December 12, 2013 Military Aviation News
12/12/2013
Loyal readers of Flashpoints know any type of new Chinese military weapon or gadget is always a hot topic of conversation for this blog. And rightly so—Beijing has presented us defense geeks with new ballistic and cruise missile technology, a new carrier with rumors of a domestically built flattop allegedly under construction, fresh ICBM’s, increasingly advanced submarines and more. The rumor mill is always churning with new developments and technologies to digest and dissect.
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12/12/2013
The paragraphs were slipped into a massive defense bill by a Mississippi senator. Part assertion, part plea, they are aimed at the Pentagon, and more than anything else, they reflect the worry that Sikorsky Aircraft and other helicopter manufacturers feel about their future. Rather than investing in new technologies and funding a new generation of rotary winged aircraft, the Pentagon is moving to upgrade existing helicopters.
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12/12/2013
Advanced Typhoon fighter aircraft took part in the advanced tactical leadership course (ATLC), led by the UAE Air Force’s Air Warfare Centre, to ensure the UAE and its allies can operate together effectively to support security in the Arabian Gulf. Flt Lt Jim Fordham, a Typhoon pilot with 3 (Fighter) Squadron, said the exercise helped the RAF to share knowledge with the UAE.
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12/12/2013
Czech aircraft producer Aero Vodochody Aerospace is developing the concept of new aircraft L-169, which will have more Czech-made equipment and longer flying range compared with the older L-159 version, news servers iDnes and Aktuálne.cz said today. The design philosophy of the new model is based on the older L-39 Albatros aircraft, which is still used in a number of countries.
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12/12/2013
This is the view from the cockpit of Britain’s newest Typhoon jet fighter. Test flights have begun on the latest version of the £80 million Typhoon, which will be able to carry more fuel, heavier weapons and a new generation of radar. The RAF will next year start taking delivery of 40 of the new fighters which are the third version of the Eurofighter jet.
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12/12/2013
Even as the workhorse of the Indian Air Force, MiG-21, bowed out on Wednesday, indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas, is just a formality away from passing into the hands of the force. Dubbed the world’s lightest fighter, the tail-less little wonder is due to ceremonially earn its initial operational clearance (IOC) and move closer to joining the IAF at its birthplace, Bangalore, on December 20.
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12/12/2013
The MiG-21 FL fighter jet, which had heralded the "supersonic era" in IAF and had changed the course of the 1971 Indo-Pak war due to its accuracy, flew into the annals of history on Wednesday. "I have the greatest professional regard for MiG-21. The agility of MiG-21 cannot be matched by any of the present day fighters," Browne said after bidding adieu to one of the first variants of MiG-21 combat aircraft, which dealt severe blows to Pakistan air force in the 1971 Bangladesh war.
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12/12/2013
A senior government minister warned Wednesday that Russia could retaliate with a nuclear strike if a new US military strategy threatened its security. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that Russia was “preparing a response” to plans by the United States to develop a new fast-strike weapons platform capable of hitting high-priority targets around the globe.
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12/12/2013
Russia will soon start developing a prototype of an advanced lightweight fighter jet to supplement fifth-generation T-50 aircraft, a top government official said Wednesday. The new aircraft is expected to be cheaper to produce and easier to maintain, but should also possess combat capabilities and performance characteristics comparable with those of heavy-class aircraft.
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12/12/2013
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has delivered its first F-35 Lightning II centre fuselage to Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin at a ceremony held at TAI's facilities in Ankara, Turkey today. This is the first F-35 centre fuselage manufactured by TAI as an international manufacturing partner to Northrop Grumman. The centre fuselage will be installed into a U. S. Air Force aircraft at Lockheed Martin’s facilities in Fort Worth, Texas.
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