Military Aviation News Archive

11/15/2011
Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, Pakistan's Chief of the Air Staff, underlined the importance of the new JF-17 Thunder which, he said, “represented a much-needed capability for the Pakistan Air Force”.
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11/15/2011
The joint Russian exhibition (pavilion: W560) has been organised by the state corporation Russian Technologies. Rosoboronexport, the sole Russian exporter and importer of military and dual-purpose products, technologies and services, is representing a host of products from the Russian aerospace industry, including the Su-35 and MiG-29M/M2 multifunctional fighters, Yak-130 combat trainer and the Be-200 amphibious aircraft.
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11/15/2011
Raytheon has completed the development and testing of a new 'WiPak' method of wirelessly integrating its Paveway family of laser-guided and dual-mode (laser/GPS) bombs.
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11/15/2011
Taking off from Gioia del Colle in Italy, Patounas met up with his wingman (in this event in a Tornado) off the Libyan coast, from where they were directed to Bani Walid. They located and attacked a tank, loitering in the area for an hour. Reports of gunfire then resulted in them being vectored to Sirte, where they discovered nothing more lethal than a local firework display, patrolling for another hour.
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11/14/2011
As Kenyan troops push their way into Somalia's hinterland in pursuit of Al-Shabaab militants, several security analysts and observers allege an unseen hand behind Operation Linda Nchi. The allegations have been riding on the wave of unconfirmed reports in the early days of the incursion that claimed that unmanned American drones had attacked several targets inside the lawless nation.
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11/14/2011
Irkut is at the show promoting its Yakovlev-designed Yak-130 advanced jet trainer for the Middle Eastern market, as it also nears the receipt of a new order from the Russian air force and first deliveries to export customer Algeria.
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11/14/2011
The U.S. Air Force recently revealed that an F-16 pilot, killed when his aircraft dove into the ground during an air combat training exercise, appears to have passed out because high G-forces while making a high-speed turn at 6,000 meters (18,000 feet). Fighter pilots are equipped and trained to deal with handling up to 9 Gs. But some of these methods require the pilot to contract abdominal muscles and take a deep breath to maintain consciousness.
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11/14/2011
The current console space has its fair share of World War II flight combat games. Early on, there was the arcade action of both Blazing Angels games followed by Heroes Over Europe and the simulation title, IL-2 Sturmovik. All four games had both good and bad qualities, but ever since, developers have preferred the comfort of modern flight combat. Air Conflicts: Secret Wars revisitsthat heroic era, and although it's a budget title, there is some fun tucked away here.
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11/14/2011
Pakistan Air Force is participating in Dubai Air Show-2011, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister of UAE, Sheikh Muhammad Bin Rashid Al-Makhtum, on Sunday. Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force also attended the inaugural ceremony along with a large number of delegations from different countries including Air Chiefs of a number of Air Forces, said a press release.
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11/14/2011
The Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, a tiltrotor military transport aircraft, is likely to get its first international customer from the Middle East, where its debut at the Dubai Airshow received interest from United Arab Emirates royals, program executives said Sunday. "The first international customer will come from the Middle East," said John Garrison, president and chief executive of Bell Helicopter, which runs the program in an alliance with Boeing Co.
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11/14/2011
Embraer Defense and Security, in concurrence with the Brazilian Air Force, recently announced that International Aero Engines AG has been chosen to provide the powerplant for the country's new KC-390 multi-role tanker/transport aircraft. The engine has been designated the V2500-E5.
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11/14/2011
Defence analysts monitoring the three-way dogfight for the multi-billion contract say Tokyo has been impressed with the stealth technology of the Lockheed Martin F-35, which will enable it to carry out clandestine monitoring of Chinese, North Korean and Russian military assets in the region.
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11/14/2011
The Afghan Army Air Force continues to grow. In the last year it has gained a thousand personnel (for a total of 5,000), and 26 aircraft (for a total of 66, mostly Mi-17 transports and Mi-35 gunships helicopters). In addition to the helicopters there are also Russian transports and Italian transports and some trainers. Eventually, there are to be 8,000 personnel and 145 aircraft, mostly helicopters and transports, plus trainers that can double at light attack aircraft.
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11/14/2011
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has asked Britain to bid the Eurofighter Typhoon for its combat aircraft fleet competition, a British government spokesman said, dealing a blow to French efforts to sell the Rafale to the Gulf state. "We have received the request for proposal for the Eurofighter Typhoon," an official from the U.K. Defense & Security Organization said Nov. 13 on the opening day of the Dubai Airshow. "We're working on it."
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11/13/2011
British, French and U.S. aircraft began the action in mid-March, in a “coalition of the willing” named Operation Odyssey Dawn that was led by U.S. Africa Command. On March 31, NATO took command. Eleven other nations sent aircraft to join the campaign. They were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Jordan, Norway, Qatar, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates.
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11/13/2011
Thousands of onlookers fixed their eyes on the North Las Vegas skyline Saturday morning as Air Force jets soared over Nellis Air Force Base. Aviation Nation, Nellis’ annual open house, is celebrating 70 years of the Air Force’s presence in the valley. “It’s our way of being accountable to the public, to let them know the capabilities of their Air force and what we provide,” said Nellis spokesman Lt. Ken Lustig. “These performances are sort of sweet and condensed versions of what we do on a reg
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11/13/2011
India is reviewing its offset policy in defence procurements, introduced in 2006, to bring in more transparency and clear ambiguities even as review of the 11th Plan has pegged the Army’s shopping list at nearly at Rs 41,000 crore. The offset policy is aimed to prevent cash outflows and make it mandatory for foreign firms that bag defence contracts to reinvest a part of the total contract value by entering into local tie-ups in the defence industry.
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11/13/2011
ACE Combat Assault Horizon, the latest in a long running series of Ace Combat titles, sends you into the skies to do battle in a variety of death-dealing aircraft, including jets, Apache helicopter gunships and bombers. From the very start, you'll be impressed with the flashy cinematic graphics which are very fluid and look amazingly realistic at times.
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11/13/2011
The Middle East has long been a prized region for aerospace manufacturers wanting to sell combat jets and trainers. But the competition to sell to the leading potential buyers in the region – most notably Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates – is set to become increasingly fraught in the next few years.
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11/13/2011
Training is just getting under way of the first military fixed-wing pilots to be taught to fly in Afghanistan since the early 1990s. The initiation of the first course follows the delivery of three Cessna 182T basic trainers in September, and three Cessna 208B Caravans for advanced instruction on October 22.
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11/13/2011
The only military wing headquartered outside South Block in the capital’s Raisina Hill is the Indian Air Force. A squat multi-storeyed block, the Vayu Sena Bhavan is marked out by a scrapped fighter aircraft mounted on a pillar, its nose skywards as if it were soaring. Visitors are allowed in only on invitation and after they are frisked, the irises of their eyes checked biometrically to confirm their identities.
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11/13/2011
The UAE is re-opening its multi-billion dollar fighter contest, just weeks after it seemed certain that the Dassault Rafale would be selected unopposed. French hopes that the Rafale's selection would be announced here in Dubai appear to have been dashed and the competition to supply the UAE Air Force & Air Defence with a next-generation fighter is again wide open.
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11/13/2011
Eurocopter helicopters are operating in a range of applications including homeland defence and security, law enforcement, VIP transport, utility and offshore support for the oil and gas industry. During the show, the Franco-German manufacturer will have five aircraft on show – the NH90, EC725, EC175, EC145 T2, and AS350 B3.
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11/13/2011
The UK has mounted a major ‘push’ here at the Dubai Airshow, with a delegation led by Gerald Howarth, the UK’s Minister for International Security Strategy, supported by Richard Paniguian; head of the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO), and Air Chief Marshal Kevin Leeson Chief of Materiel (Air) in the UK Ministry of Defence.
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11/12/2011
India Friday ruled out any " political considerations" while awarding the multi-billion dollar deal to acquire 126 combat aircraft. "There will be no political considerations in defense procurement and that is our stand which everybody knows," Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony told the media here.
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