August, 2017 Military Aviation News
08/30/2017
Lockheed Martin Corp. is closing in on an international deal for F-16 fighter planes, and has offered to eventually build all the jets at a proposed plant in India if it wins a bigger order to supply the Indian Air Force, a top executive said. The US defence giant and Sweden’s Saab are in a two horse-race to equip the Indian military with at least 100 single-engine jets that have to be produced locally under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make-in-India’ plan.
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08/30/2017
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is interested in placing a follow-up order for 36 additional fourth-generation Dassault Rafale multirole fighter jets, according to Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD) sources.
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08/30/2017
Boeing is actively promoting its F/A-18 E/F fighter for a future Indian naval requirement, with promise of a major industrial programme. The US airframer recently discussed its bid for an Indian navy requirement for 57 fighters at a media event in New Delhi.
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08/30/2017
Normally fierce rivals, Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries are co-operating on an upgrade package for elderly Lockheed Martin F-16As. Israel retired its "Netz" fighters earlier this year and is now looking to sell the 40-strong inventory, which would be extensively modernised by the partners.
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08/30/2017
Elbit Systems has won a $93 million contract from an undisclosed customer in the Asia-Pacific region for the upgrade of its Northrop F-5 fighters. To be conducted over a three-year period, the modification will see the Israeli firm install a number of systems to the legacy type.
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08/30/2017
Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has commenced production of the initial 15 Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) for the Indian army. At a ceremony at HAL's helicopter production centre in Bengaluru, minister of finance, defence and corporate affairs Arun Jaitley oversaw the launch of LCH production.
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08/29/2017
The U.S. Department of Defence has notified its Congress of the sale of 12 Super Tucano A-29 planes and weapons worth $593 million to Nigeria for the fight against Boko Haram. The move on the sale, which included thousands of bombs and rockets and was originally agreed by former President Barack Obama’s administration, was announced by the Pentagon’s Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on August 2.
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08/29/2017
Bell Helicopter is pitching the in-development 525 Relentless to military customers as a 20-passenger troop transport or search and rescue (SAR) platform. Although Bell has previously identified civil SAR and VIP transport missions as alternatives to the depressed oil and gas segment it initially aimed the 525 at, the airframer has so far not pursued military customers.
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08/29/2017
New Delhi has issued a new request for information for 111 naval utility helicopters (NUH) and 123 naval multi-role helicopters (NMRH). A request for proposal is likely to be issued in the second quarter of 2018 for both acquisitions. India’s navy has been struggling to acquire modern helicopters to replace an almost obsolescent rotorcraft fleet since 2010, without any success.
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08/29/2017
A North Korean ballistic missile that passed over Japan early Tuesday morning has broken into three pieces and fallen into the sea 733 miles from Cape Erimo in northern Japan into the waters off Hokkaido, state broadcaster NHK reports.
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08/29/2017
Israel has officially signed an agreement to buy 17 additional F-35 jets as part of an even larger deal to purchase a total of 50 stealth fighters. Signed by Major General (Res) Udi Adam, the director-general of Israel's Defense Ministry, this move will give the 69-year-old state two squadrons of the once-troubled jet after the delivery is made December 2024, the Jerusalem Post reported.
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08/17/2017
A quiet, rural highway in northern Estonia transformed into a bustling military airfield as combat controllers guided A-10C Thunderbolt IIs onto the 50-foot-wide freeway during a flying training deployment, Aug. 10, 2017. A small force of eight 321st Special Tactics Squadron combat controllers surveyed the two-lane highway, deconflicted airspace and exercised command and control on the ground and in the air to land A-10s from the Maryland ANG's 104th Fighter Squadron on the Jägala -Käravete High
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08/16/2017
The Syrian military said on Tuesday that one of its jets crashed in southern Syria, state television reported, hours after Western-backed rebels said they had shot it down and captured the pilot. State-owned Ikhbariya television quoted a Syrian army source as saying an investigation was under way to determine what caused the crash. It did not mention the fate of the pilot.
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08/16/2017
On a steamy May afternoon at Anderson Air Force Base in Guam, military air traffic converges from all over the world: gray B-52s from North Dakota, KC-130 tankers from Pennsylvania and C-130s from South Korea.
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08/16/2017
The appointment of Maj Gen Amikam Norkin as the Israeli air force's new commander could expedite some of its procurement plans, including for the Boeing KC-46A tanker, Lockheed Martin F-35 and longer-endurance unmanned air vehicles.
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08/16/2017
Argentina has stopped negotiations about a possible purchase of upgraded Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Kfir fighters, despite indications earlier this year that a deal for 12-14 aircraft could be finalised.
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08/16/2017
Investigations are ongoing into the late July accident involving a German army-operated example that came down in unexplained circumstances around 44nm (82km) northeast of Gao.
Berlin immediately withdrew its Tigers from service, although its four aircraft remaining in Mali – deployed as part of a multinational fight against an Islamic insurgency – will be allowed to perform missions in emergency situations, says its defence ministry.
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08/15/2017
The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will take part in this year's Exercise Red Flag - Nellis air combat exercise in the United States, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said in a press release on Monday (Aug 14). The RSAF will deploy eight F-15SG fighter aircraft and more than 100 personnel from its Peace Carvin V detachment in Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, to participate in the large-scale exercise.
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08/15/2017
Exercise Mobility Guardian highlighted the close relationship between Mobility and Combat Air Forces, who teamed up to execute approximately 90 sorties together, July 31 to Aug. 12, 2017.
The exercise provided the MAF and CAF opportunities to integrate combat capabilities in a dynamic, highly contested environment to help ensure future mission success at both the tactical and strategic level.
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08/15/2017
Indian state-owned airframer Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has performed the maiden flight of an upgraded two-seat, maritime-strike Sepecat Jaguar fitted with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.
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08/15/2017
Moscow and Islamabad will increase cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including the energy and defense industries, Pakistani Ambassador to Russia Qazi Khalilullah said Monday at a gala evening held to mark the 70th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence from the then-British Empire.
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08/15/2017
For the second time in less than seven days an Iranian military drone buzzed a US Navy aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, creating a “dangerous situation with the potential for collision” with US jets, the US Navy said Monday.
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08/15/2017
A US airman in Michigan was forced to make the least-worst decision out of a set of bad options after radio communication died, the plane’s canopy flew off, and the landing gear wouldn’t release.
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08/13/2017
Russia has officially unveiled the Sukhoi-57, its next-generation supersonic stealth combat jet set to rival the U.S. F-22 and the Chinese Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang J-31, Ministry of Defense TV channel Zvezda reported Friday.
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08/13/2017
As the US Air Force wraps up its OA-X light attack demonstration this week, US Special Operations Command released its own solicitation for a separate special operations light attack aircraft.
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08/13/2017
A recent report claiming the US denied critical F-16 technology to the government of India is erroneous, the US Air Force and F-16 manufacturer Lockheed Martin say. New Delhi is searching for a new single-engine fighter to recapitalise the Indian air force’s aging fighter fleet. The report from Defenseworld.net quoted the Indian Minister of State for Defence saying the US has not agreed to transfer F-16 technology and production to India.
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08/13/2017
Through a shimmering heat haze, the pilots of two sleek combat aircraft run to their jets, armed and ready beneath makeshift sun shelters on a Romanian base near the Black Sea coast. These are not the crews of the home nation's Aerostar-adapted MiG-21 Lancer interceptors, however, but of Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4s, deployed to help safeguard NATO territory.
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08/13/2017
A US F-18 fighter jet experiencing an engine malfunction made a crash landing Saturday at Bahrain International Airport, briefly interfering with commercial flight schedules. The pilot, who ejected from the aircraft after it ran off the runway, escaped unharmed.
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08/13/2017
The aviation technologies such as planes and helicopters for the Russian Aerospace Forces will be unmanned in the future, Aerospace Forces Commander Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Saturday. The commander added that the Aerospace Forces had achieved excellent results in combat training as the annual flight time of each pilot amounted to no less than 120 hours and that figure would increase.
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08/13/2017
Russia’s fifth-generation fighter jet, formerly known as the Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation (PAK FA), or Sukhoi T-50, has officially been named the Su-57. RIA Novosti contributor Andrei Kots takes a look at the evolution of Russia’s premier fighter jet.
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08/13/2017
A UK Royal Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft may be on its way to the Korean Peninsula as tensions mount between North Korea and the allied forces of the US, Japan and South Korea, the UK Defence Journal reported Friday.
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08/13/2017
US Air Force B-1B Lancers returned to Andersen Air Force base on Guam this week after completing a 10-hour joint flight missions with South Korean and Japanese aircraft near North Korea.
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08/11/2017
Air Force officials and international observers have flocked to Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico for the service's Light Attack Experiment, going on throughout August. The exercise has been planned for months, after Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said in January the branch was looking for an inexpensive fighter with the ability to do close-air-support missions.
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08/11/2017
The US Air Force has taken a Lockheed Martin F-22A out of storage and plans to return the Raptor to flying status by the end of this year, the service confirms to FlightGlobal. The service’s fiscal year 2018 budget justification documents states the F-22 programme will add another operational test aircraft to the fleet by taking one aircraft out of flyable storage.
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08/11/2017
A US Marine Corps Bell Boeing MV-22 struck the flight deck of an amphibious transport dock before crashing into waters off the coast of East Australia on 5 August, a US Navy document shows.
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08/11/2017
Italy wants to move its four Lockheed Martin F-35As allocated to an international training school in the USA to Europe, to support its operational preparations with the type, according to an audit office report published on 7 August.
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08/11/2017
South Korea and Japan reaffirmed their support for the US on Thursday following North Korea’s announcement that they are considering a ballistic missile attack against Andersen Air Force Base on the US island territory of Guam in Micronesia.
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08/11/2017
Indian Army was to receive its first tranche of eleven AH-64E Apache helicopters under the options clause of an earlier deal; but government says it has no immediate plans to place the order.
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08/10/2017
U.S. military officials say an Iranian drone harassed and nearly collided with a Navy attack jet Tuesday as it prepared to land on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. The drone approached the F/A-18E Super Hornet as it circled above the USS Nimitz, officials said. The Hornet’s pilot was forced to make a sudden maneuver to avoid striking the unmanned aircraft, and they passed within 100 feet of each other.
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08/10/2017
India is going ahead with the acquisition of a fifth-generation fighter aircraft with Russia after an internal committee of the Ministry of Defence recommended that the purchase of the aircraft will duplicate India’s plan to develop a homegrown advanced medium combat aircraft, according to an MoD official.
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08/10/2017
According to the information released by The Jakarta Post on Aug. 4., Indonesia is going to barter its resources, including coffee, to acquire the Russian Su-35 supermaneuverable fighter aircraft. The whole deal is to be directed by an Indonesian state-owned company – PT Perusahaan Perdagangan, collaborating with Rostec.
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08/10/2017
India’s state-owned aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) continues to fall behind schedule in delivering the country’s first domestically designed and produced light fighter aircraft, the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), according to information released by India’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) last week.
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08/10/2017
The Thai Royal Air Force (TRAF) is enhancing the readiness of its fleet via an upgrade package that will transform four F-5E Tigers into bonafide F-5T Super Tigers. The warplanes will receive Python-4 and I Derby beyond-visual-range air-to-air weapons, new radar systems, electronic warfare capabilities and "network-centric capabilities for disaster preparedness," the Air Force said in an August 2 announcement.
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08/10/2017
China’s first homemade aircraft carrier will likely enter mooring trials next month ahead of schedule, said Hu Wenming, general director of construction of the aircraft carrier, CCTV.com reported on Aug. 3.
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08/10/2017
On August 8, two supersonic US B1-B Lancer bombers flanked by Japanese and South Korean jets conducted a pair of air drills over the course of 10 hours off the Korean peninsula, near southern Kyushu island, in an apparent show of force against Pyongyang. The provocative act could mark a dangerous new stage in the ongoing fracas.
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08/10/2017
outh Korea must urgently and completely reform its defense system in view of the threat of North Korea, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday.
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08/09/2017
The US Air Force has awarded Boeing a contract for two commercial 747-8 aircraft to replace an aging fleet of 747-200s serving as presidential transports. The latest contract modifies an existing deal with Boeing awarded in 2016 to analyse options for reducing the risk of technical glitches in development of the new Air Force One fleet, as well assess classified requirements.
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08/09/2017
As the AH-64A "Peten" approached Ramon air base, its pilot reported a technical problem. Seconds later, it crashed between the two runways, killing its pilot. The second crew member was taken to hospital after sustaining serious injuries.
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08/09/2017
The Israeli Air Forces targeted two posts of the Hamas movement in Gaza Strip, responding to a projectile launched at Israel shortly before, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday.
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08/09/2017
A US defense contractor won more than $18 million to supply Egypt and Iraq with infrared countermeasure flares to protect aircraft, the Defense Department said in a press release. "Armtec Countermeasures Company [of] Coachella, California has been awarded an $18,033,583… Foreign Military Sales (Egypt and Iraq) contract for the procurement of the infrared countermeasure flares," the release stated on Tuesday.
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08/08/2017
Known for an ability to keep flying after taking multiple rounds of enemy machine gun fire, land and operate in rugged terrain, destroy groups of enemy fighters with a 30mm cannon and unleash a wide arsenal of attack weapons, the A-10 is described by pilots as a “flying tank” in the sky -- able to hover over ground war and provide life-saving close air support in high-threat combat environments.
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08/07/2017
In 2008, India’s Aeronautical Development Agency began developing a multirole fighter to replace its large fleet of aging Jaguar, Mirage and MiG-23 fighters. The new project was tentatively dubbed the Medium Combat Aircraft (later revised to the Advanced MCA, or AMCA), to be produced domestically by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
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08/07/2017
The U.S. State Department has greenlit a proposed $593 million U.S. sale of 12 Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) A-29 Super Tucano close air support (CAS) aircraft to Nigeria. According to the news release provided by the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the proposal includes the dozen aircraft as well as “all associated training, spare parts, aviation and ground support equipment, and hangar, facilities, and infrastructure required to support the program.”
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08/05/2017
As the first director for the Navy’s F-35C Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Fleet Integration Office, I have enjoyed the opportunities and challenges of bringing fifth-generation strike-fighter capabilities to the fleet. As this highly advanced weapons system matures, I am convinced the F-35C will be a cornerstone platform that plays a crucial role in mission success for Carrier Air Wings (CVW), Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) and numbered fleets. The F-35C will be a game-changer for the Navy.
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08/05/2017
The government has said there is no proposal to buy Lockheed Martin’s F-16 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force at the moment. “There is no immediate proposal to procure F-16 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force. Details of agreements entered into by Indian companies in this regard are not held by the government,” minister of state for defence Subhash Bhamre said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
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08/05/2017
The US Air Force Research Laboratory is funding advanced technologies for Lockheed Martin’s Desert Hawk Extended Endurance and Range (DH EER) unmanned air vehicle, including upgrades that will allow maritime operations.
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08/05/2017
A future European rival to the US Air Force’s MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air system (UAS) will feature a twin-engined turboprop configuration, says a multi-national weapons development agency.
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08/05/2017
Four platforms are flying this week at Holloman AFB, New Mexico for the US Air Force’s light attack OA-X experiment, but the makeup of those aircraft might have turned out differently had more contractors come forward to participate.
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08/05/2017
The US president's next helicopter, the Sikorsky VH-92A, flew for the first time on 28 July in Stratford, Connecticut, Lockheed Martin announces in a 3 August news release. The presidential transport variant of the S-92 took off from Sikorsky headquarters in Stratford, Connecticut. In two sorties, the aircraft completed checked off several test points, including hover control, low-speed forward flight, and a pass over the airfield.
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08/04/2017
New threats faced by Israel have placed the potential purchase of short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant Lockheed Martin F-35Bs as a high priority. Discussions are under way, with Israel's defence ministry hoping to reach a decision before a new 10-year Foreign Military Financing agreement with the USA comes into effect in 2019.
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08/04/2017
A report by India’s comptroller and auditor general (CAG) has highlighted the poor serviceability of 14 Ilyushin Il-76MD heavy transports and six Il-78 tankers operated by the nation's air force. According to a CAG report, average serviceability of the Il-76 and Il-78 fleet in the period from 2010-2016 was 38% and 49%, respectively. The required average figure for both types is set at 70%.
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08/04/2017
The upgrade will involve converting the cockpit from analogue to digital, and integrating a glass cockpit that includes touch screen displays, says the country's air force in a statement.
Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that the Philippines operates five C-130s: one C-130B, two C-130Hs, and two C-130Ts. The average age of these aircraft is 40.2 years.
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08/04/2017
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said that the Department of State has approved the sale of a dozen A-29 Super-Turcano aircraft to Nigeria to fight terrorists’ movements.
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08/04/2017
The Russian Helicopters company said it has finished the overhaul of four Mi-17 military helicopters for the Hungarian Ministry of Defense, planning on repairing one more chopper on a separate agreement.
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08/03/2017
Bids are due within a month for a US Air Force contract to build an improved version of the 2,000lb BLU-109 penetrator and deliver at least 12,000 of the bunker-busting bombs over the next five years. The improved BLU-109, which will be redesignated the BLU-137, and should correct known deficiencies and make the weapon more reliable against targets such as bunkers and hardened aircraft shelters, the service tells FlightGlobal.
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08/03/2017
BAE Systems delivered 10 Eurofighter Typhoons in the first half of this year, as the UK company and its European partners wait for further international sales to safeguard long-term production of the type.
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08/03/2017
Light-attack aircraft come in many forms: purpose-built turboprops such as the Embraer A-29, converted turboprop trainers like the Beechcraft AT-6 and Korea Aerospace Industries KT-1, and even jet-powered trainers modified to carry weapons and surveillance equipment.
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08/03/2017
South Korea has tested the Hyunmoo-II, a missile able to penetrate thickly protected fortifications, The Diplomat’s Ankit Panda tweeted on July 30. The demonstration is widely seen as a show of force in response to North Korea’s relentless pursuit of a nuclear weapon along with an effective delivery method, as exemplified by the country’s latest ballistic missile test. Friday’s launch was the 18th such missile to be tested by North Korea this year.
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08/03/2017
Pentagon announced that Lockheed Martin won a contract worth more than $158 million to upgrade mission computers, acoustic equipment, armament systems on eight P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft for Germany.
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08/02/2017
A total of 37 defence aircraft and helicopters have crashed since May 2014 in which 55 people were killed, the government told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. According to details provided by the minister of state for defence, the armed forces lost 25 aircraft and 12 helicopters during the period.
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08/02/2017
Recent satellite images (dated July 15, 2017) of the Khmeimim Airbase in Syria’s Latakia Governorate have surfaced on social media. The pictures reveal the presence of a total of thirty-three (33) combat aircraft belonging to the Russian Aerospace Forces at the military installation.
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08/02/2017
In 1968, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff needed an answer. The US Air Force then operated two vastly different types of aircraft to attack North Vietnamese trucks moving reinforcements and supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The Joint Chiefs wanted to know how well each type of aircraft –the fast, modern jets with high wing loadings and slow propeller-driven fighters with lightly loaded wings – performed that mission.
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08/02/2017
Even if North Korea has successfully constructed an ICBM that can fly into low earth orbit en route to hitting targets like the continental United States, American and South Korean experts have expressed doubts that the missile will be an effective weapon by the time it completes the journey.
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08/02/2017
Two Russian MiG-31 Foxhound fighter jets and an An-26 Curl military transport aircraft carried out a planned training flight over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea on Tuesday when they were intercepted by two NATO fighters, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
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08/01/2017
As month-long demonstration begins today, a newly-released acquisition document reveals a potential path for the US Air Force to acquire a light air support capability for special operations forces.
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08/01/2017
An avionics upgrade will enable France's Boeing E-3F airborne warning and control system (AWACS) fleet to remain operationally relevant until at least 2035, the nation's DGA defence procurement agency says.
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08/01/2017
Military release to service for the Grob Aircraft G120TP was achieved on 11 July, and the elementary trainer will be followed into use by the Embraer Phenom 100 and Beechcraft T-6C. The Elbit Systems/KBR joint venture company Affinity Flying Training Services is responsible for acquiring, introducing and supporting an eventual combined fleet of at least 38 aircraft.
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08/01/2017
Boeing has received a three-year, $267 million contract from the US Army that will see it build three modernised CH-47 Chinook transport helicopters. The rotorcraft will be built to a CH-47F Block II standard, the company says. The primary objective is boosting the CH-47's lifting power.
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08/01/2017
An American airstrike in Somalia on Saturday killed a militant with the al-Qaeda aligned al-Shabaab Mogadishu Attack Network. This is the third US airstrike in Somalia as part of the renewed bombing campaign that began in June.
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08/01/2017
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Monday that North Korea will likely conduct its sixth nuclear test and and another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launch, in the wake of two controversial launches in July.
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