Military Aviation News Archive
02/17/2012
U.S. Air Force and Navy combat aircraft pilots needed helmet-mounted military night vision cueing and display systems for fighter pilots operating high-performance aircraft at night. They found their solution from Vision Systems International LLC in San Jose, Calif.
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02/17/2012
The Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that it has selected Italy’s Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master as the next advanced combat trainer for the Israel Air Force. The decision is expected to lead to a crisis with South Korea, which had pushed hard to win the $1 billion deal. Seoul has claimed that Israel favored Italy throughout the competition and that the tender was not conducted according to “international standards.”
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02/17/2012
Boeing and the U.S. Air Force on Feb. 15 celebrated the rollout of the first re-winged A-10 Thunderbolt II in a ceremony at Hill Air Force Base. Boeing is under contract with the Air Force to deliver 233 wing sets through 2018.
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02/17/2012
The 250th C-130J Super Hercules built at the Lockheed Martin facility here was delivered to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, today. This is the 15th C-130J delivered to the 317th Airlift Group at Dyess since 2010 and the second of 11 aircraft to be delivered to the base in 2012. Dyess will have the distinction of being home to the largest C-130J fleet in the world when it receives its 28th Super Hercules aircraft in 2013.
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02/17/2012
The European Parliament on Thursday adopted a resolution strongly urging Russia to immediately stop selling arms and military equipment to Damascus. The resolution called on Russia to join the international consensus and enable the UN Security Council to help resolve the country’s months-long conflict. The Parliament stressed that as a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia needs to take its responsibility for international peace and security seriously.
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02/17/2012
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the future fighter must possess all technical characteristics of a fifth-generation fighter, including elements of stealth technology, supersonic cruising speed, highly-integrated avionics, electronics and fire-control systems.
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02/17/2012
Russian aircraft manufacturers must develop at least two competitive prototypes of a fifth-generation fighter jet, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday. “Two variants of the future fighter jet must be developed to encourage competition,” Rogozin said at a meeting with Russian lawmakers.
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02/16/2012
Lockheed Martin unveiled a new version of the F-16 today at the Singapore Airshow. The F-16V will feature enhancements including an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, an upgraded mission computer and architecture, and improvements to the cockpit – all capabilities identified by the U.S. Air Force and several international customers for future improvements.
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02/16/2012
Russian Helicopters is here at the Singapore Airshow (Booth No. U87) promoting its Mi-34C1 light helicopter, along with other models in its stable. Flight testing is under way and production is scheduled to start this year. The company expects to see strong interest in the type for missions such as pilot training, police and power line surveillance work.
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02/16/2012
Associate Defence Minister Julian Fantino on Wednesday dismissed as "speculation" reports the government is planning to purchase armed drones as the F-35 program continues to encounter delays and cost overruns. But with U.S. and industry officials admitting this week the stealth fighters will cost more than expected and the Conservative government indicating its plan to buy the jets is coming off the rails, a debate is bubbling over whether Canada should hold out for drones.
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02/16/2012
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) today announced that it is exploring ways to mitigate delays in meeting the April 2013 delivery schedule for the first aircraft called for under United States Air Force Light Air Support (LAS) contract. SNC was awarded that contract in late December, but due to a lawsuit filed by the disqualified competitor for the contract, has been prevented from initiating work.
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02/16/2012
French ministers and arms industry executives are still struggling to contain their delight over Dassault’s surprise victory in the $15bn-$20bn Indian fighter jet contest. A final contract for 126 new combat aircraft is not yet signed, explaining the reluctance to crow too loudly. But the choice of Dassault’s Rafale, over the rival Eurofighter, as the preferred bid by India’s air force has done wonders for France’s flagging industrial morale.
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02/16/2012
Four of eight Sokol combat utility helicopters from Swidnik of Poland have arrived, an official said Wednesday. “The brand-new choppers arrived last night in Clark Air Base in Pampanga,” said Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans Maj. Gen. Roy Deveraturda. “A group of technicians and pilots from the Air Force are conducting inspection and assessment and, if satisfied, they will immediately assemble them.”
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02/16/2012
The U.S. Army precisely engaged targets using the Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) Griffin B missile as part of a test to protect forward operating bases (FOBs) and small combat outposts.
"Griffin enables ground forces to protect their locations by precisely engaging targets in a 360-degree radius," said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems' Air Warfare Systems product line. "Griffin gives warfighters a combat-proven capability that is ready today, fully developed and in production."
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02/16/2012
All three services of the Malaysian armed forces have received significant cuts to their procurement budget requests for 2012. The political context for this is the build up to a general election, which must be held by 2013. With defense spending being a contentious issue in Malaysia and the need to reduce state spending, the current government has opted for sizable cutbacks.
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02/16/2012
The military says the nearly 7,500 robotic aircraft it has accrued for use overseas need to come home at some point. But the FAA doesn't allow drones in U.S. airspace without a special certificate.
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02/15/2012
Italy will cut investment in Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 stealth fighter plane as part of an overall reduction in military spending, Defence Minister Giampaolo Di Paola said on Tuesday.
"The F-35 was revised like all the other weapons programmes," Di Paola said after a Cabinet meeting that approved the military spending plan.
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02/15/2012
Switzerland’s defense minister and military commanders have defended the government’s decision to buy Swedish fighter jets, even though a secret air force report had recommended two rival offers. Defense Minister Ueli Maurer told reporters in Bern, the Swiss capital, and in a statement that the Swedish-made Gripen is the best long-term financial choice, despite the Swiss Air Force’s recommendation to buy other planes.
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02/15/2012
Brazil hopes the current economic downturn will give it an edge over competing suppliers and help secure a cheaper deal for its purchase of up to 36 fighter jets. Brazil is looking to replace obsolete fighter aircraft, including French Mirage jets, at the high end of its air force inventory as part of the so-called FX-2 fighter competition.
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02/15/2012
Cubic Defense Applications, Inc., a defense systems business of Cubic Corporation CUB -0.12% , has received a new contract valued at more than $11 million. Cubic and its principal subcontractor, DRS Training and Control Systems LLC, a unit of DRS Defense Solutions LLC, will provide the P5 Tactical Combat Training System (P5TCTS) to the Royal Australian Air Force for use in training F/A-18F Super Hornet crews.
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02/15/2012
Unmanned aircraft have been billed as the ultimate in efficiency, a model for the Pentagon’s vision of substituting technology for labor. But don’t be fooled, Pentagon officials warn. Unmanned aerial vehicles are great for spying over enemy territory, but they are a huge drain on human resources. In fact, a combat air patrol that relies on UAVs demands more operators and support staff than if it were conducted by conventional aircraft with a pilot in the cockpit.
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02/15/2012
MPs from a parliamentary committee that oversees defence matters are to visit the Falklands next month in a move that is likely to heighten tensions between Britain and Argentina over the islands. Members of the defence select committee are expected to visit military installations on the islands, where a garrison of more than 1,000 troops is stationed at Mount Pleasant Complex, 35 miles (56km) from the capital, Stanley.
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02/15/2012
Russia has postponed indefinitely all flights of Su-24 Fencer tactical bombers after one of them crashed in Russia’s Urals, a source in the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The Su-24 combat aircraft crashed in the woods of the Kurgan region during a routine flight on Monday. Both pilots ejected safely. “The Air Force commander has cancelled all flights of this type of aircraft until the cause of the crash is established,” the source said but did not specify how long it could take.
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02/15/2012
Pratt & Whitney used the Singapore Airshow today to announce a $19.2 million material management programme (MMP) contract with three, one-year options from the United States Air Force in support of F100-PW-220E engines powering the Royal Jordanian Air Force fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters.
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02/15/2012
Hawker Beechcraft Defense Company (HBDC) today announced its AT-6 Light Attack aircraft has successfully employed laser-guided rockets during recent test sorties at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
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