November 03, 2014 Military Aviation News

Singapore to join combat coalition against Islamic State militants

11/03/2014

Singapore will join 33 other nations in a multinational coalition to combat the Islamic State terror group, country's Defence Minister said today. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has previously participated in multinational coalition efforts against religious extremists who pose a terrorist threat to the country and its citizens, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said .

Sweden Sees New Chance To Sell Gripen to Finland

11/03/2014

Sweden hopes Saab’s $5.4 billion Gripen-E deal with Brazil can open a dialogue with Finland, which is on course to replace its F/A-18 Hornets in the next 10 years. Finland could engage in a further upgrade of its Hornets, but in reality there is “no other option” beyond acquiring a new combat jet type, said Finnish Defense Minister Carl Haglund.

Lockheed's F-35 fighter to start testing on USS Nimitz carrier

11/03/2014

Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet is slated to begin two weeks of developmental testing on board the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, marking another key milestone for the Pentagon's biggest weapons program. Weather permitting, the first of two F-35 C-model jets slated for the testing is due to arrive on the carrier on Monday. That will mark the first time the new warplane will land on a carrier using a tailhook that had be redesigned after initial problems engaging the cable.

Eurofighter confident of new orders to avert production slowdown

11/03/2014

The CEO of the Eurofighter Typhoon consortium on Monday said he is confident of winning a new export order for the combat plane to avoid having to reduce production. The consortium, founded in 1986, has only sold the Typhoon to Austria, Saudi Arabia and Oman, outside of the consortium's home markets of Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain. The United Arab Emirates last year decided against placing a 6 billion pound ($9.60 billion) order.

Korea Won’t Send Aerobatics Team to China Air Show

11/03/2014

South Korea dropped a plan to send an aerobatics team to an air show in China less than two weeks before the event, after Washington raised concerns about exposing key U.S. fighter-jet technology. The South Korean air force’s Black Eagles team, which consists of eight T-50 light combat aircraft, was scheduled to be a main attraction at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, the country’s main aviation trade show, in the southern coastal city of Zhuhai.

ISIS mission: Canadian CF-18s drop laser-guided bombs over Iraq

11/03/2014

Canadian CF-18 fighters jets have dropped laser-guided bombs over Iraq for the first time as part of the ongoing combat mission against ISIS, the Department of National Defence confirmed Sunday. Two CF-18s targeted ISIS positions with laser-guided GBU-12, 500-pound bombs "in the vicinity of Fallujah," a large city in central Iraq about 70 kilometres west of the capital Baghdad, according to a statement released by Minister of National Defence Rob Nicholson.

China Successfully Develops Laser System Able to Shoot Down Drones in Seconds: Reports

11/03/2014

China has successfully developed a laser defense system that can shoot down small-scale low flying drones within a two kilometer radius in five seconds, Xinhua news reported. The laser system with its precision, speed and low noise can shoot down drones at an altitude of 500 meters and a speed of 50 meters per second (180 kilometers per hour or 112 miles per hour), the news agency reported on Sunday evening citing a statement published by the China Academy of Engineering Physics.

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