January, 2013 Military Aviation News
01/31/2013
The Air Force’s 31st Fighter Wing launched at least two F-16 Fighting Falcons on Wednesday to join the search for one of its pilots missing since late Monday, according to wing officials.
Officials did not say how many of their fighters would ultimately join in the effort, citing security reasons. The fighters join Italian and U.S. aircraft and ships searching for Capt. Lucas Gruenther, the wing’s chief of flight safety, whose F-16 disappeared over the Adriatic during a night training mission.
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01/31/2013
The unit, No 1 (Fighter) Squadron, which was reformed just 4 months ago at RAF Leuchars in Scotland, is now home to the 100th Typhoon to enter service. Officer Commanding No 1 (Fighter) Squadron, Wing Commander Mark Flewin, said: There can be no better example of the strides we are taking with regard to growing the Typhoon Force than the stand-up of 1 (Fighter) Squadron - we reformed as a Typhoon unit in September last year.
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01/31/2013
A six-plane detachment of F/A-18A+ Hornets from Fighter Squadron Composite (VFC) 12, along with a six-plane detachment operated by Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC), a two-plane detachment from L-3, and a two-plane detachment from Phoenix Air are operating from NAS Jacksonville to provide “adversary threat training” for the Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Strike Group that is currently underway in the Atlantic for its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX).
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01/31/2013
The future of warfare has arrived: airplane-mounted laser weapons. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced that the 150-kilowatt lasers would be 10 times smaller and lighter than existing lasers that fire comparably powerful beams– small and light enough to be mounted on fighter jets.
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01/31/2013
The Philippines will buy 12 South Korean FA-50 fighter jets to strengthen its poorly armed military, government spokesmen said Jan. 30 amid increasing maritime tensions with China.
The FA-50s will be the first fighter jets to be operated by the Philippine air force since it retired the last of its U.S.-designed F-5 fighters in 2005, said President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman, Edwin Lacierda.
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01/31/2013
Syrian army command denies earlier reports that IAF planes had struck a convoy carrying weapons from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon; claims 2 people were killed and five wounded in the attack on the site in Jamraya. Israeli warplanes attacked a military research center in Damascus province at dawn on Wednesday, Syria's military command said, denying reports that the planes had struck a convoy carrying weapons from Syria to Lebanon.
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01/31/2013
Assembly of the 100th Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is well underway at the F-35 production facility here. F-35 technicians are in the final phase of building the wings that will be installed on the 100th aircraft known as AF-41. AF-41, a conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant, is one of 88 F-35s in various stages of completion on Lockheed Martin production lines Fort Worth and Marietta, Ga., and supplier locations across the world.
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01/31/2013
Russia’s Supreme Court threw out a petition by a group of residents in the Central Russian city of Voronezh to close a military airbase, the city legislature said on Wednesday. The petition, filed in 2011, urged the Defense Ministry to remove the airbase called Baltimore from the city boundaries.
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01/31/2013
Russia and Kazakhstan signed a deal on Wednesday to create a joint regional air defense system, Kazakhstan's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. “This document will create a platform to secure the defense of Kazakhstan’s airspace and Russia’s adjacent territory,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
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01/31/2013
Israel conducted an airstrike inside Syria overnight near the border with Lebanon, hitting a convoy of trucks, US and regional officials said Wednesday. The regional officials said Israel had been planning in the days leading up to the airstrike to hit a shipment of weapons bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon. They said the shipment included sophisticated, Russian-made SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles, which would be strategically "game-changing" in the hands of Hezbollah.
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01/30/2013
A prototype Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A (also known as the Il-476) heavy-lift transport plane completed its first prolonged test flight on Tuesday, its manufacturer Aviastar said. The flight, which lasted four hours and 25 minutes at altitudes of up to 10,000 meters (33,000 feet), was designed to assess the performance of its onboard avionics, engines, automated control system, and other characteristics, Ulyanovsk-based Aviastar said.
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01/30/2013
The acceptance test campaign of Anka Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAV System, which was designed and developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), was successfully completed with the last test flights held between January 20-22 2013.
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01/30/2013
Alenia Aermacchi's upgraded turboprop – the SF-260TP primary and basic trainer- now equipped with a glass cockpit, an enhanced multi-spectral vision system and an upgraded air conditioning system has completed its first flight in Venegono, Italy.
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01/30/2013
Thales has achieved delivery of the first of three maritime surveillance aircraft under the Meltem II programme for Turkey. This aircraft will be operated by the Turkish Coast Guard from Izmir Air Base. Pierre Eric Pommellet, Senior Vice-President of Thales Group, officially handed over the aircraft at a ceremony held at the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI) facility in Ankara.
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01/29/2013
Amid a cloud of uncertainty over how the Air Force’s next-generation trainer jet program will be funded, the service is beginning to tell competitors about the aircraft’s requirements. For three days starting Tuesday, industry will descend on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, for a series of meetings with Air Force officials. “It’s a program that needs to happen, and it is by no means clear how to fund it,” said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group, Fairfax, Va.
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01/29/2013
In the last few days, several nations have joined the large coalition supporting France in the Mali Air War with an overall Order of Battle currently including assets from some African air forces as well.
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01/29/2013
A senior Chinese military scientist has ended years of secrecy on a key type of surveillance aircraft mastered by China, exposing details on the domestic research and manufacture of "airborne early warning and control" (AEWC) systems. Wang Xiaomo, 74, regarded as the "father" of AEWC in China, said that the country has developed a complete AEWC aircraft series with its own technology, the People's Daily reported on Monday.
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01/29/2013
U.S. military officials are coordinating search and rescue efforts with Italian military and civilian teams following the loss of communication with an Aviano F-16 fighter jet Monday evening. The aircraft, assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing, was performing a training mission over the Adriatic Sea when the base lost contact with the pilot at approximately 8 p.m. Soon after, Italian aircraft and ships were dispatched to the missing jet's last known location.
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01/29/2013
The US military plans to set up a base for drones in northwest Africa to bolster surveillance of al-Qaida's affiliate in the region as well as allied Islamist extremists, a US official told AFP on Monday. The base for the robotic, unmanned aircraft would likely be located in Niger, on the eastern border of Mali, where French forces are currently waging a campaign against al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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01/29/2013
China’s new heavy-lift transport aircraft and a successful missile interception test are key steps in expanding the strength and reach of its armed forces, analysts and state media said Monday. The Y-20, China’s biggest home-produced military transport jet to date, took to the skies for its maiden flight on Saturday in the northwest of the country, just months after Beijing’s first aircraft carrier entered service.
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01/29/2013
A search in underway for a US F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet that has gone missing on a training flight off the coast of Italy, the ANSA news agency reported. The headquarters of the US 31st Fighter Wing, stationed at Aviano Air Base in Italy, lost contact with the aircraft at about 20:00 local time [21:00 GMT] on Monday, shortly after the pilot reported a problem, ANSA said.
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01/29/2013
Russia’s Defense Ministry is planning to buy seven multirole AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters for 630 million rubles (about $20 million) this year, the Federal Agency for Arms Procurements said Monday. “An open tender will be announced in February,” it said. Russia started making AW139s at the HeliVert plant last year.
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01/29/2013
The French Air Force will take over from Denmark the mission of policing Baltic airspace in May, the Latvian Defense Ministry said on Monday. Danish F-16 fighters will be replaced by French Mirage 2000C fighters. France has previously participated in three missions: in 2007, 2010 and 2011.
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01/28/2013
A unmanned British combat drone could be deployed in the front line of the war on terror in regions such as North Africa and the Middle East, if a forthcoming test flight in Australia is successful. The performance of the eight-ton Taranis "superdrone" will be monitored by Ministry of Defence officials, after the long-awaited flight was delayed by stringent aviation laws in the UK, and repeated technical setbacks.
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01/28/2013
It is named after the Celtic god of thunder, can fly faster than the speed of sound and evades enemy radar with its single-wing stealth design. This is Taranis, Britain’s latest pilotless combat aircraft, which is even capable of selecting its own targets. The revolutionary superdrone is due to make its maiden flight in the next few weeks and could spearhead the fight against terrorism in Africa.
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01/28/2013
Australia will almost certainly be forced to buy 24 new Super Hornet fighter planes for about $2 billion to plug a looming gap in its air defences caused by delays in the purchase of the cutting-edge Joint Strike Fighter. According to a leaked draft of the 2013 defence white paper, Australia will take delivery of just two Lockheed Martin JSFs by 2020, indicating the government will need to buy a batch of rival Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets.
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01/28/2013
The Self-Defense Forces have been keeping around-the-clock surveillance over airspace around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, dispatching radar-equipped aircraft in a bid to prevent intrusions by Chinese airplanes. Air Self-Defense Force aircraft were dispatched to Okinawa Prefecture after a Chinese airplane intruded into Japanese airspace on Dec. 13, when the ASDF failed to promptly scramble fighters as a ground radar in the area was unable to detect the low-flying plane.
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01/28/2013
China successfully tested a locally- built freight plane, two months after the debut of its fighter jet, boosting the nation’s efforts to use homegrown technology to expand defense capacity. The Yun-20, which had its maiden flight yesterday, can take a maximum load of 66 tons and is suited for long-distance transportation, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The plane will aid the armed forces and will help deliver disaster relief and humanitarian aid, according to the report.
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01/27/2013
China began test flights Saturday for the prototype of its first indigenously-developed heavy transport aircraft, Y-20, a craft similar in size to the Russian IL-76 and somewhat smaller than the U.S. C-17. The plane took off at around 2:00pm from an airport in Yanliang, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, according to CCTV News.
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01/27/2013
The U.S. Air Force is trying to turn the targeting pods carried by some of its legacy fighters and the B-1 Lancer bomber, into flying wireless routers that would allow ground troops to communicate each other. Tested by the 40th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, on an A-10 Warthog, the flying router is a software upgrade called Net-T (network tactical) for the Litening II and Sniper advanced targeting pods.
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01/27/2013
The U.S. Air Force delivered on its promise to Paris by delivering French troops via airlift to Bamako, Mali, Jan. 21. The first C-17 Globemaster III from Dover Air Force Base, Del., took off from here and landed in Bamako Monday afternoon and delivered more than 80,000 pounds of equipment and dozens of French soldiers.
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01/27/2013
This year’s Republic Day parade in New Delhi, a traditional showcase for India’s defence arsenal, featured an unusually large number of brand new military systems. At the very start four brand new Mi-17V5 helicopters flew past carrying the national flag, and these were followed by several other systems that were making their debut before the public.
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01/27/2013
A questionnaire meant to gauge what options exist to replace the air force's aging CF-18 fighters has landed on the desks of aerospace companies in North America and Europe. The 15-page survey is considered the first step in evaluating whether the Conservative government should bail out of its planned and controversial F-35 stealth fighter deal with U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin.
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01/26/2013
A document obtained by SPIEGEL ONLINE indicates the German government is preparing to procure armed drones for foreign combat. Opposition politicians are outraged by the development and note that the use of weapons-equipped unmanned aircraft is legally dubious and possibly unethical.
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01/26/2013
ALH, LCH and Rudra (Mk 4 WSI) will be on flying display. Scale models of Light Utility Helicopter, Hawk, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and Su-30 will also be on display. HAL’s strength in design, development and production will be showcased through its products at the up-com-ing Aero-India 2013. The major attr-actions of the HAL’s pavilion will include in-house designs like Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), ‘Rudra’ the weaponised Advance Light Helicopter (ALH) and Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT).
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01/26/2013
Against the backdrop of a spike in tensions with India, the Pakistani military is conducting a combat exercise involving fighter jets and ground troops with a top General saying the armed forces were "well prepared" to defend the country's sovereignty and integrity. The Pakistan Air Force is conducting the 'Saffron Bandit' exercise with elements from the Army Aviation and Army Air Defence.
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01/26/2013
Japanese fighter jets scrambled against Chinese aircraft 91 times from October to December, a sharp increase from the previous quarter that reflects increased tension following the nationalization of three Senkaku Islands. The Air Self-Defense Force scrambled 140 times in the three-month period against foreign military and nonmilitary aircraft that could have intruded into national airspace, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.
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01/26/2013
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter promises a military future for Cherry Point air station as it replaces older Marine Corps aircraft, but it already has a growing impact for North Carolina’s civilian economy. Tom Burbage, of JSF developer and manufacturer Lockheed-Martin, said in an interview Friday in New Bern that Fleet Readiness Center East has a “field team (that) is doing modifications on one of the operations of the aircraft at Yuma (Ariz.) as we speak.”
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01/26/2013
After two and a half years of political dogfighting on and off Parliament Hill, the federal government rebooted its procurement of new fighter jets on Dec. 12, potentially opening the door to aircraft other than its preferred Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. A week earlier, rumours had exploded that the proposed acquisition of the conventional “A” variant of the F-35 had been scrapped.
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01/26/2013
Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod’s new fixed wing aircraft, the HC-144 Ocean Sentry, is fully operational and replaced the HU-25 Falcon on Jan. 24, 2013. The HU-25 Falcon has been the primary fixed-wing aircraft for more than 30 years providing search and rescue, law enforcement, medical transportation and other services to the Northeast. The HU-25 Falcon will be officially retired from Air Station Cape Cod later this year.
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01/26/2013
MacDill Air Force Base has changed procedures in its air traffic control tower after an Air Force cargo plane carrying the commander of military operations in the Middle East and South Asia landed at the wrong airport last July. Though an Air Force investigation took the flight crew to task, Marine Gen. James Mattis and everyone else on board made it off safely.
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01/26/2013
The Novosibirsk aircraft plant, part of the Sukhoi holding, delivered five multirole Su-34 strike aircraft to the Russian Air Force on Friday, the manufacturer said. The jets will make a nonstop ferry flight from Novosibirsk to an air base in Voronezh, southwest Russia, a distance of over 3,000 kilometers (1,800 miles).
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01/25/2013
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has completed painting the first of two Tunisian Air Force C-130J-30 Super Hercules. Tunisia currently operates a fleet of C-130Hs and C-130Bs, first purchased in the mid-1980s. The new C-130Js will support Tunisian operations across the mission spectrum, including relief efforts around the world, firefighting and traditional airlift sorties. The first aircraft is due for delivery later this year.
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01/25/2013
The fighters from Sweden flew into town a few days ago, landing at Nellis Air Force Base after a 15-hour journey across the Atlantic, the American heartland and, finally, darting down from above the Rockies. With the help of state-of-the-art U.S. Air Force KC-10 air tankers, each of the eight Saab JAS-39 Gripen (pronounced "Gree-pen") fighter jets refueled a dozen times to make it to Nellis for this week's Red Flag air combat training exercise.
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01/25/2013
“Once bitten, twice shy” appears to mean nothing to Moscow in doing business with Beijing.
Russia was badly burned by China a decade ago after an agreement to build the Sukhoi Su-27/J-11A in China ended up being reverse-engineered by Shenyang Aircraft Corp. as the J-11B fighter. China’s decision to ignore intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the Su-27 deal ended further production of the fighter in 2004.
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01/25/2013
The fallout from the Conservative government’s F-35 purchase is being blamed for yet another military equipment project going off the rails. Public Works and Government Services Canada rejected all the bids from companies for a project to outfit soldiers with a futuristic system of sensors that would better allow them to communicate and find their way on the battlefield.
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01/25/2013
The Russian Air Force has decided to go back to pattern type camouflage paint jobs on its combat aircraft. The recently resigned defense minister had ordered all combat aircraft to be painted one of several shades of gray. This saved money because the aircraft did not have to be repainted to a different camouflage pattern if it was transferred to another part of the country.
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01/25/2013
China is unlikely to use the KJ-2000 or KJ-200 as airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft on its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, due to weight, size, and other factors. The Liaoning needs a type of medium-sized AEW aircraft that do not occupy much space, military expert Du Wenlong said in an interview with China Central Television on January 19.
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01/25/2013
French warplanes destroyed two Islamist bases in northern Mali as a leading Al-Qaeda-linked group in the region split Thursday, with the breakaway group saying it wanted talks to end the French-led offensive against the militants. The bombing raids overnight targeted Ansongo, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the town of Gao and extremist bases in the nearby village of the Seyna Sonrai, a Malian military source said on condition of anonymity.
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01/25/2013
Japan scrambled fighter jets against Chinese planes far more frequently in the last quarter of 2012, underscoring growing concerns that the territorial dispute between the two nations is escalating into more dangerous tensions in the sky. The increase shows Tokyo is responding aggressively to Chinese planes entering areas inside and outside of what Japan considers its airspace over the East China Sea.
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01/25/2013
Typhoon fighter jets have been scrambled to intercept Russian military planes almost 30 times in the past three years, the Government said tonight. RAF Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) aircraft were launched eight times last year, 10 times in 2011 and 11 times in 2010 after Russian military aircraft approached or entered the Nato air policing airspace which the United Kingdom patrols.
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01/25/2013
Four private companies are interested in the purchase of eight unused L-159 fighters from the Czech military, daily Lidove noviny (LN) writes Wednesday. A special Defence Ministry commission will secretly assess and evaluate their bids Wednesday, LN writes. The Czech Aero Vodochody aviation technology maker can be expected to have the biggest chances, it adds.
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01/25/2013
Canada is extending its air support for the military intervention to drive al-Qaeda’s regional affiliate and its allies from Mali. The Canadian government will contribute its heavy-lift C-17 transport plane for more than three additional weeks, Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced Thursday.
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01/24/2013
Throughout January of this year, the Russian navy has been running drills in the Mediterranean Sea, and not just with one or two fleets, as before. This time, all four fleets are out at once: the Northern, Baltic, Black Sea, and Pacific. Even before the New Year, it was known that Russian ships from Severomorsk, Baltiisk, Sevastopol, and Vladivostok were bound for the Eastern Mediterranean.
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01/24/2013
Prince Harry returned to Britain earlier today after a 20-week deployment in Afghanistan, landing on a military plane in light snow at the Brize Norton military airbase northwest of London. He had already been in the spotlight for comments made public several days ago in which he asserted that he had targeted Taleban fighters from the cockpit of his Apache attack helicopter.
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01/24/2013
For the first time since the beginning of the bi-annual Aero India, the Indian Air Force’s daredevil Surya Kirans will be sorely missed over Bengaluru’s skies. This February, when the ninth edition of India’s aviation show gets off the ground at the Yelahanka Air Force Station, it won’t be the now-familiar red-painted Kiran Mk II trainers that will perform the show’s most scintillating manouvres, but the little-known Russian Knights.
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01/24/2013
Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Strike Group (HSTSG) began its composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) after departing Naval Station Norfolk Jan. 14.??COMPTUEX is a series of training scenarios designed to certify HSTSG as a deployment-ready fighting force capable of completing operations in overseas theaters.
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01/24/2013
The U.S. Defense Department plans to lift its ban on women serving in direct combat roles, opening hundreds of thousands of military jobs to them for the first time. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta made the decision on the recommendation of the military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to a defense official, who asked not to be identified in advance of a planned announcement.
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01/24/2013
China is to purchase Tupolev Tu-22M3 bombers through a contract with the Russian Federation for 36 aircraft. The agreement calls for 12 bombers to be delivered first and the other 24 coming in a second tranche.
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01/24/2013
Canada is considering deploying a second aircraft to support the mission in Mali, CBC News has learned, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper indicated he'd like to see a "broad consensus" across Canada about any help for the country. The mission could last for months, sources tell the CBC's James Cudmore. But, they caution, the most pressing moments for the nascent international force in Mali are during these early days of the operation — and that's where Canada's efforts will likely be focused.
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01/24/2013
The second Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, known as AF-1, joined the 500 flight hour club recently during its 272nd flight. It joins AF-2 which passed the milestone June 26, 2012. The conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) fighter began flight operations when it made its inaugural flight Nov. 14, 2009.
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01/24/2013
Boeing on Jan. 22 delivered - on schedule -- the first of 10 C-17 Globemaster III airlifters for the Indian Air Force (IAF). India's first C-17 will now enter a U.S. Air Force flight test program at Edwards Air Force Base in Palmdale, Calif. Boeing is on track to deliver four more C-17s to the IAF this year and five in 2014. "The C-17 met the stipulated airlift requirements of the Indian Air Force when it flew field evaluation trials in India during June 2010," said Air Commodore Sanjay Nimesh.
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01/23/2013
India has completed a deal for 99 General Electric F414 engines, the powerplant for the planned Hindustan Aeronautics Tejas Mk II Light Combat Aircraft. In a call with Flightglobal, an industry source close to the 99 engine deal confirmed that it has been completed. Indian media reports peg the value of the deal at Indian rupees (Rs) 30 billion ($560 million).
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01/23/2013
This year – 2013 – must be a promising year for the Philippine Air Force (PAF)! It really must be so, because good things happened to its advantage as the new year was about to break.
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01/23/2013
Laser experts at Lockheed Martin Corp. will move forward with flight tests of a futuristic laser weapon system designed to protect combat aircraft against attacks from the rear under terms of $9.5 million contract modification awarded this month from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va.
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01/23/2013
The Kremlin’s evacuation of Russians from Syria on Tuesday marks a turning point in its view of the civil war, representing increasing doubts about Bashar Assad’s hold on power and a sober understanding that it has to start rescue efforts before it becomes too late. The operation has been relatively small-scale, involving under 100 people, mostly women and children — but it marks the beginning of what could soon turn into a risky and challenging operation.
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01/23/2013
A small number of UK special forces soldiers are already on the ground in Mali helping to co-ordinate and advise the French military effort against the jihadi groups in the north. They are part of a team of British military and MI6 personnel in the country who are providing support to French commanders. None of the special forces soldiers are being deployed in a combat role, sources insisted.
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01/23/2013
France says there are now about 1,000 African troops in Mali to take part in the military intervention to dislodge Islamic militants from power. Col. Thierry Burkhard, the French military spokesman, says the soldiers come from Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Niger and Chad. France has 2,150 forces in Mali, and has received logistical support from Western allies and intelligence from the United States.
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01/23/2013
Japan is quietly developing an array of "formidable" defensive and offensive military capabilities within easy reach of the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, according to an analysis by Jane's Defence Weekly.
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01/23/2013
Four F-16 fighter jets left the U.S. this morning, bound for Egypt as part of a foreign aid package critics say should have been scrapped when the nation elected a president who has called President Obama a liar and urged that hatred of Jews be instilled in children. A source who works on the Naval Air Force Base in Dallas confirmed the departure of the state-of-the-art fighter planes to FoxNews.com.
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01/23/2013
The U.S. military has flown five C-17 cargo sorties into the Malian capital to help bring a French mechanized infantry unit into the fight against al Qaeda-affiliated militants in the north of the country, Pentagon officials said on Tuesday. A small group of U.S. military troops, including two communications personnel, have been on the ground at the airport at Bamako temporarily to help coordinate the logistics for the C-17 flights, a military official said.
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01/23/2013
For the first time, two Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35C Lightning II carrier variant test aircraft refueled together with a Lockheed Martin KC-130 Hercules in the sky above Patuxent River, Md. recently. The CV aircraft, known as CF-1 and CF-2, completed the milestone as part of an F-35 flight test program that will accomplish more than 1,000 flights in 2013. Later this year, Eglin AFB, Fla., will receive its first CV aircraft joining the F-35 pilot and maintainer training program there.
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01/22/2013
Prince Harry's second deployment in Afghanistan has come to an end. The third-in-the-line to the throne is on his way home, the Ministry of Defense confirmed today (Monday), CNN reports. In an interview with pool reporters on his flight back to the UK, the Apache helicopter pilot confirmed he had killed Taliban during his four month deployment. "(We) take a life to save a life. That's what we revolve around, I suppose," Captain Wales, as he's known in the military, is quoted as saying.
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01/22/2013
The aircraft, which is now being used for training by Indian naval personnel in coordination with the US Navy in the US, has the latest radars, electronic warfare systems, and weapons to kill hostile submarines, several of which lurk underwater in the Arabia Sea and Bay of Bengal around the Indian coast.
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01/22/2013
Top military officials yesterday claimed that the just concluded defence purchase deal with Russia on state credit of $1 billion was done by following all existing rules and procedures of the country as well as maintaining the highest level of transparency. “The equipment to be purchased are highly essential for enhancing capability of the armed forces. The interest rate of the loan is 4.5 percent and will be paid in 20 instalments in next 15 years.
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01/22/2013
General Dynamics and Alenia Aermacchi, a Finmeccanica company, announced today the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) to join forces and compete for the U.S. Air Force's T-X trainer program, which will replace aging T-38 trainer jets and related training systems.
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01/22/2013
India will not seek overseas help in setting up the production line for its homegrown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program, as state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) has told the Indian Defence Ministry that it will build the assembly line by itself, according to a HAL spokesman. The remarks are in contrast to media reports here that said HAL had approached overseas aircraft manufacturers, including Eurofighter of Germany, to help build the assembly line for the LCA.
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01/22/2013
The Defence Ministry today suggested that the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd would be the lead integrator for producing 108 multi-role combat aircraft in the country after French firm Dassault Aviation sought to play a bigger role in the multi-billion dollar project. "The role of HAL is already defined in the Request for Proposal for the MMRCA project.
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01/22/2013
The man who for seven years oversaw billions of dollars in military contracts and purchasing is defending the way he and his Defence Department staff managed the F-35 stealth fighter program. In his first interview since retiring from the public service on Jan. 2, Dan Ross, the former assistant deputy minister of defence materiel, blames the Harper government’s culture of secrecy, and a lack of accountability at all levels of government, for the project having run so disastrously off the runway.
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01/22/2013
With or without sequestration, the Pentagon still has a big budget problem. Its efforts to comply with the 2011 stipulations of the Budget Control Act are unlikely to succeed fully. It has not cut enough weapons or forces to be confident that the budget ceilings imposed on it by that legislation can be respected.
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01/22/2013
The ninth edition of Aero India, a biennial air show, will be held from February 6 to 10 at the Yelahanka Air Force station in Bangalore, with over 53 civil and military aircraft from leading manufacturers and suppliers across the globe participating in the premier air show of Asia. “I hope it will be bigger show compared to earlier editions.
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01/22/2013
Russia sold a record $15.16 billion worth of weaponry in 2012 while expanding its foreign client list, the Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service (FSMTC) reported on Monday.
“The volume of arms exports has reached $15.16 billion, according to preliminary calculations…which means that our plans have been fulfilled by 111.8 percent,” FSMTC chief Alexander Fomin told a government meeting on state defense contracts.
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01/21/2013
A news spokesman of the Ministry of National Defence (MND) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) confirmed at the regular press conference of the MND held on December 27, 2012 that "China is independently developing its large transport aircraft to strengthen the building of air transport capability".
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01/21/2013
Who is behind the terrorist group which attacked the BP -Statoil-Sonatrach In Amenas Gas Field located directly on the Libyan border in south eastern Algeria? (see map below) The operation was coordinated by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, leader of the Al Qaeda affiliated Islamist al-Mulathameen (Masked) Brigade, or “Those who Sign with Blood.”
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01/21/2013
No doubt you've seen them overhead. Or, at the very least, heard them. Strike Fighter Squadron 106 (VFA-106), also known as the Gladiators, are busy right now training the best fighter pilots of the Navy and Marines for war. Facing the Gladiators in the air is one of the last training regimes in a pipeline of challenges facing the country's best aviators.
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01/21/2013
Amid rising tensions with Japan over disputed islands, Chinese army in a bid to scale up battle readiness has ordered its armed helicopters to shift focus from logistic missions and gear up for combat operations. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) planned to change the training strategy of its army aviation unit as more and more armed helicopters joined the service, PLA Daily which is the official newspaper of the military quoted an army aviation unit as saying.
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01/21/2013
India has finalized an agreement for 99 GE 414 engines to power its indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). This is the first, and significant, engine contract for GE Aviation to power fighter jets for India and the LCA will be the first combat aircraft in the inventory of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy with engines from the US. Both services have US-made transport aircraft though and all the three US engine majors, GE, Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney have supplied power units for them
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01/21/2013
Launched on Jan. 11, 2013, at the request of the Malian authorities and the United Nations to help the local army stop the advance of rebel groups towards southern Mali, the French military campaign in West Africa, dubbed “Operation Serval” kicked off with a raid performed by attack helicopters to stop the progression of a column of jihadist elements enroute to Konna, near Mopti in the center of the country.
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01/21/2013
F-35B aircraft under evaluation were grounded Friday after a fuel line part failed and caused a Wednesday testing takeoff to be aborted. The Pentagon’s official “red stripe” suspends flight operations until an engineering investigation is complete for the short take off and vertical landing version of the plane being developed to replace most Marine Corps aircraft.
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01/21/2013
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Moscow has offered its help to Paris in transporting French troops and supplies to crisis-hit Mali. "The Russians have proposed to provide means of transport for the French," Fabius said in the interview with Europe 1 radio on Sunday. The Russian Foreign Ministry has not made official comment on the statement, which was made following Saturday’s phone conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his French counterpart.
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01/20/2013
Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in continuation of its forces deployment to Mali has sent two Alpha Jets to strengthen the ECOWAS intervention force battling extremist rebel forces in Mali's northern flank. The fighter jets, which was authorized for combat operation by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, took off yesterday from the domestic wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
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01/20/2013
Since 1953, no enemy aircraft has fired on American ground troop service members, according to Lt. Col. Lance A. Wilkins. That airspace superiority is due to testing completed in conditions that are safe and controlled but as close to combat as possible, said Wilkins, commander of the 82nd Aerial Target Squadron on Tyndall Air Force Base. He said they are doing their part to continue that tradition.
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01/20/2013
Over the past year, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been increasingly assertive regarding its various maritime claims—both in the South China Sea with various Southeast Asian states, as well as in the East China Sea—with America’s Japanese ally. Part of this effort has seen a larger, more constant Chinese presence in the areas around the Senkaku Islands.
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01/20/2013
Several Western and African nations are supplying transport and combat aircraft in support of the operation to free Mali from Islamist rebels, including Canada, the UK and Nigeria. The Nigerian Air Force’s Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Barde, on Wednesday said that the Nigerian Air Force would start deploying aircraft to Mali in order to assist the country contain Islamist fighters. “As I speak to you now, our airplanes have arrived in Port Harcourt,” he said.
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01/20/2013
Russia has started the largest naval exercises in the past few decades in the Mediterranean and Black Seas as a civil war in Syria continues to gain momentum. The drills involve task forces from Russia’s Black Sea, Northern and Baltic fleets, strategic bombers, tactical aircraft, air defense units, paratroopers and naval infantry.
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01/19/2013
It's been a promising week for Saab of Sweden – the Swedish government decided to buy its Gripen fighters and the Swiss moved closer to doing so. The decision to purchase 60 JAS 39E aircraft was made announced by Swedish Minster of Defense Karin Enstrom after the deal received strong approval in the Riksdag, Sweden's parliament.
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01/19/2013
She gave an interview about the results of Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Russia. “The decision to receive a loan of one billion dollars from Russia for the purchase of new Russian military equipment is important for us”, Dipu Moni noted.
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01/19/2013
Aviation aficionados are set to miss the sonic boom of fighter jets as transport aircraft, helicopters, trainers and UAVs (unmanned air vehicles) will steal the show during “Aero India 2013” commencing at Air Force Station Yelahanka on February 6.
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01/19/2013
As French military forces continue to battle extremist rebels in Mali, the U.S. will send American military aircraft to assist, reports NBC News. Citing an anonymous U.S. defense official, the station reports that American military aircraft including two KC-130 Hercules planes based in Sigonella, Italy, and an assortment of C-17 Globemaster III and C-5 Galaxy aircraft will deploy from the states.
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01/19/2013
Kazakhstan has taken delivery of the first two C295 transport aircraft that it ordered last year, marking Airbus Military´s entry into the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) regional market. The aircraft, the first two on firm contract and a further six on options to be progressively confirmed in the coming years, were formally handed over in Sevilla before the ferry flights, via Astana, to Almaty, where they will be based.
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01/19/2013
Spain will contribute to the French-led European Union operation against Islamist militants in Mali by dispatching a Hercules military transport aircraft and as many as 50 military trainers, Defense Minister Pedro Morenes said Friday. At the same time Spain, which will not send combat troops to Mali, agreed to open its airspace to EU and NATO aircraft involved in operations there, Morenes said.
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01/19/2013
Airbus Military is in talks to provide troop-transport aircraft to the Afghan National Army in the wake of a Pentagon decision to scrap a contract to use planes built by Finmeccanica SpA. (FNC) The discussions involve provision of CN235s and larger C295s aircraft, Domingo Urena-Raso, the Airbus Military chief executive officer, said in an interview. The Airbus SAS unit is targeting 30 new orders this year, he said in Toulouse in souther France yesterday.
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01/19/2013
The action in the skies over the East China Sea started simply enough. Last week, the Chinese government sent a civilian surveillance plane, a twin propeller aircraft, to fly near the uninhabited islands at the heart of a growing feud between China and Japan. Tokyo, in response, ordered F-15 fighter jets to take a look at what it considered Chinese meddling. The Chinese then sent their own fighters.
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01/19/2013
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., and Boeing signed a teaming agreement on Jan. 13 to submit a joint proposal in response to the U.S. Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate solicitation for the Army's Joint Multi-Role (JMR) Technology Demonstrator (TD) Phase 1 program.
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01/19/2013
Northrop Grumman and Abu Dhabi's Higher College of Technology have launched the 2013 Innovation Challenge unmanned aircraft competition. The event, which is open to the public as spectators, will be held April 23-24 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
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01/18/2013
General Dynamics and Alenia Aermacchi, a Finmeccanica company, announced today the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) to join forces and compete for the U.S. Air Force’s T-X trainer program, which will replace aging T-38 trainer jets and related training systems. The agreement leverages General Dynamics’ legacy of successfully integrating and delivering large, complex systems to the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy and other government customers.
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01/18/2013
India could buy up to 189 of the Rafale fighter jets currently being used by France to bomb Islamist militants in Mali, sources close to negotiations on the multi-billion dollar deal have told AFP.The possibility of an additional 63 jets being added to an expected order for 126 was raised during a visit by India's Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid to Paris last week, they said.
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01/18/2013
Sweden's government has approved a proposal by the armed forces to acquire 60 Saab Gripen E combat aircraft, delivering a major boost for the developmental version of the manufacturer's flagship product. Confirmed on 17 January, the decision to field the new aircraft from 2018 is also of significance to the Swiss government, which last year signed a framework agreement with its Swedish counterpart to jointly advance the E-model programme.
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01/18/2013
Canada's C-17 heavy-lift military transport plane touched down on Malian soil for the first time Thursday carrying a French military armoured vehicle among other equipment. The aircraft departed Le Tube, France, and landed in Bamako, Mali's capital, arriving at 10 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET). Jay Paxton, spokesman for Defence Minister Peter MacKay, said the aircraft also carried 900 kilograms of batteries.
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01/18/2013
The weather outside the cockpit looked frightful for CH-47 Chinook pilots, Capt. Ron Braasch and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ryan Drouin as they approached Simmons Army Airfield, Jan 10. Once they had safely landed and logged their flight hours, the two 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade aviators stepped into the parking lot where the weather was bright and sunny — a far cry from the fog, rain, snow and ice they encountered during their flight.
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01/18/2013
The Kazakh Air Force fleet is being replenished with new generation aircraft for the first time during the 20-year history of independent Kazakhstan, the defence ministry said today. 'Today, Astana's air base has received two C-295 aircraft from the European aviation group Airbus from Spain', the report says. According to the Defence Ministry's information, the Kazakh Air Force fleet will be replenished with eight C-295 aircraft up till late 2018.
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01/18/2013
The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus said Jan. 17 that it was on track to deliver its badly needed new A400M transport plane to the French air force in the second quarter of this year, after its latest problems with engines were resolved.
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01/18/2013
Lockheed Martin has received a $90.6 million Performance Based Logistics (PBL) contract from the U.S. Army for sustainment of the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) system. The firm, fixed price contract provides a comprehensive sustainment solution that enables mission readiness, reduces operation and support costs, and drives reliability and maintainability improvements.
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01/18/2013
Russia's prototype fifth-generation Sukhoi T-50 fighter jet has carried out its first long-range flight during the transfer from a manufacturing plant in Russia’s Far East to an assigned airfield near Moscow, deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday. “It is a serious breakthrough! The plane flew 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles), making two landings, in Abakan and Chelyabinsk, on the way to the Russian capital.
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01/18/2013
The United States and Kyrgyzstan are continuing talks on the future of a US military transit center at Manas international airport, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake said on Thursday. “We are currently discussing the future of the Transit Center in Manas, but I would rather not speculate on the possible outcome of these discussions,” Blake, who arrived in Bishkek to attend bilateral Kyrgyz-US consultations, told reporters.
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01/17/2013
Marine Forces Reserve has never had a V-22 Osprey squadron—until now. Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 764 (HMM-764) transitioned into the Reserve’s first Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM-764) during a three-part ceremony here Jan 12, 2013. “It was kind of one big last event to say goodbye,” said Lt. Col David A. Weinstein, commanding officer of VMM-764.
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01/17/2013
The aircraft, which is now being used for training by Indian naval personnel in coordination with the US Navy in the US, has the latest radars, electronic warfare systems, and weapons to kill hostile submarines, several of which lurk underwater in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal around the Indian coast.
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01/17/2013
Last September, U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, the then incoming director of the troubled F-35 program, said that he was not optimistic that all the program's current problems—especially those related to software, which has long been a sore point (pdf)—would be fixed in time to meet the services’ planned initial operational capabilities, beginning with the Marine Cops in about 2 years.
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01/17/2013
Germany's defence minister said Wednesday the country will send two military aircraft to help transport African troops to aid in the international effort to drive back al-Qaida-linked insurgents in Mali — a deployment the head of a multi-nation West African regional group said he hoped could "go quickly."
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01/17/2013
Japan may station military equipment on islands near an archipelago at the center of a dispute with China, officials said Jan. 16, after a number of airborne near-confrontations. The defense ministry will ask for money in the next fiscal year to study the idea of putting mobile radars and communication systems on islands near the Japan-controlled Senkakus, which Beijing calls the Diaoyus, a defense spokesman said.
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01/17/2013
Imagine a flying machine equipped with bombs and missiles, navigating the skies stealthily without human control. Soon it will be a reality: the next generation of drones. Drones currently used in combat, like the Predator or Reaper, are navigated by pilots thousands of miles away. But the latest versions of the aircraft are being designed to fly autonomously and without direct human intervention, with a pilot taking charge only when it’s time to destroy a ground target.
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01/17/2013
An aviation fantasy from the realms of Star Wars, the F-35 is the most sophisticated, expensive and controversial jet fighter ever produced. Jonathan Glancey takes its flight simulator for a spin.
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01/17/2013
The Egyptian Air Force will double its C295 transport fleet following an order with Airbus Military today for six additional aircraft bringing the fleet to a total of 12 aircraft. This third batch of aircraft plus the associated spares and support equipment, training and field support are to be delivered from the end of 2013 onwards.
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01/17/2013
Following agreement between the Governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, under the Saudi British Defence Cooperation Programme, Rolls-Royce has signed a contract to provide support for engines powering the Royal Saudi Air Force fleet of Tornado combat aircraft.
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01/16/2013
Often, the acquisition of a new defense platform is discussed in terms of itself and the entire operational impact or strategic context is lost. This is the usual case with the most innovative air tanker solution to date, namely the A330MRTT. The A330MRTT deployed as a fleet can provide a significant deployable airborne infrastructure to support wide-ranging military and security operations.
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01/16/2013
Finmeccanica SpA (FNC)’s AgustaWestland has won a first export order for the AW159 Wildcat after South Korea said it would buy eight of the helicopters to strengthen its navy’s ability to combat ships and submarines.
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01/16/2013
As a result of its continued success in theater, the U.S. Navy is buying more BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) rockets. The company recently signed a $28 million full-rate production contract with options to produce more APKWS rockets for the Navy. The latest award increases the total full-rate production contract value to $69 million and extends production through 2014.
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01/16/2013
U.S. intelligence officials have warned as nation-sponsored cyber warfare goes mainstream this year, attacks on U.S. installations and institutions could result not just in damage and theft but in fatalities. They believe fatalities could occur and “that is the best estimate at this point,” said the former senior intelligence official.
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01/16/2013
At least two deadly explosions, possibly caused by airstrikes or bombs, devastated the campus of Aleppo University in Syria on Tuesday as students were taking exams, a major escalation of the violent struggle for control of the country’s largest city. The opposition and the government blamed each other for the blasts, among the worst since the Syrian conflict began nearly two years ago.
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01/16/2013
The Belgian government on Tuesday decided to deploy two C-130 Hercules transport aeroplanes and two rescue helicopters to support France's military intervention in Mali, Defence Minister Pieter De Crem told the Belga news agency. An assessment will be carried out in late February or early March to determine how long Belgium's involvement should last, De Crem said following a cabinet meeting in Brussels.
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01/16/2013
France has continued to launch air strikes against Islamist rebels in Mali as plans to deploy African troops gathered pace on Tuesday. Residents of the besieged town of Diabaly sought shelter inside their homes after a night of bombing aimed at dislodging the insurgents who seized the town on Monday. Local people told journalists they had heard explosions throughout the night, coming from the direction of the garrison town's military camp.
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01/16/2013
US and Japanese fighter jets on Tuesday carried out joint air exercises, an official said, days after Chinese and Japanese military planes shadowed each other near disputed islands in the East China Sea. The five-day exercise, off the southwest of the archipelago, involves six US FA-18 fighters and around 90 American personnel, along with four Japanese F-4 jets and an unspecified number of people, the official said.
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01/16/2013
Russia will issue a $1 billion loan to Bangladesh for purchases of Russian-made arms and military equipment, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks with Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday. “Russia…will allocate a $1 billion loan to Bangladesh for purchases of Russian arms and military equipment,” Putin said.
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01/16/2013
ST Aerospace has announced that it has secured a contract to provide the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) with a full scale maintenance and modernisation solution for three of its C130 Hercules aircraft. ST Aerospace will undertake both modernisation and maintenance work at its facility in Paya Lebar, Singapore.
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01/15/2013
The Pentagon is preparing to provide military support to French forces in their new fight against rebel militants in northern Mali, according to senior defense officials. The U.S. is considering a range of options to help, including sending cargo aircrafts to lift more French ground troops into Mali, providing air refueling tankers for French air combat patrols, and offering intelligence gleaned from aerial surveillance.
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01/15/2013
The global aerospace and defence company SAAB had organised a unique contest during Aero-India 2011, which had allowed the winning contestant the privilege of co-piloting the Gripen, Sweden’s newest multi-role jet fighter.
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01/15/2013
Despite undergoing regular test flights, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, called the Lightning II, remains vulnerable to its namesake — lightning. Additionally, attempts to lighten the JSF by 11 pounds may have left the fifth-generation stealth fighter more vulnerable than the aircraft it will replace.
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01/15/2013
Turkey has decided to delay the purchase of its first two Lockheed Martin F-35s by one year, citing technical factors and a "high cost yield". The Turkish government approved an initial two-aircraft purchase on 5 January 2012, before launching talks with Lockheed to finalise a deal. However, an order for the pair has been put on hold because the technical capabilities of the aircraft are "not at the desired level yet", the nation's Undersecretary of Defence Industries procurement agency says.
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01/15/2013
David Cameron today boasted that he had offered Britain's 'most advanced' transport plane to hep France in fighting Al Qaeda-linked militants in Mali, moments before the aircraft broke down. The Prime Minister ruled out 'army boots' on the ground but insisted it was in Britain's interests to provide two RAF C-17 Globemaster cargo planes - 'our most advanced and capable transport planes' - to the French forces.
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01/15/2013
Colombia announced Monday the purchase of another C295 airplane, intended for troop transport and humanitarian aid. Airbus Military, a Madrid-based subsidiary of Airbus, said the Colombian government had placed an order of six C295 transport planes, up from five a year ago, intended for the Colombian Air Force.
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01/15/2013
U.S. military fighter jets provided backup support to a failed French hostage rescue mission in Somalia, the White House announced Sunday in a rare public acknowledgment of American combat operations in the Horn of Africa. In a letter to Congress, President Obama said U.S. combat aircraft “provided limited technical support” to French forces late Friday as they attempted to rescue a French spy who had been held captive for more than three years.
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01/15/2013
Islamist militants are fleeing major towns in northern Mali after two days of air strikes by French troops, which sources say have left scores of rebels dead. French fighter jets have pounded insurgent training camps, arms and oil depots as the French defence ministry confirmed reports of Islamist deaths, together with at least 11 civilians including three children.
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01/15/2013
A Royal Canadian Air Force heavy lift transport will depart for France Tuesday morning to assist Mali’s effort against Islamist rebels in west Africa. The C-17 plane is expected to take off from Canadian Forces Base Trenton at 8 am (ET). It will be used to assist the French in transporting equipment into Bamako, the capital of Mali. About 35 Canadian Forces personnel, such as flight crew staff, will accompany the plane.
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01/15/2013
A district court in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Region has ordered the seizure of real estate from a former official found guilty of fraud involving fighter jets for Syria, according to the court’s website. Andrei Silyakov’s land plot and house qualified for confiscation because he had other places to live, the Vachsky court said on Friday without specifying the property’s value.
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01/14/2013
UAVs perform the most extensive and diversified range of missions in the aerial world. The most familiar and most frequent ones are visual intelligence missions. However, UAVs also perform many other military missions, such as escorting and monitoring operations of other elements, providing auxiliary infrastructure, scanning routes, spotting IEDs and providing communication relays. US forces even use UAVs for air strike missions.
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01/14/2013
The new 35 Squadron will be equipped with the Caribou replacement, the new C-27J Spartan transport aircraft which will start entering service from 2015. RAAF chief Air Marshal Geoff Brown said the 35 Squadron had provided combat airlift for Australian personnel in several conflicts. "The C-27J is ideally suited to continue this legacy of support for personnel deployed on combat, peacekeeping or disaster relief operations," he said in a statement on Monday.
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01/14/2013
The RAF C17 transport aircraft, which departed RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Sunday afternoon, will be loaded with French armoured vehicles and other equipment before heading on to Mali on Monday. Earlier, prime minister David Cameron agreed on a deal to support French president Francois Hollande’s intervention in Mali after France sent in forces to support the local government.
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01/14/2013
Defense spending soared in Washington state last year, even as the specter of long-anticipated budget cuts drew closer. The Pentagon steered $9.2 billion worth of work on military contracts to the Evergreen State in the 2012 budget year, up from $8.1 billion in 2011, according to records at the federal spending database usaspending.gov.
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01/14/2013
Defence chiefs have reportedly drawn up new contingency plans designed to protect the Falklands Islands from hostile action by Argentina. In March, islanders will vote on whether or not they want to remain an overseas territory of the UK. Intelligence chiefs have warned David Cameron that a resounding ‘yes’ vote could trigger an aggressive stunt from Argentina. Possibilities include planting their flag on the island or disrupting British oil and gas exploration.
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01/14/2013
Mirage 2000D fighter-bombers struck Islamist targets in northern Mali on Sunday, expanding the reach of a French military intervention, and more French ground troops flew into Bamako, the capital, for what increasingly looked like the beginning of a long campaign.
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01/13/2013
Fears of armed conflict have been raised after Japanese and Chinese warplanes tailed each other above a disputed group of uninhabited islands, officials say. Two Chinese J-10 fighter planes were ordered by Chinese military authorities to perform "verification and monitoring" Friday after Japanese F-15 fighter jets tailed a Chinese transport plane, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
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01/13/2013
A first batch of six U.S.-made AH-64E Apache attack helicopters will be delivered to Taiwan in October, with delivery for the entire purchase of 30 of the aircraft expected to be complete by July 2014, a report said yesterday. The US$20 billion deal for 30 Apache helicopters was announced by U.S. President George W. Bush in 2008, with aircraft manufacturer Boeing taking orders in October 2000, the Central News Agency said.
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01/13/2013
The battle to retake Mali's north from the al-Qaida-linked groups controlling it began in earnest Saturday, after hundreds of French forces deployed to the country and began aerial bombardments to drive back the Islamic extremists. At the same time, nations in West Africa authorized the immediate deployment of troops to Mali, fast-forwarding a military intervention that was not due to start until September.
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01/13/2013
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is planning to stage Blue Plug, its largest ever multinational exercise with at least five foreign air forces from Uvda Air Base. Many pilots and combat aircraft types are expected to participate. The exercise will include air-to-air combat and “dropping ammunition” in a low-level profile. The IAF is making arrangements for the exercise at all Israeli air bases, indicating a complex force on force air attack, counter-air, and air defense profile.
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01/13/2013
Downing Street confirmed two RAF C-17s would be made available urgently, but added that no British personnel will be deployed in a combat role. The move followed a telephone call between David Cameron, the Prime Minister, and Francois Hollande, the French President. The two transport aircraft are expected to be deployed within 24 to 48 hours.
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01/12/2013
The Russian Defense Ministry has signed a follow-on contract with Irkut for 30 more Su-30SM two-seat multirole fighters, for delivery by 2016. This deal follows one concluded in March last year, for 30 such aircraft for delivery by 2015.
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01/12/2013
The Air Force's top leaders said today the service has accomplished much while dealing with many challenges in the last year. Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III briefed members of the media here on the state of the service and its focus on the areas of force structure, readiness and modernization.
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01/12/2013
India's defense ministry reiterated that Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. will remain lead integrator for producing 108 Rafale fighters under the medium multirole combat aircraft contract.
Replacing HAL as integrator would jeopardize the procurement process carried out to secure the $15 billion deal with Dassault Aviation in France that was signed in January 2012.
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01/12/2013
Army aviation has been in the fight now for more than a decade, and as the drawdown in Afghanistan continues, commanders say it would be wise to remember the lessons learned during those years. That was the common theme of four Army aviation commanders who spoke at the Association of the U.S. Army's aviation symposium in a panel titled "Aviation in the Fight: At Home and Down Range."
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01/12/2013
Deep and long-term budget cuts could be the best thing to happen to the U.S. defense enterprise in decades. Austerity should enforce long-overdue change in the relative size and influence of air/space, land and sea forces. For the last decade of mostly land combat, the ground forces have dominated discussion of strategy, and the doctrine that no war can be won except by taking and holding ground has become a shibboleth to which all who aspire to be “joint” must pay homage.
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01/12/2013
Rebel fighters have overrun Taftanaz airbase, the largest in northern Syria, after several days of fierce combat but immediately came under fire from regime warplanes, a watchdog says.
"The fighting at Taftanaz military airport ended at (2000 AEDT Friday) and the base is entirely in rebel hands," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.
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01/12/2013
According to witnesses cited by news agencies a military aircraft carrying weapons and foreign soldiers has arrived at an army base in Sevare in central Mali, not far from the captured town of Konna. One witness at the airport reported seeing weapons and soldiers leaving a C-160 military transport aircraft.
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01/12/2013
After repeatedly flying surveillance aircraft into disputed airspace with Japan, and Tokyo scrambling F-15s in response, China's now sending fighters of its own on "routine flights" into the East China Sea. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday that Chinese military planes were on"routine flights" in relevant airspace over the East China Sea.
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01/12/2013
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Program completed 30 aircraft deliveries and achieved significant advances in flight test highlighting a year of continued progress for 2012. The 30 F-35 deliveries in 2012 included 11 Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOLs), 18 Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL) variants, and one Carrier Variant (CV). Two of the STOVLs were the program’s first two international jets, which were delivered to the United Kingdom. All but the carrier variant, known as CF-
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01/12/2013
Ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and Baltic Fleets are to start exercises off the coast of Syria the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday. "A tactical group of Black Sea Fleet warships headed by the cruiser Moskva will undertake exercises in the eastern sector of the Mediterranean Sea," the Ministry said. "The tanker Ivan Bubnov has fuelled the ships and emergency drills have been carried out.
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01/11/2013
The success of U.S. drones in Iraq and Afghanistan has triggered a global arms race, raising concerns the remotely piloted aircraft could fall into unfriendly hands, military experts say.
The number of countries that have acquired or developed drones expanded to more than 75, up from about 40 in 2005, according to the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress. Iran and China are among the countries that have fielded their own systems.
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01/11/2013
Altus Air Force Base is officially in the running to become the Formal Training Unit for the KC-46A tanker aircraft. Today, the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff approved Altus AFB and McConnell AFB, Kan. as candidate bases for the FTU. Altus AFB was also selected one of four candidates for the first active-duty led Main Operating Base.
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01/11/2013
In a quiet affair without fanfare, President Barack Obama signed into law the $633 billion Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on 31 December while vacationing in his home state of Hawaii. While not an appropriations act providing the funding to pay for the provisions contained in the law, the NDAA does outline the specific projects and programs the Department of Defense (DoD) is authorized to pursue.
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01/11/2013
An F-22 squadron slated to move from New Mexico to Florida early this year will stay put until early 2014. The transfer from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., involves 620 active-duty and 230 Reserve airmen, and 21 F-22s and seven T-38 Talons. As a part of the shuffle, Holloman, in spring 2014, will receive two F-16 squadrons with 950 personnel authorizations from Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. Luke will eventually host three F-35A squadrons.
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01/11/2013
Technology is not enough. What's equally essential is ideas for how to use it. Wielding new weapons in the same old way is a recipe for defeat. As the US military today invests in innovative programs, none larger than the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, it must also invent innovative concepts of operation.
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01/11/2013
The annual report into the Ministry of Defence's largest projects said that during the crucial period when the British armed forces will be exiting Afghanistan, estimated to be completed in 2014, there will not be enough tactical transport aircraft and refuelling capability at an "extremely busy" time. After 2022, the tactical air transport fleet, currently made up of Hercules C-130J aircraft which are being replaced, will have a shortfall of a third.
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01/11/2013
Japan scrambled fighter jets Thursday to head off a number of Chinese military planes near islands at the centre of a territorial dispute, Japanese media said. The Chinese planes were spotted on Japanese military radar north of the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, known as the Diaoyus in China, the Fuji TV network reported, quoting Japanese government officials.
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01/11/2013
Rebels trying to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime battled army troops inside an air base in the north on Thursday as government forces fought opposition strongholds near the seat of his government in Damascus. In Brussels, a NATO official said the alliance on Wednesday detected the launch of an unguided, short-range ballistic missile in the country, which is embroiled in a civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people in nearly 22 months.
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01/11/2013
When a $200 million military aircraft breaks down in remote places like Afghanistan or Colombia, pilots can call on their flying crew chief, who, as most aircrew members are aware, knows everything. Flying crew chiefs perform missions worldwide. They are the mechanics of the sky and a pilot's best friend. "These guys have saved many, many missions," said Air Force Lt. Col. Jeffery Smith of the 300th Airlift Squadron. "They make our job of flying the airplane much easier."
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01/11/2013
National Defence says counterfeit parts in the cockpit displays of the air force's new C-130J Hercules transport planes do not pose a flight safety hazard, but will be replaced as necessary. A CBC News investigation found that the reprocessed electronic chips made in China could cause the screens to blank out and leave pilots with blank instrument panels in mid-flight.
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01/10/2013
According to Japanese media, the Japanese government is considering permitting Japanese self-defense forces' fighter jets to fire tracer bullets as warning shots against Chinese surveillance planes which have "infringed" upon Japan's "territorial airspace" over the Diaoyu Islands.
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01/10/2013
Even as the US Army moves forward with fielding its first unit of Boeing AH-64E Block III attack helicopters, the service is planning to add further improvements to the Apache gunship. "Right now, we are currently fielding the first unit equipped, our FUE [first unit equipped] unit, with Echo-models, and we're on track to meet that fielding schedule," says Col Jeff Hager, the army's Apache programme manager.
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01/10/2013
Canada's department of national defense is being urged to invest in acquiring the Boeing Co.'s C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to cope with the Canadian armed forces' demand for peacetime and combat tactical transport. The Globemaster III is known in the Canadian air force as CC-177. Four of the aircraft are in military service after purchases made in 2007 and 2008.
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01/10/2013
The F-22 Raptors and Air Force personnel slated to begin arriving at Tyndall this year have had their marching orders delayed until 2014. The new fighter squadron of F-22 Raptors originally was scheduled to begin arriving sometime this month. By March, about 12 new F-22s were slated to arrive from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.
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01/10/2013
The U.K.’s military is facing “critical shortfalls” in air transport and refueling capabilities because of delays in delivering new aircraft, the National Audit Office said. The Ministry of Defense has spent an additional 787 million pounds ($1.3 billion) to mitigate delays to the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft, made by a consortium that includes European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co., and Airbus SAS’s A400M transport-aircraft programs.
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01/10/2013
Increased costs linked to the Royal Air Force's Airbus A330-based Voyager and Airbus Military A400M acquisitions contributed to a combined £468 million ($750 million) jump in the forecast price tag for the UK's top 16 defence programmes during 2012, the government's National Audit Office (NAO) spending watchdog says.
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01/10/2013
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 has already received three of its F-35B Lightning IIs and will continue to get more planes, as well as newly-trained pilots and aircraft maintainers in the coming months. In fact, it's expected to have a full squadron of aircraft by the end of 2013. The first F-35B Lightning II landed at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma back on Nov. 16.
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01/10/2013
An excavation team searching for a stash of legendary World War II-era British fighter aircraft in northern Myanmar says it has found a wooden crate believed to contain one of the planes, but it was full of muddy water. It was not immediately clear how much damage the water may have caused, and searchers could not definitively say what was inside the crate.
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01/10/2013
Lockheed Martin delivered an MC-130J Commando II to Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., today. Aircraft 5713 is the fourteenth of 27 MC-130Js to be assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command. The squadron uses the Commando II on missions such as in-flight refueling, infiltration/exfiltration, and aerial delivery and resupply of special operations forces.
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01/10/2013
The Indian Navy successfully tested on Wednesday a highly-maneuverable version of a sea-based Brahmos supersonic cruise missile, an Indian defense source told RIA Novosti. The missile was fired from an unspecified warship off the coast of Vishakhapatnam in Bay of Bengal in a 34th test by the Indian military. The source said the missile made a “double-maneuver in S-form” and hit the designated target ship just one meter above the waterline, “ripping through the ship’s hull.”
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01/09/2013
The Israeli air force is planning to stage its largest ever multinational exercise, with at least five foreign air forces due to participate. To be mounted from Uvda air base, the manoeuvres are expected to involve "dozens" of different types of combat aircraft, local sources says.In recent years, the Israeli air force has trained in several different countries in Europe, but this will be the first time that full squadrons from foreign nations will go to Israel to perform such a major exercise.
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01/09/2013
The Eurofighter and Gripen are not stealth aircraft and don’t pretend to have such capabilities. Though they have a reduced radar cross-section and incorporate methods of reducing their profile, they have focused on other areas, such as speed, armament, sensor technology, and, in the case of the Gripen, value for money.
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01/09/2013
Northrop Grumman Corporation has completed early delivery of two Global Hawk unmanned aircraft to the U.S. Air Force. Global Hawk allows military commanders to receive high-resolution imagery, survey vast geographic regions and pinpoint targets on the ground. Both aircraft were delivered ahead of schedule in late November.
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01/09/2013
Few aircraft are as intriguing - and vexing - as the prototypes that periodically appear at Chinese airfields. The most recent example to have set China' blogosphere abuzz is the Xian Y-20 strategic airlifter, a type that could one day enhance Beijing's ability to project power as far abroad as the Indian Ocean and even Africa.
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01/09/2013
The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) recovered off the waters of Masbate early Sunday morning came from Guam where it was launched during a military exercise, the United States embassy said yesterday. This, as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) maintained that the said UAV “is not a spy plane but an aerial target drone.”
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01/09/2013
BAE Systems Plc is encroaching on a $3 billion market for F-16 upgrades dominated by Lockheed Martin Corp., which makes the fighter jets. BAE last year beat the Pentagon’s biggest contractor for a deal to refurbish about 130 of South Korea’s jets. It was the first time a company other than Lockheed has won such work through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program, according to Dave Herr, president of BAE’s support solutions business.
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01/09/2013
Pratt & Whitney, the largest unit of East Hartford, Conn.-based United Technologies Corp., received a $300 million contract from the government of South Korea to maintain F100 engines for the country’s fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters and Boeing F-15K fighters. The performance-based logistics (PBL) contract is for five years, and covers more than 230 engines, according to a statement from the company.
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01/09/2013
Even as the first of Britain’s two new aircraft carriers rises from the dry docks in Rosyth, debate over how they will be used and whether they are needed continues to rage among military chiefs and experts. The Royal Navy has long argued that the new ships – Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales – are essential if the UK is to project military power against potential adversaries in the 21st century.
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01/09/2013
Blue Sky Network, a leading global provider of satellite tracking and communication solutions for aviation, land, and marine, and its reseller partner, S4A (Solutions For Aviation), today announced the issuance of a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for Blue Sky Network’s voice system on C-212-200 Airbus Military aircraft. The certification was supplied by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
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01/09/2013
Russia’s Aerospace Defense Forces will received about 20 new radar stations this year, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday. The radars will include systems of different classes and modifications, including Gamma-S, Nebo-U and Podlyot-K, as well as modernized Desna and Kasta systems, Col. Alexei Zolotukhin said.
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01/08/2013
The first rigid airship to be built since the 1930s is about to commence trials in California: and the Pelican prototype also features a new technology, never yet flown, which could finally change things for lighter-than-air craft and see the leviathans of the skies make a serious comeback at last.
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01/08/2013
A large number of old J-6 fighter jets that have been converted into unmanned attack aircraft are being stationed at Liancheng Air Base in Fujian province, according to the latest issue of Kanwa Defense Review. China's Huanqiu.com cited the Canadian online magazine as saying that satellite photos taken on July 31, 2011 showed there were at least 55 of the J-6 aircraft on the base.
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01/08/2013
Contrary to the assertions of politicians and officials[1], there are several viable alternatives to the F-35A. The Rafale, Eurofighter, Next Generation Gripen, and F/A-18 E Super Hornet are all very capable fighter jets that could serve Canada very well.
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01/08/2013
Israel, whose relations with Turkey have been strained since its troops staged a deadly attack on a Turkish passenger ship in which nine civilians were killed as part of a flotilla bringing supplies to Gaza in May 2010, has changed its mind about not delivering hardware to be installed on Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) military aircraft to Turkey.
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01/08/2013
The Russian air force has received two new batches of fighter and bomber aircraft from Sukhoi. Sukhoi said the deliveries last month were comprised of six Su-35S production multifunctional fighter aircraft and five serial Su-34 frontline bombers. The Su-35S, called the Flanker-E by NATO, is an upgraded single-seat, twin-engined 4++ generation fighter with a maximum speed of more than 1,400 miles per hour at altitude and a maximum ceiling of 59,100 feet.
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01/08/2013
A pair of leading U.S. aircraft-makers is urging Ottawa to think outside the box as the government prepares to revive a long-stalled program to replace the country's search-and-rescue planes. Boeing and Bell Helicopter, partners in the V-22 Osprey, plan to enter into the competition the tilt-rotor aircraft that can fly like a plane, but also hover like a helicopter.
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01/08/2013
Cobham has been awarded a $31.7 million contract from the US Navy's Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to manufacture the AN/ALQ-99 Low Band Transmitter-Antenna Group for Navy and Marine Corps EA-6B and EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft. The contract funds the sixth full-rate production lot, and includes the first instalment of two-part procurement for a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to undisclosed customers.
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01/08/2013
India has selected the Airbus Military A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) as its preferred bid for a six aircraft requirement to supply the nation's air force. Airbus Military says it expects the deal to be finalised later this year. The decision follows a flight test campaign carried out in India where the aircraft was used to refuel multiple fighter types and also performed operations from high-altitude air bases.
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01/07/2013
A Russian bank will handle a $400 million loan to Indonesia for the purchase of six more Su-30 jet fighters. The Russian government is guaranteeing the seven year loan. Indonesia agreed to this purchase a year ago, but sorting out details delayed closing the contract until recently. Indonesia already has ten Su-27s and Su-30s, but wants at least 16 of these modern aircraft so they will have a full squadron.
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01/07/2013
Battling the ongoing economic slowdown, the Centre has effected a five per cent cut in the Rs.1.93-lakh-crore defence budget for this financial year. The cut is estimated to be around Rs.10,000 crore, Defence Ministry sources said. It is likely to put the brakes on ambitious plans of modernisation within the Army, the Navy and the Air Force and push, to the next fiscal, several key acquisition plans.
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01/07/2013
In the weeks leading up to the dreaded "fiscal cliff," the U.S. military flung open its coffers and awarded a slew of defense contracts before Jan. 1, when automatic spending cuts had been scheduled to take effect. Agencies within the Department of Defense committed billions of dollars to the contract pipeline in December — for everything from fighter jets and missiles to training simulators and construction projects.
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01/07/2013
As political tensions increase in East Asia, various pundits are questioning American strategy and ability to address security issues. Most of these questions challenged President Obama’s “Asia Pivot” – the new American defense strategy that calls for strengthening American military might in the Asia-Pacific. This debate resurfaced as North Korea launched a satellite on December 12th.
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01/07/2013
Plans on where to base the U.S. military's next-generation fighter jet, the F-35, concern people in communities from California to Florida to Maine who worry the aircraft are too loud. In Vermont, where the Air National Guard has flown planes from Burlington International Airport for more than 60 years, opponents are especially vocal. But in other communities, even some long accustomed to the roar of military aircraft, the noise of the F-35 has been an issue.
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01/06/2013
Less than a decade ago, the Pentagon had about fifty unmanned combat air vehicles (known as drones or UAV — unmanned aerial vehicles). It is estimated that they currently have about seven thousand of them (and Congress asked for about $5 billion worth of more drones in 2012).
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01/06/2013
Much of the recent commentary on the F-35 procurement misses a central point: exorbitant cost is not the only reason to reconsider the aircraft. Defence Minister Peter Mackay's December 2012 announcement of a "reset" on the F-35 acquisition has spurred plenty of debate on the $46-billion price tag for 65 aircraft over 42 years. What the conversation is missing, however, is the military-strategic elements.
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01/06/2013
Capt. Sara Joyner laughed when she realized that as the first female fighter pilot to command a carrier air wing, she would answer to the call sign "Battle Axe." "If you look up the word 'battle-axe,' it is a slightly overbearing and domineering woman," Joyner told reporters Friday after assuming command of Carrier Air Wing 3 - nicknamed "Battle Axe" - during a ceremony at Oceana Naval Air Station. "I found that humorous."
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01/06/2013
Contrary to expectations of an early push towards finalising the contract for the 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the Indian Air Force, the deal will not be signed before the current financial year comes to an end in March this year. The IAF is keen that the negotiations are concluded and the way is paved to finalise the multi-billion dollar deal with the French manufacturer Dasault Aviation for its Rafale ominrole fighter plane.
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01/06/2013
Japan’s government is likely to increase defense spending for the first time in 11 years, Japanese media reported yesterday, as newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledges a sterner response to a territorial dispute over the Diaoyutai Islands with China. The government is considering increasing defense spending by about 2 percent to more than 4.7 trillion (US$53.4 billion) in the fiscal year starting in April, the Mainichi newspaper reported. It gave no source for its information.
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01/05/2013
A week after the publication of blurry photographs depicting what appears to be China’s first long-range jet transport, Danger Room has obtained satellite imagery of the new plane at an airfield in central China.
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01/05/2013
The U.S. Air Force on Friday declined to confirm that it had received only one bid for a $6.8 billion helicopter competition, but said it had procedures in place that would allow the acquisition to continue regardless of the number of bidders.
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01/05/2013
The Iraqi government is spending billions of dollars to restore the country's military power but analysts say arms purchases won't peak until 2020. And Baghdad, angry about the slow delivery of U.S. weapons systems, may well switch the emphasis of its procurement program to Russia, the Czech Republic and possibly even China, to speed up amassing firepower for its military forces.
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01/05/2013
After years on the drawing boards and in testing labs, a new fighter plane is entering the U.S. arsenal. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is supposed to help the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines replace their fleet of aging aircraft. But this plane has become the most expensive military procurement program in history. While critics continue to carp about the cost, the plane is now in the skies, and the military says it's the lynchpin for future defense strategies.
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01/05/2013
2012 was the year the F-35 finally took off at Eglin Air Force Base. Not only did the military’s newest fighter jet soar into the sky over Eglin for the first and then the 700th time, but the 33rd Fighter Wing continued to ramp up its training center to become the hub for everyone learning to fly or maintain the plane.
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01/05/2013
India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. is building 42 more Russian Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft for the Indian military. The deal between HAL, the Ministry of Defense and Russia's Rosoboronexport was signed just ahead of a visit to India by Russian President Vladimir Putin. "HAL's total responsibility for this supersonic multirole aircraft has now gone up to 222," said HAL Chairman R. K. Tyagi.
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01/05/2013
Worldwide Aeros’ Aeroscraft is a 230-foot long zeppelin that will be able to carry 66 tons of cargo, take off vertically and allow pilots to maneuver it on land without a ground crew. The Aeroscraft is being built under a contract of around $35 million from the Pentagon and NASA. That's a tall order for Worldwide Aeros, a company of about 100 employees.
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01/05/2013
bout $455 million in contracts has been given for the supply of warfare systems and logistical support to the Israeli military. Elbit Systems Ltd., an Israeli company, won the lion's share of the contracts -- $315 million from the Ministry of Defense - for work in avionics, unmanned systems, electronic warfare, electro-optics and land systems.
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01/05/2013
Airbus Military has announced that it has begun one of a series of possible product developments for the C295 medium transport and surveillance aircraft. The company has begun flight testing of a modification to add winglets that have the potential to improve flight performance.
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01/05/2013
An airplane-obsessed farmer, a freelance archaeologist, and a team of excavators are heading from Britain to the Myanmar city of Yangon on Saturday to find a nearly forgotten stash of British fighter planes thought to be carefully buried beneath the former capital's airfield. The venture, backed with a million-dollar guarantee from a Belarusian videogame company, could uncover dozens of Spitfire aircraft locked underground by American engineers at the end of World War II.
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01/04/2013
Air Force Lt. Gen. Stanley E. "Sid" Clarke III, commander of the Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and 1st Air Force, has been confirmed by the Senate to be the next director of the Air National Guard. Clarke will replace Lt. Gen. Harry "Bud" Wyatt, who is retiring this month. Wyatt has led the Air National Guard since February 2009. Clarke said he is eager to take charge of an organization that comprises 106,000 people.
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01/04/2013
The Defence Ministry has decided to remain firm on having HAL as the lead integrator for producing 108 multirole combat aircraft in the country, virtually turning down French firm Dassault Aviation's plea to play a bigger role in the multi-billion dollar project. The Ministry's stand in this regard has come after French firm Dassault, which has bagged the IAF deal for supplying 126 M-MRCA, asked it to define the role of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in the project.
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01/04/2013
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will no longer ask French aircraft engine builder Snecma to help it in resurrecting the indigenous Kaveri jet engine, which has reached a dead end in development. Instead, major global aero engine manufacturers will compete in a global tender to partner the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) — the Bangalore-based DRDO engine laboratory — in refining the Kaveri engine to the level where it can power the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
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01/04/2013
The U.S. Air Force's X-37B aircraft took off on an Earth-orbiting mission on Dec. 11, a secretive project that will test the feasibility of long-duration military space flights. With no pilot on board, the X-37B, pictured above, is one of the latest and most sophisticated unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Pentagon's expanding fleet. The "reusable space plane" was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on an Atlas V rocket by the Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office.
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01/04/2013
Last month, The Heritage Foundation compared the Senate and House versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with Heritage’s policy positions on national security and defense. Now that the final version of the NDAA is available, it is possible to analyze which of Heritage’s national security and defense interests appeared in the law.
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01/04/2013
This is a new type of rigid aircraft. It's not a blimp, and it's not an airplane, but this thing has the potential to alter the way we understand travel and completely change military transportation. You can see a video of its first move here. According to the company, "the final configuration and vehicle systems integration functionality testing has been completed as the Aeroscraft subscale demonstration vehicle reaches the finish line."
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01/04/2013
A defense industry summit set to convene in Ankara under the leadership of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday is expected to evaluate bids for Turkey's first aircraft carrier. According to a report in the Habertürk daily, the three candidates competing for the bid will be the group companies Koç, Kalkanoglu and Kalkavan.
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01/04/2013
Airbus military has begun flight-testing the C295 medium transport and surveillance aircraft, which is being proposed as an essential multifunctional military aircraft for the South African Air Force, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. With some of the air force’s aircraft more than 50 years old, Airbus Military is pushing for the C295 light and medium airlifter to be used by South Africa’s defence ministry.
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01/04/2013
Military aircraft have been targeting rebel areas in Burma's northern Kachin state over the last five days, video obtained by the BBC shows. The footage, shot by the humanitarian group Free Burma Rangers, shows attack helicopters firing on the ground and jets flying close to the trenches of the rebel Kachin Independence Army.
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01/04/2013
The development of the Y-20 heavy transport aircraft will benefit the military and civilian aviation industries if engine problems can be overcome, military experts said. Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun confirmed last week it is developing the Y-20 military transport aircraft as part of the People's Liberation Army's modernisation drive and for service in humanitarian and disaster-relief efforts.
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01/02/2013
The modernization budget of the armed forces has been slashed by around Rs 10,000 crore in a major jolt to them in the New Year. The cut is contrary to defence minister A K Antony's earlier promise of a hike in the defence budget to cater for the threat of the expansive China-Pakistan military nexus. The finance ministry conveyed the decision for the Rs 10,000 crore cut in the capital acquisitions for the Army, Navy and IAF to the defense ministry.
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01/02/2013
As they shake off the dust of a decade’s service in Afghanistan, Canada’s fighting forces enter 2013 facing a new reality of budget cuts, restructuring and a continuing dogfight over the next fighter for the air force. Having eased out of a tough combat mission in Kandahar and into a lower profile role training Afghan troops, the Canadian Forces will be out of the country altogether by the spring of 2014.
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01/02/2013
Beijing has officially confirmed that it is developing the Xian Y-20 strategic transport aircraft, following the emergence of images on Chinese defence sites during the last week of 2012.
"We are developing large transport aircraft on our own to improve the capability of air transport," China's defence ministry said.
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01/02/2013
U.S. sales of warplanes, anti-missile systems and other costly weapons to China's and North Korea's neighbors appear set for significant growth amid regional security jitters. Strengthening treaty allies and other security partners is central to the White House's "pivot" toward a Pacific region jolted by maritime territorial disputes in China's case, and missile and nuclear programs, in North Korea's.
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01/02/2013
The United States Congress finalized a defense authorization bill for 2013 and forwarded it to President Obama for signature following an 18 December House and Senate conference to hammer out differences. The approved 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) provides the Department of Defense (DoD) with a spending threshold of $633 billion for 2013.
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01/02/2013
Iran has warned off foreign surveillance planes that have tried to approach its forces during naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian military spokesman said on Tuesday. The drills, which began on Friday, are aimed at showcasing Iran's military capability in the shipping route through which 40 percent of the world's sea-borne oil exports pass.
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01/01/2013
Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) Taiwan is set to complete the first stage of a plan to upgrade locally built indigenous defense fighters (IDFs) by the end of 2013 in an effort to counter the military threat from China, according to the Ministry of National Defense. The ministry said in a report sent to the Legislature recently that the upgraded aircraft will be equipped with enhanced radar, avionics and electronic warfare capabilities, as well the locally developed Wan Chien cluster bomb.
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01/01/2013
The Israel Ministry of Defense has placed a second order for a number Hermes 900 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The announcement by Elbit Systems did not specify the quantity of UAVs to be delivered under this contract but said the drones will be delivered over a period of three years.
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01/01/2013
The Naval Air Systems Command has ordered an additional 22 V-22s from Bell-Boeing for over $1.4 billion. The order is a $1,405,744,559 modification to a previous contract for 17 MV-22 aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps and four CV-22 aircraft for the U.S. Air Force in fiscal 2013.
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01/01/2013
Afghanistan's military leaders are preparing a weaponry wish list ahead of the withdrawal of most international troops, amid concerns about the ability of Afghan forces to take the lead on the country's security. At the top of the list: more and better aircraft. As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Air Force recently scrapped plans to equip Afghanistan with a fleet of refurbished transport planes.
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