July 09, 2015 Military Aviation News

Iraqi F-16s to fly out of Iraq, not Jordan

07/09/2015

Iraqi F-16s and pilots will not be based out of Jordan, as reported by Iraqi media, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said. Abed Issawi, a Shiite member of Iraq's parliament, had told reporters that that the U.S. government was demanding that the Iraqi F-16s fly combat missions from Jordan, not Iraq, according to Rudaw, a Kurdish media outlet.

US Air Force leader sees Russia as 'biggest threat'

07/09/2015

Russia is the biggest threat to US national security and America must boost its military presence throughout Europe even as Nato allies face budget challenges and scale back spending, Deborah James, US Air Force Secretary, said on Wednesday.

Tejas Mark II – Aeronautical Development Agency needs to have realistic goals

07/09/2015

I read two articles with great interest – “First Tejas Mark II engine to arrive in September” and “From Tejas to AMCA” – on July 6, both by Ajai Shukla of the Business Standard. As a retired Colonel of Indian Army, Shukla speaks with a certainty that comes from experience and in these articles he rails against “self-appointed patriots who see no irony in their advocacy of expensive foreign weaponry”.

Exclusive: Lockheed, Textron final suitors for Sikorsky Aircraft - sources

07/09/2015

Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and Textron Inc (TXT.N) have emerged as final contenders to buy United Technologies Corp's (UTX.N) Sikorsky Aircraft business, which could be valued at around $8 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. UTC is weighing offers from the two companies and may come to a decision by the end of the month, one of the people said.

Is It Getting Easier or More Difficult to Fly a Fighter Jet?

07/09/2015

First, from one point of view, it's getting harder to fly fighter jets because there are fewer around and the requirements to even climb in to one are remarkably high. I'm very glad I didn't have this kind of competition for so few slots. Let's move on to the other aspect.

Large Russian Aircraft Carrier Design Unveiled

07/09/2015

A design for a large, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was unveiled at the seventh maritime and defense show (IMDS’2015) held last week in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Krylov State Research Center—a government-owned scientific institute specializing in marine technologies—showed a scale model of a “multipurpose aircraft carrier” that was comparable in size to the U.S. Navy Nimitz class. The Russian ministry of defense is funding Krylov’s work under Project Shtorm (Storm).

Northrop Grumman’s Naval Combat Drones Get Lifeline

07/09/2015

The Navy has decided to hold off sending its X-47B combat drones to an aviation museum. For now, the Northrop Grumman aircraft will be kept in flying condition pending high-level decisions on how to move forward. “The Navy is examining a range of potential follow-on activities involving the X-47B air vehicles,” Navy Capt. Beau Duarte, program manager for unmanned carrier aviation, told National Defense in a statement.

Indian Air Force ad invites recruits to fly aircraft it doesn't operate

07/09/2015

An Indian Air Force (IAF) recruitment advertisement has generated controversy - and ridicule - in domestic military circles for depicting a Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, an aircraft that it does not operate. The F/A-18 image, featuring in several Indian newspapers on 5 July, appeared alongside Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Dassault Mirage 2000H combat aircraft that are in IAF service and above the tagline 'Join the mission'.

US predicts 42,000 unmanned Chinese military planes by 2023

07/09/2015

According to the United States Defense Department’s latest report on China’s military build-up the “Middle Kingdom” will spend more than $10 billion on land and sea based unmanned aircraft. These will include fixed wing and rotary aircraft to conduct surveillance, attack and even air combat missions.

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