September, 2012 Military Aviation News
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09/30/2012
A Former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence is weighing in on the latest F-35 controversy. Edmonton Centre MP Laurie Hawn is denying a media report that the fighter jet recommendation was missing key information on competing aircraft.
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09/30/2012
A jury on Thursday convicted an employee of a defense contractor for exporting sensitive U.S. military technology to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), stealing military secrets, and making false statements to federal law enforcement, according to a report obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police.
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09/30/2012
The use of drones in warfare is highly controversial. So far Germany has only used unarmed drones but Berlin has now confirmed it was planning to order armed drones starting 2014.
They're remotely piloted and circle over, among other places, the Afghan-Pakistan border areas to spy on terrorists and kill them. The "eye in the sky" as the unmanned aircraft are sometimes called are seen by many as delivering precision strikes without the need for more intrusive military action.
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09/30/2012
Moscow hopes that NATO will be using Russian aircraft for its cargo deliveries to and from Afghanistan via the Ulyanovsk transit base in the Volga area, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said. “There is Volga-Dnepr air carrier company in the Vostochny airport [in Ulyanovsk], which has all types of aircraft capable of safely delivering any kind of cargo to Afghanistan,” Grushko said.
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09/29/2012
On the night of August 12, three Ugandan army Mi-24 helicopter gunships operating under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) umbrella crashed in mysterious circumstances over Mount Kenya. The combat helicopters were en-route to Kismayo to combat the Islamist militants al-Shabaab when the crashes occurred, killing seven crew members and leaving twenty-one injured.
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09/29/2012
Emboldened by the successful export of the Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft, the Russian Air Force gave the green signal for the testing of the Sukhoi Su-30 SM at the Irkutsk aircraft factory’s airfield in Siberia. Several thousand kilometres to the West, in the city of Ulyanovsk, the Ilyushin Il-76 MD-90A made its first flight. This is the first Russian made Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft and a significantly more modernised version in comparison to its Soviet predecessors.
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09/29/2012
The U.S. Air Force is expanding pilot training for Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT)’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter over objections from the Pentagon’s top weapons tester that the move increases the danger of a “serious mishap.”
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09/29/2012
The U.S. military is facing increased resistance from Japanese people over its plan to deploy the controversial Osprey transport aircraft at a U.S. Marine Corps base in Japan's Okinawa prefecture, despite the Pentagon reaching an agreement with the Japanese government.
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09/29/2012
Poland plans to spend $3 billion on multirole military helicopters for its armed forces in the near future, local paper Rzeczpospolita reported on Friday, with a new competition replacing an earlier tender. The main candidates for the deal are America's Sikorsky offering its S-70 Blackhawk, Franco-German Eurocopter, and AgustaWestland with its AW149.
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09/28/2012
Romania plans to procure 12 used F-16 jet fighter aircraft from Portugal in a five year contract worth $600 million. Corneliu Dobritoiu, Romanian Defense Minister, said, “We shall come up with a decision draft within CSAT. We are competing, with the Bulgarians. Referring to the acquisition, I assure you, all Romania's citizens and the EU partners included, that Romania observes absolutely all EU directives for this acquisition, to the letter”.
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09/28/2012
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimates worldwide military spending will reach $1.7 trillion in 2012, an increase of over 12% from 2011. The United States represents over 40% of all global military spending, with planned investments of over $700 billion, followed by China, Russia, the UK, and France.
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09/28/2012
The Super Tucano, a reliable fighter known for its counter-insurgency abilities and low price, will replace the Indonesian Air Force’s grounded fleet of ageing OV-10 Broncos. The Indonesian government bought two packages of eight planes each from Brazilian plane-maker Embraer for 143 million dollars per package, Air Force deputy chief of staff Air Marshall Dede Rusamsi said.
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09/28/2012
U.S. Air Force and Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN) engineers began operational testing of the Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer (MALD-J), which adds radar-jamming capability to the modular, air-launched, and programmable MALD flight vehicle platform.
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09/28/2012
India will mount a homemade active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar on the Light Combat Aircraft Mark-2, Indian Air Force sources said. However the LCA is nearly 15 years behind schedule, and the Mark-2 prototype is not expected to fly until 2013. India’s Defence Research and Development Organization is developing the AESA radar for the LCA-Mark-2, sources said. They did not reveal to what extent it will indigenous, but said overseas help will be sought for the radar’s completion.
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09/28/2012
Years before F-22 pilots began getting dizzy in the cockpit, before one struggled to breathe as he tried to pull out of a fatal crash, before two more went on television to say the plane was so unsafe they refused to fly it, a small circle of Air Force experts knew something was wrong with the prized stealth fighter jet.
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09/28/2012
An upgraded Antonov An-70 propfan tactical transport aircraft carried out a test flight on Thursday after a two-year delay, the company's president Dmytro Kyva announced. He said the 32-minute flight at Ukraine's Aviasvit-XXI international airshow had been a success, and called this "the main event of the airshow."
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09/28/2012
Two reserve pilots from the Russian aerobatic team The Swifts stepped down following a recent scandal that cost their commander's job, a source in the group told RIA Novosti on Thursday. One of the pilots resigned in protest of the commander’s discharge, which followed extortion allegations, the source said, while the other quit because the pilots were recently given odd jobs such as guard duty.
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09/28/2012
The 20th Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II was delivered today to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., to support F-35 pilot and maintainer training taking place on the Emerald Coast. BF-15, piloted by U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Mike Rountree, left Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base at 10:39 a.m. CDT en route for a 90 minute ferry flight to Eglin.
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09/27/2012
Deputy Chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Lieutenant General Datuk Roslan Saad, has given the Airbus Military A400M his thumbs up following his test flight of the new generation airlifter in Toulouse, France, recently. "It was an enormous pleasure to fly the aircraft that it is going to be at the heart of the RMAF´s transport capabilities in future.
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09/27/2012
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified U.S. Congress September 21 of a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Government of Mexico for two C-130J-30 aircraft and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $412 million.
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09/27/2012
The newest addition to the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance community, the P-8A Poseidon, took flight for its very first detachment by a fleet squadron during a visit to the Boeing facilities in Seattle, Wash. Sept. 14.
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09/27/2012
Shrinking space budgets don't stop the U.S. military from dreaming about space planes or rockets capable of flying back and landing on their own. Reusable launch vehicles capable of soaring into space and returning by flying through Earth's atmosphere like airplanes could potentially save millions on expensive launches that typically cost thousands of dollars per pound — especially if they fly frequently.
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09/27/2012
The UK has spent more than £2bn on buying and developing military drones over the past five years and is poised to commit an extra £2bn for another new unmanned aircraft, according to a report. The figures show how the Ministry of Defence has poured money into buying and researching a variety of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) as armed forces chiefs recognise their potential value in modern warfare.
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09/27/2012
India will raise its eighth squadron of Sukhoi SU-30 MKI frontline combat planes in December this year and it will be based at Sirsa in Haryana, just 150 km from the border with Pakistan and which had acted as a forward airbase during the 1971 war.
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09/27/2012
EADS North America has begun its voluntary flight demonstration (VFD) for the Army's Armed Aerial Scout helicopter program, flying two aircraft at a high-altitude test site for a series of demonstrations that will showcase the superior performance of the company's AAS-72X+ offering.
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09/27/2012
Russian Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev on Wednesday banned all training exercises over motorways at super low altitudes. The reaction comes after video footage was posted on the Internet earlier this month showing a Su-24 warplane flying just a few meters above the M21 highway in southern Russia and then an Mi-8 helicopter gunship doing the same in the Russian Urals region.
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09/27/2012
The Russian Air Force will accept into service in 2013 the new Raduga Kh-101 cruise missile, capable of delivering precision strikes with a conventional warhead at long-distance, an Air Force source told Izvestia on Wednesday. The new missile, currently being flight-tested, will be able to hit targets with an accuracy of just 30 feet (10 meters) at ranges of up to 6,000 miles (10,000 km), giving Long-Range Aviation its first precision-strike long-range weapon, the paper says.
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09/26/2012
The Finnish Air Force is currently outfitting a top-secret surveillance aircraft with a capability of eavesdropping on communications by the armies of neighbouring countries. The new plane is being tested by the Finnish Intelligence Research Establishment, which is not commenting on anything related to the project.
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09/26/2012
The U.S. Air Force is pushing to more than double the life of its stalwart F-15 Eagles with a series of upgrades. "About two and a half years ago, the U.S. Air Force wanted fatigue tests on C models," says Brad Jones, F-15 mission systems director for Boeing, which makes the aircraft. As the F-15 fleet aircraft approached their life expectancies for total flight hours, the Air Force wanted see how far the service could delay fleet retirements, Jones said during a recent briefing with reporters.
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09/26/2012
Pro Flight X65F Control System is the latest Saitek X series controller which enables flight simulators to "force sense" – the stick responds to pressure but does not move, just like in the real world modern fighter jets. Pro Flight X65F Control System enables simulators to rule the sky. The product is custom-made from high grade metal castings and is therefore built to withstand many combat engagements.
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09/26/2012
Alenia Aermacchi has shipped the rear fuselage and left wing for the first Tranche 3A example of the Eurofighter combat aircraft to industrial partner BAE Systems' Warton final assembly site in Lancashire, the UK. Pictured before leaving the Italian company's Caselle plant near Turin in late September, the parts will be mated with UK Royal Air Force Typhoon BS116.
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09/26/2012
Two F-22 Raptor fighter jets intercepted two other planes that had entered restricted airspace over the United Nations General Assembly in separate incidents today, the military said. The two unidentified planes entered temporarily restricted airspace over the international diplomatic headquarters where President Obama spoke and were later intercepted over central New Jersey, according to the North Atlantic Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
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09/26/2012
A second Sukhoi Su-30SM advanced multirole fighter successfully carried out its maiden test flight on Monday, the manufacturer said. The first Su-30SM made its first flight on September 21 as part of a comprehensive testing program for the aircraft that has been upgraded for the Russian Air Force.
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09/26/2012
The Russian Defense Ministry is to base MiG-31 long-range interceptors at the Rogachyovo Arctic base on the island of Novaya Zemlya by the end of the year to defend against attack from the north, Izvestia reported on Tuesday quoting military sources.
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09/26/2012
Lockheed Martin recently conducted two separate DAGR® missile flight tests, successfully firing the missiles from a prototype pedestal launcher and hitting a stationary target. The tests, which took place at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., demonstrated DAGR’s capability as a ground-based weapon. In each flight test, an inert DAGR missile locked onto the laser spot illuminating the target before launch.
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09/26/2012
Boeing recently received a $22.7 million modification to an existing U.S. Navy contract for more than 2,300 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (Laser JDAM) sensors, starting full-rate production to meet the Navy’s Direct Attack Moving Target Capability (DAMTC) program requirement.
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09/25/2012
Northrop Grumman has received a competitive prototyping contract from the Boeing Company for developing an embedded global positioning/inertial navigation system (EGI) on behalf of the U.S. Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft.
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09/25/2012
Iran successfully tested a domestically made anti-aircraft system, its English-language Press TV said on Monday, the latest in a series of military exercises Tehran has trumpeted in the face of hints that its nuclear sites could be attacked. "The mid-range system ... is capable of intercepting targets at a range of 50 km (30 miles) and can fly at an altitude of 75,000 feet," state-run Press TV's website said.
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09/25/2012
On September 21, at the airfield of Irkutsk Aviation Plant – branch of JSC Irkut Corporation (a part of United Aircraft Corporation) Su-30SM fighter, developed by JSC Sukhoi Design Bureau and designed for the Russian Ministry of Defence, performed its maiden flight.
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09/25/2012
The Indian Air Force is planning to buy two second-hand Mirage 2000 combat aircraft to make up for the losses suffered by it in crashes earlier this year. The IAF, which has signed a deal with France for the upgradation of 51 Mirage 2000 aircraft, lost two of these planes in crashes in February and March after which its fleet was reduced to 49.
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09/25/2012
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday urged the government to draft a new defense industry modernization program that includes increased private investment and improved social benefits for employees. “This program must be tailored so that enterprises are modernized in parallel with the resolution of these social issues,” Putin said during a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.
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09/25/2012
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has received a $111 million Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) Performance Based Logistics (PBL) contract from the U.S. Army.
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09/25/2012
The U.S. Navy on Sept. 21 awarded Boeing [NYSE: BA] a $1.9 billion contract for 11 P-8A Poseidon aircraft, which will take the total fleet to 24 and bolster the service's anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
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09/24/2012
China's first aircraft carrier was handed over Sunday to the navy of the People's Liberation Army, state press said, amid rising tensions over disputed waters in the East and South China Seas. The handover ceremony of the 300-metre (990-foot) ship, a former Soviet carrier called the Varyag, took place in northeast China's port of Dalian after a lengthy refitting by a Chinese shipbuilder, the Global Times reported.
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09/24/2012
More than 130 U.S. military members were invited to demonstrate the air and ground capabilities of American forces as they partnered with the South African air force during the 2012 Africa Aerospace and Defense Exposition here, Sept. 22-23.
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09/24/2012
Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ and TASE: ESLT) ("Elbit Systems") announced today that it was awarded a contract valued at $18.5 million for the establishment of a Mission Training Center (MTC) for fighter aircraft of a Latin American Air Force. The establishment of the MTC will be performed during 2014.
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09/24/2012
Naval expert Li Jie said that China's first aircraft carrier, which is mainly used for experiments and training, will soon enter service, which will mark a significant milestone in China's naval and maritime history. The aircraft carrier will play an important role in China's settlement of islands disputes and defense of its maritime rights and interests.
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09/24/2012
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is considering an offer from Sweden to lease up to 18 JAS39 Gripen fighter jets for its Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) programme. RMAF chief Tan Sri Rodzali Daud told theSun leasing the Gripens is a cheaper solution considering the huge capital expenditure needed for the procurement of new fighters.
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09/24/2012
A group of Canadian observers will conduct a series of inspection flights over Russia under the Open Skies Treaty starting on Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. “The flights will be along the route coordinated earlier with Russian specialists, who will be on board of the aircraft monitoring implementation of agreements on the use of technical equipment for the observation,” the statement said.
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09/23/2012
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said the former Soviet republic plans to employ advanced Russian-made fighter jets in as part of attempts to boost its air defense.
“We have a joint air defense system. We talked a lot concerning the air force. I requested support and I have got it. In the near future we will get modern aircraft to put on duty at the border,” RIA Novosti quoted Lukashenko as telling reporters on Friday.
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09/23/2012
Russia is ready to sell Su-30s and other modern fighter jets to African countries, state-controlled arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Saturday. Delivery contracts with countries such as Uganda, Angola, Ethiopia and others should include personnel training programs and after-sales servicing, Rosoboronexport’s deputy chief Alexander Mikheyev said.
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09/22/2012
China's unveiling of a second low-observable (LO) or stealthy fighter, a Shenyang product possibly designated J-31, followed the same pattern as the revelation of the Chengdu J-20 at the end of 2010: Photos were leaked via the Internet on the eve of a U.S. defense secretary's visit to Beijing. The not-too-subtle message, as the U.S. follows through with its plans to shift air and naval forces to the Pacific region, is that China's own military modernization is not slowing down.
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09/22/2012
Within two days of getting safety clearance of the Japanese government to fly over the country, the first batch of a controversial U.S. military aircraft carried out test flights at an American base in Japan on Friday. Four gray-painted U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft took off from the Marines' Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi prefecture, two each in the morning and afternoon, reports said. No trouble was noticed in the maiden flights, which were on cruise mode.
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09/22/2012
A source close to the BDF says the aircraft were grounded last year because they were considered unsafe for continued use. Among the grounded aircraft are F5 fighter jets and transporters, including the massive C 130 and the Super King Air 200. According to the source, at present, the only aircraft in use are utility helicopters and a small fleet of PC-7 MK2 trainer aircraft that were bought last year.
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09/22/2012
India expects to finalize the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal by March 2013, according to the country's air force chief, N.A.K. Browne. "The negotiations are absolutely on with Dassault Aviation," Browne says. "We hope that at least this financial year [which runs through March 2013], we should be able to finish the negotiations and finalize the deal" for 126 Rafale fighters. After a global competition, the Rafale beat out the other finalist, the Eurofighter Typhoon.
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09/22/2012
The overhauled airfield at the Russian air base in Kyrgyzstan will be able to accommodate Russian strategic bombers in six months, but their deployment in the Central Asian state needs thorough consideration, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said. “Technically, we will complete the reconstruction [of the runway at the Kant airbase] in half a year,” Serdyukov told reporters on Friday.
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09/22/2012
The Russian Air Force’s first Su-30SM advanced fighter jet made its first flight on Friday, the manufacturer said. “The flight lasted for two hours and went smoothly,” the Irkut corporation said. The Su-30SM is a specialized version of the thrust-vectoring Su-30MKI for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions.
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09/22/2012
Uganda is in talks with Russian state arms export company Rosoboronexport over an option purchase of six more Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighter jets, the company's Deputy Director Alexander Mikheyev said on Friday at an arms exhibition in South Africa.
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09/21/2012
Washington has again accused Iran of providing military aid to the Syrian government in its battle against rebel forces and then allowing those same weapons to kill innocent civilians.
The Treasury Department issued a statement Wednesday that Tehran is undertaking "deceptive practices" that allows Damascus to get a hold of ammunition and other equipment "that contribute to the regime's violence against the Syrian people."
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09/21/2012
The U.S. Navy is vowing to keep commercial sea lanes open in the international waters off Iran, despite a view among a small number of critics that Washington’s military muscle may inadvertently stoke tensions with Tehran in the event of a crisis.
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09/21/2012
Indonesia has taken delivery of two Airbus Military C295 transport aircraft ordered in February this year. The aircraft are the first of nine to be delivered to the Indonesian Ministry of Defence under the terms of a contract signed by Airbus Military and PT Dirgantara Indonesia.
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09/21/2012
The government is set to give the Indian Air Force (IAF) more firepower and capabilities during its 80th anniversary year: New combat and heavy-lift helicopters. Authoritative sources told India Strategic (www.indiastrategic.in) that the financial bid for the Boeing Apache AH-64D had been opened mid-September while that of the two helicopters in the heavy-lift competition - the Boeing Chinook CH-47F and the Russian Mi-26 - should be opened before September-end or so.
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09/21/2012
The manufacturing deal has come as a direct result of a parnership between Abu Dhabi’s Tawazun Holding, the strategic investment firm focused on defence and specialised manufacturing, and the dynamics division of Denel, South Africa’s largest defence manufacturer.
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09/20/2012
A Turkish F-4 Phantom warplane which crashed into the Mediterranean on June 22 was shot down by a Syrian air defense missile even though the missile did not directly hit the plane, a report by a military prosecutor said today.
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09/20/2012
A controversial U.S. military aircraft has been granted permission to begin flight operations at an American base in Japan after the Japanese government declared it safe to fly in the country, saying it has found no basis for thinking the transport aircraft is dangerous.
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09/20/2012
Hawker Beechcraft, hoping to bolster its case for the $355 million U.S. Air Force Light Air Support (LAS) contract, has completed a weapons assessment that involved the launch of laser-guided rockets and bombs. The Phase III weapons assessment, at Eglin AFB, Fla., involved more than 265 bombs and rockets and 3,000 rounds from AT-6 .50-caliber guns.
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09/20/2012
The upgrade of UK Ministry of Defence Puma aircraft took a further major step forward when Eurocopter handed over its first Puma Mk2 aircraft to MOD. This upgrade will significantly enhance the aircraft’s performance, mission capability and safety. The first modified aircraft will fly from Oxford into QinetiQ’s Boscombe Down facility where it will support trials.
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09/20/2012
After more than 40 years of service, the Marine Corps retired the aging CH-53D heavy lift helicopter after it completed its final combat operation in Afghanistan last month. The CH-53D Sea Stallion supported the Marine Air Ground Task Force commander by providing assault support transport of heavy equipment, combat troops, and supplies, day or night under all weather conditions during expeditionary, joint, or combined operations.
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09/20/2012
Ahead of high-profile talks in China by U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, there was a high-impact leak. Photos emerged of a second Chinese stealth fighter jet — one that had been rumored but never seen before. The J31, as analysts call it, shows how fast China is moving.
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09/20/2012
Russia will set up an aerospace "super-holding" company consisting of missile makers NPO Mashinostroyenie and Tactical Missiles Corporation to develop hypersonic weapon technology, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Wednesday. "Initially, we are talking about a big 'super-holding' based on Tactical Missiles Corporation and NPO Mashinostroyenie," said Rogozin, who oversees Russia's military-industrial complex.
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09/20/2012
Some 19 Russian defense companies led by state-owned hi-tech conglomerate Rostechnologii will showcase their products at an arms show in South Africa this week. The Africa Aerospace & Defense arms show is held on September 19-23 at the Waterkloof airbase near Pretoria.
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09/20/2012
Russia’s Aerospace Defense Forces will receive the second batch of Pantsir-S air defense systems by November this year, the Defense Ministry said. Pantsir-S is a short-to-medium range combined surface-to-air missile and antiaircraft artillery system designed to protect point and area targets. The Russian military took delivery of the first batch (more than 10 units) in 2011.
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09/19/2012
The Chinese military has leaked first photos of a brand new lightweight fighter with external characteristics that allow the jet fifth-generation attribution. Some pictures suggest it could be used on future Chinese aircraft carriers. Shenyang Aircraft Industry Group (SAC), one of the leading aircraft design and manufacturing corporations of China’s aviation industry, has rolled out a prototype that might eventually become Chinese analogue to America’s F-35.
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09/19/2012
The signing of the Sukhoi T-50 fifth generation fighter aircraft contract propels India to joint developer of the world’s most advanced stealth aircraft. Two significant developments have stirred up the world of military aviation this year. In March, the U.S. Air Force revealed it had started work to field a new Long Range Strike Bomber by the 2020s. This will be first new American strategic bomber to be built after the Cold War.
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09/19/2012
Irkut is to accelerate its delivery schedule under a Russian air force order for 30 Sukhoi Su-30SM strike aircraft, with its first examples now to be handed over before the end of this year. Moscow signed a production deal for the two-seat Su-30SM in March, when Irkut announced that the type would be handed over between 2013 and 2015.
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09/19/2012
Northrop Grumman Corporation and AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, announced that they have signed a comprehensive teaming agreement to respond to anticipated requests for both the new U.S. Air Force Combat Rescue Helicopter and the U.S. Navy’s recently announced program to develop a new “Marine One” presidential helicopter. A U.S.-built helicopter based on the AW101 platform will be offered by Northrop Grumman to meet these requirements.
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09/19/2012
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. today announced the award of the Combat Tempered Platform Demonstration (CTPD) contract from the U.S. Army's Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD). This program will build upon and improve the BLACK HAWK platform's already high operational durability and survivability by developing and integrating a suite of advanced new technologies and establishing their benefits before transitioning them to the platform and eventual use by the nation's soldiers.
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09/19/2012
The F-35 fighter was designed to be the next generation of single engine fighters with new features such as stealth technology, maneuverability at a 50 degree angle of attack and helmet mounted displays. It is intended to replace the aging fleet of F-16s, F/A-18s and AV-8s.
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09/19/2012
A large-scale exercise was carried out along the costal areas to test the command area's capabilities in amphibious operations. Another drill was performed in a mountainous region involving self-propelled artillery vehicles, main battle tanks and attack helicopters, Nanfang Daily reported.
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09/19/2012
Boeing last month linked one of its advanced fighter cockpit simulators in St. Louis with a simulator more than 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) away in Porto Alegre, Brazil, demonstrating the effectiveness of sharing advanced situational awareness and training technologies between the United States and Brazil.
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09/18/2012
When the first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets become operational, the pilots will be able to look into the bubble-shaped visors on their helmets and see through the plane, so to speak, thanks to cameras on the aircraft that will give them a 360-degree view.
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09/18/2012
Colombia has signed a contract with Airbus Military for the acquisition of an additional C295 aircraft in a tactical transport configuration. Delivery is scheduled for February 2013. The aircraft will be operated by the Colombian Air Force on military transport and humanitarian aid missions.
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09/18/2012
Production of America’s fifth generation jet fighter appears to be on the rise as Europe grapples with the prospect of not much else new being available, according to a report in Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin. The Europeans are relying primarily on three types of combat aircraft: the Eurofighter Typhoon, which is built in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain; the Dassault Rafale built in France and the Swedish Saab Gripen.
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09/18/2012
The deputy director of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program said Monday that he has "reasonable confidence" in the combat jet but still has concerns about hardware and software. Speaking publicly for the first time about the program he joined five weeks ago, Maj. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan said contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. is making progress in producing the aircraft but more rigorous testing is needed to see if it is combat ready.
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09/18/2012
Russia and South Africa are discussing the possibility of joint development of defense-related products, Russia’s state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Monday. “There is a great potential [for joint projects] in the area of radar equipment and rocket engines,” Rosoboronexport said in a statement.
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09/17/2012
The United States, along with more than 27 other countries from four different continents, began Sunday the largest ever military exercise aimed at practicing how to find and destroy sea mines in the waters of the Middle East. “This is about exercising capabilities that we want to exercise with our partners in the region,” said Pentagon spokesman George Littler this week.” Earlier this summer Little stressed that this training was not aimed at delivering a message to Iran.
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09/17/2012
Merging Britain's BAE Systems with EADS to create a global aerospace and defense giant would be a significant boost to European leaders' ambitions for a more efficient defense industry. The European Union has long sought to foster more cross-national cooperation on defense projects in Europe to plug holes left by shrinking military budgets and to eliminate wasteful duplication of effort.
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09/17/2012
“With regards to the field of aerial training and simulators, we are bringing a new development to the market,” claim Hellerstein and Shmuely. “One of our largest innovations is embedded systems utilized in aerial training. In an ordinary air exercise, you can’t bring twelve aircraft to simulate the enemy. However, with the embedded simulator, the aircraft can ‘think’ that it is surrounded by enemy aircraft.
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09/17/2012
When China turned to Russia for supplies of advanced weapons through the 1990s, it kick-started Beijing's military build-up with an immediate boost in firepower. It also demonstrated the failure of its domestic defense sector which was still turning out obsolete 1950s vintage equipment for the People's Liberation Army from a sprawling network of state-owned arms makers.
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09/17/2012
The Taliban's weekend assault on a major coalition base was one of the most determined and effective in the Afghan war, according to details released Sunday, resulting in the biggest single-day loss of U.S. combat aircraft since the Vietnam War. The coordinated Taliban attack destroyed six Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jump-jets and "significantly" damaged two others, as well as some hangars, the coalition said.
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09/16/2012
An armada of US and British naval power is massing in the Persian Gulf in the belief that Israel is considering a pre-emptive strike against Iran’s covert nuclear weapons programme.
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09/15/2012
The U.S. Navy announced a host of changes to the USS George Washington’s carrier air wing Friday, in what amounts to at least the third significant Navy airframe upgrade in the Asia-Pacific region this year. The HSL-51 Warlords squadron at Naval Air Facility Atsugi will swap their SH-60B and SH-60F Seahawk helicopters for newer MH-60S and MH-60R Seahawks, officials from Commander Naval Forces Japan said Friday.
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09/15/2012
Swiss manufacturer Pilatus has little trouble selling its training aircraft to the world’s air forces despite operating in a shrinking market short on appeal for other constructors. A success that owes much to the technology it has developed over the years. Based in Stans, canton Nidwalden, Pilatus saw its sales jump substantially in 2011. It took in SFr781 million ($832 million) last year, up 14 per cent on 2010.
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09/15/2012
For months, Syrian opposition forces fighting government troops have been calling - with very little success - for foreign military intervention. But Western defense experts are debating whether the establishment of a no-fly zone over Syria might get more international support. Analysts said it is essential to first define the parameters and goals of a no-fly zone - an airspace in which certain aircraft, especially military ones, are forbidden to fly.
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09/14/2012
Germany's historic deployment of eight Eurofighter combat aircraft to Alaska earlier this year achieved its key objective of proving the Luftwaffe's ability to participate in a complex multinational air-to-air operation alongside its allies, the service says. "We can do that job. We are NATO Response Force-ready," says Lt Col Marc Grüne, the German air force's project officer for the Red Flag Alaska deployment to Eielson AFB.
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09/14/2012
European helicopter manufacturing and service companies have recently signed agreements to strengthen and expand their business portfolios. In Poland, Britain's Sikorsky Aerospace Services and PZL Mielec, the Polish manufacturer of Sikorsky Aircraft's S-70i Black Hawk helicopter, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Wojskowe Centralne Biuro Konstrukcyjno - Technologiczne on the possible supply of ground support equipment to sustain an S-70i fleet Poland.
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09/14/2012
Marines with Detachment A, Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352, primarily spend their day patrolling the skies of Afghanistan as an in-flight gas station for other aircraft. However, a five-man crew successfully completed a slightly different mission, Sept. 6. The KC-130J team spent the morning escorting four MV-22 Ospreys with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 from Helmand province, Afghanistan, to the USS Iwo Jima in the Arabian Sea.
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09/14/2012
Fiscal restraint is en vogue and increasingly the cover many are using to push other agendas. Republicans spent a week in Tampa monitoring America’s mounting national debt at their recent convention. Democrats included a call for “tough” spending cuts, especially to the military, as part of their official party platform. The document indicates “outdated Cold War-era systems” should be favored for the chopping block.
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09/14/2012
ST. LOUIS: Boeing renewed its campaign to bash Lockheed Martin's F-35 and promote its F-18 fighters today, as the president of Boeing Military Aircraft slammed the Joint Strike Fighter while noting declining defense budgets here and abroad. "The F-35 continues to delay and delay," Christopher Chadwick told a group of reporters at Boeing's defense headquarters here. "Yes, the F-35 has all-aspect stealth, but that is used in a relatively small part of the combat envelope."
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09/14/2012
Northrop Grumman has received a contract for delivering the hybrid global positioning system (GPS) and inertial reference system to be used in Embraer Defense and Security KC-390 medium-lift military transport aircraft. As per the contract, Northrop Grumman LITEF, which is the company's German navigation systems subsidiary, will supply the fibre-optic, gyro-compass LCR-100 Attitude and Heading Reference System.
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09/14/2012
More than 300 aircraft from about 50 different nations are on display this week at the Berlin Air Show, commonly know as ILA 2012. More than 50 U.S. military personnel are representing the Department of Defense at the show, which kicked off Tuesday. The Berlin Air Show is considered to be one of the premier air shows in the world and the U.S. military has five different types of aircraft on display this year.
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09/14/2012
Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan will conduct joint command-and-staff air defense drills on October 5-16, the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry said on Thursday. The Chistoye Nebo (Clear Sky) 2012 exercise will be held in Kyrgyz, Tajik and Kazakh airspace and involve the interception of cruise missiles. Russia will be represented by a group of experts from Air Force staff and MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors and an A-50 Mainstay AWACS plane deployed at the Kant airbase in Kyrgyzstan.
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09/14/2012
The first of three C-130J Super Hercules for Oman departed the Lockheed Martin facility here yesterday en route to Oman.
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09/14/2012
BAE Systems and EADS have told the London Stock Exchange that they are in talks over a possible merger that would create the world's largest aerospace and defence company. A merger would create a combined annual turnover business of more than $95 billion with almost 75% being in aerospace – it would also give EADS a solid position in the lucrative US market.
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09/13/2012
British defense contractor BAE said today that it was talking to EADS, the parent of aircraft maker Airbus, about a possible merger. Earlier today, Bloomberg News reported that the two companies were looking at a possible merger. In a statement, BAE Systems plc said its shareholders would own a 40 percent stake in the merged business, while shareholders of European Aeronautics Defense & Space Co. would own 60 percent.
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09/13/2012
The use by Bashar al-Assad’s armed forces of ever-deadlier weapons to crush the 18-month Syrian uprising at the expense of greater civilian casualties is a sign of the regime’s weakness, military and Middle East analysts say.Syria’s government has become more reliant on heavy weaponry including attack aircraft, helicopter gunships, artillery and tanks even as lightly armed rebels win and hold ground in the biggest cities - Aleppo, the business center, and suburbs of the capital, Damascus.
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09/13/2012
Correspondents from a half-dozen defense industry publications visited NAS Jacksonville Aug. 31 as part of a Boeing media tour that included the P-8A Poseidon Integrated Training Center (ITC). VP-30 Commanding Officer Capt. Mark Stevens welcomed the group and briefed them on the P-3/P-8 transition that’s taking place at various facilities aboard the installation.
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09/13/2012
RAC MiG is boosting production activities to meet increased demand for its MiG-29 series of combat aircraft, with the design bureau also close to completing a series of aircraft carrier-based trials for India. Following its receipt of major orders to supply the Indian and Russian navies with its MiG-29K deck fighter and MiG-29KUB trainer, MiG's production partners will complete 24 aircraft in 2012, up from 11 last year.
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09/13/2012
Airbus Military is preparing to push A400M troop-transporter sales to India and other countries as the aircraft maker ramps up the pursuit of overseas customers to turn a profit on Europe’s largest defense program. Airbus is putting more efforts into exports after delays in completing the development program held back those activities for several months, Domingo Urena-Raso, the head of Airbus Military, said in an interview in Berlin yesterday.
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09/13/2012
Deployment of the controversial U.S. Osprey military aircraft at an American airbase in Japan's Okinawa island is likely to be delayed in the context of increasing public concern over its safety.
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09/13/2012
Two Russian Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic bombers have successfully completed a routine patrol mission over the Barents, North and Norwegian seas, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. "Two Tu-95MS strategic bombers based at the Engels Airbase [in Saratov Region] carried out patrols over neutral waters in the Barents, Northern and Norwegian seas on September 11-12 in line with the plan of strategic deterrent," spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said.
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09/12/2012
Airbus Military said a refueling tanker due for delivery this month to the United Arab Emirates lost a boom in mid flight over Spain yesterday. The aircraft was performing a test flight when the boom detached at about 7:30 p.m. and landed in a forest in the province of Caceres, in central Spain. The boom was later recovered by police, and the fallen part hasn’t damaged any property, spokeswoman Maggie Bergsma said today.
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09/12/2012
Most of the civilians already have left this city of about 30,000, and many of those who remained could be seen Saturday piling trucks with their belongings. Abu al Dahour is the closest city to a military airport that bears the same name. Now it’s become the setting for a strategic confrontation that rebels hope will undercut the military’s dominance of the air.
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09/12/2012
Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract to supply the hybrid global positioning system (GPS) and inertial reference system for the Embraer Defense and Security KC-390 medium-lift military transport aircraft.
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09/12/2012
An Air Force tactical fighter group, which was selected as a model military unit, showcased its combat readiness and flight skills Tuesday at an air base. Pilots of the 28th Tactical Fighter Group, flying Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDFs), performed a series of maneuvers such as short landing
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09/12/2012
Europe's combat aircraft industry faces an uncertain future. While it still has several types of fighter aircraft in production, there is no new European-developed manned combat aircraft currently in prospect and the outlook for the development and production of unmanned air systems is also unclear.
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09/12/2012
The Kyrgyz parliament has started hearings on the revision of agreements determining the status and maintenance of Russian military facilities located on the territory of the Central Asian state. Moscow and Bishkek signed in August a new deal, which extends the presence of Russian military facilities in Kyrgyzstan for another 15 years. Their status is currently regulated by five intergovernmental agreements.
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09/11/2012
The Taliban said today it was determined to kill Prince Harry, serving in Afghanistan four years after his previous deployment was cut short over security concerns. A militia spokesman said the group had a "high-value plan" to attack the third-in-line to the throne in the southern province of Helmand, one of the toughest battlefields in the 10-year war.
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09/11/2012
India is quietly practising airdrops of paratroopers in high-altitude areas near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to bolster operational readiness. The combat drills are a part of the overall plan to strategically counter China's massive build-up of military infrastructure all along the unresolved border.
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09/11/2012
Japan’s Kyodo News Service recently reported that Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) projects that the cost for the Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) will be 50 percent greater than in the current year. The fifth-generation stealth fighters Japan has agreed to buy during Fiscal Year 2013 (FY13) may total as much as $196.9 million per aircraft instead of the current year cost of $128.6 million per plane.
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09/11/2012
Indonesia could be another source of patrol aircraft for the Philippines as part of the Armed Forces' modernization program, the Department of National Defense (DND) said Monday.
"Indonesia is in the shortlist. We have Indonesia, some are European countries," DND spokesman Peter Paul Galvez told reporters. A military source said the Philippines is specifically eyeing Indonesia's CN-235 medium-range twin-engined transport plane and Italy's Alenia C-27J Spartan aircraft.
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09/11/2012
Air Force officials begin their F-35A Lightning II Operational Utility Evaluation Sept. 10, an instrumental step in beginning Joint Strike Fighter pilot and maintenance training for the service. Two 33rd Fighter Wing pilots at Eglin AFB, Fla., along with two Air Force test pilots, will conduct the review expected to last approximately 65 days.
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09/11/2012
An aerial attack in Yemen killed eleven civilians, including three women and three children, in the town of Radda last week. The atrocity, one of a growing number of deadly strikes carried out either by US drone aircraft or by the Yemeni armed forces operating under US direction, also injured several other civilians in the area.
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09/11/2012
Boeing and the U.S. Navy on Sept. 6 successfully flight tested a new mission computer that will expand the performance of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler. The new Type 4 Advanced Mission Computer (AMC) increases computing power and accelerates image and mission processing functions.
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09/10/2012
Should the U.S. actually take Benjamin Netanyahu’s advice and attack Iran, don’t expect a few sorties flown by a couple of fighter jocks. Setting back Iran’s nuclear efforts will need to be an all-out effort, with squadrons of bombers and fighter jets, teams of commandos, rings of interceptor missiles and whole Navy carrier strike groups — plus enough drones, surveillance gear, tanker aircraft and logistical support to make such a massive mission go.
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09/10/2012
In 2009, the Indian Army carried out top-secret war games — codenamed Divine Matrix — aimed at analysing China’s threat to the country. The conclusion: China could attack India by 2017, and there was a possibility of Pakistan stirring the pot by trying to trouble India at the same time.
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09/10/2012
There was a fair amount of fretting within air force ranks about the impact last year’s bombing campaign in Libya was having on Canada’s aging fleet of CF-18 fighter jets and the country’s ability to keep pilots in the cockpits, newly released documents reveal. The multi-role fighters were called upon to enforce a UN-sanctioned no-fly zone, which eventually led to the ouster of dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
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09/10/2012
Tens of thousands of people rallied on Japan's southern island of Okinawa today against the deployment of US Osprey military aircraft after a series of accidents elsewhere involving the planes. Protesters demanded the United States and Japan immediately scrap plans to deploy 12 MV-22 Ospreys at the Futenma US base on Okinawa and shut down the Futenma base in the crowded city of Ginowan.
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09/10/2012
A group of Russian military observers begin on Monday a six-day inspection mission in the skies of Latvia and Estonia under the Open Skies Treaty, the Defense Ministry’s press office reported. The flights will be conducted on September 10-15 from the Latvia’s Riga and Estonia’s Tartu airports. The maximum flight range will total about 1,600 km (some 1,000 miles) under the agreed flight routes.
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09/09/2012
According to the report, Europe’s ability to develop advanced, next generation aircraft has been severely eroded and collective funding decisions are necessary to revive the industry. The study was commissioned by the Future Air Systems for Europe (FAS4Europe) and the European Defence Agency (EDA).
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09/09/2012
An upgraded version of the Predator MQ-9 Reaper, the U.S. military's premier unmanned aerial vehicle, has successfully completed its first flight. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. said Friday its Block 1-plus Predator took to the air in early summer in California and performed without problem.
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09/08/2012
Turkey has expressed interest in Lockheed Martin's three F-35 fifth-generation Joint Strike Fighter variants. Ankara is close to a decision on ordering a second pair of the stealth F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II aircraft following production of the first two F-35s for the Turkish air force, a senior Turkish procurement official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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09/07/2012
Latest market surveys indicate an interest of different air forces in a light air-to-surface guided weapon for pin-point engagement of small, lightly armoured targets. Missions of this type have previously been relying on weapons originally developed and procured for precise engagement of large, hardened targets. Engagement of smaller mobile targets requires new armament tailored to specific use.
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09/07/2012
The BAE Systems Support Solutions segment in Rockville, Md., will upgrade avionics and electronic systems on more than 130 Lockheed Martin F-16 jet fighter aircraft for the Republic of Korea under terms of a contract to be awarded through the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Foreign Military Sales program.
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09/07/2012
The system for protecting aircraft against shoulder-fired missiles which jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) was not installed onboard passenger airplanes, but it is being installed in growing numbers on board VIP and military mission aircraft.
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09/07/2012
Bombardier Aerospace announced today that it delivered a Global 6000 aircraft to the US Air Force last Thursday, in a ceremony conducted at a Bombardier facility in Connecticut. This aircraft is the fourth Bombardier Global aircraft to be added to the existing US Air Force inventory with E-11A Military Designation. The intention is to equip this new addition with the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node or BACN, in time for deployment next summer.
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09/07/2012
A Russian Air Force MiG-29 fighter crashed on Thursday near Chita, in Siberia, the Defense Ministry said. “The plane crashed near Domna airport, 27 kilometers from Chita,” ministry spokesman Col. Igor Konashenkov said. The pilot’s body was found by a rescue team, he said, adding that a Defense Ministry commission is on its way to the scene to establish the causes of the crash.
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09/07/2012
Russia on Thursday signed a $600 mln contract with China for the delivery of 52 Mi-171? (Hip) transport helicopters. The contract was signed by Russia’s Rosoboronexport and China’s Poly Technologies, Inc. The first eight helicopters will be delivered before the end of the current year and contract deliveries are to be completed in 2014, the Russian Helicopters holding said.
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09/07/2012
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has received a $152 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) sustainment support over a five-year period, beginning in September 2012.
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09/06/2012
The first of six C-130J Super Hercules for the Iraqi Air Force recently completed its first flight here. The Iraqi Air Force intends to use the C-130J for intra-theater support of its troops and humanitarian relief operations in various locations. These new transport aircraft will provide Iraq with the ability to operate seamlessly with U.S., NATO and coalition forces. The first C-130J for Iraq is scheduled for delivery later this year.
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09/06/2012
Ukraine is planning to upgrade and repair 86 combat aircraft and helicopters in 2012-2017, says the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Lieutenant-General Yuriy Baidak. The press service of the Defense Ministry reported on Monday that according to Baidak, 12 MiG-29s, Su-27s and L-39s had currently been upgraded, taken into service, and that they were undergoing trials in tactical aviation units.
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09/06/2012
The terrorist group consisting mainly of foreign mercenaries , backed by the United States, calling itself the “Free Syrian Army (FSA) has recently threatened to start attacks on civilian aircrafts using Damascus and Aleppo airports”, according to Hamsayeh.Net. This comes amid reports that the FSA has acquired U.S. made Stinger missiles.
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09/06/2012
While the U.S. and Europe mull what steps, if any, to take in intervening against President Assad’s brutal crackdown on Syria’s opposition movement, it seems as though the Free Syrian Army has ramped up efforts to take control of the country’s airspace. Word comes via Twitter (so it should be taken with a grain of salt) that the Free Syrian Army has successfully shot down one of that country’s MiGs in the northern suburb of Hama, a city in the west of the country and only 30 miles from Homs.
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09/06/2012
The first C-130J Super Hercules for the Sultanate of Oman was formally accepted at ceremonies, Aug. 30, at Lockheed Martin’s Marietta facility. This is the first of three C-130Js on order for Oman and is scheduled for delivery later this year. The new C-130J will be used to support internal country operations where its ability to operate out of remote austere airstrips will be invaluable.
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09/05/2012
Irreversible engine failure caused the crash of an unmanned MQ-1B Predator aircraft on April 14, according to a military accident investigation board report released on Tuesday. The plane crashed into an unpopulated mountainside in Afghanistan.
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09/05/2012
The Turkish newspaper, the Hürriyet Daily News, is reporting that Turkey is expected to purchase a second pair of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to be delivered in 2016. The first pair is set for delivery in 2015, the newspaper notes.
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09/05/2012
A Nashua-based defense contractor will be getting another large contract as part of the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet project, described as the largest Department of Defense program in history. BAE Systems is scheduled to receive 15 percent, approximately $30 million, of a $206 million contract awarded to Lockheed Martin Corp., according to a Department of Defense report dated Aug. 28.
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09/05/2012
Airbus Military may resume a pivotal test phase for the A400M troop transporter next month after making fixes to the engines that have halted progress. The first gearbox to undergo modification was fitted with a new plate, reassembled, and tested over the weekend, and is now joining the engine again, said Nick Britton, a spokesman for engine consortium partner Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc. (RR/)
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09/05/2012
While the Republic of Iraq anticipates an initial delivery of F-16 Fighting Falcons in September 2014, the pilots who will fly them have embarked on a historic partnership with the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Fighter Wing in the US, to learn how to fly the multipurpose fighter.
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09/05/2012
Diamond Aircraft's DA42 Guardian equipped with a radio detection system is being launched at the ILA show in Berlin next week. Equipped with a COMINT system from Rohde & Schwarz the DA42 remote sensing platform reliably detects, identifies and locates radio signals and is being flagged as the perfect solution for border guard, maritime rescue or military missions.
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09/04/2012
Exactly 30 years ago a potent new combat aircraft appeared in the skies over Russia. Without firing a shot in anger, the MiG-31 achieved what Soviet air defence had been attempting for years – send the SR-71 spy plane into early retirement.
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09/04/2012
The slowdown in economy is now forcing the finance ministry to cut down on the defence budget mid-way through the financial year. In several meetings held last week, finance ministry babus have told their counterparts in the defence ministry that there will be ‘no funds’ for big-ticket defence procurement plans if the economy does not improve by September end.
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09/04/2012
The crash of an F/A-18C jet at Naval Air Station Fallon in which a San Diego-based Marine pilot safely ejected over the weekend was under investigation. The crash near the western Nevada "TOPGUN'' airfield occurred about 3:15 p.m. during training, and the pilot was released from a local hospital after being checked out, the U-T San Diego reported.
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09/04/2012
When a pilot in a Eurofighter Typhoon jet glances down, he doesn't see a steel-grey floor. Instead he sees clouds, and maybe sheep and cows in green fields below. If he were to spot an enemy down there, or anywhere near the aircraft, he would not need to point the plane towards the target. He would simply look at it - through the solid hull of the plane - make sure that a tiny symbol displayed on his helmet's visor was aligned with the object, press a button and fire.
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09/04/2012
The planes Canada needs, Aug. 30. I read with interest Brian Preston's letter, in which he suggests we can't afford to buy the fighter aircraft our experts recommend we buy. Like his old man, I flew Spitfires in the Second World War, 70 years or so ago, and also survived.
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09/04/2012
Russia has delivered the next batch of Mi-35M Hind E attack helicopters to Brazil and will complete the contract by the end of the year, a military trade think tank said on Monday. A total of 12 helicopters are to be delivered under a 2008 contract worth $150 million. “The latest three machines were delivered on August 29,” said Igor Korotchenko, head of the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Global Arms Trade.
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09/04/2012
Boeing has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korean province of Gyeongsangbuk-do and the city of Yeongcheon to establish an avionics Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in the region that will service avionics components for the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) fleet of F-15K Slam Eagles.
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09/03/2012
“I can talk to the airplane with voice-activated commands to tell it what I want to do,” he said. “I was able today, when we were out doing some basic aircraft handling and radar familiarization work, to fly for about 10 minutes without actually touching the stick.”
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09/03/2012
Most discussions of the role of the U.S. Navy in the new defense strategy have focused either on combatants such as nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, Aegis air and missile defense capable destroyers, cruisers and nuclear attack submarines or on airborne systems such as the F-35, P-8, or Global Hawk high-altitude, long endurance unmanned aerial system. Often overlooked, but of increasing importance, are the ships and aircraft that provide at-sea logistics support to the Navy.
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09/03/2012
The Philippine Navy (PN), coast guard and maritime police will hold the Coast Watch System Capability Exercise from Sept. 3 to 7 in the southern Philippines, the military announced today. Codenamed CWSCAPEX 2012, the exercise will hold its Command Post Exercise (CPX) and Fleet Training Exercise (FTX) at the Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao (NFEM) area of responsibility (AOR).
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09/03/2012
Thwarted by aerial attacks, Syrian rebels appear to have begun systemically targeting government air bases and aircraft, while trying to capture antiaircraft missiles that can shoot down helicopters and fighter jets. An opposition group reported Saturday that insurgents had captured an air defense base in eastern Syria, close to the Iraqi border, and that battles were raging near a military airport in the area.
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09/03/2012
Four A-29 Super Tucano fighter planes arrived at East Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma Base on Saturday in the first wave of new “counter-insurgency” turboprop fighters purchased as part of the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) push to modernize its fleet.
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09/03/2012
Last December an old, rarely used word–spoofing, –meaning to hoax or to fool others–entered worldwide aviation vocabularies virtually overnight. Simultaneously it brought a new and disturbing strategic escalation to military tactics and a potential, albeit probably lesser, threat to civil aircraft operations.
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09/03/2012
Airbus Military has today reconfirmed that it will deliver the first four new generation A400M airlifters to customers in 2013 as planned, following the development of solutions to the recent engine issue, which prevented the A400M from participating in the Farnborough Air Show flying display.
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09/01/2012
Indian Air Force has taken pilot-friendly policy steps to enhance its crew’s all-round health and competence in combat, Vice-Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal D.C. Kumaria said here on Friday. These include revising the rules relating to return of sick air crew, medically reducing ill-effects of long-haul sorties and improving nutrition and psychological health among pilots.
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09/01/2012
Safety, airworthiness and responsive support of all the non-standard rotary wing platforms are the core functions of the Army’s Non-Standard Rotary Wing Aircraft Project Management Office. Since its inception in January 2010, the Army’s Non-Standard Rotary Wing Aircraft project management office has grown in its scope of responsibilities and number of non-standard platforms that it manages.
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09/01/2012
Airbus Military is set to push back development milestones on the A400M military transport after falling behind with certification because of defects on the turbo-propeller engines, people familiar with the plan said. Airbus may announce an updated schedule as early as today, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t yet public. Airbus is able to set a new timetable after resolving the issue that grounded the aircraft for two months, two of the people said.
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09/01/2012
The military may be shifting its focus to the Pacific, but even with that new direction and Hawaii’s strategic location, the Pentagon has no plans to base F-35 Joint Strike Fighters here.
One source familiar with all the aircraft-related work at Marine Corps Base Hawaii told me they heard the base could get the aircraft. But the Marines at the Pentagon said there are no plans to put the aircraft in Hawaii.
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