Military Aviation News Archive
10/23/2014
Claims by a Libyan lawmaker that airstrikes by Egyptian planes against jihadists in the country were actually conducted by Libyan pilots appears highly unlikely, according to two aviation experts. The Egyptian intervention marked the first time in decades that the most populous Arab country took part in a conflict outside its borders. But the idea that it outsourced airstrikes to Libyan air force pilots is preposterous, according to those experts.
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10/23/2014
With Islamic State (ISIS) militants proving more resilient to US-led airstrikes than was originally envisaged, US President Barack Obama’s strategy in Iraq and Syria is coming under ever-greater scrutiny. Over the weekend, Sen. John McCain, a Republican, called for “more boots on the ground”, the further arming of Kurdish Peshmerga forces, creating a no-fly zone and buffer zone in Syria and ratcheting up the number of US-led airstrikes.
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10/23/2014
Roketsan and Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] signed a teaming agreement today for collaboration on the SOM-J, a new generation air-to-surface Standoff Cruise Missile for the F-35 Lightning II.
The SOM system is an autonomous, long-range, low-observable, all-weather, precision air-to-surface cruise missile. The SOM-J variant is tailored for internal carriage on the F-35 aircraft.
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10/23/2014
A single US airdrop of weapons that were intended for Kurdish fighters and most likely fell into the Islamic State (IS) hands will not give any odds to IS fighters, Pentagon Spokesperson Steve Warren said. "One bundle of weapons and medical supplies, airdropped by US forces to Kurdish fighters in Syria, most likely fell into enemy hands," Warren told reporters Wednesday. "One bundle worth of equipment is not enough equipment to give the enemy any type of advantage at all.
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10/23/2014
The Russian Ministry of Defense has denied the claim by the Estonian military that a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft breached Estonian airspace, the Ministry's Media Affairs and Information Department said on Wednesday. "The Russian military aircraft did not breach Estonian airspace. On October 21, 2014 a Russian military aircraft that had been conducting a planned training flight from Khrabrovo military base in Kaliningrad flew over neutral waters in the Baltic Sea," said the statement.
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10/22/2014
Heavy security controlled the scene at 4 Wing, Cold Lake, as six CF-18 Hornet fighter jets took off from northern Alberta Tuesday morning with their sights set on Iraq. Minister of Defence Rob Nicholson was on the ground as the pilots deployed to Iraq and acknowledged the elevated security on home-soil after a soldier in Quebec was killed and another injured Monday in what appears to be a 'lone wolf' terrorist attack.
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10/22/2014
The Swedish military is reported to be hunting the seas around Stockholm for a damaged Russian submarine, as an amateur photographer captured a picture of a submerged object in the water. Rear Admiral Anders Grenstad said the armed forces had made three separate sightings of "foreign undersea activity" in the past few days, which has seen the launch of a large search operation reminiscent of the Cold War.
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10/22/2014
If the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was learning to fly stolen Syrian fighter jets, it may have seen its fleet of three reduced to just one "ineffectual" aircraft. CBS News' George Baghdadi reports Information Minister Omran Zoubi said late Tuesday that Syrian military aircraft had shot down two of three fighter jets allegedly stolen by ISIS as it rampaged across northern Syria seizing army and air bases in the Aleppo region.
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10/22/2014
Brazilian planemaker Embraer unveiled its new KC-390 military transport Tuesday as the country expands its foray into the global security and defense air transport market. Developing the KC-390, the biggest plane Embraer has produced, cost 4.6 billion reais ($1.9 billion), paid by the Brazilian Air Force in partnership with Argentina, the Czech Republic and Portugal.
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10/22/2014
Britain finally got its own locally made large UAVs operational in late 2013 and since August some have been seen in Afghanistan. This has been a long time coming because it was back in 2006 that the British began developing the Watchkeeper UAV and by 2010 got one airborne for the first time. The Watchkeeper 180 and the Watchkeeper 450 are both are based on Israeli designs (the Hermes 180 and 450).
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10/22/2014
U.S. Defense Department leaders have called for a renewed effort to sustain America’s military technological dominance, but to do so they will have to fight an uphill battle against entrenched bureaucratic interests competing over a shrinking budgetary pie. Whether this initiative will be more than simply Pentagon pabulum depends on the future direction of the Navy’s carrier air wing.
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10/22/2014
Robbin Laird, a member of our Board of Contributors, and Ed Timperlake conducted what looks like it will be the last interview with Gen. Mike Hostage, the head of Air Combat Command, before he retires in early November. Hostage has overseen the Air Force’s transition to fifth generation aircraft with the introduction of the F-22 and preparations for introduction of the F-35 fleet.
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10/22/2014
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has grounded its entire fleet of Russia-developed Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft to undergo safety checks, an IAF spokesperson said in an official statement Wednesday. "The fleet has been grounded and is undergoing technical checks following the latest accident in Pune. It would be back in air only after a thorough check," Wing Commander Simranpal Singh Birdi said.
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10/22/2014
NATO scrambled fighter jets - including two Canadian F-18's - twice in two days to intercept Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea, it said Tuesday amid reports that Russian military activity in the region is increasing. Lt. Col. Robert Gericke said the Russian aircraft were flying in international airspace and had not violated the territory of alliance members. Two Canadian F-18 Hornet jets were scrambled from the Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania on Monday to intercept a Russian Il-20.
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10/21/2014
Official Minsk is yielding to the Kremlin’s pressure in terms of allowing a larger Russian military presence in Belarus. The Kremlin does not intend to modernise the Belarusian army or equip it with modern weapons, as this could strengthen Belarus’ political independence. By beefing up her military presence in Belarus, Russia aims to fortify her western borders and exert additional pressure on the Belarusian leadership, as well as on other countries in the region.
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10/21/2014
Britain will deploy both Reaper and Rivet Joint drones to Syria “very soon” to participate in surveillance missions, to gather intelligence on Islamic State (IS/ISIS/ISIL) militants. The drones will be armed, but not permitted to fire on targets.
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10/21/2014
The Oklahoma Air National Guard has confirmed a fighter jet that crashed in Elk County is from Tulsa, Okla. Colonel Max Moss, Director of Media and Civilian Relations for the Oklahoma National Guard, said two F-16 Fighting Falcons were involved in a mid-air collision during a training exercise southwest of Howard, Kan.
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10/21/2014
Over the weekend, General Tom Lawson, a Royal Canadian Air Force officer and currently the Chief of Defence Staff — Canada’s top soldier — told CTV’s Question Period that our CF-18s are a world-class fighter capable of getting the job done in Iraq. The General noted, rightly, that although the CF-18s were first ordered in the early 1980s and are thus in their early 30s, they have been repeatedly (and relatively recently) upgraded and modernized.
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10/21/2014
The family that controls Dassault Aviation SA (AM), the maker of combat aircraft and Falcon luxury jets, may increase its stake when minority shareholder Airbus Group NV (AIR) sells some of its holdings in coming months. Dassault Aviation Chief Executive Officer Eric Trappier held out that possibility yesterday, saying the family led by 89-year-old Serge Dassault would be able to purchase stock. Dassault Aviation won investor approval last month to acquire as much as 10 percent of its stock.
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10/21/2014
The Syrian opposition has asserted that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant formed an air combat fleet. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said ISIL captured fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft from Iraq and Syria in mid-2014. The London-based monitoring group said ISIL acquired at least three Russian-origin fighter-jets as well as an unspecified number of combat helicopters. “The combat aircraft are believed to be the MiG-21,” Syrian Observatory said.
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10/21/2014
Lockheed Martin is hosting the 26th annual Hercules Operators Council (HOC) here, Oct. 20-23. More than 900 representatives from 32 nations are attending to discuss C-130 Hercules operations, support, upgrades and new fleet acquisition. This year’s theme of “Transforming Partnerships” provides insight into how relationships between Lockheed Martin, Hercules operators, suppliers and support teams have defined the C-130’s first 60 years of flight and how these partnerships will shape the next seve
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10/20/2014
From the battlefield near Baiji, an Islamic State jihadist fired a heat-seeking missile and blew an Iraqi army Mi-35M attack helicopter out of the sky this month, killing its two crew members. Days later, the Islamic State released a chilling series of images from a video purporting to capture the attack in northern Iraq: a jihadist hiding behind a wall with a Chinese-made missile launcher balanced on his shoulder; the missile blasting from the tube, its contrail swooping upward as it tracked it
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10/20/2014
South Korea is threatening to break an agreement with BAE Systems to upgrade its fleet of KF-16s, opening a window of opportunity for competitor Lockheed Martin to reclaim its dominance in the lucrative F-16 upgrade market. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) selected BAE Systems’ North American subsidiary in December 2012 as prime integrator to take charge of software and hardware upgrades for 134 KF-16 aircraft.
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10/20/2014
The military procurement agency signed a 7.3 trillion won ($7 billion) deal to purchase 40 Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters for the Air Force's next-generation fighter (F-X), although it was previously informed of engine faults by the U.S., claimed an opposition lawmaker, Monday. Rep. Ahn Gyu-baek of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy argued that the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) tried to cover up the problem involving the project.
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10/20/2014
Lebanon is buying 18 upgraded UH-1H transport helicopters for about $10 million each (including training, spare parts and maintenanceequipment). Lebanon already has 23 older UH-1s. Lebanon uses its UH-1s for combat as well as transportation. For combat the Lebanese have modified the UH-1s to carry 250 kg (550 pound) and 400 kg (880 pounds) and launch tubes for multiple 68mm unguided rockets.
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