Military Aviation News Archive
06/02/2011
The Marine Corps confirmed Thursday that it plans to replace helicopters based at Futenma air station on Okinawa with the new Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, a move that could complicate already tense U.S.-Japan relations involving the island. The Ospreys could begin arriving at Futenma in 2013 as part of a worldwide effort to upgrade the Marine Corps’ aging fleet of Vietnam War-era Sea Knight helicopters, according to the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Bases Japan public affairs o
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06/02/2011
When France sold the Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missile to the UAE (under the name Black Shaheen) in the 1990s, the United States strongly objected that the sale violated the voluntary guidelines under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). France sold the missile anyway, but the US successfully pushed to tighten up MTCR guidelines in 2002 to prevent further transfers like this.
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06/02/2011
The Czech army has ordered the grounding of its nine jet trainer and combat aircraft, the L-39 Albatros, following an accident investigation into a engine failure that forced the pilot to eject in December 2010. Five of the planes will be immediately removed from service and a further four only used for training young pilots — after thorough overhauls of the engines.
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06/02/2011
An Australian Army Boeing CH-47D Chinook transport helicopter has crashed in Afghanistan, killing one passenger and injuring the five other occupants. The incident occurred during a resupply mission 90km (48nm) east of the central Afghan town of Tarin Kot, said Australia's Department of Defence. Ground fire has been ruled out as the cause of the crash, it added.
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06/02/2011
Can America’s defense budget be cut? Yes. Unfortunately, President Obama is going about it exactly backward. He has asked the Pentagon to identify $400 billion in savings. But coming up with an arbitrary figure and telling our military to find some way to hit it isn’t the smart — or safe — way to make the necessary cuts.
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06/02/2011
Russia and NATO fighter aircraft will take part in the first ever joint exercise during the upcoming Vigilant Skies 2011 anti-terrorism drill to run between June 6-10, Russian National Antiterrorism Committee spokesman Nikolai Sintsov said on Wednesday. This is the first such counterterrorism exercise held between NATO and the Russian Federation, Sintsov said, adding that it will be held as a part of "the NATO-Russia Council Cooperative Airspace Initiative."
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06/02/2011
Russia may start buying Ukrainian-built An-70 propfan military transport aircraft in 2012-2013, deputy commander of the Russian Air Force Maj. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said on Wednesday. "The plane is undergoing factory tests, and next year it will be tested by [Russian] military pilots," Bondarev said. A final decision on the purchase of the An-70 will be maid by a state commission on the basis of the tests results, General Bondarev said.
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06/01/2011
Defense contractor Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has confirmed that a "significant and tenacious attack" has been carried out against its network. Lockheed employs 126,000 people worldwide and is a major supplier of military equipment, manufacturing some of the most sophisticated U.S. military hardware such as the F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft.
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06/01/2011
Boeing Co has seen increased interest in its Super Hornet fighter jet from potential international customers as Lockheed Martin's (LMT.N) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has faced development and cost challenges, a Boeing executive said on Tuesday. "We have definitely gotten a lot more interest," Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Military Aircraft, told reporters.
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06/01/2011
On a 24-hour visit to New Delhi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel today tried to hardsell the Eurofighter Typhoon jets to India as she discussed a whole range of issues with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, including the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden.
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06/01/2011
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has long had big ambitions, and the pending arrival of a new service chief with a broad agenda indicates there will be no easing up in efforts to improve the breadth of the service’s capabilities.
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06/01/2011
Not too long ago - October 2007, to be precise - engine maker Pratt & Whitney seemed painted into a strategically perilous corner. New requirements were emerging for next-generation bombers, sixth-generation fighters, tactical airlifters and surveillance aircraft. These demanded a new kind of jet engine, one that could make the next leap in fuel efficiency by reconfiguring and squeezing the air flow at higher levels than ever before.
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06/01/2011
The House Appropriations Committee has crafted a Pentagon spending measure that would swell military spending at a time when both political parties are clamoring for spending cuts. That panel’s Defense subcommittee on Wednesday is expected to approve a Pentagon appropriations bill that includes $530 billion in base military funding. Another subcommittee already has approved a $14 billion military construction measure.
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06/01/2011
Russia and NATO will sign an agreement on setting up a trust fund for maintenance of Mil helicopters in Europe by yearend, a deputy director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said on Tuesday. Vyacheslav Dzirkaln said the fund would be worth $7 million.
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05/31/2011
In the race for bagging the multi-billion dollar combat aircraft deal, German Defence Minister Thomas de Maizere will meet his Indian counterpart A K Antony here tomorrow.The German Defence Minister is part of the delegation led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel who will be discussing a range of issues with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
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05/31/2011
The RAF is using its E-3D spy plane to help protect Libya's civilians as the war rages between Mumamaar Gaddafi's forces and rebel fighters. Sean Rayment delivers dispatch from on board this secret military jet.
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05/31/2011
Russia has cancelled both its 'Indra' series of military exercises with India. Last month, a flotilla of five warships from the Indian navy's eastern fleet that went for joint naval exercises to Vladivostok in the Russian far-east, was turned back without any manoeuvres. The warships-which included the missile destroyers INS Delhi, INS Ranvir and INS Ranvijay-were warmly received by the Russian navy, but when asked about the exercises, they were told the Russians had no ships to spare. On a requ
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05/31/2011
The UAE's main English language newspaper The National reported today that the country is seeking maintenance and spare parts valued at more than $100 million to support the UAE fefence force's F16 fleet.
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05/31/2011
Russia's MiG aircraft maker delivered a new batch of five MiG-29K/KUB carrier-based fighters to the Indian navy in May, the company said. "A flight training simulator and other technical equipment has also been delivered," MiG said in a statement on Monday.
The two countries signed a contract stipulating the supply of 12 single-seat MiG-29Ks and four two-seat MiG-29KUBs to India in January 2004. The contract is part of a $1.5-billion deal to deliver the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, curre
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05/29/2011
Air Force maintainers are getting hands-on experience with the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter here.
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05/29/2011
The statement of French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet, made in New Dehli, that France will not sell Pakistan heavy defence equipment, shows two things. First, that France is not a reliable partner in providing military equipment, and second, how much influence India has over French policy that Mr Longuet found he had to make this statement during his visit to New Delhi.
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05/29/2011
With reports and experts clearly outlining the direct threat Taiwan faces as a result of its decaying military aircraft and China's unprecedented military buildup, US Senator Robert Menendez is leading efforts in the Senate to expedite the sale of 66 F-16 C/D aircraft to Taiwan.
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05/29/2011
The Army's Comanche helicopter was envisioned as "the quarterback of the digital battlefield," a technologically superior aircraft that could hide from enemies, operate at night and in bad weather, and travel farther than any other helicopter. In 2000, it ranked as the most important planned buy for the Army. Four years later, the program -- which had consumed close to 20 years of work and nearly $6 billion - was abruptly shuttered.
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05/29/2011
Britain has said it's sending Apache helicopters to Libya, and France is deploying combat aircraft as well. NATO says it's turning the screws on Moammar Gadhafi, but for some, the move shows they're clutching at straws.
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05/28/2011
India is today the world's largest importer of arms. These include fighter jet planes, missiles and radar systems for strategic partnerships and geo-political power. India is also investing in security and surveillance to combat foreign threats and resistance from its own people in places like the Kashmir valley, and the North East and tribal regions of Central India. This provides tremendous opportunity for multi-national corporations to sell and invest in India, a country marching ahead as an
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