November 07, 2013 Military Aviation News
11/07/2013
Air National Guard airmen are taking part in Cruzeiro do Sul Exercise, a Brazilian air exercise that officially kicked off Nov. 4 and is scheduled to be completed Nov. 15. The Brazilian air force-led exercise combines coalition aerial refueling and combat search and rescue structured training, with a focus on interoperability, officials said.
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11/07/2013
The Chinese government invited foreign military personnel to observe military drills to see "the real Chinese army" in action, a defense ministry official said. The official Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday foreign military personnel from 89 countries were on hand to observe a two-day military drill in Henan province in central China.
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11/07/2013
The United States presented Lebanon with a Cessna aircraft Wednesday, part of the Western nation’s efforts to strengthen the Lebanese Army. “We will remain committed to strengthening the capacity of the LAF so it can pursue its mission of securing Lebanon’s borders, defending the sovereignty and independence of the state.
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11/07/2013
The disparity in the promotion rate between pilots of manned and unmanned aircraft has narrowed considerably. Last year, 89 percent of eligible unmanned aircraft pilots were promoted to major, compared with 87.4 percent of mobility pilots, 90.7 percent of bomber pilots and 94.1 percent of fighter pilots, the figures show.Some recent promotion boards have selected more unmanned aircraft pilots to advance than mobility pilots, according to figures provided by the AFPC.
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11/07/2013
The Indian Navy is on its way to becoming a major air force, with the fleet air arm having achieved several landmarks this year. In May, the first MiG-29K squadron was commissioned at the INS Hansa in Goa, with 20 world-class Russian fighters. In August, the first indigenous aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant, was launched at Kochi. Later this month, Russia will hand over the INS Vikramaditya, formerly the Admiral Gorshkov, which will supplement the INS Viraat to become the navy’s second carrier.
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11/07/2013
Defence minister A K Antony on Wednesday directed the DRDO to ensure that the operational deadlines for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, first sanctioned 30 years to replace the ageing MiG-21s, are not delayed yet again. Addressing the parliamentary consultative committee on defence, Antony said the under-development indigenous fighter's initial operational clearance (IOC) planned for next month and the final operational clearance (FOC) in December 2014.
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11/07/2013
The Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Greenville team delivered a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) P-3 Orion aircraft in nine months—94 days early—on November 6. This unprecedented accomplishment allows for a quicker return of the aircraft to the CBP P-3 fleet supporting homeland security and drug interdiction missions.
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11/07/2013
Boeing will continue to increase the B-52 bomber’s effectiveness and versatility under a new U.S. Air Force contract that calls for the aircraft’s smart weapons capacity to expand by 50 percent. Under the $24.6 million agreement, Boeing will develop a modification to existing weapon launchers so the aircraft can carry smart weapons in the bomb bay, allowing aircrews to use the B-52’s entire weapons capacity.
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11/07/2013
Boeing and Kongsberg Defense Systems of Norway recently completed a successful check of the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) on an F/A-18F Super Hornet at the Boeing St. Louis facility to ensure the weapons fit on the aircraft's external pylons.
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11/07/2013
Colombian officials will issue a note of protest to Moscow after two Russian Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers entered the country’s airspace without permission last week, the Latin American nation's president has said. The aircraft entered Colombian airspace from Venezuela last Friday while heading for Nicaragua, President Juan Manuel Santos said Tuesday, according to a report on Colombia's NTN24 television station.
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