October 10, 2013 Military Aviation News
10/10/2013
Tough International Monetary Fund conditions on Pakistan and concerns about untested technology likely will delay Islamabad’s plan to buy 36 J-10B Vigorous Dragon multirole fighters from China under a $1.4 billion deal signed in 2009, analysts said. Current economic conditions “preclude any possibility of acquiring new weapon systems in the next two to three years, at least,” said retired Pakistani Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail.
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10/10/2013
Afghanistan took delivery on Wednesday of two C-130 transport aircraft from the United States, part of an effort to give the country's military the ability to better fight insurgents around the country. Afghanistan will get another two of the airplanes, a mainstay of many militaries around the world, by the end of next year. The plane gives the nascent Afghan air force the ability to quickly ferry forces around the country along with their equipment and supplies.
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10/10/2013
The medium-lift Osprey, proven in combat as a troop and equipment transport, could soon get a new mission: refueling other aircraft. A series of tests in August and September has given aviation officials hope that the Osprey could be used to extend the range of other platforms, including helicopters and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
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10/10/2013
CAE today announced that it was awarded approximately $140 million in military contracts, including approximately $85 million to CAE USA alone. The US contracts also include options valued at an additional $50 million over the next five years. The contracts are part of CAE’s second quarter order intake and are in addition to contracts already announced.
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10/10/2013
A plan to attract private Indian firms to help build military aircraft could be delayed after Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel said the proposal was unfair to state-run companies. India has emerged as the world's biggest arms importer as it tries to update archaic weapons systems to keep up with neighbours China and Pakistan in a $100 billion modernisation drive.
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10/10/2013
Praful Patel, minister of heavy industries and public enterprises, on Monday wrote to Defence Minister A K Antony, demanding that the defence ministry (MoD) tender to build 56 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) be opened to public sector undertakings (PSUs), and not just to the private sector. On Wednesday, Antony asked MoD officials to “examine the issues raised by Shri Patel.”
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10/10/2013
Lockheed Martin and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) celebrated the beginnings of the first F-35 Lightning II for Australia yesterday. The aircraft, designated as AU-1, officially began the mate process, where major components of the aircraft are joined together to form the aircraft’s structure. AU-1 will then make its way down the assembly line and roll out of the factory for delivery to the RAAF in the summer of 2014.
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10/10/2013
The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Lightning II program continues its operational maturation, surpassing 10,000 flight hours in September. More than half of the total hours were accumulated in just the past 11 months. Through September, F-35s flew 6,492 times for a total of 10,077 flight hours. The new milestone effectively doubles the safe flight operations of the F-35 in a year, compared to reaching 5,000 flight hours in six years.
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10/10/2013
Russia’s Defense Ministry is planning to buy 32 shipborne helicopters from Russian Helicopters’ Progress Arsenyev division, a Deputy Defense Minister said Wednesday during a visit to the factory. “These helicopters are to undergo final testing in 2014. If all goes well, we are ready to order them,” Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said during a visit to the producer in Russia’s Far East, without specifying the type in question.
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10/10/2013
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will depart next week on a four-day trip to Brazil and Peru to promote the sales of Russian weaponry to these countries, the Kommersant daily reported Wednesday. The success of Shoigu’s talks with Brazilian and Peruvian counterparts will significantly boost Russia’s chances to sell military equipment worth at least $1.7 billion, the paper said citing a source in the Russian General Staff.
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