January, 2014 Military Aviation News
01/31/2014
It is either comfortably on track to forming the cornerstone of the western world’s militaries or a flop so unairworthy that lightning could down it. The US public has this week been presented with sharply contrasting takes on the world’s biggest-ever military procurement project.
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01/31/2014
India is close to buying Japanese-made military aircraft in a $1.65-billion deal, becoming the first country since World War II to buy a military aircraft from Japan, helping the country wriggle out of a self-imposed ban of the sale of weapons.
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01/31/2014
The Boeing Co. and the U.S. Air Force say development and delivery of a new aerial-refueling tanker is still on track, despite a Pentagon report released this week warning that the $52 billion program could be delayed six to 12 months during testing. However, the analysis in the U.S. Defense Department report was based on historical data from military development programs, whereas the KC-46A program schedule is based on Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ more aggressive approach to testing.
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01/31/2014
Developed at the end of the 1960s to be the best air superiority fighter in the world, the F-15 proved to be a real MiG Killer during Operation Desert Storm scoring most of the allied aerial victories. During the Air War over Iraq the mighty Eagle proved also to be a very robust airframe, bringing back its pilots also after suffering serious damages.
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01/31/2014
When the British and French governments signed a military cooperation agreement in 2010, it was intended to usher in close cooperation between Europe’s leading military powers. A little more than three years later, the promise of the Lancaster House Treaty has only been half fulfilled. While cooperation on the countries’ nuclear deterrents has advanced and their armed forces increasingly exchange officers, there have yet to be any savings from jointly procuring costly weaponry, analysts said.
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01/31/2014
The $397 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program suffers from such severe software problems that aircraft could not conduct operational missions today, the Pentagon’s chief tester said in his annual report to Congress, which was released to the public yesterday.
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01/31/2014
India will soon join the elite league of nations to desing and produce mid-combat aircraft with stealth capability. “Defence Research and Development Organisation has already come up with light combat aircraft (LCA) and in the next phase we are working on a mid combat aircraft (MCA) with stealth capability. The structure and design has to be made in such a way that they remain invisible to the radar,” Dr A. Sivathanu Pillai, chief controller.
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01/30/2014
Islamic militants in North Sinai have released a video which appears to show them shooting down an Egyptian military Mi8/17 transport helicopter, the first time militants have successfully targeted an Egyptian military aircraft.
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01/30/2014
U.S. Air Force and Boeing Co officials on Wednesday expressed confidence that a $52 billion air refueling program would deliver its first 18 planes by August 2017 as scheduled, despite a Pentagon report warning that testing of the new aircraft could be delayed by at least six to 12 months.
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01/30/2014
While Iraq’s request to purchase Apache attack helicopters and Hellfire missiles has garnered headlines this week, two other regional countries have received approval to buy US military equipment. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DCSA) has notified Congress that it has approved key foreign military sales to the United Arab Emirates and Libya last week, bring the total worth of approvals to $7.1 billion.
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01/30/2014
United Technologies Corp. officials weren't talking late Monday about defense industry rumors that Stratford-based Sikorsky Aircraft could be up for sale. Even U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., was in the dark after touring Sikorsky earlier in the day with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the Senate assistant majority leader.
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01/30/2014
Britain and France are to join forces to build a new generation of lethal drones as part of a controversial defence deal. President François Hollande is due to arrive in Britain on Friday for a summit with David Cameron at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where they are expected to agree to develop an Anglo-French Predator-type military drone.
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01/30/2014
The latest iteration of the Air Force's premier air-to-air combat training exercise kicked off Jan. 27 as allied and U.S aircraft launched to simulate battle in the sky over the Nevada Test and Training Range. Allied aircrews from Great Britain and Australia joined U.S. warfighters in the continued effort to maximize combat readiness, capability and survivability in a contested and degraded environment during Red Flag 14-1, hosted by the 414th Combat Training Squadron.
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01/30/2014
This is not your typical military battle. No weapons will be fired, and no troops deployed. This is a budget battle. In an effort to trim spending, the Air Force is planning to retire hundreds of Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, better known as the "Warthog," a move that will save the Air Force more than $3.7 billion by 2020. It is all part of a congressional mandate which aims to cut $50 billion from the Air Force budget over the next five years.
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01/30/2014
The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter met most of its flight test goals in fiscal 2013, but development of the fighter, especially its mission system software and weapons integration, lagged in some respects, according to an annual report issued by the Pentagon’s top weapons test director.
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01/30/2014
Last summer, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel raised the prospect of mothballing three aircraft carriers as part of a broader strategy to cut military spending. In December, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office listed 28 ways to reduce the budget deficit by cutting discretionary spending. Option number six was to stop building aircraft carriers.
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01/30/2014
The visit by a HAL team to Dassault facilities in France has been put on hold amid efforts by the government to verify the linkages between AgustaWestland's parent firm Finmecannica and other European defence companies. The defence ministry earlier this month scrapped a deal with AgustaWestland for procuring 12 VVIP choppers after charging it with breaching contractual obligations.
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01/29/2014
Bangladesh ordered 24 Russian Yak-130 light fighter jets worth $800 million in the final quarter of last year, a Russian newspaper reported Tuesday. The deal was paid for with a loan extended by Moscow to the country a year ago, the director of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said in a separate interview published by Kommersant on Monday, without disclosing the deal’s price tag.
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01/29/2014
Here it is, for everyone to ponder, the F-35 portion of the annual report from Michael Gilmore, director of the Pentagon’s Operational Test and Evaluation office. The only sort of public annual benchmark on the success or failure of the Pentagon’s major programs, the OT&E report is often quite dated by the time it comes out. Read the material on software delays with that in mind. The Block 2B software could be delayed by 13 months, the report concludes.
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01/29/2014
The Army is spending $4.6 million to buy a low-altitude aircraft surveillance system that would improve safety in the Joint Base Lewis-McChord training areas where four helicopter pilots were killed in a December 2011 collision. The system, to be built by Saab Defense and Security, would enable Lewis-McChord air traffic controllers to monitor helicopters that fly below 500 feet.
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01/29/2014
U.S. Customs and Border Protection grounded its fleet of unmanned aircraft Tuesday after losing one worth $12 million in the Pacific Ocean. The unarmed aircraft had a mechanical failure while on patrol of the southern California coast. The crew determined that it wouldn't make it back to Sierra Vista, Ariz., "and put the aircraft down in the water," the agency said in a statement.
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01/29/2014
The U.S. Army's Ground Combat Vehicle isn't officially dead, but maneuver officials are already searching for a new, air-droppable combat vehicle to support light infantry units.
The Army's Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Ga., recently released a Sources Sought document to see if industry is capable of building the Ultra Light Combat Vehicle – an armored chariot that could be carried by UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, or airdropped by C-130 aircraft.
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01/29/2014
An upcoming Anglo-French summit could breathe fresh life into a bilateral defense relationship seen as faded, with industry waiting to hear if there is progress on an anti-ship missile and a future combat drone for the two nations. Prime Minister David Cameron and President François Hollande are due to meet Jan. 31 at Royal Air Force base Brize Norton in southern England.
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01/29/2014
Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-35 jet developed cracks in testing of the fighter's durability and wasn't sufficiently reliable in training flights last year, the Pentagon's chief tester found. On-ground testing of the Air Force and Marine Corps versions of the fighter revealed "significant findings" of cracks on five occasions in fuselage bulkheads, flanges, stiffeners and engine mounts "that will require mitigation plans and may include redesigning parts and additional weight."
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01/29/2014
Lockheed Martin has demonstrated a 30-kilowatt electric fiber laser, the highest power ever documented while retaining beam quality and electrical efficiency. The internally funded research and development program culminated in this demonstration, which was achieved by combining many fiber lasers into a single, near-perfect quality beam of light—all while using approximately 50 percent less electricity than alternative solid-state laser technologies.
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01/29/2014
Lockheed Martin received a $31.1 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for follow-on production of paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) kits. The contract represents the majority share award of the available fiscal year 2013 funding. Production deliveries under this contract will include computer control groups and air foil groups for GBU-10 and GBU-12 bombs.
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01/28/2014
According to leaked documents the head of the Pentagon's operational test and evaluation office, Michael Gilmore, has raised major concerns about software flaws in the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the sensors on board the Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. The eight Australian Poseidons to be based at Edinburgh near Adelaide are due in service by 2019 to replace the RAAF's P3C Orion maritime patrol planes.
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01/28/2014
United Technologies Corp. (UTC) is considering the future of America’s leading helicopter maker, Sikorsky, and whether to sell, spinoff or forge a strategic merger for the manufacturer of the Black Hawk, one of the world’s most popular military helicopters, sources said.
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01/28/2014
South Korea and the United States are scaling down their annual joint military exercises, apparently in response to a series of conciliatory moves by North Korea. “The two sides have mapped out an exercise plan that will not feature a super-carrier or strategic bombers,” a government official said Monday, speaking of the upcoming Key Resolve/Foal Eagle drills.
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01/28/2014
New Hampshire Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte is warning the Air Force that any attempt to cut the A-10 in 2014 may violate the law, a clear warning shot at the service as it prepares to release its 2015 budget. Ayotte and her allies inserted language into the 2014 National Defense Authorization act (NDAA) stating the service “may not retire, prepare to retire, or place in storage” any A-10 aircraft during the entirety of calendar year 2014.
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01/28/2014
Australia’s program to replace its F/A-18A/B Hornet fleet with F-35A joint strike fighters will achieve a significant milestone in July when the first aircraft rolls off the assembly line, followed by the second four weeks later. On Dec. 13, that first aircraft transitioned from the Electronic Mate and Assembly System to the final assembly line at Fort Worth. It marked the first time the aircraft had stood on its own wheels.
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01/28/2014
Iraq’s embattled government will be allowed to buy and lease Apache attack helicopters to help fight a renewed insurgency after a U.S. lawmaker lifted his long-running objections to the deal, the Pentagon said Monday. The agreement allows Iraq to lease as many as six Apaches this year and purchase another two dozen for delivery over the next three years, officials said.
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01/28/2014
India has immense potential to become a leader in aerospace industry as the sector is growing at a "faster pace", a senior scientist of Defence Research and Development Organisation said today. "India has achieved quite a lot in the field of aerospace technologies and there are ample opportunities to become a leader in the field so we have a great future as well," Director General (Missiles and Strategic Systems), DRDO, V G Sekaran said here.
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01/28/2014
Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), in use with the U.S. Army since 1996, recently surpassed 100,000 combat flight hours in service. The MQ-5B Hunter, which is currently deployed supporting contingency operations across the globe, provides warfighters with state-of-the-art reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition (RSTA), communications relay and weapons delivery.
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01/28/2014
London universities have millions of pounds invested in the arms industry, a London Student investigation has found. Ten of the city’s institutions have holdings in defence companies, which critics argue “profit from death”. Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act suggest their combined stake in the controversial industry exceeds £7.4m.
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01/28/2014
Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport sold $13.2 billion in weapons and military equipment to foreign buyers last year but expects no short-term growth, its director said in an interview published Monday. “For the next two to three years our main task will be to maintain arms exports at $13 billion, which I do not think we will exceed, since the new types of technology potential buyers are interested in should first be adopted by the Russian army, and only then be exported.”
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01/27/2014
A Jordanian air force plane crashed on Sunday while it was on a training flight due to technical failure, an official army source said. "At 12:20 pm (local time), a Royal Jordanian Air Force plane crashed after encountering a technical problem," the military source told the state-run Jordanian News Agency (PETRA).
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01/27/2014
Russia released its Defence and Security Report for 2014’s first quarter on Thursday and said it would continue to acquire new military equipment and professionalize its army. Russia said it would purchase hundreds of warplanes, special mission aircraft and freighters during the next 10 years. Modernization of the country’s air force is expected to be complete by 2020.
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01/27/2014
The Global Hawk UAV looks to be a big winner in the US Air Force’s fiscal 2015 budget submission, an impressive turn of events for a program the service has spent years attempting to kill. The Global Hawk Block 30 will be funded when President Barack Obama’s budget arrives March 4, said two sources with knowledge of budget discussions.
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01/27/2014
The risk that President Obama may be forced to pull all American troops out of Afghanistan by the end of the year has set off concerns inside the American intelligence agencies that they could lose their air bases used for drone strikes against Al Qaeda in Pakistan and for responding to a nuclear crisis in the region.
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01/27/2014
North Korea blasted the United States Monday for dialing up tension in the Asia-Pacific region with "a military buildup," about a month before the start of an annual Seoul-Washington joint military drill that Pyongyang has railed against as being a war rehearsal against it.
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01/27/2014
With record attendance and most of the stands brimming with spectators, India on Sunday displayed its military and cultural might at the 65th Republic Day parade on Rajpath. One of the highlights of the 8-kilometre-long march past was the Navy’s nuclear submarines as well as a display that referred to the impending induction of a submarine launched nuclear missile into the strategic forces.
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01/27/2014
The Air Force is acquiring two new light lift aircraft from Indonesia to boost the delivery of supplies and personnel to remote areas. Indonesian firm PT Dirgantara Indonesia has won the bidding for the light lift fixed-wing aircraft acquisition project, worth P814 million. The STAR learned that the defense department issued the notice of award for the project early this month.
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01/27/2014
The country’s military prowess and cultural richness was visible in all its splendour in the contingents marching the eight-km stretch from Raisina Hill to Red Fort as India celebrated her 65th Republic Day on Sunday. Thousands of proud spectators braved the winter fog and chill in Delhi to cheer the contingents.
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01/27/2014
Islamist militants shot down an Egyptian military helicopter in the Sinai Peninsula with a surface-to-air missile over the weekend, raising new alarms about the terrorist insurgency that developed there in response to the military takeover last summer.
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01/26/2014
An IAF FIGHTER pilot who brought a stricken Mig-21 Bison back to the base after his aircraft's systems failed by holding a torch in his mouth was awarded Shaurya Chakra on the eve of Republic Day. He also managed to avoid another possible crash after his combat jet was hit by a bird in a separate incident.
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01/26/2014
India's high performance computing system 'Dhruva-3', designed for solving mission defence research and development critical applications, was launched here today. Avinash Chander, Secretary of Department of Defence Research and Development and Director General of DRDO inaugurated the system at Advanced Numerical Research and Analysis Group (ANURAG) here, a statement from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said.
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01/26/2014
One of the main features of the global defense strategy laid out by President Barack Obama two years ago, shifting the U.S. military's focus from the Middle East to the Asia Pacific region, is meeting significant challenges from China and its rapidly developing military power. But U.S. military officials say American dominance of the Asia Pacific is not diminishing.
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01/26/2014
Experts on China’s Navy are sounding cautionary tones after news surfaced last week that China is reportedly constructing a second aircraft carrier. The Chinese-language report from Hong Kong-based Ta Kung Pao, known as a veteran pro-Beijing newspaper, stated that Wang Min, a Communist Party secretary of China’s northeastern province of Liaoning, has confirmed the construction of the ship, which unlike its first carrier, is homegrown.
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01/26/2014
Congress has given Boeing's Super Hornet fighter jet a lifeline, at least for now. The omnibus federal spending measure contains a down payment of $75 million for 22 of the fighters that the Navy didn't request. The funding, signed into law on Jan. 17, will prod Navy officials to decide this year whether to spend as much as $2 billion for the unplanned planes as a hedge against delays of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
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01/26/2014
India’s biggest deal of procuring 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) for $18 billion (Rs90,000 crore) has hit rough weather. Two years after French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation bagged the deal for its Rafale fighter jets on account of being the lowest bidder, its cost has now shot up by 100 per cent.
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01/25/2014
A new US Defence Department report warns that ongoing software, maintenance and reliability problems with Lockheed Martin Corp’s F-35 stealth fighter could delay the Marine Corps’ plans to start using its F-35 jets by mid-2015. The latest report by the Pentagon’s chief weapons tester, Michael Gilmore, provides a detailed critique of the F-35’s technical challenges, and focuses heavily on what it calls the “unacceptable” performance of the plane’s software.
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01/25/2014
After the successful launch of Agni IV ballistic missile, Indian defence scientists are preparing to test long delayed indigenous beyond visual range air-to-air missile Astra in the coming weeks. Astra, meant for the IAF's combat jets, will be test fired within a month, officials said. The missile has already been fitted on Sukhoi-30 MKIs at selected IAF bases and trial runs were going on. The Astra will soon be fired from DRDO's test facility Chandipur-on-sea.
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01/25/2014
With no perceptible opposition from the Obama administration, Congress has quietly downscaled Washington’s ambitions for the final year of the Afghan war, substantially curtailing development aid and military assistance plans ahead of the U.S. troop pullout.
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01/25/2014
Global Hawks, America’s largest unmanned surveillance aircraft, will fly out of Japan for the first time this summer, the Air Force says. Interest in the drones - ranging from NASA to NATO and other U.S. allies -- has been rising due to their versatility and endurance. Two of them, along with 40 personnel, will deploy to Misawa Air Base from May to October, according to 1st Lt. Caitlin Suttie, a public affairs officer with the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa.
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01/25/2014
Britain’s new £70 million F-35 fighter is struggling with “unacceptable” software problems and is less reliable than hoped a new report has warned. The Pentagon’s chief weapons tester has warned the new stealth fighter being bought by the British and the US militaries is facing more delays and remains vulnerable to fires.
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01/25/2014
The Navy’s EA-18G electronic warfare plane will be the principal host for the Next Generation Jammer that Raytheon is developing. This image shows pods housing the existing jamming system on the plane’s underside. Once the new system is installed, the EA-18G — dubbed the “Growler” — will be able to counter all emerging threats across the electromagnetic spectrum in support of the joint force.
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01/25/2014
Despite initial high expectations, the Indian Air Force appears to be souring on a joint development deal with Russia for a new fifth-generation fighter jet, according to the Business Standard, a major Indian business publication. The Russian prototype is "unreliable, its radar inadequate, its stealth features badly engineered,” said Indian Air Force Deputy Air Marshall S Sukumar at a Jan. 15 meeting, according to minutes obtained by the Business Standard.
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01/25/2014
A Russian carrier group that entered the Mediterranean earlier this month has begun a series of naval aviation exercises, a navy spokesman said Friday. “The naval aviators are conducting training in dogfighting, high-speed interception and improving their skills in flying intricate aerobatic maneuvers,” Captain of the 1st Class Vadim Serga said.
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01/24/2014
Chinese air force planes have been regularly patrolling the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) since it was established two months ago, an air force spokesman said here Thursday. The routine patrols have beefed up China's effective control over the ADIZ, air force colonel Shen Jinke said.
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01/24/2014
Upto Fifty people were killed and several others sustained injuries in targeted operations by security forces, conducted by fighter aircraft and gunship helicopters, in North Waziristan and the Khyber tribal agencies on Tuesday. For the first time since 2007 when the government signed the peace accord with the Hafiz Gul Bahadur-led Taliban militants in North Waziristan, fighter aircraft and helicopter gunships pounded suspected positions of militants in the Mir Ali subdivision.
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01/24/2014
The U.S. drone program under President Barack Obama reached its fifth anniversary on Thursday having tallied up an estimated death toll of at least 2,400 people. As the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, a U.K.-based non-profit, details on its website, five years ago the CIA conducted the first drone strikes of the Obama presidency. Although there were reports of suspected "militants" killed, at least 14 civilians also died that day.
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01/24/2014
The defence ministry is upset with the finance ministry for slashing Rs 7,870 crore from the funds allocated for the modernization of the armed forces, holding that it will delay the finalization of some critical procurement projects.
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01/24/2014
A new Boeing surveillance aircraft deployed to Japan last month as part of the U.S. shift to Asia isn't yet effective for its primary submarine-hunting and intelligence missions, the Pentagon's weapons tester found. The new P-8A Poseidon exhibited "all of the major deficiencies" identified in earlier exercises when subjected to more stressful realistic combat testing from September 2012 to March 2013, Michael Gilmore, chief of the Pentagon testing office.
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01/24/2014
The RAFALE has successfully completed its first test flights in a new heavily-armed configuration, comprising six air-to-ground precision AASM Hammer missiles, four medium and long range air-to-air missiles from the MICA family, two very long range METEOR missiles, as well as three 2,000 liter fuel tanks.
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01/24/2014
Tejas, the Indian Light Combat Aircraft, is going to be the star attraction amongst the products displayed as part of the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) contingent at the Republic Day parade. DRDO’s products for the parade include Arjun Mk-II (a new version of Indian battle tank), a tableau displaying ‘Astra’ and ‘Helina’ missiles and another tableau displaying a wide range of unmanned systems.
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01/24/2014
Argentina is considering the purchase from Israel of 18 multipurpose combat aircraft Kfir Block 60 after negotiations with Spain for 16 Mirage F1 fighter bombers fell through, according to a report from Buenos Aires daily Clarin.
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01/23/2014
In the midst of heightening tensions with Japan over the disputed Diaoyutai islands (called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China), China is still negotiating with Russia to import more advanced weapon systems with which to equip its air force and navy writes Vasiliy Kashin from the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies in an article for the Moscow-based Military-Industrial Courier.
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01/23/2014
International media sources have reported recently that Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) has acquired the three ‘Harfang’ unmanned aerial systems retired by the French Air Force after several years of service in Afghanistan. Harfang which deployed with the Armee de L’air in 2008 was delivered by EADS (Now Airbus Defense & Space), under the Eagle I cooperative development with Israel Aerospace Industries.
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01/23/2014
Joint productions of all future projects is expected to be the new norm in Indo-Russian relations after Moscow last year offered to set up manufacturing facilities in the country for joint production of defence hardware. India and Russia agreed to set up manufacturing facilities in India for joint production of defence hardware during Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Rogozin’s state visit to New Delhi last year.
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01/23/2014
Hopes of selling Typhoon jet fighters to the United Arab Emirates are over, the boss of BAE Systems conceded yesterday, just weeks after the firm warned talks about the £6bn deal had stalled. Chief executive Ian King said the UAE negotiation was ‘done’, adding ‘we have no plans to revive it’.
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01/23/2014
The new omnibus federal budget has millions of dollars for the Hampton Roads defense community, including money for Virginia-class submarines and construction projects at Joint Base Langley Eustis. Another line item is of particular interest to the F-22 Raptor community.
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01/23/2014
Lockheed Martin Corp.’s claims that the development and construction of the nearly $400 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will sustain 125,000 jobs in 46 states is “greatly exaggerated,” according to a new report by a research center.
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01/23/2014
The U.S. Congress has given Boeing’s Super Hornet fighter jet a lifeline, at least for now. The omnibus federal spending measure contains a down payment of $75 million for 22 of the fighters that the Navy didn’t request. The funding, signed into law Friday, will prod Navy officials to decide this year whether to spend as much as $2 billion for the unplanned planes as a hedge against delays of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
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01/23/2014
Boeing and research partners in the United Arab Emirates have made breakthroughs in sustainable aviation biofuel development, finding that desert plants fed by seawater will produce biofuel more efficiently than other well-known feedstocks.
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01/23/2014
The U.S. Air Force on Jan. 21 received the first B-1 bomber upgraded with the Boeing Integrated Battle Station, which essentially turns the B-1 into a new aircraft with the addition of full color displays, moving maps and a new diagnostics system.
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01/23/2014
The Russian Air Force is preparing to conduct a series of tests of new cruise missiles, as well as carrying out strategic bomber patrols including stops in other countries, the commander of its long-range fleet said Wednesday. “In 2014 we are planning practice launches of cruise missiles, including new models,” Gen. Lt. Anatoly Zhikharev told reporters, without specifying the missiles to be fired. Russian planes launched 15 cruise missiles last year.
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01/22/2014
CAE today announced it was awarded a contract to provide Aeronautica Militare Italiana (Italian Air Force) with an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Mission Trainer representing the General Atomics Predator remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). The CAE UAS Mission Trainer will be delivered in early 2015 to Amendola Air Force Base, and will be used to provide initial and mission training for Predator pilots and sensor operators.
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01/22/2014
The Indian Navy has launched preparations to start flying operations from aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The MiG-29K fighter aircraft have started taking off from the ski-jump and making arrested landings. Having finished training in Russia, 10 top naval pilots have returned home to operate from INS Vikramaditya, which is berthed at Karwar naval base.
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01/22/2014
The Taiwan Air Force’s first joint standoff weapon (JSOW), unveiled at a ceremony last week, is intended to suppress enemy air defenses and should complicate any invasion plans China might have in mind, a defense expert said. Dubbed the Wan Chien (Ten Thousand Swords), the weapon was displayed Jan. 16 at the airbase here in southwestern Taiwan during the inauguration of recently upgraded indigenous defense fighters under the 443 Tactical Fighter Wing.
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01/22/2014
Dassault Aviation received a development contract from the French Ministry of Defense for a further upgrade of the Rafale combat aircraft. Designated “F3 R,” the upgrade consists mainly of integration of the MBDA Meteor BVRAAM; the laser-homing version of the Sagem AASM air-ground weapon; and the new Thales PDL-NG laser designator pod. There will also be some improvements to the Rafale’s avionics and defensive systems.
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01/22/2014
The air force of Hungary will join Italy in protecting Slovenia's air space under an agreement signed late last week. Slovenia, once part of the former Yugoslavia, joined NATO in 2004 and opted for allied protection of its air space rather than purchasing aircraft. The Hungarian air force flies fourth-generation Gripen fighters, which are made by Saab of Sweden. The fighters are single-engine multi-role aircraft with a maximum speed of 1,312 miles per hour at altitude and a combat radius of 500
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01/22/2014
The $1.1 trillion federal budget adopted last week preserves jobs at Sikorsky Aircraft and continues development of a new rescue helicopter for the Air Force. Connecticut received $3.3 billion in defense spending in the 2014 budget deal signed by President Barack Obama, enough to keep the 6,566 Sikorsky workers in Stratford on the job and fund Connecticut's other defense contractors.
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01/22/2014
Taiwan has said it plans to slash its armed forces by up to 20 percent from 215,000 over the next five years, in the latest sign of warming ties with former rival China. Defence Minister Yen Ming said the military would be cut to 170,000-190,000, but that defense capabilities would not be compromised in the project to build “smaller but leaner and more professional armed forces.”
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01/22/2014
Japanese fighter jets scrambled against Chinese planes a record number of times in April-December, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, as Sino-Japanese ties are strained by an island spat and disputes stemming from Tokyo's wartime past.
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01/21/2014
The Tula-based instrument-building design bureau, KBP, plans to test the Pantsir-S1 combined short to medium range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery system beyond the Polar Circle, KBP's first deputy managing director, Nikolai Khokhlov, told reporters on Monday.
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01/21/2014
The U.S. Army has awarded BAE Systems a $39 million contract for more than 300 third-generation (Gen3) Common Missile Warning System (CMWS), a key element in helicopter and aircraft countermeasures systems protecting US aviators in combat theatres; The Army has already acquired 2,100 such systems and has operated them in combat, accumulating more than 2,000,000 combat flight hours.
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01/21/2014
The massive omnibus spending bill creates winners and losers – and at first blush it seems that Connecticut is chiefly in the winner’s column. Like other state governments, the Malloy administration is still trying to determine the impact of the $1.1 trillion federal budget approved by Congress last week.
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01/21/2014
Chinese naval vessels including an island landing ship began drills today in the South China Sea, where China and several other nations are locked in territorial disputes. Two destroyers and China's largest amphibious landing craft started the exercises after sailing from the naval base on the southern island province of Hainan, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The ships also boast three helicopters and a company of marines.
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01/21/2014
Like the most people of Indian origin, I have been an avid reader of news on the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender. It is safe to say that in the last five years many of India’s defence projects have come if not of age, at least into adolescence. The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is now flying as a genuine albeit underpowered and slow combat aircraft. The indigenous Kaveri jet engine operates on target except at high altitude, the crystal turbine blades not yet a proven quantity.
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01/21/2014
Modernisation of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has entered the final stage of its current phase. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s Third Plenum, which was held in November 2013 and represents a major advance in China’s reforms, provided a substantive push to the PLA’s modernisation when it approved proposals for major organisational restructuring. The reforms coincide with China’s continuing assertiveness that has unsettled its neighbours.
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01/21/2014
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has done a stunning about-turn, sharply criticising the showpiece Indo-Russian project to co-develop a futuristic Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). Even as New Delhi and Moscow finalise a $6 billion deal to co-develop an FGFA with capabilities tailor-made for India, the IAF has alleged the Russians would be unable to meet their promises about its performance.
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01/21/2014
Russia’s prospective rival of the US breakthrough military research agency DARPA will receive 3.3 billion rubles ($100 million) of state funding this year, its spokesman said Monday. But this year’s budget for Russia’s Advanced Research Foundation was actually decreased 12.5 percent year-on-year, the spokesman said. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), founded in 1958, has an estimated annual budget of $2.8 billion.
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01/20/2014
Britain's Ministry of Defence is close to placing its first major tranche of orders for the F-35 fighter jet, with an award for about 14 of the “stealth” warplanes due in the next few weeks.
The orders for the new plane, being built in an international project led by US defence giant Lockheed Martin, will signal the increasing role of the British military in the controversial F-35 programme.
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01/20/2014
Government warplanes on Saturday launched raids on the northern Syrian city of Aleppo and the surrounding countryside, killing 34 people, including five children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Air raids launched by government jets and helicopters left 23 people dead in the city itself, and killed another 11 in the surrounding countryside, the Observatory reported.
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01/20/2014
Israeli warplanes raided two locations in the center and south of Gaza Strip at dawn on Sunday, according to local radio stations. The strikes targeted two sites used for training by Izz-Eddine Al-Qassam Briagdes, military wing of the Islamic movement Hamas.
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01/20/2014
The cancellation of the Canadian military’s Close Combat Vehicle (CCV) program is the first major equipment casualty of ongoing budget reductions, with industry officials expecting other procurement projects to be delayed or cut. Gen. Tom Lawson, chief of the Defense Staff, announced the CCV cancellation on Dec. 20 but denied government budget cutbacks were to blame.
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01/20/2014
It is a defence project that has flown headlong into controversy – as befits the world’s most advanced multi-role fighter jet, packed with technological gizmos and capable of 1,200mph bombing raids. But while the debate rages over the cost and complexities of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 warplane, one issue is easily overlooked: the most expensive Pentagon defence programme in history.
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01/19/2014
In what has easily the biggest development in defense news this week, Congress just received notice that the United States is exporting cutting-edge tiltrotor technology to Israel. More amazingly - the six V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft that Israel will be buying were originally supposed to go to the U.S. Marines, currently fighting a shooting war in Afghanistan.
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01/19/2014
Off they go into the wild blue yonder, climbing high into the sun, the first five F-22 Raptors left Holloman for Tyndall Air Force Base Fla., Jan. 6, as part of the transition of the F-22s leaving the base.
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01/19/2014
The newest US Air Force stealth fighter, the F-35 Lightning-2 arrives at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale later this year adding to a growing collection of military aircraft over the skies of Arizona. But the F-35 is no stranger to our state the U.S. Marine Corps pilots have been flying them for about a year now. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Gillette is the "Green Knights" squadron commander, the first operational Marine squadron in the country to get the new F-35's.
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01/19/2014
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is acquiring three modern flight simulators for P246.4 million to help pilots operate efficiently the soon-to-be-delivered T-50 fighter jets from South Korea. The Department of National Defense (DND) said it is bidding out the project designed to enhance the operational capability of the PAF.
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01/19/2014
China is reportedly building a second aircraft carrier, estimated to be completed by 2018, on its way to expanding its fleet to four of the massive ships. Media reports - later deleted from the internet - stated Liaoning party chief Wang Min told a panel of the provincial people's congress that the second carrier was being built in the city of Dalian. The reports also quoted Wang as saying the port city was building two advanced 052D destroyers.
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01/18/2014
The Department of Defense awarded seven new defense contracts Friday, worth $591.3 million in total. United Technologies didn't win the biggest contract - but it did win the second biggest. More precisely, it was UTC subsidiary Goodrich Corp which won the day's second biggest contract, a $183 million firm-fixed-price contract action of as-yet indeterminate scope, to perform in-country setup and installation of ground stations for the Royal Saudi Air Force's DB110.
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01/18/2014
THE Russian Knights, the aerobatic team of the Russian Air Force, yesterday praised the high standard of BIAS 2014. "The show compares highly positively with other air shows and we are pleased with its high standards," the team said at a Press conference in Sakhir. "We took part with four Sukhois in 2012 and we have increased the number to five this year. We are so pleased with the air show in Bahrain and we are planning to have six planes in our participation in 2016," they said.
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01/18/2014
The Russian military has formed a helicopter squadron to strengthen its air contingent at the Erebuni air base in Armenia, the press service of Russia’s Southern Military District said Friday. Russia’s 3624th Air Base at the Erebuni airport in Yerevan currently hosts at least 16 MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets operating under the framework of air defense agreements concluded between the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
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01/18/2014
The Royal Saudi Air Force's (RSAF) official demonstration team, the Saudi Hawks, is at the show, revisiting the scene of its first appearance outside Saudi Arabia in February 2000. Formed in 1998, the team is equipped with Hawk Mk.65s, which can produce a single colour of smoke. The last six Hawk Mk.65As have an enhanced smoke capability, with provision for a pod identical to those carried by the RAF’s Red Arrows Hawks, and capable of producing three colours.
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01/18/2014
Rick Groesch, Lockheed Martin's regional director for the Middle East, was in bullish form at the show describing the company's F-16 upgrade plans. A number of regional air forces still operate the F-16 Fighting Falcon, among them the Royal Bahraini Air Force. Though a number of companies are offering upgrades for the F-16, Groesch, himself a former F-16 and F-117 pilot, was keen to stress the unique advantages that Lockheed, as the original manufacturer, was able to offer.
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01/17/2014
A member of an elite U.S. Army helicopter unit was killed and two crew members suffered injuries when their aircraft slammed into the ground as they tried to land at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, a military spokesman said Thursday. The MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was returning from a routine training flight when it made a "hard landing" just before 11:30 p.m. Wednesday on or near the airstrip at the base in coastal Georgia, said Army Maj. Allen Hill.
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01/17/2014
Israel is seeking to purchase V-22B Block C Osprey aircraft from the United States through a Foreign Military Sales deal worth about $1.13 billion. The proposed sale, reported to Congress this week, is one of two, billion-dollar contract requests announced by the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The Republic of Singapore is seeking an upgrade of its F-16 Block 52 aircraft at a cost of $2.43 billion.
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01/17/2014
The first Chinese combat aircraft built specifically for aircraft carrier use, the J-15, appears to have been equipped with the in-air refueling pod. These pods contain additional fuel and the hose and drogue refueling gear for getting the fuel to other fighters. Thus when a carrier launches four fighters, two can be equipped with the refueling pod and transfer their fuel to the other two, providing those two with more range and time in the air.
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01/17/2014
PARIS The European Eurofighter consortium has signed a draft agreement to sell 28 of its fighter planes to Kuwait, online French newspaper La Tribune reported on Thursday. Of the 28 outline sales, which are not yet binding, four are covered by options to purchase, the report said.
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01/17/2014
A ceremony was held at an air base in the southern city of Tainan Thursday to mark the completion of the first batch of upgraded indigenous defense fighter (IDF) jets and the installation of a new weapons system.
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01/17/2014
According to a special report -"World Air Force 2014" - China has overtaken Russia in terms of its combat aircraft numbers, and for the first time ranks in second place worldwide. Flight Global, a British aerospace weekly magazine released the free report on its website in early January this year.
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01/17/2014
Boeing is assembling the fourth and final KC-46A test aircraft for the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation aerial refueling tanker program at the company’s Everett factory, keeping the program on track to deliver the initial 18 tankers to the Air Force by 2017.
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01/17/2014
This is far from being a coincidence, as the machine is being heavily promoted as a potential replacement for the Royal Bahrain Air Force’s (RBAF) ageing Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters. Major Rakan Ateytalla, an instructor pilot on the RBAF Cobra, was clearly taken by the T-129, and compared it favourably with the USMC Bell AH-1Z Super Cobra that he had also been shown over before the show.
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01/16/2014
Since the 1960s, the U.S. Navy has needed a reliable carrier-based strike fighter, and the F-18 and its different iterations have answered the call. To this day, the fighter jet is considered “the most advanced multi-role strike fighter available” to the U.S. Armed Forces, according to the U.S. Navy.
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01/16/2014
Sukhoi Aircraft has introduced the new design solutions to increase the stealth capabilities of T-50 by managing to greatly reduce the effective surface scattering of the fighter, which is the basic element for visibility on aircraft radars.
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01/16/2014
The PAK-FA patent document published by Russia’s Federal Service for Intellectual Property shows the fifth generation stealth aircraft’s design is heavily influenced by low radar visibility requirements. At the same time, the Russians are prepared to sacrifice some stealth in their quest for super maneuverability and excellent flight characteristics.
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01/16/2014
There’s a whole lot of man-made thunder coming for folks in the north Las Vegas Valley.
Military aircraft taking off and landing at Nellis Air Force Base will increase noise levels for residents around the base as fighter jets and support planes from the United States and partner nations take to the skies for Red Flag air combat training exercises beginning in late January.
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01/16/2014
A single-seat Navy FA-18E super hornet crashed 45 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard confirms. Commander Mike Kafka with Naval Air Atlantic said the jet is part of VFA-143, assigned to Carrier Air Wing 7, and is currently assigned to USS Eisenhower. The flight originated from Oceana Naval Air Station and was conducting routine training exercises when the jet crashed at approximately 2:30 p.m.
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01/16/2014
The Pentagon plans to sell six tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft to Israel in a long-planned deal worth $1.13 billion, officials said Tuesday. Israel will become the first foreign country to be allowed to purchase the V-22 Osprey, which can take off like a helicopter and fly like a turboprop airplane.
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01/16/2014
A Turkish aircraft conducting a reconnaissance flight over Aegean international airspace was harassed by Greek F-16s five times, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) announced on Tuesday.
A CN-235 aircraft was harassed by Greek fighter jets for two minutes and 37 seconds while the radar lock of the Greek air defense system was kept on.
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01/15/2014
Singapore is ready to invest USD 2.43 billion to modernize its F-16 fighter jets in an arms deal with the United States, the Pentagon has said. The Defense Department yesterday informed Congress of the planned sale that would involve new radar, navigation systems, missiles and other advanced equipment for Singapore's aging fleet of F-16s.
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01/15/2014
Venezuela's armed forces reported Tuesday that it intercepted a Cessna 210 aircraft arriving from Central America after its crew ignored orders to land. The incident occurred over the coast of the western Venezuelan state of Zulia that borders on Colombia, the head of the Strategic Operational Command, Gen. Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on Twitter.
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01/15/2014
A massive US government spending bill introduced Monday evening would ramp up war spending for the first time in four years, and it includes billions for new weapon systems. A trillion-dollar, government-wide omnibus spending measure crafted by the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations committees includes $5 billion more for America’s overseas conflicts than requested by the White House.
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01/15/2014
The U.S. Navy announced Tuesday that it would deploy a newer nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to Japan to replace USS George Washington. USS Ronald Reagan, commissioned in 2003 and currently based in San Diego, will be deployed at the Yokosuka Naval Base as part of the Pentagon's efforts to bolster combat readiness in the region. It is known to carry more than 6,000 crew members.
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01/15/2014
About 12 Virginia-based F-22 Raptor fighter jets will deploy this month to Okinawa, according to an announcement posted on the 5th Air Force website. The rotational deployment to Kadena Air Base will include about 300 people from Langley Air Force Base as part of a routine assignment, according to 5th Air Force officials.
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01/15/2014
The secret plans for America's - and Australia's - next stealth fighter have been recovered from boxes labelled "household goods" on their way to Iran. It's just the latest scare for the troubled multi-billion dollar Joint Strike Fighter F-35 Lightning II program. It's turned out to be the most expensive defence program in history, costing about $400 billion so far. Tens of more billions are expected to be spent in ironing out the many problems with its ultra-advanced electronics.
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01/15/2014
Recognizing that its self-defense capabilities are becoming inadequate, Sweden is shifting its strategic policy to embrace partnerships beyond its Nordic neighborhood, including NATO and the European Union. The first step in the process was the appointment of an expert group headed by Tomas Bertelman, a former Swedish ambassador to Moscow (2009-12). The group is due to present a final report to the Ministry of Defense in October.
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01/15/2014
Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is gaining new markets but rival manufacturers are straining to upgrade their models to catch up, Aviation Week and Space Technology said.
Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is the F-35's direct competitor in the U.S. defense aviation industry but the global air force market has serious contenders in Dassault Aviation's Rafale, Eurofighter's Typhoon and Saab's Gripen.
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01/15/2014
An upgrade of BAE System’s much-used missile warning system for combat aircraft has drawn a $39 million order from the U.S. Army, which wants more than 300 of the third-generation units of the Common Missile Warning System and has already begun using them in Afghanistan, according to the company.
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01/15/2014
Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI) will display the T-129 ATAK - the final evolution of the Agusta A-129 light combat helicopter - at the Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS), being held later this week (16-18 January) at the Sakhir Airbase.
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01/14/2014
All good things don't necessarily need to come to an end; sometimes they are just replaced by something even better. Such is the case with the venerable C-130H Hercules model aircraft here. The C-130 has been around since the Vietnam War, forming the backbone of the Air Force's tactical airlift fleet. It is especially well-suited to austere conditions like those found throughout Afghanistan.
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01/14/2014
Not that long ago, the Prime Minister would demand from military and intelligence chiefs at meetings of the National Security Council that “something must be done” about Syria; this apparently rose in volume and urgency in the sessions after Samantha Cameron had visited a refugee camp across the border in Lebanon.
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01/14/2014
A federal budget agreement announced Monday night includes money for the Air Force to award a contract to a Sikorsky Aircraft/Lockheed Martin joint venture to build a new generation of 112 combat search-and-rescue helicopters. The deal includes $333.5 million for the Air Force to approve the project, which would support 250 existing and new jobs at Lockheed’s facility in Owego.
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01/14/2014
The French defense procurement agency, the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), has awarded Thales a contract to develop a new laser designation pod for deployment on fighter aircraft. The award follows the completion of what Thales calls a “risk reduction phase” throughout 2013, and series production of the new pod is expected to begin in 2018.
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01/14/2014
The Tejas light combat aircraft, 30 years in the making, is just 60% indigenous as of now. The story of the indigenous Arjun main battle tank is even worse. First sanctioned in May 1974, 55% of the tank is still made of imported parts. This is the recurring theme across India's fledgling defence industrial base (DIB), with the government failing to whip DRDO and its sprawling empire of over 50 laboratories as well as the five defence PSUs, four shipyards and 50 ordnance factories into shape.
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01/14/2014
A new fast jet training course is pushing RAF pilots faster and further than ever. The new Hawk T2 aircraft, which uses state of the art advanced avionics suite and sensor simulation software to help make the step up between trainer aircraft and Typhoon easier, has revolutionised flying training at RAF Valley.
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01/14/2014
The MQ-5B Hunter, which is currently deployed supporting contingency operations across the globe, provides warfighters with state-of-the-art reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition (RSTA), communications relay and weapons delivery.
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01/12/2014
The Western arms embargo against China (because of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre) continues to provide evidence of being more evaded than complied with. Major military exporters like France and Germany are leading the way. European firms are particularly eager to drop the embargo and some, like France, are basically ignoring it. This is done most frequently by disregarding the installation of dual-use Western equipment in Chinese weapons systems.
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01/12/2014
Dassault Aviation has secured the F3 R standard development contract for the RAFALE combat aircraft while French Defense Minister Jean- Yves Le Drian visited its main facility. Negotiations were finalized with the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) on December 30, with the contract estimated about 1 billion euros.
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01/12/2014
Russia has taken the first steps toward establishing its first air base in Belarus, but questions remain over how much Moscow will have to pay for the privilege.
Last month, four Russian Su-27 fighter jets and their support personnel arrived at the Baranovichi air base, near Belarus's borders with Poland and Lithiania (both NATO members). The move is part of a plan to set up a Russian fighter jet regiment, likely at another base in Belarus, by 2015. RIA Novosti writes that the new base would
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01/12/2014
Former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' much-talked about memoir includes a chapter in which he relives bitter clashes with Air Force officials over nuclear weapon screw-ups, drone deployments and funding for the F-22 fighter aircraft. The showdown culminated in June 2008 with the firing of Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley.
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01/12/2014
A global ranking shows that China is developing its air power faster than any other country in the world, propelled in part by its newest jet fighters and special mission military aircraft, according to a Chinese news source. The online news website - Xin Lang Jun Shi (Sina Military) - cited a 2013-2014 world air power report published by U.K.-based weekly "Flight International."
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01/11/2014
The question has long vexed defense analysts, as the projected costs of fighters seem to expand even faster than those of other military hardware. Some of the reasons include the ever-increasing gulf between civilian and military technology, a gulf that demands extra specialization on the part of engineers, equipment, and workforce.
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01/11/2014
A new program enables controllers and combat aircrews to visualize, select and employ guided weapons from a diverse set of airborne platforms, an instructor told the DARPA Congressional Tech Showcase here yesterday. Marine Corps Maj. Thomas Short, an instructor at the Marine Corps Aviation Weapons School, Yuma, Ariz., describes DARPA’s Persistent Close Air Support program as precise and prompt with its digital air-to-ground coordination and shared situational awareness.
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01/11/2014
The type of U.S. Navy helicopter that crashed Wednesday near Norfolk, Va., killing at least two personnel, breaks down frequently and may be more accident-prone than other kinds of military helicopters, according to interviews and safety data. An MH-53E Sea Dragon crashed Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean, about 20 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, during a training mission. Four of the five crew members were pulled from the frigid water. Two later died and a pilot remains missing.
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01/11/2014
France planned to invest 1 billion euro (1.364 billion U.S. dollars) in a bid to upgrade the Rafale combat aircraft enough to snatch deals and cope with a fierce competition, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Friday. "It is a clear sign of our commitment to invest in the Rafale... to have better international level. It is also a guarantee to offer for a long term products that meet the requirements of export," the minister said.
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01/11/2014
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] received a $13.3 million Foreign Military Sales contract in November from the U.S. Air Force to support additional integration of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) onto the Finnish Air Force F-18C/D aircraft. This third contract for Finland includes wind tunnel models and test support, software development completion, logistics support and engineering documentation. All work under this contract will be completed by third quarter 2016.
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01/11/2014
A naval task force led by Russia’s largest warship has passed through the English Channel on its way to the Mediterranean, a Russian military official said on Friday. The group carried out naval aviation exercises while passing close to UK territorial waters, Captain 2nd Class Yevgeny Kirillov said.
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01/11/2014
Roketsan is one of Turkish major weapons manufacturer and defense contractor. The company was established in 1988 with the supports of Turkey's Defense Industry Executive Committee in order to strengthen country's defense industry capacity. Roketsan is developing Cirit , a laser-guided 70 mm rocket system which is set to equip the Turkish Army's T-129 Atak, AH-1P Cobra and AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters with low-cost precision strike capabilities.
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01/10/2014
A U.S. military plane has crashed in eastern Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of three Americans. There are no indications that the aircraft was brought down by enemy fire, said a defense official. “International Security Assistance Force service members and one ISAF civilian died following an aircraft mishap in eastern Afghanistan today,” said a statement released by NATO in Afghanistan.
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01/10/2014
The first ever Air Reserve Component combat delivery Association between the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard is ending. As a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, the 107th Air Refueling Wing of the Air National Guard relinquished their KC-135 aircraft and became the 107th Airlift Wing. It was decided by the Department of Defense and the Air Force that the 107th would associate with the Air Force Reserve's 914th Airlift Wing.
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01/10/2014
A state-of-the-art new radar has moved another step closer to be installed on a fighter jet built in Lancashire. Work is underway on modifications and upgrades to a Typhoon development aircraft, named IPA5, as part of a programme to integrate an electronically-scanning radar, the E-scan radar.
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01/10/2014
With national elections looming in India, speculation is growing that contracts for the long-delayed medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), as well as the multi-role tanker transport (MRTT), could soon be signed. However, the MMRCA pact might cover only the supply of 18 Dassault Rafale aircraft from the French production line, leaving further negotiations for the remaining 108 required to be concluded by the new government.
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01/10/2014
A report in the Russia and India Report takes a fascinating look at the role of the twin-fin Sukhoi-30 MKI air superiority fighters in the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) combat strategy. The Su-30 MKI is an eminently versatile fighter that is capable of meeting the IAF’s evolving needs, particularly in the context of a nightmare scenario involving a two-front war with Pakistan and China.
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01/10/2014
Saab is a relatively small aerospace company, employing almost 14,000 personnel with sales of £2.25 billion in 2012: it is a David among Goliaths. And yet, as 2013 drew to a close it was announced that Brazil plans to buy 36 Saab Gripen fighter aircraft.The world fighter aircraft market is dominated by a few large firms from the USA, Europe and Russia. Among them are Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Eurofighter (producing the F-15; F-16; F-18; F-35; and Typhoon aircraft).
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01/10/2014
Notwithstanding the financial constraints, the defence ministry has been on a drive to procure and upgrade military assets over the last five years for which it spent a whopping amount of Rs 3.25 lakh crore. The ministry procured and upgraded a large number of military equipment for the armed forces including nuclear submarines, special operations transport aircraft and fighter planes.
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01/10/2014
Lockheed Martin received two production contracts on Dec. 19 totaling $449 million from the U.S. Air Force for continued production of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and the Extended Range (ER) variant. The Lot 11 and Lot 12 contracts include production of 340 baseline missiles and 100 ER missiles. The contracts also include systems engineering, logistics support, tooling and test equipment.
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01/10/2014
The Royal Air Force Typhoon Display Team will display daily at the show, with Flight Lieutenant Jamie Norris taking Eurofighter Typhoon to the skies once again following a fun-packed season showcasing its performance throughout 2013, with the most recent at the Al Ain Aerobatic Show.
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01/09/2014
Tinker AFB Airmen will update ground maintenance and mission planning software in support of a new Air Force contract that will increase the B-52 Stratofortress's "smart-weapons" capacity by 50 percent. The $24.6 million agreement stipulates that Boeing will develop a modification to existing weapon launchers so the aircraft can carry smart weapons in the bomb bay, which will enable aircrews to use the B-52's entire weapons capacity.
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01/09/2014
Military experts describe China's arms race as a global military force following China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning returning to its home port of Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong Province on January 1, completing a 37 day scientific and training mission in the South China Sea.
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01/09/2014
Nearly 4,500 active-duty military members work for the wing, which includes a separate base at nearby RAF Feltwell, supported by nearly 2,000 British and US civilians. The base is home to F-15 fighter planes, the US Air Forces in Europe’s (USAFE) only F-15 fighter wing.
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01/09/2014
A Navy helicopter with five crew members went down in the Atlantic off the Virginia coast during a routine mission Wednesday, killing two crew members and injuring two, the U.S. Navy said. Rescuers were still looking for a fifth person. The Navy identified the aircraft as an MH-53E. The helicopter, assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Fourteen based at Naval Station Norfolk, was conducting routine training operations at the time of the crash, the Navy said.
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01/09/2014
The 42,500-tonne vessel set sail from Toulon 45 days ago on a three-month mission – named Bois Belleau after a First World War battle fought in 1918 – and its latest port of call is Abu Dhabi. After a short stop in Djibouti, the 12-storey ship docked in Port Zayed on Wednesday, and will remain there for four days.
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01/09/2014
British investigators Wednesday were trying to establish what caused a U.S. Air Force helicopter to crash in a bird sanctuary during a "low-level" training mission along the eastern coast of England in which four crewmembers died. The HH-60G Pave Hawk, an updated version of the U.S. Army Black Hawk, went down in the Cley Marshes nature reserve on Tuesday evening, in Norfolk.
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01/09/2014
Lockheed Martin received an $84.5 million contract on Dec. 23 from the U.S. Navy to produce paveway II Enhanced Laser Guided Training Rounds (ELGTR). Under the four-year indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract, Lockheed Martin will deliver ELGTRs, shipping containers, logistics and product support to the U.S. Navy.
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01/09/2014
Indonesia is considering Russia’s Sukhoi Su-35 fighter as a replacement for its Air Force’s aging F-5 Tiger jet, the country’s defense minister said. The Su-35 is one of half a dozen options on the table, Purnomo Yusgiantoro told a press conference, Antara news agency reported Tuesday.
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01/09/2014
The Russian Aerospace Defense Force will add dozens of radars this year, a force spokesman said Wednesday. The list includes six Nebo-M active electronically scanned arrays (AESA) and a mix of 23 Podlyot low-altitude and Sopka medium- and high-altitude radars, the spokesman told journalists. An unspecified number of modernized Kasta and Desna radars is also on the list.
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01/09/2014
A refitted former Soviet aircraft carrier has reached the Indian coast after leaving Russia’s northern shipyard in mid-November, media report said on Wednesday. The Vikramaditya, a refurbished Russian carrier formerly known as the Admiral Gorshkov, arrived at a naval base in Kanwar in the western state of Karnataka on Tuesday, Indian IBN television reported citing sources in the Navy.
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01/08/2014
The Indonesian Defense Ministry announced its plan to replace the F-5 Tiger fighter aircraft with the latest generation of jet fighters such as the Russian Sukhoi Su-35. "We have received proposals from several jet fighter manufacturers for replacing the F-5 Tiger fighter aircraft. We are in the process of evaluating which jet fighter will best suit our requirements, whether the aircraft is from Russia, USA, or other countries," stated Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, here on Tuesday.
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01/08/2014
The Canadian military has been going across the globe to keep its aging search-and-rescue airplanes flying, reiterating the desperate need for replacement aircraft following decades of delays and political squabbling. Top Defence Department officials were told in a secret briefing last year that the military had been forced to “purchase spare parts from around the world” to ensure the “continued airworthiness” of the Air Force’s 47-year-old Buffalo airplanes.
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01/08/2014
The Maritime Self-Defense Force’s newest ship has a flight deck its entire length and is nearly the size of the Shokaku and Zuikaku aircraft carriers that took part in the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, yet Japan insists it is not an aircraft carrier. With a length of about 250 meters and standard displacement of 19,500 tons, the Izumo is the biggest ship in the fleet. Up to nine helicopters can land on its deck at the same time.
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01/08/2014
The project to procure 12 units of Korean trainer jets worth a total P18.9 billion for the Philippine Air Force continues to hang over issues of downpayment and after-sales service turnaround, but the Department of National Defense, which recommended a counter-offer, remains confident the deal will push through.
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01/08/2014
French President Francois Hollande is pushing hard to restore Paris' once-thriving defense links with the Persian Gulf monarchies, especially the major military power Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with the aim of securing major arms deals.
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01/08/2014
Hungary has taken over responsibility for policing Slovenia's airspace, it was announced on 3 January. Under the arrangement, Hungarian Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighter aircraft will provide air policing coverage of Slovenian airspace. Since Slovenia's accession to NATO in 2004, Italy has provided air policing of Slovenian airspace with Italian Air Force aircraft based in Italy. The policing of Slovenian airspace is one of three extant NATO air policing missions.
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01/08/2014
At least four people have been killed after a US military helicopter crashed during a training exercise near a Royal Air Force base close to the Norfolk coast. A 400m area was cordoned off by police following the incident near the village of Cley-next-the-Sea, at around 6pm and local people were told to stay clear.
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01/08/2014
Tyndall Air Force Base received the first five-of-24 F-22 Raptors scheduled to transfer from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., Jan. 6 as part of their new combat mission. The aircraft are now a part of the 95th Fighter Squadron, which was reactivated in October 2013.
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01/08/2014
The product design work of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft has been started by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and the vehicle is expected to be ready in 2018, Dr Tamilmani, Director General (Aeronautical Systems) DRDO, Bangalore has said.
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01/08/2014
The next-generation Arrow 3 interceptor, co-developed by Boeing and Israel Aerospace Industries’ MLM Division, has completed its second successful flight test, further demonstrating its ability to enhance Israel’s multi-tier anti-ballistic missile defense strategy.
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01/07/2014
Every Russian region is to have its own drones department, the Emergencies Minister said Monday. "Special branches that will be equipped with unmanned aerial vehicles and other necessary robotic systems will be created in all regions. We plan to make very active use of all robotic technology, including drones," Vladimir Puchkov told journalists during a working trip to the Urals city of Yekaterinburg.
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01/06/2014
The East Asian region is witnessing a turbulent period in its history. Never before in history of East Asia, there had been an absence of power competition when a rising power threatened to challenge the established and sole recognized power in the region. Japan’s ascendance as the dominant military power during the pre-War years when Japan emerged as a major colonial power in Asia coincided with China’s eclipse from its preeminence position of the Middle Kingdom period.
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01/06/2014
Surplus Czech fighter aircraft will be sold to a U.S. company. For much of the last decade the Czech army has been touting its excess L-159 fighter and trainer aircraft for sale to foreign armies or companies. During that time the planes have been wrapped in protective covers in hangers and accumulating ever growing storage costs met by the Ministry of Defense.
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01/06/2014
BAE Systems is using 3D printed components in fighter jets flown in the UK. The news suggests that in the future, parts could simply be printed out when needed on the battlefield. The first parts where used on board Tornado fighter jets flying out of the defence firm's airfield at Warton, Lancashire, last month.
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01/06/2014
The $526.8 billion defense budget President Barack Obama signed Christmas week steers hundreds of millions of dollars to Puget Sound military installations and billions more for Boeing-made aircraft being developed here. It also buys some peace of mind for Northwest defense contractors. The spending plan coupled with a two-year bipartisan budget deal adopted last month gives them the stability they’ve been missing in an era marked by repeated fiscal crises.
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01/06/2014
When India confirmed this week that it plans to order six more C-130J Hercules transport aircraft for its air force, Lockheed Martin investors in America were thrilled. Over in India, however, the reaction can be summed up in one word: shock.
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01/06/2014
It has been 30 years in the making, has cost Rs.172.69 billion, and will easily take another year if not more to clear the last lap. Tejas, the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd-manufactured Light Combat Aircraft that received its second “initial operational clearance” — it got the first IOC in January 2011 — and was inducted into the Indian Air Force last month, is meant to replace the ageing fleet of MiG21s and MiG27s.
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01/06/2014
Pilots from Russia’s Northern Fleet will undergo retraining in 2014 to master the modernized Ilyushin Il-38N anti-submarine aircraft, a military official told journalists Sunday. The first crew has already completed the theoretical part of the program and has begun the practical flight training, said Captain First Rank Vadim Serga, a representative of the Northern Fleet.
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01/06/2014
The Turkish undersecretary for defense industries, Murad Bayar accompanied the delegation. During the visit, Zidan watched the flight demonstrations of T129 ATAK Advanced Attack and Tactical Reconnaissance Helicopter, which were designed and manufactured by TAI, from the flight tower at TAI’s facilities.
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01/05/2014
Syrian warplanes bombed on Wednesday a barren range of Lebanese hills used by Syrian rebels and refugees to cross between the two countries, wounding at least 10 Syrians who were rushed to hospital in a nearby Lebanese town, Beirut’s state-run National News Agency said.
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01/05/2014
China's most advanced fighter jet J-16 has been revealed online in flight mode, the latest in a series of news items on developments in the Chinese military since last November. An image of the J-16, a 3.5-generation multi-role twin-seat fighter jet, was posted on the China-based Dingsheng military website Friday along with other types of Chinese fighter jets, such as the J-11 and J-15.
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01/05/2014
New floating airfield INS Vikramaditya entered the Indian Ocean Region earlier this week where it was joined by INS Viraat, the Navy's second aircraft carrier. The Viraat's meeting with the Vikramaditya was momentous occasion for the Navy as it was only the first time since 1992 when two carriers operated together.
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01/05/2014
To the left is an F-35. It is - at least in theory - the pinnacle of American military aviation.
The F-35 has been in development since the 1990s, when by rare coincidence the three branches of the American military that fly all approached Congress with multibillion-dollar requests for aircraft updates. It is the result of the Joint Strike Fighter program, which resulted in Lockheed Martin gaining a virtual monopoly on next-generation military aircraft production.
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01/05/2014
The Pentagon waived bans on the use of Chinese-built components on US weapons systems in an effort to keep the colossal F-35 joint strike fighter program on track in 2012 and 2013.
Pentagon documents show its top arms buyer, Frank Kendall, granted waivers to two main F-35 suppliers, Northrop Grumman and Honeywell International, for the use of Chinese magnets in the fighter plane’s radar system, landing gear and other hardware.
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01/05/2014
With the induction of large numbers of class leading Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has not only made a huge technological transition from a MiG-21 dominated fleet, its war fighting doctrine has also changed, focusing on long-range and strategic missions.
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01/04/2014
For more than 40 years, American ground forces have relied on the AC-130 gunship for protection and close air support. However, the venerable AC-130H Specter variant, which has been deployed in every major combat operation since Vietnam, is beginning to show its age.
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01/04/2014
The Pentagon and defense industry have been behind some of the most important technological achievements in history, said defense acquisition chief Frank Kendall, but continued advances are threatened by reduced research spending. The military played a role in the creation of radar, stealth and even the Internet. These achievements — and many others — have given the US military an unmatched edge since the end of World War II.
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01/04/2014
In the Philippines the military has long been used to getting by on very tight budgets. That means developing tactics, techniques and improvised weapons and equipment to get the job done. The latest example is two micro-UAVs called Raptor (costing $3,400 each) and Knight Falcon (goes for about $6,700 each). Both of these are similar to the American Raven, which has been used in the Philippines in small quantities.
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01/04/2014
The last time American soldiers or Marines came under aerial attack was during the Korean War. The fact that it has been more than 60 years since an enemy launched a successful aerial attack against Americans did not happen by accident. U.S. airpower strategy is based on having air dominance in any conflict. Air dominance means marrying the best pilots in the world with the best aircraft, and tying them together with the best tactics.
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01/04/2014
Airbus Defence and Space may be a new brand, but the former defense and space businesses of EADS face a familiar problem: how to remain profitable when European defense budgets are in decline and export competition is intensifying. The combining of Airbus Military, Astrium and Cassidian took effect at the executive level on January 1. Three weeks earlier, a reduction of 5,800 jobs at the new combined division over the next three years was announced.
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01/04/2014
The Ministry of National Defence (MApN), acting on behalf of the Government of Romania, signed this year the agreement with Portugal for the purchase of the F-16 multirole aircraft that will refresh the Romanian Air Force fleet, and succeeded in paying the first tranche due under the contract; works at the Deveselu base that hosts the NATO missile shield also kicked off in an event attended by U.S. officials.
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01/04/2014
If foreign aircraft, whether hostile or friendly, intrude into Philippines skies, the air force will watch them closely and do nothing, according to military and defence officials. The Philippines has no capability to confront foreign aircraft violating the country’s airspace because of government failure to implement the military modernization act of 1995, which mandated purchase of 36 “multi-role” jet fighters, said the officials.
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01/04/2014
Combat aircraft from Russia’s Northern Fleet will extend the ranges of their patrol flights over the Arctic in 2014 using a network of revamped Soviet-era airfields, the fleet’s spokesman said Friday. “In 2014, the naval aviation of the Northern Fleet will significantly expand the geography of Arctic patrol flights, including with the use of the Temp airfield on the New Siberian Islands,” Capt. 1st Rank Vadim Serga said.
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01/03/2014
The Japanese government led by nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has scrapped the previous government’s National Defense Programme Guidelines (NDPG) and has adopted new defence guidelines that outline Japan’s defence and security strategy for the next ten years. At first glance, the move to revise the NDPG appears to be in response to the challenges posed to Japan’s territorial integrity by China following Senkaku’s nationalisation.
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01/03/2014
The Pentagon didn’t expect to see the major budget cuts the U.S. military has received over the past two years that has forced Pentagon leaders to update planning documents such as the Unmanned Systems Integrated Roadmap. The 2013 update released right before the New Year takes into account those cuts while also emphasizing the need to keep up with advances by countries like China and Iran in the drone market.
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01/03/2014
Israeli jets bombed targets in the northern Gaza Strip Thursday night, hours after a rocket launched from Gaza landed in the Negev Regional Council. There were no immediate reports of injuries. The IDF confirmed it struck the Gaza Strip in response to the rocket fire earlier in the evening, which caused no injuries or damage.
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01/03/2014
Bluedrop Performance Learning Inc. (“Bluedrop”) and Atlantis Systems Corp. (“Atlantis”) jointly announced today that they have completed the previously announced plan of arrangement (the “Arrangement”) pursuant to which Bluedrop, through its wholly-owned subsidiary 8682259 Canada Inc., acquired all of the common shares of Atlantis (“Atlantis Shares”) for aggregate cash consideration of C$1,000,000 or approximately C$0.0276 for each Atlantis Share.
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01/03/2014
Syrian air missile batteries put two Turkish F-16 jets conducting a sortie in the southern province of Hatay along the border under a radar lock, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement Jan. 2. The Turkish jets were deployed to the border area after a Syrian military aircraft approached Turkish airspace, the statement said. It added that the Syrian SU-24 changed its route to the opposite direction at five nautical miles from Turkish airspace.
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01/03/2014
Drones that can choose to deviate from a set mission and hunt in ‘swarms’ could be patrolling skies within the next 25 years, according to a new roadmap. Unmanned aircraft carrying stronger chemical weapons could also be on the horizon, the U.S. Department of Defence (DoD) revealed in its Unmanned Systems Integrated Roadmap.
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01/03/2014
Tyndall Air Force Base will receive the first of 24 F-22 Raptors Jan. 6 as part of the new combat mission. The five aircraft arriving are a part of the 95th Fighter Squadron, which re-activated in October 2013. The squadron's mission is "to project unrivaled combat power in support of national military objectives and combatant commander requirements through strategic application of 5th generation air dominance fighter aircraft and personnel."
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01/03/2014
BAE Systems has finalised a deal with the US government to upgrade more than 130 South Korean F16 fighter jets under a contract worth an estimated $1 billion (£602.7 million). The UK-based defence, aerospace and security group, which last month lost out on a potential £6 billion deal to provide Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft to the United Arab Emirates (BAE share price tumbles on double blow from the Middle East) now hopes to secure orders for F16 upgrades in other countries.
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01/03/2014
For much of the last decade the Czech army has been touting its excess L-159 fighter and trainer aircraft for sale to foreign armies or companies. During that time the planes have been wrapped in protective covers in hangers and accumulating ever growing storage costs met by the Ministry of Defense.
(Read More...)
01/03/2014
From the B-2 bomber to the M1 Abrams tank, the United States has for decades developed, built, and fielded the most advanced and capable weapon systems in the world. That's changing because of declining budgets, emerging technologies, and global competition from rising powers like China. Today, for the first time in recent history, the Pentagon is in danger of losing its vast technological advantages over potential adversaries.
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01/02/2014
Generally speaking, Japanese bureaucrats are not much given to exaggeration. So when a senior government insider in Tokyo, speaking off the record, recently compared the deteriorating security situation in East Asia to Europe in the 1930s amid the rise of fascism, it was time to sit up and take notice.
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01/02/2014
Syrian warplanes bombed on Wednesday a barren range of Lebanese hills used by Syrian rebels and refugees to cross between the two countries, wounding at least 10 Syrians who were rushed to hospital in a nearby Lebanese town, Beirut's state-run National News Agency said.
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01/02/2014
BMI's report examines the trends witnessed in the country's current and future defence procurement across its armed forces. The report's general conclusion is that Saudi Arabia will continue to invest heavily in defence procurement, giving it military superiority over most of its neighbours in what will remain a volatile region.
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01/02/2014
An Air Force report says a mechanical malfunction that started a fuel leak caused the crash of an Ellsworth Air Force Base B-1B bomber during an August training exercise over southeastern Montana. The report released by the Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board concluded that about 7,000 pounds of fuel leaked into the aircraft and was ignited by hot ductwork, leading to a series of detonations in the plane.
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01/02/2014
India has cancelled a €560m contract to buy high-end helicopters from AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, in move that underlines the unpredictability of one of the world’s biggest defence markets. Sitanshu Kar, a ministry spokesman, said the agreement had been “terminated with immediate effect” because of “integrity-related issues” in a contract that had been dogged by allegations of corruption.
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01/02/2014
The Israel Air Force’s Horizon Unit, responsible for the development of encrypted content, is developing ‘Waze’ technology for pilots, similar to the popular app that provides users with real time traffic updates, Israeli daily Walla reported on Wednesday. The unit is currently working on a series of groundbreaking technologies that have garnered praise from hi tech companies both in Israel and around the world.
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01/02/2014
Chinese state media say the country's first aircraft carrier has successfully completed tests and training programs on its maiden voyage. The Liaoning returned to port Wednesday after a 37-day voyage in the South China Sea. The official Xinhua News Agency says the aircraft carrier tested its combat system and conducted a formation practice and "attained the anticipated objectives."
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01/01/2014
In one of its last acts in December, the Senate confirmed Deborah Lee James as the new Air Force secretary. Nominated in August to replace Michael Donley, who retired in June, James was in limbo after Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., placed a hold on her confirmation for more than two months — due to published reports that the Air Force wants to phase out the A-10 aircraft to save money.
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01/01/2014
Bird strikes cost more than $700 million in damage annually to both military and commercial airplanes - putting both lives and property at risk. But a group of cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., are working on ways to scare birds away from the aircraft, particularly during take-offs and landings; when the majority of bird strikes occur.
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01/01/2014
Drones are on our minds in Central New York because of Monday's news about Syracuse's selection as one of six locations in the United States to conduct research on the problem of keeping unmanned aircraft out of the way of commercial air traffic. For several years, military drones have operated out of Fort Drum near Watertown and Hancock Field in Mattydale. They've also drawn the attention of drone protesters.
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01/01/2014
The JF-17 Block-II — the upgrade version of the JF-17 Thunder or Xiaolong fighter jet co-designed by China and Pakistan — is likely to be a very popular combat aircraft among developing nations, according to the Diplomat, an online current affairs magazine based in Tokyo.
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01/01/2014
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Monday named six sites dedicated to the research and testing of unmanned aerial systems, or drones. Earlier this year, it received 25 proposals from 24 states looking to cash in on what could be a growing industry in the coming years, once the federal government has developed a legal framework for pilotless airplanes.
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01/01/2014
A bomber version of the Shenyang J-31, China's second fifth-generation stealth fighter, is likely to be designed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation in the near future to meet the demands of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, the Beijing-based Sina Military Network reported on Dec. 30.
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01/01/2014
Top brass in the Indian Army and Air Force expressed shock over the Defence Ministry’s decision to award a $1 billion repeat contract on Dec. 27 for six additional C-130J Hercules transport aircraft, saying the military has many more pressing purchases to tackle.
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01/01/2014
India lies in a dangerous neighbourhood with two hostile countries, which have gone to war against it in the past. However, there has been a change in the dynamics and the economics of the Asian region that has seen the rise of China, which can now challenge not just India but even the US, along with intimidating other countries in the area.
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