September 06, 2014 Military Aviation News
09/06/2014
The mission to crush the Islamic State out of existence leaves the US and the UK facing the unpalatable prospect of having to make common cause with foes in Iran and Syria. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has approved contacts with US military officials to help defeat jihadists, it was claimed last night. Ayatollah Khamenei has authorised his top commander to co-ordinate military operations with the US, Iraqi and Kurdish forces, sources in Tehran told the BBC.
(Read More...)
09/06/2014
RAF Panavia Tornado GR.4 combat aircraft have deployed to West Africa to join multinational operations against the radical Islamist group Boko Haram. The aircraft from 2 (Army Co-operation) Squadron left RAF Marham in Norfolk during the last week of August and have since begun operating over Nigeria from the French airbase at N'Djamena in Chad, according to defence sources in London.
(Read More...)
09/06/2014
The US Navy (USN) is to convert its stockpile of TV-guided AGM-65A/B Maverick air-to-surface missiles to the laser-guided AGM-65E2 configuration under a USD49.5 million contract awarded to Raytheon on 3 September. The conversion of 500 missiles will run through to the end of January 2017. Although not mentioned in the Department of Defense's (DoD's) notification, the contract most likely arises from the current USN air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq.
(Read More...)
09/06/2014
The US has openly expressed alarm over IS, saying the group was "beyond anything" it has previously seen. The US began launching air strikes on IS in northern Iraq on 9 August - at the request of the Iraqi government - but has said it will take a "broad international coalition" to defeat it.
(Read More...)
09/06/2014
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force is no longer a peasant air force of ancient fighters incapable of projecting power beyond its borders. During the Cold War, there was no need for such an expensive force—or to fight a major war outside of China’s borders. Now, as China’s economy has expanded at a staggering rate, China’s interests have grown beyond its borders, indeed even beyond its traditional area of interest in East Asia to a truly global scope.
(Read More...)
09/06/2014
When a small plane began to drift off course early Friday, the North American Aerospace Defence Command anticipated a scenario it had seen before. “F-15 fighter jets are currently escorting an unresponsive small aircraft over the Atlantic, possible hypoxia,” NORAD tweeted Friday afternoon. “Hypoxia” - the medical term for oxygen deprivation - has been the culprit in several air crashes of the past.
(Read More...)
09/06/2014
David Cameron has reversed plans to mothball one of two new £3?billion aircraft carriers.
The Prime Minister said that the 65,000-ton HMS Prince of Wales will be brought into service instead of being kept as a reserve vessel. Defence cuts had meant that only one of the ships, HMS Queen Elizabeth, would enter active service.
(Read More...)
09/06/2014
There is a threat from terror groups such as al Qaeda but the country is ready to tackle it, IAF chief Arup Raha said on Friday in the light of reports that the international terrorist outfit has established a new branch to wage jihad in India. "There is a threat from such agencies but the nation is prepared for it," Raha said when asked about the al-Qaeda threat regarding the group starting operations in India.
(Read More...)
09/06/2014
The Russian Navy is to receive 10 new deck-based MiG-29K (Fulcrum-D) jet fighters by the end of 2014, Navy Commander Adm. Viktor Chirkov said Friday. “The Naval Aviation Forces will receive 10 MiG-29K aircraft by the end of 2014,” Chikov said in the Black Sea Port city of Gelendzhik.
(Read More...)
All Articles