October 11, 2023 Military Aviation News

Op tempo, training complexity pose risk to aircrews, per aviation boss

10/11/2023

A few months ago, the Army’s aviation community appeared to be facing a dire situation. A series of deadly helicopter crashes killed 14 soldiers between February and April, interrupting one of the safest periods in the Army’s flying history. That led the service’s leaders to order an Army-wide safety stand down in May — the rare move grounded all non-deployed flying units until they completed a mandatory safety training program led by their commanding generals.

After 30+ Years in Middle East, KC-10 Completes Final Deployment

10/11/2023

The KC-10 Extender took another step toward retirement last week, as the venerable tanker finished off its last ever deployment. A KC-10 from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., conducted the aircraft’s final combat sortie from Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 3. The 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, which has flown the KC-10 since 2003, then held a formal deactivation ceremony Oct. 4, and the last KC-10 departed the base Oct. 5.

China sends 14 military aircraft, 5 naval ships around Taiwan

10/11/2023

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 14 Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels around the country between 6 a.m. Tuesday (Oct. 10) and 6 a.m. Wednesday (Oct. 11). The defense ministry said that 14 People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) military aircraft and five People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels were detected. Of the detected aircraft, six entered the north and southwest sectors of Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

AUSA News: Army Searches High and Low for Aircraft Autonomy Tech

10/11/2023

The U.S. military is embracing autonomy as it constructs the future force, and one Army official said a standard system that could plug into different platforms could prove quite useful. The Army has begun a new human-machine integrated formations initiative in which robots will make first contact with enemy forces. Meanwhile, the Air Force is developing uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft to fly alongside its next-generation fighters and bombers.

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