Saturday, May 15, 2004
Doomed jet 'identified as missile'UK Junior Defense Minister Ivor Caplin, publishing a summary of a Royal Air Force Board of Inquiry report, said that the U.S. Patriot missile battery had "misidentified" the Tornado as an enemy anti-radiation missile. The RAF Tornado GR4A was shot down near the Iraq-Kuwait border on March 23 last year, killing both crew.
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EADS to Buy Up to 10% of IrkutEuropean aerospace giant EADS on Thursday said it will buy up to 10 percent of privately controlled Irkut Corp., which manufactures Sukhoi fighter jets.
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Thunderbirds zoom in for air showThe USAF Thunderbirds will make an apperance at Dover Air Force Base for an airshow.
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RAAF releases jet fighter back-up planThe Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has announced a fall-back plan if the $16 billion Joint Strike Fighter is late in delivery. The central fuselage of up to 43 Hornets can be replaced so they can keep flying beyond 2015. Also the Orion long-range patrol planes can also be equipped with missiles.
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Raytheon looks overseas to sell upgraded T-6B training aircraftRaytheon Aircraft Co. is targeting the international market to sell 500 T-6Bs.
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US threat to restrict arms sales to EuropeThe US House of Representatives is threatening to restrict the sale of US military equipment and technologies to European allies if the European Union decides to lift its arms embargo on China.
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F-22 Raptor debuts in SeattleThe F-22 Raptor made its first appearance at Boeing Field, Seattle.
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Luke wing to get new commanderLuke Air Force Base's commander, Brig. Gen. Philip Breedlove, will relinquish command of the 56th Fighter Wing in a ceremony June 8 at Luke. Col. Robin Rand, commander of the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, will replace Breedlove.
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GKN May Sell Holding in AgustaWestland Venture, Goldman SaysGKN Plc, a U.K. maker of automotive and aerospace components, may sell its stake in the AgustaWestland helicopter venture for as much as 1.2 billion pounds ($2.11 billion) to raise cash for other businesses, said Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts in a research note
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Navy captain makes historyA former school teacher whose great-grandparents settled in Pensacola in the 1850s is the new commodore of Pensacola Naval Air Station's Training Air Wing 6.
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Marines express confidence about OspreyThe U.S. Marine Corps' top enlisted officer, Sgt. Maj. John L. Estrada, donned a life preserver and helmet and boarded an MV-22 Osprey on Thursday to show troops his confidence in the controversial aircraft.
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Osprey program may be getting almost $2 billionThe House Armed Services Committee has approved a $422.2 billion defense spending bill that provides nearly $2 billion for V-22 Osprey programs and $19 million more in Pantex funding.
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Turkey cancels three multi-billion-dollar defence tendersTurkey has called off tenders for the purchase of 145 attack helicopters and joint production of nine unmanned aircraft in Turkey.
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Friday, May 14, 2004
Forces face 'ruthless' cuts as MoD seeks to save £1bnThe U.K. Ministry of Defence's most senior civil servant admitted yesterday that the Armed Forces faced major cuts because of Treasury spending restrictions.
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EADS Defence Electronics systems protect Tiger and NH90 200m contracts signedEADS Defence Electronics will deliver advanced self-protection systems to the Eurocopter Tiger and NH90 helicopter programmes in Germany, France, Italy, Australia, Portugal and Finland.
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Thales says Watchkeeper would give UK 2,500 jobsTHALES, the French defence group, yesterday held out the promise of 2,500 jobs for Britain, despite reporting a 1.7 per cent fall in first-quarter sales earlier this week. Thales is bidding for the Ministry of Defence’s £800 million Watchkeeper programme to supply UAVs.
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Retrofit slated for 8 Chinooks in IraqThe Pentagon plans to send a team back to Iraq next week to start installing the most advanced missile protection system on the remaining eight Chinook helicopters from a National Guard unit based in Bartonville, Illinois.
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Loyola grad first female to manage Osprey crewCpl. Molly A. Muldoon is the first female U.S. Marine to qualify as a V-22 Osprey crew chief.
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Finnish Air Force honors Pax managerFinland F-18 Integrated Product Team Program Manager Randy Powell was recently honored with a prestigious award from the customer he has loyally and dependably served. Powell was presented with Finnish Technical Wings for 11 years of outstanding contributions to the Finnish F-18 program.
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Czech govt delays decision on $770 mln jets leaseThe Czech cabinet delayed the decision on a $770 million lease for 14 Gripen supersonic fighter jets made by Sweden's Saab and Britain's BAE Systems until June, the cabinet's press office said on Wednesday.
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Air Force Showed Off It's MightThe U.S. Air Force showed off its might in the desert north of Las Vegas on Wednesday.
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Kitty Hawk patrol to expire in 2008U.S. Navy officials say the USS Kitty Hawk, a 45-year-old aircraft carrier powered by steam turbine engines, is scheduled to remain in Japan through 2008.
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Thursday, May 13, 2004
AH-1Z/UH-1Y pass 2,000 flight hoursThe H-1 Upgrade Program has achieved 2,000 flight hours amid weapons accuracy testing and operational assessment by the Marine Corps.
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PAF GETS 8 AIRCRAFT TODAY FROM U.S., THAILANDThe Philippine Air Force (PAF) is scheduled to receive today eight hand-me-down aircraft, some of them from the United States government, to augment its depleted fleet. In a statement, Air Force public information chief Lt. Col. Restituto Padilla said the aircraft are four OV-10C Broncos, two UH-1H Huey helicopters, an SF-260 Marchetti and an N-22 Nomad.
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USS Ronald Reagan Certified Battle ReadyAfter a five-month post shakedown availability (PSA), crew members of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) made the grade when the ship received its second flight deck certification May 8.
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Air Force Reserve commander retiresLt. Gen. James E. Sherrard III turned over leadership of the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command Tuesday, retiring from the military after a career that spanned almost four decades.
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CVN 76 Launches Last TomcatAn F-14 Tomcat from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8's Fighter Squadron (VF) 213 Black Lions, homeported out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Va., launched from USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), May 10, in what was the final Tomcat to leave the deck of the ship.
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U.S. APPROVES AEW SUPPORT FOR EGYPTThe United States has approved the continuation of a contract to support Egypt's airborne early-warning and alert program.
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Northrop Grumman Reaches Milestone in Development of Embedded AntennasNorthrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has completed laboratory testing of a 1/5th scale model of a new, embedded antenna that could replace the current satellite communications (SATCOM) antenna in the U.S. Navy's Advanced Hawkeye early warning and battle management aircraft.
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Boeing welcomes WedgetailsThe Australian government's decision to buy two extra Wedgetail early warning aircraft meant previously unviable fitout work could now go ahead in Australia, aircraft manufacturer Boeing said.
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Planes of Fame Airshow 2004: History Takes Flight Over Chino this WeekendFamous military aircraft past and present take flight over Chino Airport this weekend in the Planes of Fame Airshow 2004. Gates open at 8 a.m., Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16, at the airport located south of Highway 60 and west of Interstate 15.
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Association of Naval Aviation Unveils President George H. W. Bush AwardIn a fitting tribute to the 41st president, the Association of Naval Aviation (ANA) will present its inaugural President George H. W. Bush Award on his 80th birthday at the 29th Annual Convention finale, the ANA/Naval Aviation Ball Saturday, June 12, 2004.
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First production NH-90 on display at ILA Berlin exhibitionEurocopter and its partner companies in the NHIndustries consortium, Agusta and Stork Fokker, are proud to announce that the first serial NH90 helicopter to come off the Eurocopter production line in Germany is publicly presented at the ILA Berlin Air Show on May 11th. The aircraft performed its maiden flight last week on May 4th at Eurocopter's Donauwrth facility in Germany.
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LOCKHEED MARTIN AWARDED $15 MILLION FOR AIR NATIONAL GUARD SNIPER XR ADVANCED TARGETING PODSLockheed Martin received a $15 million firm fixed-price contract delivery order from the Air National Guard (ANG) for more Sniper XRTM (eXtended Range) advanced targeting pods.
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Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Boeing Completes Flight Testing Composite Rotor Blades For A-64DAn Aerospace Daily article on the new composite rotor blade for the AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter. The
press release from Boeing was posted yesterday.
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A needed surge in sorties at KunsanThere was a special weeklong “surge” operation in KUNSAN AIR BASE, South Korea, which the 8th Fighter Wing hustles to catch up on scheduled sorties postponed by bad weather or maintenance problems.
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Harris Corporation Awarded $30 Million Contract for Intra-Flight Data Link Components Onboard F-35 Joint Strike FighterHarris Corporation , a world leader in advanced avionics for military aircraft, today announced that it was awarded a six-year, $30.7 million contract by Northrop Grumman Space Technology to design and develop hardware components for the Intra-Flight Data Link (IFDL) system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Under terms of the contract, Harris will provide the remote electronics for the aircraft, including the phased array antenna and antenna interface hardware for Northrop Grumman Space Technology's IFDL system.
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Australia to host huge global air combat training exerciseAustralia will host a massive air combat training exercise in July attracting more than 100 aircraft and 1,500 air force personnel from France, the United States, Thailand and Singapore, defence officials said Tuesday.
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T-6A belly lands at LacklandA training aircraft landed with its gear up at Kelly Field Annex here May 10. The pilot declared an in-flight emergency because of a landing-gear malfunction.
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Investigation determines cause of T-1A accidentAir Force officials completed their investigation of an accident where a T-1A Jayhawk ran off the runway Aug. 16 after landing at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. The accident caused an estimated $2.5 million in structural damage to the aircraft.
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Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Boeing-Developed Composite Rotor Blade Spins ForwardThe Boeing Company has successfully completed testing of a newly developed composite rotor blade for use on the AH-64D Apache Longbow multi-role combat helicopter.
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Move over, Buck RogersThe May issue of Boeing Frontiers Online magazine features an article on how the X-45 could revolutionize the important Suppression of Enemy Air Defense mission.
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Defence Minister visits RSAF Apache helicopter detachment in TexasSingapore's Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean visited Singapore's Peace Vanguard Apache helicopter detachment in the United States on Sunday.
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Raytheon Successfully Integrates and Tests its SeaVue Radar and MTS Aboard Predator BRaytheon Company has successfully integrated and demonstrated its SeaVue maritime surveillance radar and AAS-52 Multi-spectral Targeting System (MTS-A) aboard a General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Mariner unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a derivative of the Generals Atomics Predator B UAV.
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Monday, May 10, 2004
U.S. Forces Participate in Multinational ExerciseU.S. Air Force and Navy units deployed to Cold Lake, Alberta are participating in Maple Flag 37, an international air combat exercise hosted by the Canadian Air Force, until May 14.
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Spy planes to lift off in UKThales, the French defence company, will announce on Wednesday that it is creating a new British-based company to manufacture unmanned spy planes for the Royal Air Force.
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2003 B-1B records become officialIn two flights Oct. 25 and 26, the B-1B set 45 world records and broke five previously set records in the National Aeronautic Association C-1Q and C-1R, Group III weight class.
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Senate may fund bigger B-1 fleetThe Senate Armed Services Committee announced Friday it will increase funding in the FY 2005 defense authorization bill to modernize B-1B Lancers.
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Navy retrieves F-14 wreckageThe Navy yesterday recovered the mangled fuselage of an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet that crashed in March off Point Loma.
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Sunday, May 09, 2004
A-160 Rotary Wing UAV: Boeing Buys Long Endurance DesignBoeing Phantom Work's acquisition of Frontier Systems gives it an ummanned helicopter design featuring confirmed and unusually parsimonius fuel usage for a rotary wing aircraft. The secretive company - developer of the A-160 Hummingbird UAV - has been doing ground tests that showed it using 'about ten gallons an hour' of fuel in recent tests.
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Navy Exploring New Technique For Refurbishing IR DomesThe U.S. Navy is sponsoring the development of a new method for refurbishing infrared (IR) domes on aircraft that would cost only one-tenth as much as replacing them, according to developer Computer Optics of Hudson, N.H.
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Another Jaguar falls in AmbalaA Jaguar fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed shortly after taking off from the airbase in Ambala on Friday.
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160th: Best Part Of New G Model Chinook Is Re-Set Airframe MeterThe US Army's Brig Gen Howard Yellen says biggest advantage of the 160th SOAR's new CH-47G Chinook variant is, in fact , its new zero time structual life.
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