Military Aviation News Archive
10/13/2012
On Oct. 12, the F-15 Operational Flight Program Combined Test Force celebrates its 10-year anniversary. The members of the unit, many of whom were there at the inception, recalled the major accomplishments and changes they’ve seen after 10 years.
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10/13/2012
Turkey will send more military aircraft and tanks to its border with Syria, local media report, as the rift between the two countries keeps growing after Turkish jet fighters forced a Syrian passenger plane to land in Ankara. The Turkish Air Force will transfer 15 fighter jets to Diyarbakir, near the Syrian border in the south-east of the country, the Hurriyet daily reported on Friday, citing government sources.
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10/13/2012
In the future, the military can expect to have unmanned aerial vehicles that are faster, stealthier and lighter, with longer endurance and can hold heavier payloads. “[There will be] more focus on making systems that are stealthier, so they can’t be detected as easily by the enemies, [and] more autonomous so they can operate more on their own. So, if they lose [a] communication link with the headquarters, they can continue to do their mission.
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10/13/2012
India and Russia gave the green light on Friday to a joint project to develop a Military Transport Aircraft, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (OAK) said after the signing ceremony in New Delhi. “A contract was signed by the client, the joint Indian-Russian MTAL venture, and the contractors, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation Transport Planes (OAK-TS),” OAK said.
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10/13/2012
Iraq has agreed to buy 28 Czech-made military airplanes in a deal worth $1 billion (€775 million), part of a broader effort by Baghdad to rebuild military capabilities destroyed during the U.S.-led invasion of the country, officials said Friday.
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10/13/2012
A Russian amphibious antisubmarine warfare aircraft in service with the Black Sea Fleet crashed on Friday in Ukraine killing three and injuring one crewmember, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The Beriyev Be-12 Mail plane crashed during landing at the Kacha airfield, 50 kilometers from the Russian naval base in Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula.
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10/13/2012
Russia's foreign minister said on Friday that a Moscow-Damascus passenger airliner forced to land in Turkey over suspicions it had weapons on board was legally carrying Russian radar parts. Turkish F-16 fighter jets forced down the Syrian Air Airbus A320 some three hours after it had taken off from Moscow's Vnukovo international airport late on Wednesday.
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10/12/2012
A plane intercepted by Turkish fighter jets on its way from Moscow to Damascus was carrying equipment and ammunition destined for the Syrian Defense Ministry, Turkey’s prime minister said Thursday. Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments follow a fierce denial by Syria that anything illegal had been aboard the Airbus A320 that was forced by Turkey to land in Ankara late Wednesday. Syria, whose relations with neighboring Turkey have plummeted over the Syrian war, branded it an act of piracy.
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10/12/2012
South Korea has awarded three contracts to Lockheed Martin to support its supply chain needs for aircraft operated by its navy and air force. The contracts have an annual ceiling value of $2 million and are funded incrementally by the government, Lockheed Martin said. No details were disclosed on the length of the supply chain support awards.
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10/12/2012
The Royal Thai Air Force now has two new, rather strange-looking, aircraft. At first glance they look like ordinary small passenger planes with turboprop engines. If you take a closer look, however, you will see that each is equipped with a long box-like container on the top of the fuselage. The aircraft, the Saab AEW from Sweden, is an early warning aircraft and the box-like container holds its radar system.
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10/12/2012
In the sky above the Gulf of Mexico near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., the future of Marine aviation punched through the warm Florida air Oct. 2. F-35B Joint Strike Fighters with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 from Eglin conducted the first air-to-air refuel of an operational aircraft in the program’s history. Previous aerial refueling operations with the F-35 had been conducted with test aircraft.
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10/12/2012
The leader of Lebanese Shia militant movement Hezbollah has said that his group was behind the launch of a drone shot down over Israel last week. Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah told the movement's al-Manar television network that the drone was made in Iran and had flown over "sensitive sites" in Israel.
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10/12/2012
Sweden has offered eight Saab Gripen fighters to Croatia to replace its aging fleet of Soviet-made MiG-21 combat aircraft, Croatia's defense ministry said Thursday. The offer for a 10-year lease includes a support and training package for Croatian pilots and technicians, plus an unspecified deal with Croatian companies. No financial or other details were released.
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10/12/2012
The Iraqi government intends to buy Czech-made Aero Vodochody L-159 advanced trainer/light-attack jets, Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Thursday in Prague after talks with his Czech counterpart Petr Necas, local TV reported. "Further talks about purchasing the L-159 will take place on Friday between the Iraqi and Czech defense ministries," he said. Talks about an L-159 purchase between Baghdad and Prague have been underway for at least three years.
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10/11/2012
My fascination with weapons technology has grown over the years. Sometimes I can’t believe, my own fascination with planes and the military technology. Where it began? Probably when I was a kid, living in Upland, California, near Mt. Baldy just South of the airport. It was a fun time to be growing up. Occasionally, we would bike on up to the airport to see the planes take off and land.
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10/11/2012
The Russian AN-70 military transport STOL aircraft will undergo three test flights after the completion of works on deep upgrading of its airborne equipment. Within the process of the trials, the new and upgraded systems of the aircraft including engine, propfans, aircraft and wing high-lift devices control systems as well as crew environmental control system were checked.
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10/11/2012
India will begin production of an export variant of Russian plane-maker Sukhoi's T-50 stealth fighter from 2020, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Wednesday during a visit to Delhi. "The technical characteristics have been confirmed to our (Russia and India) defense ministries. We propose serial production of the plane should start by 2020," he said, following the meeting of an Indian-Russian intergovernmental commission.
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10/11/2012
Turkey has issued a permission for a Syrian-bound passenger aircraft, which it earlier forced to land in Ankara, to resume its course, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told local television. On Wednesday, Turkish F-16 fighter jets forced down the Airbus A320, which was flying from Moscow to Damascus, over suspicions it has prohibited cargo on board.
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10/11/2012
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has been awarded three new contracts to support the supply chain needs of the Republic of Korea Air Force and Navy. Under the terms of the basic ordering agreements, Lockheed Martin will provide spare material and repair of military hardware for the Republic of Korea’s fleet of F-16s and P-3 military aircraft. The company has also provided these same services for the C-130 for nearly 13 years.
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10/11/2012
Boeing will continue assuring the worldwide availability of C-17 aircraft, which provide vital military and humanitarian airlift capability, through a $2 billion follow-on contract it recently received from the U.S. Department of Defense.
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10/10/2012
Defence ties have clearly been the engine of India-Russia bilateral relationship for over half a century now. The same engine is set to be roaring once again when Russian President Vladimir Putin undertakes a visit to India this month-end. The two countries are going to sign numerous agreements – at least half a dozen, according to knowledgeable sources – and one of these is going to be a $3.77 billion deal for the supply of 40 SU-30MKI Russian fighter aircraft to India.
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10/10/2012
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) received and refueled an MV-22 Osprey, a potential replacement for the C-2 Greyhound, for the first time Oct. 6. The Osprey, assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 165, was the first from (VMM) 165 to make a carrier-based landing and was part of an on-going initiative from the Joint Program Manager Air (PMA) 275 office to increase the number of available platforms.
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10/10/2012
Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima met Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in Tokyo on Tuesday and urged him to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station from the densely-populated Ginowan city in the prefecture as early as possible.
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10/10/2012
The European Defence Agency's (EDA's) helicopter training programme has concluded its second multinational exercise this year, with its "Green Blade" manoeuvres having run between 18 September and 5 October in Belgium.
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10/10/2012
Russia will deliver attack helicopters and mobile air-defense systems to Iraq in arms deals worth $4.2 billion signed earlier this year, it was disclosed today during a visit to Moscow by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in which he met his counterpart Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
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