August 22, 2012 Military Aviation News

US military boss unharmed in attack on airbase

08/22/2012

Two insurgent rockets struck the vast Bagram airfield early Tuesday (local time) with one causing damage to the C-17 used by General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, who left the base using another plane, his spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan said. Shrapnel from the rocket struck the door of the plane while it was parked on the runway, with two American maintenance crew suffering minor injuries in the attack, Colonel Lapan said.

Tactical Air Defense Services to Acquire Northrop TF5-1 Corp.

08/22/2012

Tactical Air Defense Services, Inc., an aerospace/defense services contractor that offers tactical aviation services, aircraft maintenance, and other aerospace/defense services to the United States and Foreign militaries, is pleased to announce that it has signed a letter of intent (the "LOI") to acquire, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of TADF, 100% of Northrop TF5-1 Corp. ("Northrop"), a military aircraft holding company.

Kazan aircraft maker hopes An-70 program will contribute to personnel recovery

08/22/2012

Kazan Aviation Production Association (Russia, Tatarstan) hopes that the assembly of An-70 military transport aircraft at the plant will contribute to the revival of its production and ensure personnel recovery.

Osprey test flights in Japan to be put off until September

08/22/2012

Test flights of U.S. MV-22 Osprey military aircraft, initially planned for later this month, won't start until early September at the soonest, according to government sources. More time is required to verify the causes of two recent crashes involving the tilt-rotor transport aircraft, the sources said Tuesday.

Military Drones Only 'Slightly' Cheaper Than Piloted Jets

08/22/2012

Military drones are only slightly cheaper than manned warplanes, and data indicates the remotely piloted aircraft also are more prone to mishaps, a new report says. The Pentagon has since the onset of the post-9/11 Iraq and Afghanistan wars substantially ramped up its use of drone aircraft. Recently, Obama administration officials have acknowledged a U.S. drone mission in Yemen, the newest major front in the struggle against al Qaeda.

Russian Plant to Make Mi-171 Helicopters for China

08/22/2012

Russian Helicopters’ Ulan Ude factory will build Mi-171E multipurpose helicopters under a recent contract with China, a high-ranking defense industry source said on Tuesday. Moscow and Beijing signed a contract in late July on the delivery of 55 Mi-171E helicopters to China. The cost of one unit in its basic configuration is estimated at $10-12 million.

Sukhoi T-50 Stealth Fighter Completes Tanker Plug Trial

08/22/2012

Russian fighter maker Sukhoi's T-50 fifth-generation stealth fighter has completed initial approach trials to a flight refuelling aircraft, the company said on Tuesday. The second prototype, T-50-2 is currently conducting a range of flight trials to test the new plane's flight envelope in subsonic and supersonic regimes and in different configurations. The aircraft, T-50-2, made approaches to an Il-78 tanker in company with a Su-25UB trainer/strike aircraft.

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