Military Aviation News Archive
06/16/2012
Boeing and the U.S. Navy have successfully completed an in-flight demonstration of a satellite communications (SATCOM) system that, if implemented, will enable F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircrews to conduct two-way, secure voice and data communications with other SATCOM-enabled aircraft, ships, ground forces and command centers.
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06/13/2012
Another one of the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) aircraft was lost to crashes today, when a Dassault Mirage 5 fighter jet went down near the town of Othal, in the Hub district of Balochistan province. According to the PAF officials, the aircraft, which took off from the port city of Karachi, was on a routine training mission. Both the pilot and the trainee successfully ejected to safety, but the aircraft was completely damaged, beyond repair.
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06/13/2012
Coolheaded discussions are needed on the deployment of new military aircraft in Okinawa Prefecture. Attention must be paid not only to the safety aspects but also to the need for strengthening combat readiness of U.S. forces in Japan.
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06/13/2012
Afghan President Hamid Karzai took a defiant stand on Tuesday against NATO on airstrikes, saying the military coalition can no longer fire on homes from aircraft in any circumstance -- even in defense of Afghan and foreign forces. Karzai said that's what he and the U.S.-led coalition agreed following last week's airstrike in eastern Afghanistan's Logar province that killed 18 civilians.
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06/13/2012
Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT] today announced a Centennial Flight Contest to be held in conjunction with the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow. The contest invites Lockheed Martin’s Twitter and Facebook followers to share personal stories related to aviation history for a chance to claim a seat aboard a historic Lockheed Super Constellation flight at Farnborough, United Kingdom, on Tuesday, July 10.
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06/13/2012
The U.S. Third Army has teamed with the Kuwaiti military for a joint medical evacuation exercise at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait according to the US magazine, Rotor and Wing,
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06/11/2012
The Michigan Air National Guard has landed in Estonia. Operating as part of Saber Strike 2012, a multi-national exercise based in Estonia and Latvia, the Michigan ANG has landed KC-135 Stratotanker and A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft at Amari Air Base, Estonia. It is believed to be the first time that A-10s have landed in Estonia.
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06/10/2012
The delivery of six more Saab aircraft from Sweden has been delayed, a Royal Thai Air Force source said yesterday. The delivery of the six Saab 340 AEW airborne early warning aircraft was set for last Tuesday at Don Muang military air base with the ceremony to welcome them scheduled for last Wednesday at Wing 7 in Surat Thani.
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06/10/2012
The appeal of running exotic supercars against military aircraft never seems to get stale, and in recent years we’ve seen the Spyker F1, the Bugatti Veyron and the Lamborghini Reventon throw down against various fighter aircraft. We've even seen Top Gear USA pit a Dodge Viper against an attack helicopter, though not in an outright drag race.
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06/10/2012
For European defence aeronautical company Airbus Military, the focus regarding South Africa is now on the light/medium aircraft category, for both transport and mari- time patrol. This was confirmed recently, in Toulouse, France, by Airbus Military CEO Domingo Ureña. He also affirmed that his company and South Africa had agreed to draw a line under the country’s cancellation of the A400M military airlift aircraft and look forward, not back. The two sides had different views on the cancellation.
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06/10/2012
Israel's military leaders are expected to give the green light to buying more of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighters to equip a second squadron when they meet this month to finalize the military's procurement plan. The contract for as many as 20 of the fifth-generation stealth fighters is "one of the key elements" in the multiyear program, known as "Oz" -- Hebrew for "strength" -- The Jerusalem Post reported Friday.
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06/10/2012
The history of Russian-Chinese relations are full of turnarounds and mutual distrust, even disdain at times A century of unequal treaties between the two countries, resulting in Russia’s encroachment on China’s sovereignty and ideological tensions dating back to the 1960s, have left deep marks on the consciences of policymakers on both sides.
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06/10/2012
On May 30 the two officials most in charge of the U.S.'s formidible global military machine, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey, visited Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii to launch multi-nation tours of the Asia-Pacific region and formally commence the announced shift of American military concentration and assets to the area.
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06/10/2012
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday reiterated plans to develop a new, fifth-generation strategic bomber. “Alongside a fifth-generation fighter there are also plans to develop an advanced long-range aviation complex. I am talking about a new strategic bomber,” he said. Maintenance and modernization of the existing strategic bombers is not enough, he added.
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06/09/2012
On June 7 and 8 Minister of National Defence Rasa Jukneviciene with the Baltic counterparts Minister of Defence of Estonia Urmas Reinsalu and Defence Minister of Latvia Artis Pabriks will gather in Amari, Estonia, to discuss defence cooperation of the Baltic States as well as fundamental NATO and regional security points.
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06/09/2012
About 150 Michigan Air National Guard personnel are deploying to Estonia for a training exercise. It was announced Wednesday the airmen will be overseas for two weeks in support of Saber Strike 2012.
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06/09/2012
Bell Helicopters has delivered the first OH-58D Kiowa wartime replacement helicopter to the US Army. "We just finished the general maintenance test flight [and] acceptance flight approximately 1h ago," says a maintenance test pilot. "There are a few small issues to be fixed [but] it's very, very smooth flying."
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06/09/2012
Australian Department of Defence issued the following departmental media release:
The Royal Australian Air Force's Wedgetail aircraft is participating in the most advanced international air combat training activity, Exercise Red Flag in Alaska. Red Flag Alaska, led by the United States Pacific Air Forces Command is a large force employment exercise designed to replicate a high-end combat environment. The two week long exercise officially commenced on Thursday June 7.
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06/09/2012
The Ugandan Air Force has taken delivery of another two Sukhoi Su-30MK2 fighters from Russia, completing the delivery of six aircraft ordered last year. The first two aircraft were delivered in July last year, followed by another two in October. On May 30 a ‘military diplomatic source’ told Russia’s Interfax news agency that the final two Su-30MKs had been delivered to Uganda.
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06/09/2012
The Indian Navy's Russian-built aircraft carrier Vikramaditya (formerly Admiral Gorshkov) began sea trials early on Friday morning in the White Sea - four years after it was originally due to take to sea again. The ship was refitted at the Sevmash shipyard in northern Russia. It was originally scheduled to begin sea trials, which will last 120 days, on May 25.
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06/09/2012
A long-running dispute between the Russian military and defense industry over procurement of new weaponry may enter a new phase as Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has questioned the need to develop a new strategic bomber, the Izvestia daily said on Wednesday. Russia announced plans in 2009 to develop a fifth-generation strategic bomber, which will feature new airframe and elements of stealth technology, by 2025.
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06/09/2012
The Boeing Company has accepted delivery of the first Aluminum Launch Support Structure (ALSS) produced by Danish Aerotech A/S for ship-based deployment of the Harpoon weapon system. The Karup-based supplier received the contract, valued at nearly US$1.5 million, two years ago.
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06/09/2012
Boeing is being awarded a $66,814,404 military sales contract for the installation of Group A and B radar system improvement kits for the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) fleet of five Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.
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06/06/2012
he Air Force is not calling a “ground incident” involving an F-22 Raptor last week a “crash.”
The F-22 was in a “touch-and-go” practice session at about 5 p.m. Thursday when it was put out of commission. The “ground incident” put the plane on the sidelines and benched the pilot, officials said. “Everything around this is in freeze frame right now,” said Herman Bell, chief of Tyndall’s 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs.
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06/06/2012
As Japan seeks to become an exporter of military aircraft, the government is careful to stress that its equipment should be used only for peaceful missions. At the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue here June 1-3, Shu Watanabe, Japan’s senior vice minister of defense, pitched the ShinMaywa US-2 amphibious aircraft, which is designed for search-and-rescue (SAR) work. “The US-2 plays an important role in rescue operations in Japan.
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