are determined to support al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) based on the observed "patterns of suspicious behavior" from multiple intelligence sources.
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05/16/2012
Military exercise conducted by Malaysia and Thailand will be expanded to include other enforcement agencies and Asean members. Armed Forces chief Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin said the move would enhance the cooperation on resolving common border issues. "Besides matters of common border security, one of the main theme of the joint exercise would be on coordination of humanitarian and disaster management," he told reporters at the 28th High Level Committee Thailand-Malaysia meeting here.
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05/16/2012
India has received $4.2 billion in offset contracts from defence aerospace programmes since the introduction of its 30% defence offset programme in 2005. Boeing was the largest contributor with $1.7 billion, defence minister AK Antony said in response to a question in Parliament. New Delhi received offsets worth $4.3 billion from 17 contracts in total and the aerospace sector was the biggest contributor with 15 contracts.
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05/16/2012
Unmanned aircraft have become an integral part of modern armies. Almost every day we receive information about drone attacks. Not only Al-Qaeda gunmen, but also civilians end up as their victims. The wide use of drones by the US military in the «war against terror» gave birth to the term «Obama’s drone policy». However, the combat capabilities of unmanned aircraft are costly. NATO’s plan of creating a united group of reconnaissance drones could cost three billion Euros within 20 years.
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05/16/2012
The House panel that controls military expenditures proposed a net increase of $874 million for weapons over the Pentagon’s budget plans for the year starting Oct. 1. The largest amounts that the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee added in producing a $102.4 billion procurement request were $562.4 million to buy 11 additional Boeing Co. (BA) (BA) F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets and $447 million to buy seven more Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) (LMT) C-130J transport planes.
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05/16/2012
The twelfth Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Lightning II destined for the training fleet at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., was ferried today. U.S. Marine Corps pilot Lt. Col. Fred Schenk piloted the aircraft, known as BF-11, which departed Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas at 10:02 a.m. CDT for an approximate 90-minute flight to Florida’s Emerald Coast.
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05/15/2012
Speaking to FNA in Iran's Northeastern province of Khorassan Razavi, Vahidi said that the new aircraft can play a key role in protecting the countries' airspace. The minister announced that production the new fighter jets and their delivery to the Air Force is done exactly on the drawn timetable.
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05/15/2012
Britain will no longer be able to fight and project power overseas in ways that military commanders had hoped to do, it was admitted yesterday, as the Government outlined plans to eliminate a £38bn hole in the defence budget. Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, said the MoD had now scaled back spending across a range of defence equipment projects and could balance his department's books over the next 10 years.
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05/15/2012
The British government has changed its mind again on some of the F-35 Lightning II fighter jets that it intends to purchase. Unlike Canada, the British aren't considering delaying orders or reducing the number of jets they ordered this time around. Rather, the British government is now announcing that it will switch back to the F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing version of the fighter rather than the F-35C carrier-based version.
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05/15/2012
As an architect of strategic partnership between India and Russia, President Vladimir Putin has been the driving force behind closer military-technical cooperation between the two countries. Ever since he became the Russian president after the transfer of power by Boris Yeltsin over a decade ago, bilateral defence ties have steadily climbed new heights.
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05/15/2012
The U.S. is the world's largest aerospace and defense market, and also home to the world's largest military budget. The growth of the Aerospace and Defense industry depends largely on the spending outlook of government departments, with the U.S. defense budget being the primary driver. The industry largely depends on U.S. government contracts.
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05/15/2012
Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Monday commissioned a CASA C-295, a new multi-purpose military aircraft, and four buses into the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF). The twin-turboprop transport aircraft, manufactured by Air Bus Military of Spain, for which the Deustche Bank Socied Anonima of Spain arranged funding, can be used for surveillance and reconnaissance as well as search and rescue missions, medical evacuations, and peace support operations.
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05/15/2012
During a recent visit to Edwards Air force base, Calif., the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command spent time with B-52 Stratofortress combined test force officials to preview the combat capability enhancements made to the B-52H. Modernizing and sustaining the nation's long-range strike aviation capability is a top priority for the command, Lt. Gen. Jim Kowalski, said.
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05/15/2012
Tensions in the South China Sea—most recently with the Philippines—and Beijing’s unease about Washington’s renewed strategic focus on Asia are likely to strengthen calls from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for more modern fighters and strike aircraft. Russia has historically supplied the high performance military jet engines that power these craft.
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05/15/2012
The Pentagon plans to have the F-35 fighter jet replace most of the combat aircraft fleet of the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps by the end of the decade. The single-engine fighter is considered a fifth-generation aircraft because of its advanced software and stealthy attributes aimed at evading radar in hostile territory.
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05/14/2012
The panicked voice came into Ambition's air traffic control room — one of the aircraft carrier's young pilots was in trouble. "Dude, my nose is down," the pilot shouted as he struggled to regain control over his X12 experimental Triad aircraft.
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05/14/2012
Helicopter designers are accustomed to measuring their successes on the basis of speed, vibration levels and the distances that can be travelled. But a more visceral rating appeals to Doug Shidler, a programme manager at Sikorsky Aircraft in the US. He wants to build faster craft to utilise more of the “golden hour”, the 60 minutes after an accident when a victim’s fate is often decided.
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05/14/2012
Elements of the Marine Aircraft Group -12 (MAG-12) will be participating in two simultaneous exercises May 14 to June 8; Geiger Fury 2012 (GF12) and an Aviation Training Relocation (ATR). Training will be conducted at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and both West and North Fields on the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Island of Tinian.
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05/14/2012
The Domus Group, a leading international exhibition specialist, announced today the dates of the awaited 5th edition of the International Helicopter Technology '&' Operations Exhibition, known as Dubai Helishow 2012- the Middle East's one and only elite trade exhibition for all key players in the helicopter industry.
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05/14/2012
From the UK’s Minstry of Defense:
Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir David Richards has written in today’s Daily Telegraph why the MOD’s decision to use the short take-off and vertical landing variant of the Joint Strike Fighter to deliver the UK’s Carrier Strike capability is the right one. Here follows the full article.
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05/14/2012
During a recent visit to Edwards AFB, Calif., the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command spent time with B-52 Combined Test Force officials to preview the combat capability enhancements made to the B-52H Stratofortress. Modernizing and sustaining the nation’s long range strike aviation capability is a top priority for the command, Lt. Gen. Jim Kowalski said, who recently noted the B-52 has served and delivered decisive effects in many recent U.S. conflicts to include OIF.
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05/14/2012
The Polish Ministry of National Defense is embarking on the acquisition of a new transport helicopter for the Polish military, at an estimated budget of US$1 billion. This multi-phase helicopter procurement will be divided into several stages, the first will include the acquisition 26 aircraft for the Army, Navy and Air Force through 2017. The Air Force will also receive three helicopters configured for Combat SAR (CSAR).
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05/13/2012
A FORMER Maritzburg schoolboy, who was rejected when he tried to join the South African Air Force in 1995, has been awarded a coveted medal for bravery and skill during combat as a pilot in Britain's Royal Air Force.
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05/13/2012
China’s assertive behavior is breathing life into America’s historically tumultuous relationship with the Philippines. With Washington turning its attention more to the Asia-Pacific region, the U.S. and the Philippines last week held the first joint meeting of their top diplomats and defense chiefs. The U.S. increased military aid and resolved to help its ally on maritime security.
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05/13/2012
During his political campaign, Putin says he will spend billions to build up Russia’s military as a safeguard against the current international uncertainty. This one issue appears to find agreement among all Russians. According to the Washington Post, Putin promises Russian military buildup.
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05/12/2012
The South Korean military is on a shopping spree this year. And the biggest deal of all – approximately 60 new fighter jets – is nearing the bidding deadline. South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration is aiming to sign contracts on about 14 trillion won ($12.2 billion) worth of new equipment and weapons this year. It’s a record amount and a priority for President Lee Myung-bak during his last year in office.
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05/12/2012
The "Pomor" 2012 edition started today May 11 2012. The drill involves Russia and Norway fast fleets and a large combat aircraft and combat helicopter air fleet. The five-day exercises will be held in the Barents and Norwegian seas. It should be noted that the Russian-Norwegian agreement on delimiting the sea border and cooperation in the Barent Sea and the Arctic Ocean came into force only in July 2011 after more than 40 years of negotiations.
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05/12/2012
Israel's security establishment will continue to develop hardware and tactics to contend with developing threats on the other side. But without agreement on a long-term strategy at the political level, it will be hard to sustain a defense.
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05/12/2012
The Air Force's outgoing chief, Gen. Norton Schwartz, had to clean up a mess left by Gen. Michael Moseley when the service lost track of six nuclear warheads. The Air Force has since gotten its nuclear house in order, but Welsh will take the baton at a time when the Air Force is in the middle of a budgetary food fight between its active component, Congress and its Guard and Reserves.
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05/12/2012
The South African Air Force yesterday held its live fire Air Capability Demonstration at the Roodewal bombing range outside Polokwane, successfully demonstrating its various abilities. The Air Force is busy preparing for Exercise Savannah Thunder, which will use many of the same aircraft deployed for the Demonstration.
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05/12/2012
Although American warriors have returned from Iraq and many are re- turning from Afghanistan, our nation still faces serious and continuing security threats. The return - and painful loss - of U.S. combat troops should serve as a reminder that as a nation, we have a solemn duty to provide our military professionals with the best tools available to accomplish their missions at the lowest possible loss of life. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter falls squarely into that category.
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05/12/2012
The Munich crisis was the occasion when the Western powers agreed to Adolf Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. Neville Chamberlain, Britain's prime minister, hailed the Munich Agreement as securing "peace in our time". It is an infamous moment in the 20th century, a moment that symbolised the guilty slumber of fecklessness in the 1930s, and the near-criminal neglect of defence capabilities among the Allied nations.
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05/12/2012
American research into hypersonic weapons, which the U.S. aims to complete by 2015, represents an especially serious threat to Russia, acting Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Friday. "This breakthrough decision by the U.S. opens up for them the prospect of a transition from a demonstrator prototype to creation of a multirole hypersonic missile by 2015-2018," Rogozin said during a visit to the Raduga "Bereznyak" state-owned missile design bureau at Dubna in the Moscow Region.
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05/11/2012
Elbit Systems Ltd. announced that its joint venture with Rockwell Collins, Vision Systems International, LLC (VSI), a leader in advanced Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) technology, has received a new contract with a total value of more than $32 million for the delivery of the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) to The Boeing Company, for the U.S. Navy and Air Force and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to include: Finland, Australia, Belgium, Canada and Switzerland.
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05/11/2012
Six Austrian Eurofighter Typhoons are playing a major role in the “Amadeus12” exercise that began on 7th May and runs until May 16th in the region of Allentsteig, Lower Austria. The exercise, which will be the biggest for Austria in 2012, involves around 2,300 soldiers and 51 different types of aircraft.
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05/11/2012
A defense funding bill that would delay efforts to end a program at Oklahoma City's Boeing plant to upgrade the cockpits of U.S. Air Force C-130 transport planes was approved Thursday by the U.S. House Armed Services Committee. The committee voted 56-5 for the National Defense Authorization Act, sending the bill to the full House where it was expected to be considered next week.
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05/11/2012
The Indian government on Thursday cleared the purchase of 75 Swiss Pilatus aircraft to train new air force pilots who had faced a shortage of trainers, an official said. The delivery of the trainer aircraft, costing around $560 million, is expected to begin by mid-2013, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to reporters.
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05/11/2012
Two European aerospace companies will be busy separately producing aircraft and aircraft structures for military programs for months to come. GKN Aerospace of Britain says it has started production of precision-machined titanium structures for BAE Systems, a principal subcontractor to Lockheed Martin, for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.
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05/11/2012
Airbus Military is studying possible new variants of its CN-235 and C-295 medium transports adapted for tasks including combat support and battlefield surveillance, along with performance enhancements for the latter type.
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05/11/2012
In an embarrassing policy change driven by pressure on its defense budget, Britain said Thursday that it was changing the type of fighter jet it intended to buy so it could avoid making expensive alterations to a new aircraft carrier. The decision threatens one stated objective of British defense policy because it could complicate the prospects for military cooperation with allies including France and the United States.
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05/11/2012
Two Lockheed Martin F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) production aircraft were ferried to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., today, marking the 24th and 25th F-35 deliveries to the Department of Defense. The 5th Generation multirole fighter jets were delivered to the United States Marine Corps and are now assigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing’s Marine Fighter/Attack Squadron 501 residing with the host 33d Fighter Wing.
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05/11/2012
The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and the U.S. Air Force completed the first manned flight of the QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) on May 4 at Cecil Field in Jacksonville. The QF-16 took off at 3:05 p.m. Eastern time and climbed to an altitude of 41,000 feet during its 66-minute flight. The Air Force awarded a multi-year contract to Boeing in March 2010 that represented Phase I of the initial engineering, manufacturing and development of the QF-16, with options to buy up to 126 FSATs.
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05/10/2012
US Navy combat aircraft could one day be able to swallow the UV rays that highlight their presence on radar screens, if the Pentagon's plans to get such technology developed come to fruition. The Pentagon's called on defence manufacturers to come up with a system that can deal with ultra violet energy in broadly the same way that present-day stealth aircraft scatter radar waves.
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05/10/2012
Sweden's premier defense and security company, Saab, is strengthening its relationship with a Brazilian integrator of aero-structures. Saab, that maker of the Gripen jet fighter that has partnered in the past with the company Akaer, said it is now financially investing in the company. The investment is equivalent to a 15 percent stake in Akaer, whose advisory board will now include the Swedish company.
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05/10/2012
Daytona Beach International Airport could become one of the Federal Aviation Administration's testing sites for unmanned drones. Though the drones are different than the military aircraft that are armed and used overseas, Channel 9’s Bianca Castro talked to an expert about the potential safety risks.
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05/10/2012
The military will beef up its assets with the expected delivery of additional ships and aircraft, including helicopters this year. This was revealed on Wednesday by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, who was quick to add that the procurement has nothing to do with the current row with China over the Scarborough Shoal.
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05/10/2012
Senior leaders from the Air Force and Navy affirmed yesterday that the F-35 joint strike fighter remains the centerpiece of the tactical aircraft program and will play a large part in the services' ongoing modernization plans.
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05/10/2012
The Ministry of Defence is to abandon plans to buy the preferred fighter for the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers, in an embarrassing a U-turn for David Cameron. The prime minister personally endorsed the decision to equip the over-budget carriers with "cats and traps" so they could catapult and recover a version of the F-35 joint strike fighter (JSF) from their decks.
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05/10/2012
The House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday soundly rejected the Pentagon's call for military base closings to cut costs as lawmakers worked on a defense budget that adds billions to President Barack Obama's spending proposal. The committee fleshed out a blueprint that calls for a base defense budget of $554 billion, including nuclear weapons spending, plus $88 billion for the war in Afghanistan and counterterrorism efforts.
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05/10/2012
Brazil’s Embraer and US rival Hawker Beechcraft are set to rejoin hostilities in their fight over a politically charged contract to provide the US Air Force with light attack aircraft. Embraer, the world’s third largest commercial aircraft builder, said late Tuesday that it was preparing to file a new bid to win back the contract to supply the aircraft for use in Afghanistan, which it won last year only to see it abruptly cancelled earlier this year.
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05/10/2012
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] last week inducted into its facilities here the first C-5B Galaxy from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., to become a C-5M Super Galaxy. This aircraft is the twelfth to enter the Reliability Enhancement and Re-Engining Program production line. Throughout its career, this aircraft has supported the warfighter’s operations across the globe.
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05/10/2012
Two unmanned K-MAX helicopters have delivered more than one million pounds in less than four months in support of the U.S. Marine Corps in Afghanistan and will remain in theater until September on a deployment extension. The aircraft, a joint effort by Lockheed Martin and Kaman Aerospace [NYSE: KAMN], is the first unmanned helicopter to deliver cargo and resupply troops in a combat zone.
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05/09/2012
A defense spending bill proposed Monday in the U.S. House would block the Air Force from eliminating F-16 aircraft at the 132nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines until a cost-benefit analysis can be completed. U.S. Rep. Tom Latham said the legislation would freeze the proposed retirement of Air Force aircraft, including the Iowa Air National Guard’s F-16s.
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05/09/2012
The U.S. Air Force is updating plans for its combat search and rescue (CSAR) needs that will determine whether current fleet-sizing assumptions for the Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk and eventual replacement Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) still reflect operational requirements.
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05/09/2012
The United States does not intend to change the terms of its contract or cancel agreements with Russia on the delivery and maintenance of helicopters for Afghanistan’s armed forces, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Monday. At Monday’s press briefing, journalists asked Toner to comment on letters human rights organizations sent to Congress and the U.S. Department of the Treasury demanding that deals allegedly worth $1 billion with Russia be canceled because Russia supplies arms to S
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05/09/2012
The Royal Canadian Air Force formally accepted the 17th Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] CC-130J Super Hercules in ceremonies here today, completing the order placed in December 2007. The aircraft will be flown to Canadian Forces Base Trenton later this week.
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05/09/2012
Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II flight test program continues to make progress during the first four months of 2012. In March, the program completed 123 test flights totaling 223 flight hours, setting a record for the most System Development and Demonstration (SDD) flights and flight hours for a single month.
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05/09/2012
Lockheed Martin’s Direct Attack Guided Rocket (DAGR) successfully tracked and engaged a moving target in a recent demonstration at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz. “DAGR hit a moving target from 3.5 kilometers,” said Hady Mourad, DAGR program director in Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control business. “Defeating high-value targets on the move is a critical capability, and demonstrating this ability is a significant milestone for the precision-strike DAGR.”
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05/09/2012
The Boeing KC-46 Tanker program has completed a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) with the U.S. Air Force, a key milestone in the development of the next-generation aerial refueling tanker. The review, which began March 21 and ended April 27, demonstrated that the preliminary design of the KC-46A Tanker meets system requirements and establishes the basis for proceeding with detailed design. Boeing remains on plan to deliver 18 combat-ready KC-46A Tankers by 2017.
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05/09/2012
Three Cobham business units are to provide critical components for six MD530F training helicopters bound for Shindand Air Base in Afghanistan, the company said today. Via its partner, EDMO Distributors, Cobham Aerospace Communications will supply four N301A audio controllers; Cobham Antenna Systems will provide VHF communications, VOR/LOC/GS V-Dipole, DME, and Navigation Splitter Antennas.
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05/08/2012
Senior military officers may be considering abandoning a long-stalled bid to procure F-16C/D aircraft from the US because of rising costs and could instead reserve budgets for an eventual F-35B bid, reports said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense maintains that the air force remains committed to acquiring 66 F-16C/Ds, but the rising costs associated with the package — now estimated at US$10 billion, from an initial US$8 billion, according to local reports.
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05/08/2012
Thales has been awarded a contract by Embraer Defence and Security to provide the Inertial Navigation System (INS) and the GPS of the KC-390 military transport aircraft. Thales HPIRS (High Performance Inertial Reference System) is a real breakthrough in inertial navigation, as it combines the advantages of a civil certified product with the performances expected by military aircraft.
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05/08/2012
The European Aviation Safety Agency has given Airbus Military of Spain initial type certification for the A400M airlifted. The certification, officially called the Restricted Type Certification, is critical for the aircraft to later receive full civil certification and military operating clearance.
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05/08/2012
3D Engineering Solutions Used Reverse Engineering, 3D Laser Scanning, Structured Light Scanning, and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing Best Practices to Recreate Military Aircraft Components, Including Parts for Britain’s Harrier Jump Jets Sold to U.S.
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05/08/2012
uch is being said about the Chinese military dramatically improving its combat capability to keep United States forces at arm's length. Anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) is the magic slogan, meaning that the People's Liberation Army's (PLA's) new shore-based artillery, aircraft and naval assets could deny a rapid deployment by United States forces into the Pacific in the event of a conflict, since the US would face heavy losses. But exactly how concerned is the US?
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05/08/2012
Air Mobility Command is working jointly with other U.S. military services to improve emergency care for service members critically injured in combat by employing newly-developed Tactical Critical Care Evacuation Teams. These are three-member teams, each comprised of a highly-trained emergency medicine physician and two certified registered nurse anesthetists or critical care nurses, now providing point-of-injury care and treatment during tactical evacuation of severely-injured troops in Afghanis
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05/08/2012
The unmanned aerial vehicle industry is expected to bring in billions for domestic drone makers over the next few years. Where are the robotic aircraft manufacturers sending their stealth spy plans though? They aren’t saying. The American Independent reports that Texas’ Vanguard Defense Industries, a US Defense Department contractor that outfits the Pentagon with unmanned aerial drones, has inked agreements with several overseas governments.
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05/08/2012
Boeing announced today the launch of its first official app for iPad, 'Milestones in Innovation', now available on the App Store. The app brings nine decades of aviation innovation to iPad through beautiful imagery and an interactive timeline.
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05/08/2012
The aerospace and defence (A&D) industry experienced a record year in 2011 on the strength of a surging commercial aviation market, according to the Aerospace and Defence 2011 year in review and 2012 forecast report from PwC. In 2011, the Top 100 A&D companies reported $677 billion in revenue, a 5% increase compared to the previous year, and $60 billion in operating profit, an increase of 2% from 2010.
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05/08/2012
L-3 WESCAM a major player in the design and manufacture of stabilized, multi-spectral airborne imaging systems is set to sign a service centre agreement with King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) in Jordan. The Bureau will open a Wescam authorised service center (WASC) in Amman. The deal will be formally signed on Wednesday at the SOFEX trade show in Amman.
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05/07/2012
Australia has issued a request for tender (RFT) related to its fleet of 71 Boeing F/A-18A/B Hornet aircraft. The contract will cover deep maintenance for 55 single-seat A-model combat aircraft and 16 twin-seat trainers, says Australian minister for defence materiel Jason Clare. The package also covers operational flight trainers, computer-based training systems, maintenance training systems, and testing and ground equipment unique to the Hornet.
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05/07/2012
The U.S. Navy has agreed to come on board India’s much delayed Naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program and will audit tests and provide feedbacks to the Indian team. The U.S. will join the Russians and the Europeans who were earlier roped in to realize the LCA project which has been delayed by over 15 years.
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05/07/2012
A U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter crashed Thursday during a routine training mission in the Middle East, but investigators have ruled out insurgent activity as a cause, the military said. Both crew members ejected safely. The Air Force said that the crash happened in southwest Asia, a broad term that includes the Persian Gulf region.
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05/07/2012
The U.S. Air Force is restarting its stalled competition for as much as $1 billion to buy 20 light- attack aircraft for the Afghanistan military. A revised request for proposals will be issued and contains only “minor changes,” Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Cassidy said today in an e-mailed statement. A new award will be made early next year, with first aircraft deliveries expected 18 months later, she said.
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05/07/2012
BAE Systems is close to sealing a 500 million pounds ($808 million) deal to sell up to 30 Hawk trainer aircraft to Saudi Arabia, the Sunday Times reported. The sale would provide some welcome relief for the defence giant, which is battling against shrinking defence budgets in Europe and America. Saudi Arabia has ordered 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from BAE and needs the Hawks to train its pilots.
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05/07/2012
China has apparently copied the Russian Su-30MK2, and is operating it as the J-16, claiming that the aircraft is of Chinese design. More unauthorized pictures of the J-16 are showing up, via Chinese with cell phone cameras and Internet access. It's pretty clear that the J-16 is a copy of the Su-30MK2. Russia and China jointly developed the two seat version of the Su-30, as the Su-30MKK in the late 1990s, and, a decade ago, an upgraded version the Su-MK2.
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05/07/2012
Moviegoers can easily recognize flights of fancy when they see the "Avengers" assemble aboard the flying "Helicarrier" aircraft carrier in Hollywood's latest superhero blockbuster. But could the U.S. Navy ever build the fantastical military marvel if it wanted a flying air base?
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05/07/2012
Questions emerged at the weekend as to whether Taiwan could afford both a multibillion-dollar upgrade program for its F-16A/B combat aircraft and new F-16C/Ds, amid claims that the price for the upgrade had been inflated since the deal was announced last year. The air force received a Letter of Answer from the US last week on the US$5.3 billion upgrade package for its 145 F-16A/Bs and is now reviewing the prices of the items on the list, Air Force Command Headquarters said yesterday.
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05/07/2012
India recently revealed that it had bought nearly a thousand MiG combat aircraft in the last half century, and lost most of them to accidents (along with nearly 200 pilots and people on the ground). While India was something of an extreme case in this area (other users don't fly their MiGs as much), it's been typical of MiG aircraft.
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05/06/2012
No one can say the Air Force didn’t get its money’s worth out of an aircraft with the tail number 61-2358. The “61” in that number is the year the plane was built. In a ceremony at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., on Tuesday, Air Force officials said goodbye to the little aircraft that could.
After more than 50 years of service, the plane was the last C-130E to be retired, according to a release. Retired planes ordinarily go to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, more commonly called “the boneyar
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05/06/2012
The news that the US is basing Raptors also known as F-22 A stealth combat aircraft at Al Dafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates is being roundly condemned by Iran as yet another provocative and indication of war. "We consider such (military) presence in the region as to be useless and harmful and more aimed at creating a psychological ploy and an insecure atmosphere in the region," Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said. "We don't see it useful”, he added.
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05/06/2012
Russia is planning a new aerospace university to produce a new generation of professionals for the aviation and space industries, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Saturday. "We have plans connected with the creation of a modern aerospace university, where we will produce a broad range of specialists, for aviation, and also the rocket and space industries," he said during a visit to the Khrunichev rocket factory north of Moscow.
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05/06/2012
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] delivered another C-130J Super Hercules to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, today. This aircraft was the 19th of 28 C-130Js being delivered to Dyess. Maj. Gen. Scott M. Hanson, commander, Carl A. Spaatz Center for Officer Education, and commandant, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., accepted delivery of the aircraft and flew it to Dyess.
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05/06/2012
Russian Helicopters has delivered to the Emergency Situations Ministry (EMERCOM) of the Republic of Kazakhstan two modified coaxial Ka-32A11BC rescue helicopters. The delivery of the Ka-32A11BC helicopters marks the quick and successful execution of a contract signed on 15 August 2011.
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05/05/2012
The European Union is trying to bring the defense programs of its 27 member nations into synchronicity before the budget boom is lowered on military spending. This harmonization has been a goal for several years, but now it has assumed greater urgency in a time of both greater limitations and more diverse missions.
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05/05/2012
Eurocopter's dedication to meeting the operational requirements of governments, armed forces and special mission operators across the Arab world with its broad helicopter product line will be highlighted at Jordan's Special Operations Forces Exhibition & Conference (SOFEX).
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05/05/2012
Bruce Quick, attorney for the first American arrested using an unmanned drone says his client was subject to "guerrilla-like police tactics." Quick tells U.S. News that Lakota, N.D., resident Rodney Brossart should not have been arrested and that authorities had no legal right to use the drone to aid in his capture. "The whole thing is full of constitutional violations," Quick told U.S. News. "The drone use is a secondary concern."
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05/04/2012
The second Kazakh international exhibition of arms and military-technical property KADEX-2012 opened in Astana on Thursday, the press service of the Kazakh Defence Ministry told Trend. The opening ceremony was attended by supreme commander of the armed forces of the country - President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.
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05/04/2012
National Defence is touting F-35 fighter jets as a key tool against overseas threats for decades to come, stating the military can’t pick an aircraft based solely on Canada’s domestic needs. But government insiders, opposition critics and military experts are arguing that National Defence needs to reopen the debate over mandatory requirements for the new fighter jets.
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05/04/2012
Already one of the U.S. Department of Defense’s most-experienced providers of solutions for defeating military threats, Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) will now team with the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) to thwart another type of enemy — cyber criminals.
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05/03/2012
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified U.S. Congress April 30 of a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Government of Singapore of a possible sale of follow-on support and services for Singapore’s Continental United States (CONUS) detachment PEACE CARVIN V (F-15SG) based at Mountain Home Air Force Base (AFB) for a five-year period. The estimated cost is $435 million.
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05/03/2012
At least that’s the word from Air Force Major Dave Blair – himself an MQ-1 Predator instructor pilot – in the latest issue of Air & Space Power Journal. As technology changes warfare, he argues, the military needs to change, too. The Air Force isn’t welcoming its growing workforce of remotely-piloted aircraft – RPA – personnel.
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05/03/2012
As it continues downsizing under tightening Defense Department budgets, the Air Force will give priority to operations and maintenance to make sure that “what remains will be ready and available to act,” its chief of staff said. Gen. Norton Schwartz also told an audience at the Stimson Center, a nonpartisan think tank, that Air Force operations and tactics are clearly better after two major conflicts and counterterrorism efforts.
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05/03/2012
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] leadership delivered today the 195th and last F-22 Raptor to U.S. Air Force leadership in a ceremony at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics site here. With this delivery, the U.S. Air Force now possesses the world’s only 5th generation stealth fighter aircraft fleet in the world.
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05/03/2012
A group of Turkish and U.S. inspectors will make a joint observation flight over Russia in line with the international Open Skies Treaty, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday. The inspection will be carried out on May 2-5 on board a Casa CN-235 transport aircraft. “The aircraft and equipment on its board have undergone the necessary international certification procedure that Russian representatives also took part in,” the ministry said in a statement.
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05/02/2012
Pratt & Whitney has awarded Rolls-Royce a $315 million contract to produce LiftSystem equipment for 17 F135-powered short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B combat aircraft. Announced on 1 May, the propulsion system order covers the delivery of LiftFans, roll posts and three-bearing swivel modules this year for 17 aircraft included in Lockheed Martin's fourth low-rate initial production (LRIP) deal for the Joint Strike Fighter.
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05/02/2012
NATO's ability to conduct multi-national combat training could be transformed if a 24-aircraft system being proposed by a Dutch-based company takes off. The integrated opposing force (IOPFOR) concept now being promoted by ECA Program would see a new fleet of privately-owned and operated lightweight fighters provide an aggressor training service for Alliance nations.
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05/02/2012
Canada’s military is determined to purchase the F-35 fighter jet rather than a cheaper or more reliable alternative despite a recent flood of criticism and controversy surrounding the U.S. aircraft. That was the word from the head of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Lt.-Gen. Andre Deschamps, who was testifying Tuesday at a House of Commons committee along with a panel of defiant senior government officials who have come under fire for their handling of the program.
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05/02/2012
President Barack Obama, speaking early Wednesday in Afghanistan at the tail end of a surprise visit there, discussed how the war will end and promised a steady drawdown of U.S. troops. Obama committed to pulling 23,000 troops out of the country by the end of summer and sticking to the 2014 deadline to turn security fully over to the Afghan government. He said that NATO will set a goal this month for Afghan forces to be in the lead for combat operations next year.
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05/02/2012
US military bases continue to form a strategic envelope around Iran, although the American withdrawal from Iraq at the end of 2011 may have changed the regional balance somewhat towards Iran's favour. While US forces are scaling back in many parts of the globe due to budget cuts - and have begun a gradual depature from Afghanistan to be completed by 2014 - their international presence remains vast.
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05/02/2012
A Colombian Air Force helicopter crashed in the northern region of the country on late Monday afternoon, killing all thirteen people on board, defense officials said on Tuesday. The cause was not immediately known. The accident happened at around 4:30 p.m. local time when the Bell 212 helicopter, which was assigned to Air Combat Command Number 3, crashed into a horse stable at the 'Buenavista' ranch in Sabanagrande, a town in Colombia's Atlantico department.
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05/02/2012
Indian Air Force will chip in with its front-line Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft to provide air support to army troops practising their combat skills during the culmination stage of summer training exercise 'Shoorveer' in the deserts of Rajasthan later this week. "The IAF will fly Su-30 fighter aircraft and Mi-35 attack helicopters as part of 'Exercise With Troops' during the ongoing summer exercise.
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05/02/2012
The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a $156 million contract to provide new training devices to accommodate the growing pipeline of C-130J aircrews and maintainers. Lockheed Martin will develop 24 new training devices and provide program management and engineering services under the U.S. Air Force’s C-130J Maintenance and Aircrew Training System II, referred to as JMATS II.
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05/02/2012
Lockheed Martin successfully conducted the first launch of a Shadow Hawk precision-guided weapon recently from a Shadow 200 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), achieving a direct hit on the target. Shadow Hawk is an 11-pound class, 2.75-inch diameter, 27-inch long drop-glide weapon. It is terminally guided by a semi-active laser seeker, providing better than one meter precision.
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05/02/2012
Boeing has completed the first delivery of its tactical cross-domain technology, eXMeritus HardwareWall, to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) for integration into the Ground Control Station (GCS) of the Predator/Reaper Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV). The delivery is part of a contract from GA-ASI that includes additional deliveries of HardwareWall and associated information assurance and engineering support.
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05/01/2012
Iran's Defence Minister, Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, has warned that the basing of the US F-22 Raptor strike aircraft in the United Arab Emirates is "detrimental to regional security."
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05/01/2012
Pentagon chief Leon Panetta sought to reassure Italy's defense minister over the troubled F-35 fighter program in talks Monday, pledging to hold down costs of the radar-evading warplane, officials said. During Italian Defense Minister Giampaolo Di Paola's meeting with Panetta in Washington, the rising price tag for the plane came up "but both leaders expressed a commitment to the program," a US official told AFP.
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05/01/2012
U.S. military operations are winding down in Iraq, which means the Iraqi Army needs new equipment to maintain security in the country. Redstone Arsenal's Foreign Military Sales group is expected to deliver a total of 30 armed reconnaissance helicopters to the Iraqi Army by the end of 2012. They routinely sell equipment to countries all over the world, but officials said this project is different.
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05/01/2012
British military chiefs defended plans on Monday to put missile batteries on top of apartment blocks to help protect London from a 9/11-style attack during this summer's Olympic Games, after appalled residents said it could make them a target. With 88 days to go before the Games start, soldiers will start testing missile defenses this week at six sites around the Olympic park as part of a training exercise in the run-up to Britain's biggest peacetime security operation.
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05/01/2012
AeroVironment, Inc. announced it received a firm fixed-price order valued at $3,653,519 on March 15, 2012 from the United States Marine Corps through an existing U.S. Army contract. The order includes RQ-11B Raven(R) small unmanned aircraft systems and initial spares packages. The systems and spares were scheduled for delivery before April 17, 2012.
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05/01/2012
Predator drones sanitize killing on the cheap compared to manned aircraft and ground troops. Teams of remote warriors work far from, and at times, closer to battlefields. Drone pilots operate computer keyboards and multiple monitors. Sensor staff work with them. They handle TV and infrared cameras, as well as other high-tech drone sensors. Faceless enemies nearby or half a world away are attacked. Virtual war kills like sport.
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05/01/2012
The U.S. campaign of drone strikes to kill militants in other countries is legal under international law, President Barack Obama's counterterrorism adviser insisted on Monday in a rare public admission and justification of the controversial tactic. John Brennan's speech, on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the U.S. killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a raid in Pakistan.
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05/01/2012
Lockheed Martin completed delivery of the 79th and final C-5 Galaxy aircraft of the current Avionics Modernization Program at a ceremony at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., on April 27. “We are very proud of our AMP team,” said Greg Ulmer, vice president of the C-5 program, “This delivery continues the ever-growing legacy of the C-5 Galaxy and the critical role it plays in supporting the warfighter across the globe for many years to come.”
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