January 09, 2014 Military Aviation News

B-52 upgrade to increase smart-weapons capacity

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.

China to build more aircraft carriers

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.

Helicopter crash: Aircraft was from biggest US base

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.

Two Killed in Navy Helicopter Crash Off Virginia Coast: 1 Still Missing

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.

French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle arrives in Abu Dhabi

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.

Britain investigating USAF helicopter crash

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.

U.S. Navy Awards Lockheed Martin $84 Million Contract for Production of Paveway II Enhanced Laser Guided Training Rounds

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.

Indonesia Considers Purchasing Russian Su-35 Jets

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.

Russian Military to Strengthen Radar Defenses in 2014

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.

Refitted Former Russian Aircraft Carrier Arrives in India

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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