January 22, 2014 Military Aviation News

CAE To Provide The Italian Air Force With Predator UAV Mission Trainer

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.

Navy gets ready to start Vikramaditya flying ops

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.

Taiwan Unveils First JSOW

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.

Dassault Gains New Rafale Upgrade Contract

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.

Hungary, Slovenia sign air space protection agreement

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

New federal budget means more work for Sikorsky

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.

Taiwan To Slash Armed Forces By Up To 20%

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.”

Japan Is Scrambling Jets Against China More Than Ever

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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