Saturday, July 04, 2009
Radars perform double duty as high-speed data links
Here's an article on research being carried out to turn radars into high-speed data transmitters.
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U.S. Air Force pilots relish tricky firefighting runs
As wildfire season begins in earnest, U.S. Air Force Reserve and National Guard pilots are looking forward to fighting fires with their specially equipped C-130s.
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France confident U.K. won't quit A400M
France is confident Britain will not drop out of the consortium to build the Airbus A400M military transport plane as leaders of both countries plan to hold a meeting on Monday.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is to discuss the future of the project with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown during the summit.
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BBC video on RAF Hawk T2 jet
In this video, Sqn. Leader Gareth Lloyd Roberts from the RAF explains how the new Hawk T2 jet trainer will help student pilots transition to the Harrier or Eurofighter.
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First RAAF F/A-18 Super Hornet to be delivered Jul. 8
The first of 24 new F/A-18 Super Hornets for Australia will be delivered on Jul. 8 in St. Louis.
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Myanmar could acquire North Korea Scud technology
North Korea could be attempting to transfer technology need to build Scud missiles to Myanmar, according to two news reports.
A Telegraph article said a 37-page document obtained by Radio Free Asia detailed a visit by 17 Myanmar officials to North Korea last November.
The delegation was lead by General Thura Shwe Mann, the chief of staff of the army and Burma's third-ranked leader, and they visited a Scud missile factory.
Separately, the Financial Times reported that three arrested men – a North Korean citizen and two Japanese – have been arrested for attempting to ship to Myanmar a magnetometer, which could be used on ballistic missiles.
Sources
Burma expands military ties with North Korea
N Korea-Burma link suspected
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Successful first operational NATO assessment of a Eurofighter Wing
A NATO evaluation team has certified the Italian Air Force’s 4th Fighter Wing at the Grosseto Base as a NATO Quick Response Force.
This means that the 4th Wing becomes the first Eurofighter flight unit to obtain this important NATO certification.
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Thunderbird 3 takes off after making emergency landing
Here's a video whereby Maj. Kirby Ensser talks about landing his U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 fighter at the Quad-City International Airport after having technical problems with his jet.
The aircraft made an emergency landing shortly after 2:20 p.m. Thursday at the Quad-City International Airport with minor problems to the engine.
Ground crew cleared the aircraft to fly and it took off at about 3:45 p.m. on Friday.
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Israel to consider F-22 if export ban lifted by Congress
Israeli defense officials told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that the IAF will review the possibility of purchasing the F-22 if a ban on its export is lifted.
The article also mentioned that Israel is talking to Boeing for at least six additional Apache Longbow attack helicopters.
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General Atomics gets $573M ceiling priced contract for EMALS
General Atomics will receive $573 million to build the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) for USS Gerald R. Ford.
General Atomics and the U.S. Navy agreed that $573 million will be the price ceiling of the contract and that any cost overruns must be paid for by the contractor.
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Pakistani Mi-17 crashed, 26 killed
A Pakistani Army Mi-17 helicopter crashed in a northwestern tribal area on Friday and at least 26 people on board are believed to be killed.
Security officials say technical problems lead to the crash.
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Israel sends submarine across Suez Canal
Israel send one of its three Dolphin-class submarines into the Red Sea through the Suez Canal as part of a naval drill last month.
It has been rumored that Israel might use cruise missiles on board the submarines to knock out Iran's nuclear weapons sites.
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Lessons from a Pregnant Fighter Pilot
Maj. Stephanie Kelsen is an Air National Guard F-16 pilot who approached photographer Shlomit Levy Bard to document her pregnancy and the early days of her baby’s life.
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Friday, July 03, 2009
China's Compass to rival GPS
China's Compass, or Beidou (Big Dipper) global navigation satellite system will have 12 satellites working by 2011 to offer regional navigational service.
Hu Gang, vice-president of Beijing BDStar Navigation Co Ltd, said only two Compass satellites have been reportedly launched into orbit so far.
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Japan inducts JADGE as new air-defense network
Japan Aerospace Defense Ground Environment (JADGE) has been inducted by the JASDF to replace the Base Air Defense Ground Environment as the country's automatic air warning and defense control system.
The new system integrates Japan's ballistic missile sensors and interception systems with existing ground-based and airborne radar systems.
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U.S. 'ready' for North Korean missile
The United States is ready to intercept any North Korean long-range missile, the commander of U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Victor Renuart, told The Washington Times.
"The nation has a very, very credible ballistic-missile defense capability. Our ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California, I'm very comfortable, give me a capability that if we really are threatened by a long-range ICBM that I've got high confidence that I could interdict that flight before it caused huge damage to any U.S. territory," said Renuart.
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USS George Washington anchors off Western Australia
USS George Washington and the USS Cowpens are now anchored off Western Australia and the sailors on board are expected to help boost the local economy during their stay there.
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USAF tankers bring fuel to combat aircraft
Traditionally, USAF aerial tankers set up orbits and wait for fighters and bombers to come to them for fuel. However, the tankers flying over Afghanistan and Iraq are now bring fuel to the planes instead.
The change in tactics requires more coordination to make sure the tankers don’t intrude on other military operations and commercial air lanes, said Lt. Col Todd Dixon, a tanker pilot who oversees the refuelers’ scheduling for Air Forces Central’s Combined Air Operations Center.
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Medvedev unhappy with delays on Admiral Gorshkov
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday lashed out at shipbuilder Sevmash for delays in getting aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov ready for delivery to India.
Dmitry Medvedev said the Gorshkov project had become, in effect, the only issue in Russian-Indian relations.
"This is the first, very difficult experience. The ship must be finished," he said. "Otherwise there will be serious consequences."
Labels: INS Vikramaditya
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336th's mission: Taking care of those fighting below
The 336th Fighter Squadron currently based at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, is ready 24/7 to answer any call for help from troops on the ground.
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RAF receive new Hawk training aircraft
The first of the RAF's £450m fleet of 28 new Advanced Jet Trainers, the Hawk T Mk2, arrived at RAF Valley in Anglesey Jul. 2.
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Royal Malaysian Navy concludes Aspide missile test
The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) has successfully test fired a Aspide missile from one of its war ships early Thursday.
"The missile hit a target flown by a Learjet. To save cost, the navy conducted the missile campaign simultaneously with the ongoing weekly Pangkor War exercise series," Fleet Operations Commander Vice-Admiral Datuk Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin said.
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RAF Harriers come home after five year tour de force
After a deployment lasting five years on operations in Afghanistan, the Joint Force Harrier’s last remaining squadron returned home, Jul. 1, to their base at RAF Cottesmore in Rutland.
The Joint Force Harrier fleet is a combined Royal Air Force and Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm unit that first deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan in May 2004 in support of the NATO led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
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Northrop Grumman Completes USS Carl Vinson Sea Trials
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) completed initial sea trials of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Jul. 1.
The trials follow the completion of a successful three and a half-year evolution known as a refueling and complex overhaul.
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RAF Tornado F3 slams into hill, both crew dead
A Royal Air Force Tornado F3 jet with the 43 Squadron slammed into a hill in Scotland during a routine training flight.
The incident happened in Glen Kinglass, near the Rest and Be Thankful on Thursday at about 1145 BST.
Both crew members did not survive the crash.
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Thursday, July 02, 2009
Roughead: Aircraft carriers have no space for two F-35 engines
Chief of naval operations, Adm. Gary Roughead, has indicated that he opposed the plan to have an alternate engine for the F-35.
Roughead argued that there is no space to hold spare parts for two different engines on aircraft carriers.
"Space is at a premium," he said. "Therefore you can put me solidly in the one-engine camp."
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U.S. Navy reveals plan for autonomous aerial refuelling
The U.S. Navy intends to let the X-47B refuel autonomously with a Super Hornet under the actively stabilized drogue refueling system (ASDRS) program.
The demonstration is planned to take place in November 2012 but the Navy said it plans to demonstrate the capability first with an F/A-18C/D surrogate in late 2011.
Besides allowing unmanned aircraft to refuel autonomously, the program also hopes to improve refueling for manned aircraft.
Labels: UCAS-D
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JLENS to make first flight next month
The U.S. Army's Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) will make its first flight in August.
The first blimp is expected to take-off from Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems' manufacturing facility in Elizabeth City, N.C.
Lt. Col. Steve Willhelm, the JLENS program manager, said in an interview that Raytheon is working to deliver two JLENS systems.
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US Air Force to launch massive contest for targeting pods
Flight International reports that the U.S. Air Force is starting a massive competition to acquire 275 more advanced targeting pods.
The winner of the contest will go on to serve on the service's Fairchild A-10, Boeing F-15 and Lockheed F-16 strike aircraft, and its Boeing B-1 and B-52 bombers.
Lockheed Martin is expected to enter the contest with its Sniper while Northrop Grumman will offer the Litening G4.
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Saab receives development order for the Gripen system
Saab has received an order valued at approx. MSEK 350 from FMV (the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration) for development of the Gripen system.
The contract is part of Gripen’s continuous development and upgrading work and is in line with the Armed Forces’ long-term plan for Gripen. The order covers Gripen in Sweden, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Thailand.
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Twelve-nation consortium ready for first C-17
Officials of the12-nation Strategic Airlift Capability, or SAC, consortium will celebrate the activation of the operational unit, known as the Heavy Airlift Wing, and arrival of the unit's first C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at Pápa Air Base, Hungary, in a ceremony on Jul. 27.
The 12 participating nations -- Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden and the United States -- have established the SAC consortium to jointly acquire and operate three C-17s from a single base of operations for the next 30 years.
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USAF finally allowed to retire C-5As
A little-noticed provision hidden in the $106 billion supplemental war spending bill is giving the U.S. Air Force permission to retire C-5A aircraft.
The provision repeals a 2004 ban on retirement of the airlifters. However, analysts say the move may not lead to more buys of the Boeing C-17.
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GA-ASI Completes Successful First Flights of Lynx Radar on Sky Warrior UAS
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) announced that its Lynx® Block 30 Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground Moving Target Indicator (SAR/GMTI) radar has completed two successful test flights on a Sky Warrior® Block 1 UAS in support of the planned Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) deployment of the first four Sky Warrior aircraft under the U.S. Army Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) UAS Program.
The flights were conducted in March. Numerous SAR (spot and stripmap) images were taken at various ranges and resolutions via GA-ASI’s CLAW® sensor control and exploitation software in the Army’s One System Ground Control Station (OSGCS); Change Detection products were calculated and displayed. In addition, the GMTI mode was used to detect and track moving objects in real-time.
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Lockheed Martin to demonstrate Long Range Anti-Ship Missile
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Lockheed Martin the first contract under the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) program.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., will receive $10 million for the initial nine-month phase of the missile demonstration effort. An additional award is expected.
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