March 22, 2013 Military Aviation News
03/22/2013
As a result of the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act Intra-theater Airlift Working Group’s recommendations, Colorado’s 302nd Airlift Wing is slated gain an additional C-130 Hercules aircraft in FY 2014. This additional backup aircraft, which was added to enhance mission effectiveness, will bring the total number of aircraft assigned to the Air Force Reserve airlift unit from 12 to 13.
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03/22/2013
Ten CH-46E Sea Knight medium-lift tandem rotor transport helicopters, assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 262, departed the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) for the final time March 20. Known colloquially as the "Phrog," the Sea Knight has been used in all U.S. Marine combat and peacetime environments since its introduction in 1964, and will be replaced with the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.
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03/22/2013
The fighter-sized X-47B UCAV successful performed hand-controlled deck maneuvers on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, defense company Rockwell Collins said. Rockwell Collins said its Tactical Targeting Network Technology was used to put the unmanned combat aerial vehicle through on-deck paces, which were performed ahead of carrier landings by the aircraft planned for this year.
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03/22/2013
The Russian military deployed more than 500 weapons systems and 50 aircraft to a region near Mongolia for air-defense drills, the government said. The Russian government said air-defense drills are under way in the Republic of Buryatia in Asia. Military forces are testing the S-300 surface-to-air missile system, man-portable surface-to-air missiles systems and other defensive equipment, state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reports.
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03/22/2013
The European Commission plans to unveil measures to support the region’s defense industry this summer at a time when member states are curtailing military spending as part of austerity measures. Five ideas have been identified to help support military contractors, including aiding small companies gain access to financing, Daniel Calleja Crespo, director-general at the Commission’s Enterprise and Industry directorate said. More proposals could be added, he said.
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03/22/2013
The ongoing trials of China’s first aircraft carrier and her ship-based jet fighters represent a major leap ahead in capability for the People’s Liberation Army Navy. But the hype surrounding Lioaning’s debut test cruise last summer and the inaugural landing of her J-15 fighters in late November masks an important truth, one the world’s other carrier powers have long known.
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03/22/2013
The first operational squadron of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets passed a milestone Thursday in Yuma when the Marine Corps version of the aircraft made its first vertical landing outside of testing. The first F-35 squadron meant to eventually fly the jet in combat was established in November at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma -- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121. Until now the squadron was not allowed to perform the F-35B’s signature feature, its ability to land like a helicopter.
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03/22/2013
The drums of war are escalating in Washington, audible just beneath the Senate’s tense political debate of a Democratic-crafted budget. But the drums are not beating in the direction of Iran. Syria is the target. All week, amid reports Syrian President Bashir al-Assad’s military used chemical weapons against rebel forces, Democratic senators have joined interventionist Republicans in calling for U.S. military intervention.
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03/22/2013
The Russian Defense Ministry denied on Thursday media reports speculating that Russia will relocate its resupply base in the Syrian port of Tartus to Beirut due to the escalation of the Syrian conflict. “The reports that Russian warships … will use Beirut rather than the Syrian port of Tartus as a resupply point are nothing but pure speculation,” the ministry said in a statement.
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