June, 2015 Military Aviation News
06/30/2015
The Royal New Zealand Air Force’s 3 Squadron have practised flying and landing the NH90 helicopters in formation at the Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area in Central Queensland in the run-up to Exercise Talisman Sabre, Australia’s largest warfighting exercise.
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06/30/2015
Australia says it has deployed over 400 precision weapons in combat operations against Islamic State (IS) militants in support of the Iraqi military. The weapons have been delivered from two Royal Australian Air Force types, the Boeing F/A-18A Hornet and F/A-1F Super Hornet, says Australia’s Departent of Defence in a statement.
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06/30/2015
The Air Force has acknowledged that an MQ-1B Predator, lost March 17 during an intelligence flight over Syria, was shot down. While Syria's official news agency at the time claimed the remotely piloted aircraft was shot down, U.S. Defense Department officials only would say the drone was lost, and didn't provide additional information because the incident was under investigation.
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06/30/2015
The fighter’s pilot Flight Lieutenant Rumman Tahmid Chowdhury is still missing since the crash that occurred during a training run around noon. The joint search and rescue operation, that includes Air Force, Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard personnel, did not find him until 7:30pm. Rumman Chowdhury is the son of Abdul Qader Chowdhury of Chittagong’s Anwara Upazila. The family lives in Dhaka.
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06/30/2015
The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is all set undertake critical test flights carrying an array of missiles and bombs to complete its scheduled weapon trials. Top sources with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed to this Correspondent that the integration of Russian-made Close Combat Missile (CCM) R-73 has been completed.
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06/30/2015
Amid some controversy, India took to the news with a June announcement of the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France’s Dassault Aviation. It was an important move for the nation, which counts China and Pakistan as border ‘mates’. India, which plans to spend about $100 million on modernizing its defense resources in the next 10 years, has suffered a spate of air fatalities in the past months as a result of an ailing air force.
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06/30/2015
On June 15 Georgian Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli signed an agreement with ThalesRaytheonSystems President Gerome Bedel for the purchase of “advanced” air defense systems that will “guarantee the country’s air defense,” Khidasheli said.
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06/30/2015
Brazil is apt to purchase Russian Pantsir air defense systems as early as in the first half of 2016, Brazilian Ambassador to Russia Jose Vallim Guerreiro said. “A general decision on the purchase has been made…As far as I know, the deal is expected in the first half of 2016,” Guerreiro told RIA Novosti.
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06/29/2015
South Korea is expected to pick the winner of its 1.4 trillion won ($1.25 billion) project to procure four in-flight refueling tankers at a session of the National Defense Acquisition Program Committee on Tuesday, a procurement official said Sunday.
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06/29/2015
Coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq June 27. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 17 airstrikes using attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 10 airstrikes approved by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense using attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL terrorists.
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06/29/2015
The announcement this month that 450 additional U.S. trainers and support troops will deploy to Iraq represents a modest step forward in the fight against the Islamic State group. But the move by itself will not turn the tide in a faltering effort. To succeed in the president’s ambition of ultimately destroying the Islamic State — or even to contain its gains or roll them back — a broader and more intensive effort is needed.
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06/29/2015
Over the past quarter century, precision guided munitions (PGMs) such as laser-guided bombs and cruise missiles have become the weapons of choice for the US military, providing a high degree of accuracy while avoiding widespread collateral damage.
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06/29/2015
A SECRET Chinese midget submarine has been spotted in a review of commercial satellite photos, drawing new attention to that nation’s rapidly expanding underwater might. Defence analyst organisation Janes and the Bellingcat open intelligence website have highlighted a 2014 photograph of the Wuchang shipyard in Wuhan, central China.
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06/29/2015
The last airworthy Vulcan bomber is touring the UK with a series of flypasts to mark its final year of flight. Vulcans were designed and built at Woodford Aerodrome, in Chester Road, Stockport, for the Royal Air Force. Over the weekend, the XH558 flew over areas where the aircraft are displayed, such as Barton and Woodford. Making its maiden flight in 1952, the Vulcan acted as a deterrent during the Cold War.
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06/29/2015
FAIRBANKS — A light haze of forest fire smoke hung over the airstrip at Eielson Air Force Base, but visibility was good as Tech. Sgt. Erica Knight and her crew drove past fighter jets to a neat line of KC-135 Stratotankers.
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06/29/2015
The Indian Air Force is focusing on ‘cannibalisation’ to keep the serviceability rates of its dwindling number of jets at a high level. ‘Cannibalisation’ or ‘Christmas tree’ are terms used by the Air Force in which parts of one aircraft are used as spare parts to keep the another running.
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06/29/2015
'Augur RosAeroSystems' is a leading Russian lighter-than-air manufacturer. The company builds big airships and aerostats equipped with high-precision computer equipment and technology. The recent announcement by the company tells of airship 'Atlant' to be ready for the Russian Army by 2018.
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06/28/2015
The U.S. and China are jockeying for power in the South China Sea, deploying sharp words and an expanding fleet of warships, spy planes and fighter jets to protect their interests in a vital maritime domain. Is this regional arms race and increasingly tense diplomatic showdown between the world’s two largest military forces a new Cold War?
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06/28/2015
Air Force F-18 Hornet fighters were scrambled Friday afternoon when it is believed that a Russian IL-76 military transport aircraft violated Finnish airspace south of the coast town of Porvoo.
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06/28/2015
On 30 June each year, the air defence forces celebrate their annual anniversary. This date coincides with the establishment of the missile shield which countered the Israeli air attacks on Egyptian cities in 1970. 30 June also marks the establishment of the Egyptian air defence system, which is now the shield that protects the country.
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06/28/2015
The Light Combat Helicopter (LCH)–3, a versatile combat chopper developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), has successfully completed the hot weather flight trials in Jodhpur.
The chopper, currently under testing phase, cleared the test yesterday, paving way for the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC), expected by the end of this year and is likely to enter production from 2017-18.
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06/28/2015
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has begun the hunt for identifying a new man to head Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). This follows the impending retirement of PS Subramanyam, one of the longest serving bosses of ADA, on June 30. A Distinguished Scientist, Subramanyam is currently the Programme Director (Combat Aircraft) & Director ADA. He was made the head of ADA in 2005.
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06/28/2015
Battle Creek will host some of the slowest and some of the fastest aircraft pilots in the world this week. The 2015 Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival begins Wednesday and continues through Sunday at W.K. Kellogg Airport with some of the best pilots in balloons and airplanes.
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06/28/2015
Sweden's parliament has recommended cutting arms exports to countries that it considers to be undemocratic as part of plans to emphasize the importance of human rights issues in relation to trade. The moves have highlighted the differences between Sweden and other western countries on the issue.
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06/28/2015
A Russian Antonov An-26 military transport plane did not violate Estonian airspace while carrying out a planned flight from Russia's exclave of Kalinigrad to St. Petersburg on June 22, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.
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06/28/2015
One of the most famous commanders of the Islamic State jihadist group in Mosul Abdullah Hourani was killed Saturday by an airstrike by US-led international coalition, Iraqi TV Channel al-Samaria reported.
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06/26/2015
Under the Taiwan Relations Act, enacted in 1979 when Washington severed formal ties with the island in favor of recognizing the People's Republic of China in Beijing, the United States is obligated to help Taiwan defend itself. The Senate bill, passed last week, says that Taiwan "should be encouraged to participate in exercises that include realistic air-to-air combat training", as well as advanced training for its ground forces, attack helicopters and surveillance aircraft.
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06/26/2015
Russian President Vladimir Putin isn't finished using his military in eastern Ukraine, the top U.S. military commander for NATO said Thursday as the U.S. and its allies outlined additional support for Kiev, including aid in defusing roadside bombs. U.S. Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's supreme allied commander, said there continues to be a constant flow of ammunition and other military supplies from Russia across the border to Ukraine, and a well-trained and ready Russian force.
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06/26/2015
One week after logging new aircraft orders worth $50.2 billion at the Paris Air Show, Boeing—the world’s largest airplane manufacturer—is tapping new leadership to help the company keep pace with spiking demand.
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06/26/2015
The Air Force based its plan to retire the A-10 on an inaccurate projection of cost savings, and will run into a capability gap associated with providing close air support, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Thursday. The GAO's report punches holes in the Air Force's justification for its controversial decision to retire the attack jet, saying planners did not "fully assess" the cost savings associated with the A-10 divestment.
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06/26/2015
China has notched another gain in its inadvertent campaign to expand defense cooperation among its nervous neighbors. In a Journal interview published Thursday, Japan’s top military commander said Japanese forces may join U.S. troops in patrolling the South China Sea, where China has been aggressively staking territorial claims around crucial international waterways.
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06/26/2015
High above the Gulf of Alaska and Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex (JPARC), dozens of fighter jets engage in lengthy and complex joint combat missions for Northern Edge 2015. At one precise moment, two Navy F/A-18F Super Hornets break engagement toward the welcoming sight of a KC-130J Hercules, operated by Marine Air Fueling Transport Squadron (VMGR) 152, based in Iwakuni, Japan.
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06/26/2015
Exercise Aces North was the final four weeks of the five-month fighter combat instructor course, and was conducted out of bases in Tindal and Darwin. As part of the dawn strike exercise the aircraft will be simulating the fight off the coast and landing at Williamtown.
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06/26/2015
An Iraqi pilot who has been training in the United States for four years crashed in southern Arizona while flying an F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, a spokesman for the Iraqi defense minister said Thursday. "We have no word yet on his fate or the reason behind the crash," Brig. Gen. Tahseen Ibrahim told The Associated Press. "We are in contact with the Americans to get more details."
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06/26/2015
Russia's Western Military District will receive an unspecified number of advanced S-400 Triumf and Pantsir-S air defense systems by the end of 2015, the district's spokesman, Col. Oleg Kochetkov, said Thursday. "Modern S-400 Triumf long-range air defense systems and Pantsir-S gun-missile air defense systems will be put in service with air defense units of the Western Military District by the end of this year," Kochetkov said.
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06/24/2015
Dozens of Israel Air Force cadets will receive their officer’s ranks on Tuesday at Hatzerim Air Force Base, in a ceremony that occurs every year – though this year’s new pilots are different.
These members of the 170th IAF training course are the first to have trained on the M-346 Master training jet, which is dubbed the Lavi (Hebrew for Lion) in the IAF.
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06/24/2015
The pilots sit in dimly lit, air-conditioned trailers, each staring at glowing video and data screens and toggling a joystick that controls an armed drone flying somewhere in the world.
With more than 100 Predator and Reaper drones aloft every day, this sun-scorched desert outpost is the hub of America’s growing drone fleet around the globe.
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06/24/2015
The F-35B Lightning II has successfully completed its first ski jump test at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in the US state of Maryland. The ramp used was built in England however, at a cost of £2 million, by Stockport-based defence engineering company WFEL - who normally specialise in building rapidly deployable bridging systems.
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06/24/2015
U.S. military power often is measured by the number of combat aircraft and ships in the inventory. While the United States has by far the largest air force and navy, that size advantage could eventually be negated by enemy air defenses and electronic warfare technologies that are now available in the open market.
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06/24/2015
Ministry of Defence spending on equipment has become “an impossible mess” because of the involvement of only a few prime contractors and British delusions that it is still a major power, according to a report published on Wednesday. The 207-page document, edited by the Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin and entitled Defence Acquisition for the Twenty-First Century, says that spending is not in line with Britain’s new slimmed down defence budgets.
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06/24/2015
If Bulgarian Defence Minister Nikolai Nenchev keeps to his stated intention, the scheduled cabinet meeting on June 24 could see a proposal tabled on the long-standing issue of the country acquiring new military fighter jets.
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06/24/2015
Boeing has delivered the 28th C-17 Globemaster III aircrew training simulator to the U.S. Air Force, completing the services’ goal of a national system for C-17 training. Boeing completed the first of these centers in 1992 at Charleston Air Force Base, Charleston, S.C., including one aircrew simulator during the program’s beginnings. Since then, the company and Air Force have established these facilities in 14 U.S. locations and three international locations.
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06/24/2015
The US-led Coalition of some 60 nations has carried out airstrikes against the Islamic State positions in Iraq since August 2014, and expanded the attacks to include targets in Syria in September 2014, albeit without the approval of the Syrian government.
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06/24/2015
Three airstrikes hit Islamic State positions near the Syrian town of Tal Abyad, where the US-led coalition has been providing support to a coalition of Syrian Kurdish forces of the YPG, Assyrian Christians and the Free Syrian Army group Burkan al-Firat.
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06/23/2015
Airbus’ troubled A400M airlifter, the proposed replacement for a generation of Hercules type military logistics and transport aircraft, made a triumphant return to the world’s skies last week at the Paris Air show, following a deadly crash in May. Airbus-owned MSN006 performed an impressive flying display at Le Bourget last week, and a French Armée de l’Air aircraft on static display was the subject of much interest.
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06/23/2015
An MQ-1 Predator crashed Monday morning local time in Southeastern Iraq, according to U.S. Air Forces, Central Command. The drone was flying a combat mission when it went down, AFCENT announced in a brief news release on Monday. There are no reports so far that civilians were injured or property damaged at the crash site.
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06/23/2015
The Navy's fighter jet fleet has been flown hard during nearly 15 years of conflict in the Middle East. And with the next-generation fighter years from being operational, the service's F/A-18 Super Hornets and legacy Hornets must continue flying far longer than originally planned.
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06/23/2015
Greg Austin recently wrote in The Diplomat that Vietnam occupied 24 features in the South China Sea in 1996 and has “increased [this number] from 30 to 48 in the last six years” as if these figures were facts. I doubt there is any plausibility to his claim. It would be more accurate to point out that Vietnam occupied most of these features in the 1970s after reunification. Whether Vietnam has doubled the number of its features since then is highly unlikely.
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06/23/2015
Here are details of military orders and announcements made during the Paris Air Show last week. Lockheed Martin and Terma signed an agreement on June 15 to collaborate on the F-35 ‘Lightning II’ Joint Strike Fighter as long as the aircraft is selected. The Danish firm received $300mn in related business since joining the programme in 2000.
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06/23/2015
Indian fighter jets will soon be equipped with the world’s fastest cruise missile. According to Indian news outlets, New Delhi India recently developed a modification for its Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter airplane that will allow it to carry the Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.
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06/23/2015
Sri Lanka will become the first foreign country to acquire Pakistan's multi-role combat aircraft JF-17 Thunder, and the Pakistan Air Force will begin delivery of the fighter to Sri Lanka from 2017, a report said. A Taiwan based news website, 'Want China Times' quoting a report in Pakistan-based 92NewsHD said Sri Lanka will become the first foreign country to acquire the JF-17 Thunder, otherwise known as the FC-1 Xiaolong or "Fierce Dragon,".
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06/23/2015
The United States sees China as a serious threat to its military superiority in air and space, so the Pentagon is seeking new technologies and systems to keep America ahead of its rival, the US deputy defense secretary said.
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06/23/2015
The US State Department has approved a $69 million sale to Australia of air-to-ground missiles designed to destroy enemy radar with little input from the pilot, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement on Monday.
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06/22/2015
For years the United States has enjoyed almost exclusive use of armed drones, using them to strike enemies remotely and with impunity. But with adversaries — including ISIS — catching up on the technology, the Pentagon is now playing defense, trying to come up with ways to knock the pilotless aircraft out of the sky.
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06/22/2015
Every base supports either a specific security goal or overall regional stability. Some were acquired after conflict, such as the ones in Germany, Italy and Japan. Some were gained in support of allies in conflict, such as the ones in England and Korea. Most are simply there to reduce that tyranny of distance. But all have been considered important enough to spend significant treasure in securing, building, manning and supporting.
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06/22/2015
The U.S. and Japan are conducting separate military drills with the Philippines near disputed islands in the South China Sea, signaling support for the country as China builds out reclaimed reefs in the waters. The annual CARAT Philippines joint exercise begins Monday off Palawan island and will run until June 26, according to U.S. Navy spokesman Arlo Abrahamson.
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06/22/2015
A policy move being considered by the Indian Ministry of Defence could help overseas defense companies meet their offset obligations and close defense contracts being held up by uncompleted offset documents, an MoD source said. An internal MoD committee has recommend that defense contracts not be delayed merely on grounds of incomplete offset documents if the company is working to fulfill the offset obligations during the execution of the defense project.
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06/22/2015
More than half of French military aircraft, including fighter jets and transport planes, are incapable of fulfilling their missions due to their poor technical state, French media reported, citing data obtained from the Ministry of Defense through a parliamentary inquiry.
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06/22/2015
Britain will extend its air patrol missions over the Baltic and continue to provide the NATO rapid reaction force with personnel in coming years, Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said Sunday.
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06/22/2015
When it comes to exporting arms to other countries, Sweden is a true "arms peddler extraordinaire," Politico.eu reported. Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist is about to strike an arms deal with India, selling its JAS Gripen fighter jets to the Asian giant, something which France, one of the world's top arms exporters, found very hard to accomplish.
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06/22/2015
Russia's Sukhoi Su-35 super-maneuverable multirole fighters will most likely become China's trump card in its longstanding geopolitical game in the South China Sea, US journalist Zachary Keck noted.
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06/22/2015
Ukrainian military experts will fly over the territory of Russia under the Treaty on Open Skies on June 22-26, head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov has announced.
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06/21/2015
Defence groups call for a fair fight in race to land expected contract to replace Nimrod jets that were controversially scrapped Defence companies are lining up to offer a replacement for the Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft, with the Government expected to announce a deal for a new fleet of jets by the end of the year.
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06/21/2015
The live-fire training exercise will see Royal Marines target laser-controlled drones, called Banshees, simulating incoming attack aircraft as they deploy the High Velocity Missile systems next month. Though the HMV is usually tested in Telby, Wales, military sources told the Sunday Express that the decision to mount the exercise in the South Atlantic was to “demonstrate combat capability” and show that the UK could deploy high readiness troops.
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06/21/2015
The Marine Corps' MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor recently completed its first deployment to Romania as part of a multinational training exercise with European allies. The aircraft's deployment sent a strong message about U.S. commitment in Eastern Europe, calming allies as they work to counter Russian saber-rattling, said Brig. Gen. Norm Cooling, the deputy commander of Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa.
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06/21/2015
The Marine Corps F-35B operational test (OT-1) successfully concluded aboard U.S. Navy amphibious ship the USS Wasp (LHD-1). Setting off from Norfolk, Va., on May 18, USS Wasp cut an arc between 50 and 100 miles off the coast of Virginia and North Carolina, as Marine Corps pilots safely conducted 100 short takeoff and vertical landing sorties from the ship.
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06/21/2015
The Navy's fighter jet fleet has been flown hard during nearly 15 years of conflict in the Middle East. And with the next-generation fighter years from being operational, the service's F/A-18 Super Hornets and legacy Hornets must continue flying far longer than originally planned.
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06/21/2015
Ukraine's Antonov aircraft manufacturer has completed the first stage of upgrading An-26 (Curl) transport aircraft for the country’s Defense Ministry, the company said in a statement. The upgraded aircraft would be the first one to be dispatched for special operations against independence supporters in eastern Ukraine. A total of 14 aircraft will be modernized, the company specified.
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06/21/2015
MiG aircraft-making company will develop a fifth-generation light jet fighter, company CEO Sergei Korotkov said during the 2015 Le Bourget Airshow.
"Such a plane has not been ordered yet. But we continue to work on it. We know that there is a broad worldwide market for this type of aircraft," Korotkov said.
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06/21/2015
The brand new Russian man-portable air-defense system (MANPAD) Verba, presented at the ARMY-2015 exhibition in the Moscow Region, has unique characteristics that make it the best in the world, TVZvezda reported.
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06/20/2015
U.S. Army and Israeli scientists are conducting testing and research on active flow control devices as a means to reduce drag on future Army aircraft. The Suction and Oscillatory Blowing Actuator, or SaOB, invented by Israeli scientist, Dr. Avraham Seifert of Tel Aviv University, uses the active control of airflow to reduce drag.
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06/20/2015
Lockheed Martin officials said at the Paris Air Show the company is working with suppliers and engineers to find savings to land a block buy of up to 500 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to convince U.S. and international lawmakers to approve the deal. Lorraine Martin, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program manager, said the company is aiming for about a 10 percent savings in exchange for a three-year order of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. The U.S. has been making orders on an annual basis.
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06/20/2015
Military posturing and increasingly hostile rhetoric between Russia and the West are raising the risk of an accidental slide towards a wider conflict that neither nuclear-armed side wants, experts warn. Within days of reports that the United States was poised to send heavy military equipment to eastern Europe and the Baltic states, Russia retorted by announcing it planned to add 40 intercontinental nuclear missiles to its arsenal.
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06/20/2015
Airbus is to resume deliveries of its military transport plane the A400M which had been stopped after a crash in Spain. The wings are made at the firm’s plant in Filton, just outside Bristol, then shipped to Seville where the plane is assembled. Four crew members were killed when the plane crashed during a test flight near the Spanish city in May.
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06/20/2015
Italian Air Force will start testing the capability of Finmeccanica-Alenia Aermacchi’s M-346 Master, a military transonic trainer aircraft, as an "aggressor" in dissimilar combat training missions with the Eurofighter aircraft. Starting next August the students of the Italian Air Force who are to fly on the combat aircraft will accomplish the training’s phase IV on the new M-346, the final step before the passage to the operational airplanes.
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06/20/2015
The enemy is near – and within sight. A coordinated network of exacting service members pinpoint their location, and then relay this critical information to highly skilled fighter pilots in the sky. One’s imagination can picture the rest.
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06/20/2015
The F-35 Lightning II program made aviation history June 12 as Royal Air Force (RAF) Test Pilot Squadron Leader Andy Edgell released two inert 500-pound dual mode Paveway IV precision-guided bombs over the Atlantic Test Ranges, the U.S. Navy reported.
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06/20/2015
The Government of Ghana (GoG) through the Ministry of Defense has entered into a contract for the supply of five combat aircrafts with Brazilian Aircraft manufacturer, Embraer Defense and Security. The aircrafts in question are A-29 Super Tucano light attack and advanced training turbo props. This information was contained in a press statement released in Paris by the company.
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06/20/2015
The US Navy will acquire 53 advanced radars for its P-8A Poseidon aircraft in a $153 million deal to outfit the anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare surveillance and reconnaissance plane, US defense contractor Raytheon said in a statement on Friday.
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06/20/2015
The V-22 Osprey has had a number of setbacks. It has earned a reputation for being unsafe after a series of fatal crashes, most recently last month. Its price tag has also ballooned far past the original $2.5 billion estimate. By 2008, $27 billion had been spent on production, with another $27 billion still to go.
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06/19/2015
The Scorpion reconnaissance and attack aircraft displayed at the Paris Air Show this week is currently on its second European tour, visiting mainland Europe and the UK. Following this week the aircraft will perform demonstration flights as the guest of several European air forces, before arriving at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford, UK, from July 17 to 19.
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06/19/2015
The JF-17 Thunder is a light, single-engine, multi-role combat aircraft jointly manufactured by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China. The Pakistan Air Force plans to operate 160 JF-17 multirole jets about one-third of those are already in active service.
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06/19/2015
The steel deck shakes as the steam powered catapult and the deafening roar of 40,000 pounds of jet thrust propels the 20-tonne Hornet strike fighter from zero to 260km/hr and skywards in just two seconds.
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06/19/2015
At the ILA Berlin Airshow three years ago, the head of the European Defence Agency (EDA) publicly bemoaned the fact that the continent’s prime aerospace companies were engaged in damaging and wasteful competition to export three rival fighters. That nothing has changed was quite evident at the recent Langkawi International Marine and Aerospace (LIMA) airshow and exhibition in Malaysia.
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06/19/2015
Russia is considering plans to convert its Yakovlev Yak-130 combat training aircraft into a fighter-bomber for future foreign customers, possibly including the Syrian regime. The proposal, which was floated by an executive of the Russian state-owned weapons exporter Rosoboronexport at the Paris Air Show on Thursday, would offer air forces unable to afford high-end fighter jets a chance to operate a state-of-the-art machine that can fulfill several roles.
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06/19/2015
Lockheed Martin recently received a contract to deliver Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP) to the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) in support of urgent operational requirements. Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will deliver 10 Sniper ATPs and provide integration support beginning later this year. The RJAF is currently conducting precision-strike missions with five Sniper ATPs it acquired in 2014.
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06/19/2015
As Beijing announces it’s nearing completion of its controversial land reclamation projects in the South China Sea, it’s received a fresh warning from Tokyo. The message: just because you built it, doesn’t mean you own it.
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06/19/2015
The airstrikes in Syria destroyed two IS tunnel systems, multiple fighting positions and several vehicles, according to the anti-IS coalition. The airstrikes in Iraq destroyed an IS pontoon bridge, weaponry, a bunker and fighting units.
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06/19/2015
Commenting on several incidents involving Hungarian Airforce Saab JAS-39 Gripens over the past few months, Hungarian Defense Minister Imre Szekeres stated that the Hungarian air force is in a catastrophic state, Slovakian newspaper Sme reported.
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06/18/2015
The A400M military transport plane last month hasn't affected export orders, the firm's chief executive said Wednesday, adding Airbus hoped to land new customers soon. An A400M plane crashed during a test flight on May 9 near Seville in Spain, killing four of the six people on board and seriously injuring the two others.
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06/18/2015
Navy and Air Force developers are immersed in early conceptual work on a new, sixth-generation fighter aircraft designed with breakthrough technologies and an ability to perform for both manned and unmanned missions. Few details are available about the new aircraft, called F/A-XX by the Navy, because the early work is at this point purely conceptual, said Rear Adm. Michael Manazir, Director of Air Warfare.
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06/18/2015
A U.S.-Philippine defense agreement that would help counter China's growing naval power in the disputed South China Sea has yet to be implemented more than a year after it was signed, and could now face a fresh political hurdle in Manila.
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06/18/2015
A large number of people gathered to witness the eye-catching manoeuvres of JF-17 Thunder, the latest addition in the inventory of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) which displayed aerobatics at Paris Air Show on Wednesday.
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06/18/2015
When Textron unveiled the Scorpion I will admit I was a serious sceptic. Where was the market? Who were the likely customers? Why did they spend their own money on such a venture? The first crack in my skepticism occurred when Gen. Hawk Carlisle, head of Air Combat Command, told reporters that the Scorpion might make sense as a lower-cost COIN (CounterInsurgency) and CAS (Close Air Support) platform.
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06/18/2015
It may be tempting to put U.S. troops alongside Iraqis on the front lines against ISIS, but it would be far more difficult and complicated than it may seem, the military’s top officer told Congress Wednesday. Augmenting an Iraqi unit with a U.S. specialist — say, a joint terminal attack controller, skilled in guiding air strikes — would require a lot of hidden support.
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06/18/2015
Under a searing desert sun, a man in silhouette is pacing sentry-like around a cluster of buildings, a dark object slung over his shoulder. “Yeah, it looks like a gun,” says an American drone pilot, peering into a gray-tone screen in a darkened, distant trailer.
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06/18/2015
The deployment of the combat aircraft, based in Estonia, came as Britain warned Moscow the NATO exercises were "not a game". Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, speaking to Sky News aboard HMS Ocean, also said the UK will "stand tall, shoulder-to-shoulder" with other alliance members to defend eastern Europe's borders.
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06/18/2015
This week, the head of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) announced that a full R&D collaboration contract would be signed in 2015 with New Delhi for joint work on the derivative Indian version of the PAK FA T-50 fifth-generation fighter jet, the Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF).
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06/18/2015
Pakistani-Chinese JF-17 Thunder fighter might be the beginning of the end of western dominance of the global fighter aircraft market. The JF-17’s international flight debut at the Paris Air Show 2015 was further enhanced by the absence of US fighters such as the F-16 and F/A-18. In addition the Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab Gripen and BAE Systems Hawk too did not take to the Skies.
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06/17/2015
Saudi Arabia has ordered four Airbus C295W medium transport and patrol aircraft, Airbus Defence and Space said at the Paris air show on Tuesday. The C295Ws join the Airbus A330 MRTT multi-role tanker transport and CN235 transports previously ordered by Saudi Arabia, Airbus said.
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06/17/2015
Major assembly of Bell Helicopter's V-280 tilt-rotor technology demonstrator has been started by its fuselage manufacturer, Spirit AeroSystems Inc. Work on the fuselage, which is being made with composite materials, is expected to be completed later this year.
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06/17/2015
The most shocking thing about flying with Capt. Katie Higgins isn’t surviving three G’s when she rockets her monster airplane into the sky at 375 miles per hour. Or going weightless four times when she dives it, amped on the squeals and screams coming from the passengers behind her. Or watching veteran troops who swaggered onto her C-130 cargo plane lose it in their barf bags, one after another.
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06/17/2015
Ageing fighters, shoddy product quality and maintenance by defence PSU HAL and inadequate training to rookie pilots continues to exact a heavy toll on the country's air combat power. Down to just 35 fighter squadrons, a few of which exist just in name, the IAF got another jolt on Tuesday morning when a twin-seat Jaguar fighter went down 13 km southeast of Allahabad. Fortunately, the two pilots managed to bail out safely in "a planned ejection".
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06/17/2015
Ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia on July 7, the Defence Ministry is toning down points of conflict about the joint Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program to reach final agreement with Russia, said an MoD source.
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06/17/2015
The U.S. Air Force could be sending some of its most advanced warplanes to Europe in a show of force against Russian actions in Ukraine and elsewhere around the continent, the service’s top civilian said Monday. “The biggest threat on my mind is what’s happening with Russia and the activities of Russia,” Secretary of the Air Force Deborah James said during a visit to the Paris Air Show. “It’s extremely worrisome on what’s going on in the Ukraine.”
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06/17/2015
Hybrid Enterprises LLC, acting on behalf of Lockheed Martin, announced they will be taking orders for Hybrid Airships with deliveries planned as early as 2018. More than two-thirds of the world’s land area and more than half the world’s population have no direct access to paved roads. As you move farther away from infrastructure, cost, time and the safety of transport becomes more of a challenge.
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06/17/2015
Raytheon Company [NYSE: RTN] and Bombardier (TSX: BBD.B) have teamed with Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] to deliver a low-risk, affordable solution for the United States Air Force’s JSTARS Recapitalization program. Embracing the United States government’s desire for strong industry partnerships, the Lockheed Martin-led team will provide the Air Force capabilities superior to the current JSTARS.
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06/17/2015
Boeing is now talking to the Air Force about potentially selling the gunship – commonly referred to as the "Warthog" – to US allies, according to Chris Raymond, a vice president at the Chicago-based aerospace giant. "There's been talk about what the international opportunities might be," he was quoted as saying by DoD Buzz while at the Paris Air Show.
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06/16/2015
India may delay its involvement in the Future Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) Project with Russia and instead focus on the acquisition of medium multi role combat aircraft(MMRCA) such as the Dassault Rafale and another lighter jet to meet the immediate requirements of the Indian Air Force.
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06/16/2015
A custom-made window blind in Andrew Martin’s office displays testimonies from 12 pilots who owe their lives to Martin-Baker ejection seats. Significantly, their photos include family members, whose grateful comments are also included. It’s a good motivator for the company’s director of business development and marketing, although he hardly needs it. Martin-Baker has been in the business of saving lives for 68 years, and 7,477 aircrew have safely ejected on one of their seats.
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06/16/2015
he United Technologies Corporation said on Monday that it planned to either sell or spin off Sikorsky Aircraft, the maker of the Black Hawk helicopters favored by the United States military. The announcement follows a review of strategic alternatives for the 90-year-old Sikorsky business that United Technologies conducted this year.
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06/16/2015
The U.S. Air Force plans to further increase the number of forces it brings to Europe amid tensions with Russia and could deploy stealthy F-22 fighter jets as a show of force, Service Secretary Deborah Lee James said on Monday. “The biggest threat on my mind is what is happening in Russia. That is a big part of why I am here,” Ms. James said at the Paris Air Show.
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06/16/2015
Britain and France will find funds for a future combat drone as they wish to keep building fighter jets, while France, Germany and Italy could invite other nations to sign up as partners to build a surveillance drone, said French procurement chief Laurent Collet-Billon. Britain and France last year signed a £120 million (US $187 million) contract for a two-year feasibility study for the bilateral future combat air system development program.
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06/16/2015
The Sino-Pakistan jointly developed JF-17 Thunder fighter jet has its first confirmed foreign buyer, Flightglobal reports. “A contract has been signed with an Asian country,” stated Air Commodore Khalid Mahmood, head of sales and marketing for the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft, at the biennially held Paris Air Show yesterday.
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06/16/2015
Yemeni officials and extremists reported on Monday that the leader of Al Qaeda’s Yemen affiliate and recently the second-ranking official of the global terror network, Nasser al-Wuhayshi, had been killed in an American drone strike. American officials said they could not confirm the reports but were investigating.
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06/16/2015
Boeing and the government of Qatar recently signed an agreement for the purchase of four more C-17 Globemaster III airlifters. These aircraft will join the Qatar Armed Forces’ (QAF) existing fleet of four and help meet their ongoing airlift requirements.
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06/16/2015
On Monday, ISIL lost a key supply line to its capital Raqqa after a group of Kurdish fighters known as YPG entered Tal Abyad, a town to the north of Syria, and seized a large part of its territory. "We expect to have full control over Tal Abyad within a few hours," Redur Khalil, a spokesman for the main Kurdish fighting force told the Associated Press.
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06/16/2015
Russia's state technology corporation Rostec will showcase an engine for its famous Sukhoi Su-35 (Flanker-E) at the world’s oldest air show in France, the company said on Monday. Some 37 Russian organizations are expected to be among 2,000 participants from 46 countries at the week-long 51st Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport kicking off on Monday.
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06/15/2015
Despite much handwringing in the US about China's next-generation aircraft technology, analysts don't expect the Pacific power to expand its grip on the global military aviation market. The obvious niche for China to target is the market filled during the Cold War by Russian equipment. For nations outside of Europe, Russia represented an alternative supplier to the US, one which was generally cheaper to procure than American equipment.
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06/15/2015
Perhaps it is not a well-known fact, but Lebanon is the fifth largest recipient of US military aid in the world. The tiny Mediterranean country enclosed between war-torn Syria and a temperamental Israeli regime south of its border has been steadily receiving military equipment over the years to protect itself from regional dangers.
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06/15/2015
In the homestretch of a 41-year U.S. Army career shaped by war and the scars of war, Gen. Martin Dempsey sounds unconvinced that Iraq has found its path to lasting victory over the Islamic State group. But neither does the top military adviser to President Barack Obama say the threats to Iraq today justify sending American ground troops back into combat.
He counsels patience, for now.
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06/15/2015
With a little help from the U.S. Congress and the potential for international orders, Boeing is bullish about prospects for its international fighters. A year ago, the fate of the F/A-18 production line in St. Louis was uncertain. Pentagon orders were trailing off, and the Navy again did not formally request money for the platform for fiscal 2016.
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06/15/2015
Italian Air Force Eurofighter pilots will fly training exercises alongside an M-346 jet trainer, which will take on the role of an "aggressor" aircraft, an Italian industrial source has said. The use of the M-346 in air combat training at Italy's Eurofighter base at Grosseto in central Italy is designed to save money which would have otherwise been spent on flying a more expensive Eurofighter in its place, the source said on the eve of the Paris Air Show.
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06/15/2015
The arrival of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters will introduce new dimensions in aerial warfare, given the unique attributes of the new 5th Generation (5GEN) fighter. While low-observable techniques are always the most obvious and outspoken about the new fighter, the F-35 has much more to offer than stealth, Lockheed Martin experts say.
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06/15/2015
The U.S military launched weekend airstrikes targeting and likely killing an al-Qaida-linked militant leader in eastern Libya who has been charged with leading the attack on a gas plant in Algeria in 2013 that killed at least 35 hostages, including three Americans. The Libyan government said warplanes targeted and killed Mokhtar Belmokhtar and several others in eastern Libya. A U.S. official said two F-15 fighter jets launched multiple 500-pound bombs in the attack.
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06/15/2015
Ministry of Defence figures show that 36 of the 91 Typhoon fighters and 39 of 96 Tornados are grounded needing repairs. RAF sources say campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya have taken a heavy toll on fighter aircraft. The £10million Tornados, dating back to 1978, have taken a “real battering” attacking Islamic State positions in Iraq almost daily since last summer. As the Iraq crisis worsens, even more planes could be needed
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06/15/2015
A trainer doesn’t have to be the fastest, biggest or stealthiest aircraft ever, just predictable, reliable and economical. Air forces nevertheless have a long history of getting trainer programs wrong. The problem is usually the requirement. The U.S. Air Force’s T-X requirement, seeking a replacement for the Northrop Grumman T-38, has been evolving steadily since the first industry teams formed in 2010-11 – in the direction of a bigger and more expensive aircraft.
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06/15/2015
Western combat-jet makers from Boeing Co. to the Eurofighter consortium are scouring for new export deals that could prove crucial to extending production lines at risk of closing. A string of deals for fighter aircraft is redrawing the global battle lines among the world’s leading military aircraft makers, leaving those left empty-handed scrambling to reverse their fortunes or face a market exit.
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06/14/2015
NATO military aircraft conduct flights with their transponders shut off, the German magazine Spiegel reported. NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly criticized Moscow saying that Russian military aircraft flew with their radio beacons off near the aerial borders of the alliance and posed threats to civil planes, the article reads.
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06/14/2015
In a still publicly unacknowledged incident, a Russian military surveillance aircraft flew close to four NATO warships in the Baltic Sea on Thursday, including the destroyer USS Jason Dunham, which captured video of the incident, a U.S. Defense Department official said Saturday.
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06/14/2015
In the homestretch of a 41-year US Army career shaped by war and the scars of war, Gen. Martin Dempsey sounds unconvinced that Iraq has found its path to lasting victory over the Islamic State group. But neither does the top military adviser to President Barack Obama say the threats to Iraq today justify sending American ground troops back into combat.
(Read More...)
06/14/2015
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s recent remarks on the efficacy of Iraq’s army reflect the fact that, despite years of training by thousands of U.S. and coalition forces, the army has not been able to halt Islamic State aggression. What makes anyone think that a few more months of similar training will yield success?
(Read More...)
06/14/2015
Joint Base Lewis-McChord this week is gaining 24 Apache attack helicopters, doubling the number of those aircraft at the base and restoring a unit the Army cut last year as part of a military downsizing plan. All together, JBLM will net about 400 new soldiers to build up a unit called the 4th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment. That unit was stationed at JBLM from 2005 until last year, primarily flying Kiowa reconnaissance helicopters.
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06/14/2015
If you're in the market for a fighter jet, passenger plane, satellite, or drone, the biennial show - the 51st since 1909 - is the place to be. There'll be plenty to choose from. As with previous shows, the news flow will be dominated by the big beasts of aerospace, Airbus and Boeing.
Planemakers like, if possible, to time their multi-billion-dollar orders to coincide with air shows. But such stage-management tends to be a decision for the customers, not the suppliers.
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06/14/2015
United States Air Force has successfully tested its fifth generation fighter aircraft way back in 1997 and has inducted the same in December 2005. It has a total strength of around 187 operational F-22 fighters. It is the only air force in the world which currently operates the fifth generation jets; however it definitely fueled the fifth generation fighter jet development programs around the world either solo or in collaboration.
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06/14/2015
Specialists from Hungary and Italy will carry out a joint observation flight over the territory of Russia under the Treaty on Open Skies on June 15-19, Sergei Ryzhkov, head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center has announced.
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06/13/2015
The United States is planning to establish a chain of military bases with the P-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft to monitor China's activities in the South China Sea, says Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news outlet. Countries with the P-3 Orion in their arsenal include Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Thailand and Taiwan, with Vietnam expected to join their ranks in the future.
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06/13/2015
In the battle for Yemen, forces opposed to the Houthi rebels appear to have the upper hand, at least for now. Indeed, over the past week, anti-Houthi fighters have made consistent, albeit limited, territorial gains against the rebels and against forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
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06/13/2015
The clearance for the acquisition of 36 Dassault Rafales as part of India’s medium multi-role combat aircraft bid, following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France in April, is attracting small and medium companies to enter into partnerships to provide offsets for the $4.24 billion deal. The latest to enter the fray is India’s OIS-AT (Hall 5 D210), which has signed a joint venture with French company Rafaut (Hall 2B C157), a specialist in weapons for aircraft interface devices.
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06/13/2015
The A400m was being eyed as a possible replacement to the aging C130’s but, said SANDF spokesperson Simphiwe Dlamini, rising costs, deadlines not being met, and more rising costs meant the idea of the aircraft had to be shelved. Reuters reported the “troop and cargo carrier crashed outside Seville, Spain, on May 9 after three of its huge turboprop engines froze just minutes into a routine, pre-delivery test flight, killing four of its six crew members.”
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06/13/2015
Ukraine’s air force has struggled to find its role in the military conflict sparked by Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula and alleged support for pro-Russian militia occupying eastern Ukraine. The reasons for the inability of Ukraine’s armed forces to make wide-scale use of air power are largely related to the fact that it has suffered from more than two decades of what has been described as “anemic” defense spending since the country gained independence from the former Soviet Union.
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06/13/2015
It could happen in August, or maybe in late July. Depending on who you ask, it could even happen before the end of this month. No one—at least no one who’s talking publicly—seems to know exactly when the U.S. Air Force will award a $55 billion development and procurement contract for the branch’s next-generation long-range bomber.
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06/13/2015
The second intercept was conducted professionally, Warren said. It is routine for military aircraft to intercept others flying near the edge of international airspace and is unremarkable when done safely and professionally, Warren said. But the initial intercept May 30 was troubling because it increased the risk of accident, injury or misunderstanding. "We have diplomatic means to lodge our displeasure with these types of incidents," Warren said.
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06/13/2015
For the first time since the Ukraine crisis drove a wedge between the two countries, officials from the Russian and American navies have met to discuss how to avoid accidental clashes, incidents which could lead - unintentionally - to war.
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06/13/2015
A Saudi Arabian Air Force commander, reported to have died from a heart attack, was actually killed by a Houthi cross-border attack earlier this month, according to an Israeli intelligence and military website.
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06/12/2015
Chinese bombers participated in a joint air-sea military exercise near Taiwan and the Philippines this week. On Wednesday China announced that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) were conducting a joint exercise near the Bashi Channel. The channel sits near islands owned by the Philippines and Taiwan, and the drills were conducted near both of those countries’ Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZ).
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06/12/2015
Taiwan's military showcased its newly acquired UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter during a drill Thursday, as part of a rehearsal for a military display in July to mark the 70th anniversary of the Republic of China's 1945 victory over Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The ROC's eight-year fight against Japan was a part of World War II, in which Japan and the other axis powers were defeated.
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06/12/2015
President Barack Obama’s plan to send an additional 450 to 500 soldiers to Iraq’s Anbar province won’t be his last word on the crisis posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), several senior serving and retired U.S. military officers believe. Turning the tide against ISIL in Iraq will require a more robust U.S. military commitment, with options for escalation a matter of lively debate.
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06/12/2015
The House on Thursday approved a $579 billion defense spending bill that offers a slight pay raise to U.S. troops, but reflects deep divisions on budget priorities and whether President Barack Obama needs new war powers to fight Islamic State militants. The vote was 278 to 149 in favor of the bill, which drew stiff opposition from Democrats because it uses a war-fighting account to raise defense spending next year.
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06/12/2015
Recent events in Iraq, Libya, Russia, Syria and Yemen have sharpened the fundamental questions European nations face as they consider medium- and long-term force structure and equipment needs. In the short term, the focus for much of Europe’s defense aerospace sector is on understanding fully the cause of the crash of an Airbus A400M, that lead to the death of four of the six crew. It served as a sad reminder that risk remains an inherent element of aerospace development.
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06/12/2015
At present, the Finnish Air Force has 62 of the American-made F-18 Hornet jet fighters. Several different aircraft are initially being looked at as replacements. A working group report turned over to Defense Minister Jussi Niinistö proposes that the Hornets, which will reach the end of their lifecycle in 2030, be replaced by new multirole combat jets.
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06/12/2015
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) recently completed 25,000 hours of simulated flight time on an F-16C Block 50 aircraft, demonstrating the safety and durability of the F-16 well beyond the aircraft’s original design service life of 8,000 Equivalent Flight Hours (EFH). Further testing is being conducted to identify a definitive, safe flight hour limit for the aircraft.
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06/12/2015
Turkey should play a bigger role in cutting the flow of terrorists into Syria as part of its cooperation with the US-led coalition against the Islamic State, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a briefing on Thursday.
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06/12/2015
In Iraq, airstrikes eliminated tactical units, fighting positions, weapons and ammunition as well as infrastructure near Al Qaim, Bayji, Haditha, Kirkuk, Mosul, Sinjar and Tal Afar. Airstrikes in Syria similarly led to the destruction of Islamic State personnel, weapons and infrastructure in Al Hasakah, Ar Raqqah, Dayr Az Zawr and Kobani.
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06/11/2015
Coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq June 9. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted five airstrikes using bomber and fighter aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 16 airstrikes approved by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense using attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL terrorists.
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06/11/2015
Almost unnoticed and barely reported, except in some national dailies, was a news in the website of the People's Liberation Army indicating that China's aviation industry is working on a new short-takeoff, vertical-landing aircraft that is "needed for an important role in the Chinese navy's future operations" and that research and development of the fighter aircraft's engine and other components have already begun.
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06/11/2015
Sweden is interested in selling its next generation Gripen fighter aircraft to India under a government-to-government deal, Defence Minister Peter Hultqrist, who is on a day’s visit to India, told The Indian Express. Gripen, manufactured by Swedish aerospace company Saab, was one of the contenders for the 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) fighters to be supplied to the Indian Air Force.
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06/11/2015
Yesterday the INS Vikrant — India’s first homemade aircraft carrier — was undocked for the first time in a low-profile ceremony. The ambitious 40,000 tonne warship is undergoing final fitout and is expected to begin sea trials early next year. Once active, the Vikrant will add India to an elite group of nations capable of building such vessels — The US, Russia, UK and France.
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06/11/2015
In the world of Russian jet fighters, Moscow's finest? — ?such as the Flanker and the fifth-generation Sukhoi T-50? — ?tend to grab the most headlines. But the Yakovlev Yak-130, a comparatively non-glamorous twin-seat jet trainer, is quietly turning heads … because it's obviously more than just a trainer. The twin-engine jet dubbed "Mitten" by Western intelligence is now showing its credentials as a genuine multi-role fighter.
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06/11/2015
What factors will shape Canada’s decision to replace its fleet of CF-18 fighters? Ernie Regehr thinks that Ottawa will have to reconcile its military costs and needs with more pressing national security concerns, and the alternative contributions the country makes to international security.
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06/11/2015
The US State Department has approved a possible $462 million sale of light attack aircraft to Lebanon to increase the country’s counterterrorism capability, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a press release.
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06/11/2015
Commercial drones and drones used for hobby could increasingly be weaponized to carry out chemical, biological or kamikaze-style attacks, according to a Center for a New American Security report published on Wednesday.
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06/11/2015
The self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) terror group has seized enough radioactive material to build a large "dirty bomb" capable of inflicting devastating damage, according to Australian intelligence reports.
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06/10/2015
Russian ships and fighter jets made their presence known during the opening days of a 17-nation strong NATO exercise in the Baltic Sea by shadowing alliance ship movements and buzzing aircraft over ship formations. "During our formations shortly after we left port, we had some company from Russian ships shadowing us, and about mid-afternoon we were overflown by two Russian jets.
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06/10/2015
RAF Typhoons have intercepted and shadowed two Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea, it has been disclosed. The jets were scrambled from Amari Air base in Estonia yesterday after the planes approached Baltic airspace without sharing a flight plan. They initially identified and shadowed an Il-20M "Coot" A surveillance aircraft, before checking out a an An-26 "Curl" transport plane flying north from Kaliningrad.
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06/10/2015
One year after the Islamic State stormed out of eastern Syria to take control of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, last June 10, it remains a formidable force, with few signs that a U.S.-led bombing campaign has significantly blunted its abilities or ambitions. U.S. officials say the bombing campaign has killed more than 10,000 Islamic State fighters and insist that the group controls 25 percent less territory in Iraq than it did when the U.S. began bombing Islamic State positions there 10 mont
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06/10/2015
China’s claim to the South China Sea is based in history, dating back to records from the Xia and Han dynasties. China delineates its claims via the nine-dash line, which Chiang Kai Shek advanced in 1947. During China’s republican era, China surveyed, mapped and named 291 islands and reefs in the region.
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06/10/2015
Japan could be facing a fighter jet shortage over the coming decade plus as it phases out some of its older aircraft. Last week Defense News reported that Japan will face a fighter jet shortage as it starts phasing out its fleetes of F-2s and F-15s starting in the 2020s.
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06/10/2015
Dassault Aviation is poised to enter a new era with renewed strength in the order book for the Rafale fighter and preparing for the future with studies on combat and surveillance drones, said Eric Trappier, chairman and chief executive. New versions of the Falcon business jet also usher in a bright outlook.
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06/10/2015
The Navy’s top aviator checked out a simulator for its next-generation fighter jet, the F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), on Monday and lauded its advanced capabilities that will give it a leg up compared to legacy strike aircraft.
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06/10/2015
Data from electronic devices of Islamic State members gathered during a US raid has allowed American intelligence to better understand how the radicals’ leaders operate in Syria, The New York Times reports citing US officials.
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06/10/2015
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon raised concerns that the United States' move to supply various Gulf Arab states with arms as a counterweight to Iran could weaken Israel's own US-backed regional military dominance.
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06/09/2015
At least five Russian servicemen were injured on Monday during a failed takeoff of a Tu-95 bomber in the Amur region, some 9,000 kilometers (about 5,600 miles) east of Moscow.
"According to information from the scene, several crew members received injuries of varying degree while leaving the plane and were hospitalized," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
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06/09/2015
Amidst strong protests from the opposition, Narendra Modi is all geared up to visit Israel later this year. He will become the first prime minister of India to visit the country. Prior to Modi's visit, External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj will visit Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories.
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06/09/2015
The dispute over the strategic waterways of the South China Sea has intensified, pitting a rising China against its smaller and militarily weaker neighbors who all lay claim to a string of isles, coral reefs and lagoons known as the Spratly and the Paracel islands. Only about 45 of them are occupied. The area is one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, rich in fish and potentially gas and oil reserves, but it has now emerged as a possible flashpoint involving world powers and regional claiman
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06/09/2015
Three Pakistani Air Force (PAF) JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft will be taking part in the Paris Air Show opening at the Paris Le Bourget airport next week. This Chinese-Pakistani fighter jet will participate in the daily flight demonstration. It will also be on display in the ground exhibit.
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06/09/2015
The Kuwaiti Government has began talks with Italy to purchase Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets, in a bid to upgrade the country's air force capabilities. According to a source, this possible deal would see the purchase of two squadrons of fighter planes and around 24 to 28 of the twin-engine jets, The Wall Street Journal reported. The deal, which is expected to worth more than €4bn, could also cover pilot training and other related items.
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06/09/2015
Japan’s Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) might face a shortage of fighter jets in the 2020, unless Tokyo accelerates upgrading its fleet of legacy aircraft and expands the scope of current modernization efforts, Defense News reports.
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06/09/2015
Swedish Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist will arrive here tomorrow on a four-day visit during which he is expected to offer Gripen NG fighter aircraft or a possible joint collaboration in manufacturing single engine light combat planes. Hultqvist, who will arrive tomorrow night, will also visit the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited units in Bengaluru.
(Read More...)
06/09/2015
The United States and South Korea launched a five day joint anti-submarine exercise near Guam, the US Navy said in a release on Monday. “The exercise integrates US and Republic of Korean anti-submarine warfare assets to bolster relations and interoperability,” the US Navy said.
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06/09/2015
Large-scale US-led military exercises, codenamed Saber Strike 2015, will start in three Baltic states and Poland on Monday. The drills, running through June 19, are hosted by Lithuania this year. Joint tactical maneuvers will also take place in Estonia and Latvia. Poland will join the annual event for the first time.
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06/08/2015
Two U.S. Air Force B-2 stealth bombers on Sunday joined B-52s in Europe for additional exercises. The Spirits and airmen from the 509th and 131st Bomb Wings traveled from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, to RAF Fairford, England, and conducted hot-pit refueling and engine-running crew change skills tests, according to an Air Force news release.
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06/08/2015
U.S.-led aircraft bombed Islamic State group fighters as they battled rival Syrian rebels, including al-Qaida loyalists, in a first such intervention, a monitoring group said on Sunday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described the overnight raids in northern Aleppo as an intervention on the side of the rival rebels, which include forces who have been targeted previously by U.S.-led strikes.
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06/08/2015
The Army is expected to select a contractor next month to design and produce a new antimissile system for helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The estimated billion-dollar competition pits BAE Systems against archrival Northrop Grumman.
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06/08/2015
Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s recent remarks on the efficacy of Iraq’s army reflect the fact that, despite years of training by thousands of U.S. and coalition forces, the army has not been able to halt the Islamic State group’s aggression. What makes anyone think that a few more months of similar training will yield success?
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06/08/2015
America is anxious about Britain's defence expenditure. Perhaps the problem is the escalating cost of overly complex equipment. Prior to the 1992 British election, discussing the case for cancelling the increasingly expensive Anglo-European Eurofighter aircraft with Labour's defence spokesman, I suggested the defence requirement for this aircraft to be out-dated with the fall of the Berlin Wall; and the shifting Russian political and military landscape.
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06/08/2015
The U.S. Air Force has said it aims to meet electronic warfare needs using next-generation aircraft such as Lockheed Martin Corp’s F-35 fighter and a new long-range bomber, rather than older planes like Boeing’s EA-18G Growler, Reuters news agency has reported.
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06/08/2015
Pitching deck landings are some of the most challenging semi-common aviation experiences.
Of course, there are different levels of deck motion and it seems like it should just keep getting a little tougher with each foot of displacement. This isn't the case. Displacement matters, but speed is an even greater factor. There's also a nasty Dutch roll that the ship can pull off that not only messes with the glide slope, but also line-up—equally critical, but usually more stable.
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06/08/2015
The final selection process for Finland's and Denmark's fighter replacement programs will be managed by two newly installed governments. Finland's center-right government took office on May 29 and is expected to provisionally examine aircraft replacement options by the end of June, while assessing the pros and cons of candidate aircraft based on expert reports in August and September.
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06/08/2015
Belarus is staging military drills aimed at testing the reinforcement systems of its border control and territorial defense, according to the country’s Defense Ministry. "The servicemen of the 38th Independent Mobile Brigade of the Special Operations Section of the Armed Forces have been alerted in the framework of an inspection of the reinforcement of border protection in the south,” states the ministry's website.
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06/07/2015
The U.S. Defense Secretary flew over the Strait of Malacca last month during a visit to Singapore, getting a bird’s-eye view from a Marine MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor of one of the busiest waterways in the world. The maritime superhighway of container ships the Pentagon chief looked down on will get a bit more crowded in coming years, with an expanding fleet of U.S. Navy warships deployed full-time to the South China Sea gateway.
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06/07/2015
The dispute over the strategic waterways of the South China Sea has intensified, pitting a rising China against its smaller and militarily weaker neighbors who all lay claim to a string of isles, coral reefs and lagoons known as the Spratly and the Paracel islands. Only about 45 of them are occupied. The area is one of the world's busiest shipping routes, rich in fish and potentially gas and oil reserves, but it has now emerged as a possible flashpoint involving world powers and regional claiman
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06/07/2015
The purchase of the F-35 should give the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) next-generation intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance performance, but upgrades to Japan's F-2 and F-15 fleets can continue for only so long, and replacements will be needed in the mid-to-late 2020s, analysts say.
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06/07/2015
India's criticism of a high price tag on the Dassault Rafale has sharpened public focus on French negotiations to extend sale of the twin-jet fighter beyond a planned 36 units for the Indian Air Force. Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar fueled speculation about the final size of the Rafale order May 31 when he said the French fighters were "way too expensive" and there was no longer a plan to buy a total of 126 Rafales.
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06/07/2015
Some Eastern European allies are developing tenders to acquire new fighter jets and helicopters, but the prospects for increased regional defense collaboration remain uncertain.
Procurements are in the pipeline in Poland, Bulgaria, Croatia and the Czech Republic, which primarily are equipped with Soviet-built aircraft.
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06/07/2015
The selling of one of the world's most advanced air defense systems, the S-300 missiles, to Iran will potentially alter the balance of power in the Middle East, journalist Jeremy Bender wrote. The deal will give Iran a double advantage. It will be able to control the air space far beyond its borders and at the same time it will be able to protect its nuclear facilities against potential attacks.
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06/07/2015
A source in the Libyan armed forces confirmed the town’s capture in an interview with Reuters, adding that all local government buildings were now under IS control.
Late last month the ISIL-affiliated fighters captured a key airport in central Libya. The militants took control of the al-Qardabiya airbase in Sirte after a local militia tasked with defending the facility withdrew from their positions.
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06/06/2015
One of the Navy’s largest exercises in Europe began Friday, bringing more than 5,500 troops and dozens of ships and aircraft from 17 nations together in the Baltic Sea.
The annual BALTOPS exercise will focus on interoperability among maritime forces on tasks such as air defense, maritime interdiction and anti-submarine warfare, according to the Navy. Participants are expected to bring 49 ships, 61 aircraft and one submarine.
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06/06/2015
Throughout various periods in its ancient history, China stood as the de facto hegemon in East Asia, exercising imperial influence through a wide and sophisticated network of tributary relations with smaller kingdoms on its peripheries.
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06/06/2015
Airmen at Hurlburt Field, near Pensacola, used social media posts by the insurgent group to track the location of an Islamic State group headquarters building. Twenty-two hours later, three joint direct attack munitions destroyed the target, said Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, at a June 1 speech in Arlington, Virginia.
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06/06/2015
Moscow recently announced that it will procure 50 new nuclear-capable bombers, the Tupolev TU-160 or Blackjacks, which are the world's largest combat aircraft. This seemingly anodyne announcement points to a critically important element of Russian strategy that we overlook at our and our allies' peril.
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06/06/2015
Two F/A-18s with the Finnish Air Force shot this gorgeous video as they flew over the Norwegian coastline recently. The pair were among jets from nine nations that took part in Arctic Challenge Exercise 2015, an exercise that included approximately 115 combat aircraft deployed at several airbases in Sweden and Norway, according to The Aviationist. The jets were returning to Bodo, Norway after the exercise when they shot this video.
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06/06/2015
Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter’s recent remarks on the efficacy of Iraq’s army reflect the fact that, despite years of training by thousands of U.S. and coalition forces, the army has not been able to halt Islamic State aggression. What makes anyone think that a few more months of similar training will yield success?
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06/06/2015
The United States needs to take new steps to respond to the Ukraine conflict because economic sanctions and other Western actions have failed to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to reverse course, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday. Carter, speaking after conferring with U.S. officials in Europe, said the Pentagon was watching the Ukraine situation very closely and was concerned about "further things happening" after the worst upsurge in fighting in months.
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06/06/2015
Both the Navy and Air Force fly jets, right? So what’s the difference between fighter pilots from the two branches of service?
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06/06/2015
China’s been introducing new high-tech weapons at a breakneck pace as it races to catch up to the U.S. military. And the tanks, ships, planes, and other hardware that Beijing can’t invent on its own, it tends to copy from American, Russian, European, or Israeli designs.
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06/06/2015
Three B-52 strategic bombers deployed to Europe on Friday to participate in military exercises with NATO partners in the Baltic region and Poland, the US Strategic Command said in a statement. The deployment also provides opportunities to “synchronize strategic activities and capabilities with allies and partners” in the US European Command.
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06/05/2015
China is planning to continue developing its short-range vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fighter, according to Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik International, cited by the military news web portal of China's state-run Reference News. Given the cost of the project, there is seemingly an important strategic decision behind it, according to the report.
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06/05/2015
The Italian and Kuwaiti governments have begun negotiations over the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets, as the Middle East country seeks to follow neighbors in modernizing its air force, according to a person familiar with the matter.
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06/05/2015
Vietnam is in talks with European and U.S. contractors to buy fighter jets, maritime patrol planes and unarmed drones, sources said, as it looks to beef up its aerial defences in the face of China's growing assertiveness in disputed waters.
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06/05/2015
Last week, Finland's new government announced that it will explore the possibility of NATO membership. While wariness is still evident in Finland's public and membership likely a ways off, the government's clear focus on NATO underscores the serious threat it faces from an aggressive Russia.
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06/05/2015
The British foreign secretary says the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is not hitting all the terrorist targets it identifies. "We have the capability to mount as many airstrikes as we have targets," Secretary Philip Hammond told Vice News in an interview this week. "The constraints, as I understand it at the moment, is identifying enough targets where we can be absolutely confident there will not be collateral damage or civilian casualties," he said.
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06/05/2015
Ample airspace at the nearby Nevada Test and Training Range makes Nellis Air Force Base attractive for missions such as this, involving aircraft conducting air and ground operations.
Col. Richard Boutwell gives local leaders an overview of missions at Nellis and Creech Air Force bases, and the Nevada Test and Training Range.
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06/05/2015
Last week, Finland's new government announced that they will explore the possibility of NATO membership. While wariness is still evident in Finland's public and membership likely a ways off, the government's clear focus on NATO underscores the serious threat they face from an aggressive Russia. Helsinki's stance makes a full exploration of the benefits of future Alliance membership by its policy makers more crucial than ever.
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06/05/2015
India has offered to buy two intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) aircraft from Raytheon on a government-to-government basis. The request was made to visiting US Defense Secretary Ash Carter Wednesday, said a Defence Ministry source. Another project which India and the US are discussing, on India's request, is joint development of the GE-414 jet engine for use by India's homemade Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), the source added.
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06/05/2015
Russia is planning to resume production of Tu-160 supersonic strategic bombers after 2023, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said on Thursday. "According to the current schedule, this will happen sometime after 2023," Borisov, who is on a visit to France, said.
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06/05/2015
The Il-76MD-90A is a significantly modernized version of Russia's Il-76 Candid transport plane, featuring a fully-digital flight control system, new avionics and engines with improved fuel efficiency systems.
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06/04/2015
More than 200 Sukhoi Flankers currently form the core of the Indian Air Force’s strike element, for a planned force of over 272 Su-30 fighter-bombers. India received the initial batch of Sukhois in 2002. The first of these aircraft crashed in 2009, and since then five more have crashed.
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06/04/2015
A study that would determine if the Navy should acquire more Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft for a wider joint high-end war fighting requirements has been completed, Navy officials told USNI News on Wednesday. The Growler study, now being reviewed as part of a larger electronic warfare evaluation led by Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work, was led by the Navy with input from the other services.
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06/04/2015
Dassault Aviation Chief Eric Trappier is still hopeful of selling extra Rafale fighter jets to India apart from the 36 aircraft deal negotiated by the French Government, Reuters reported Tuesday. Speaking during the rollout of Dassault’s new business jet Falcon 5X, Eric Trappier said that he has not given up hope of selling more rafale fighters to India.
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06/04/2015
The US Air Force will prefer buying next-generation aircraft, such as Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter and a new long-range bomber to strengthen its electronic warfare capability, USAF official has said. Reuters reported, citing Air Combat Command Commander General Herbert Carlisle, that the F-35 combat aircraft offers better electronic warfare capabilities.
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06/04/2015
An Indian Air Force (IAF) jet crashed in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district on Wednesday, gouging a 10-foot crater in the middle of a paddy field, while the two pilots were injured despite managing to eject. The BAE Systems Hawk advanced trainer aircraft took off on a routine sortie from Kalaikunda air force base in West Bengal, but plummeted to the ground at around 1.30pm after flying for nearly 50 km.
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06/04/2015
Pakistan Air Force Chief met top Chinese defence officials as the two countries look to upgrade the jointly produced JF-17 Thunder fighter jet, amid India's move to acquire 36 Rafale warplanes from France. PAF Chief Air Marshal Sohail Aman, who is on a five day visit to China, met Gen Fan Changlong, Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), the high command of the Chinese military.
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06/04/2015
The Czech Republic is sending five JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighter planes to guard Iceland’s airspace for six weeks instead of Canada, which is involved in the US-led airstrike campaign against ISIL militants, spokesperson for the Czech Ministry of Defense Petr Medek has told RIA Novosti.
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06/04/2015
After Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province fell on May 17, reports surfaced earlier this week that IS had seized and closed a dam in the city, cutting off water to pro-government towns and threatening to create a humanitarian crisis.
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06/04/2015
US fighter jets stationed in Europe could in the foreseeable future be used to safeguard the airspace of the so-called Visegrad 4 countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary), Czech media reported Wednesday.
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06/04/2015
Russian and Norwegian rescuers teamed up in the Arctic on Wednesday for a joint exercise of oil spill preparedness and response drills in the Barents Sea, Russia's Defense Ministry announced.
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06/03/2015
The tide of battle in Yemen appears to be turning in favor of the anti-Houthi movement. After a long period of stagnation, Houthi elements and supporters of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh are being gradually pushed back from a number of active frontlines. Though gains are taking time to materialize, progress is being made in places such as Marib, Taiz and Dali. Anti-Houthi forces pushed beyond the city limits of Dali proper, advancing in the direction of Ibb.
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06/03/2015
India and the United States will sign the 2015 US-India Defence Framework Agreement on Wednesday. The 10-year agreement will include maritime security cooperation, joint military exercises and defence technology development. US secretary of defense Ashton Carter is currently in India on three-day visit. This framework agreement with India entails joint development and manufacture of defence equipment and technology that is expected to help take strategic ties to new heights.
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06/03/2015
Workers at BAE Systems’ Warton plant have been given funding to research a new launcher for the Typhoon.
The Ministry of Defence has provided £1.7m of funding to come up with a common weapon launcher for the aircraft that could be capable of carrying multiple weapons and weapon types on one type of attachment point. The project will bring together expertise from BAE Systems as the weapons integration lead for Typhoon and the weapons manufacturers MBDA and Raytheon UK.
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06/03/2015
At 6 p.m. on a recent evening on a base in southwest Asia, an Air Force F-22 Raptor took off for a strike mission against the Islamic State group in Syria. What the aircraft accomplished before it landed 11 1/2 hours later shows why the aircraft is vital to the U.S. fleet, and why it is now tasked with flying in every strike package that goes north into Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the head of Air Combat Command said Monday.
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06/03/2015
The Air Force’s newest fighter jet, the F-35 Lightning II, is taking a star turn in an ongoing air combat training exercise over the Army Combat Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. The Air Force has used aircraft equipped with F-35 sensors in past exercises, but this will be the first time that more “operationally representative” aircraft take part, Air Combat Command Gen. Herbert Carlisle said Monday after an Air Force Association event.
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06/03/2015
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is investing £51 million in a new synthetic training system developed by Lockheed Martin for the Royal Air Force’s Chinook Mk6 helicopter.
Lockheed Martin will design and build a purpose built training facility at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, the home of the Chinook fleet, that will prepare pilots and crew for deployment on operations.
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06/03/2015
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flew its first Boeing-built C-17A Globemaster III equipped with a new advanced satellite communication (SATCOM) and imagery display system, providing the flight crew and passengers with unprecedented situational awareness.
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06/03/2015
Finland's Air Force has announced it is going to conduct aerial bombing at its artillery practice range in Rovajärvi for the first time since the Second World War; next week's bombing test is part of a scheduled lifecycle update for the country's Hornet fighter jets.
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06/02/2015
The Pentagon in the third week of May sent a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance plane near Fiery Cross Reef in the South China Sea — called the East Sea by Vietnam. The Fiery Reef is in the archipelago called the Spratly Islands by the U.S., the Nanchan Islands by China and the Truong Sa Islands by the Vietnamese.
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06/02/2015
Three out of every four times that Obama dispatches American warplanes over Iraq, they return to base with dropping any bombs or launching any missiles. “Seventy-five percent of the sorties that we’re currently running with our attack aircraft come back without dropping bombs, mostly because they cannot acquire the target or properly identify the target,” said U.S. Army General (ret) Jack Keane in testimony before the U.S. Senate last week.
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06/02/2015
Iraqi forces have been ramping up their offensive against ISIS, and now its fighters are sending a ruthless message of their own. Since Sunday, a U.S.-led coalition has launched another 10 airstrikes against ISIS targets in Iraq, and 13 strikes in neighboring Syria. The Iraqi Air Force is part of that coalition, flying into dangerous territory to combat the terrorists.
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06/02/2015
A third and possibly final series of flight tests planned for Britain's Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle demonstrator is planned for later this year, according to the Ministry of Defence. An industry team led by BAE Systems completed two phases of trial flights at Woomera, Australia, between August 2013 and January 2014, and a third series of test flights is "now planned for the end of this year," an MoD spokesman confirmed.
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06/02/2015
Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet will drop weapons and take part in a major U.S. military exercise this week for the first time, another milestone for the Pentagon's largest weapons program, Air Force officials said Monday. The exercise, called "Green Flag West," tests the U.S. military's ability to engage in air-to-surface conflicts and helps get ground troops who pinpoint potential air strikes ready for combat.
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06/02/2015
Limiting the order for new generation Rafale fighters at 36 will play havoc with Indian Air Force's modernisation plans and the number will not be enough to plug capability gaps that are emerging in the air force as older aircraft retire, several retired officers including two air chiefs who were involved in the process of selecting the French aircraft told ET.
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06/02/2015
With the game-changing F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in early production stages, rival manufacturers are racing against time. The F-35 may be regarded almost as much as an industrial and coalition-building policy as a warplane made by Lockheed Martin Corp., the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier by sales and the world's largest aerospace company.
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06/02/2015
Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar confirmed on Sunday that India will only purchase 36 instead of 126 Rafale fighter jets from France, an announcement that appears to finally bury the much hyped “mother of all defense deals” for good.
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06/02/2015
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) fleet of MiG-29N fighter aircraft will remain an important asset to the country's air defence. RMAF chief General Datuk Seri Roslan Saad said there has been no decision to replace the MIG-29N which had been in service since 1990 and the aircraft will still remain in service.
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06/02/2015
The US State Department has approved a $1.7 billion sale of four E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning aircraft and associated parts to Japan, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement on Monday. “The proposed sale of E-2D AHE aircraft will improve Japan’s ability to effectively provide homeland defense utilizing an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) capability,” DSCA stated.
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06/01/2015
Following the deadliest day of air strikes and with the death toll approaching 2000, the humanitarian situation in Yemen is only getting worse. Like in all wars it is civilians that are on the receiving end, with the World Health Organisation stressing that 8.6 million are in 'urgent need of medical aid'. Lives, livelihoods and infrastructure are being destroyed, peace talks are failing and aid is failing to reach those in need.
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06/01/2015
A hundred or so years since the enormous potential of aerial warfare first came to be fully appreciated, the question of just how much commanders should rely on air power to achieve their campaign objectives is as vexed as ever.
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06/01/2015
The makers of precision-guided munitions no longer take for granted that simple GPS-guidance systems will always work on their own. Jammers and spoofing equipment threaten to populate future battlefields; manufacturers have taken notice and answered the threat.
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06/01/2015
The A-10 is poised to dodge retirement. Again. After a near-death experience in 2014, the aircraft known among troops as the “Warthog” appears to be cruising toward renewal from Congress. The Air Force has waged a protracted battle to mothball its fleet of A-10s, calling it a necessary cost-saving move that would save roughly $4 billion.
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06/01/2015
The US-India defence relationship needs an engine to drive it, say leaders on both sides. But there are different perceptions on what that engine might be. Americans believe the engine should be the "Defence Trade and Technology Initiative" (DTTI), a high-level committee of officials from both sides that moots projects for working together, and removes bureaucratic roadblocks.
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06/01/2015
As Saudi Arabia carries out the longest air campaign (against Yemen) in its history it was noted that the Saudis were sending up to fifty British made Typhoon and Tornado fighter-bombers a day on combat missions. The Saudis have 80 Tornados and 48 Typhoons with another 72 Typhoons on order. In contrast Britain has 125 Typhoons and 98 Tornados.
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06/01/2015
The CIA’s then-secret weapon missed the Taliban's leader, starting a 14-years-and-counting fight over who controls the U.S. drone program.
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06/01/2015
Russia's decision to conduct unscheduled large-scale maneuvers in response to the Norway-led Arctic Challenge exercises in the High North has added fuel to geo-political tensions in the region. Arctic Challenge participants from within NATO and the non-aligned Nordic countries view the Kremlin's response as a demonstration of Russia's military strength in the region and its unease over the deepening defense partnerships between NATO and neutral Finland and Sweden.
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06/01/2015
Russian inspectors will conduct an observation flight over the territory of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, under the Treaty on Open Skies, acting head of the Defense Ministry’s National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center told journalists on Monday.
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