Saturday, December 18, 2004
Elmendorf squadron takes holiday cheer northSanta Claus took some time out to make a special trip with the USAF 517th Airlift Squadron "Firebirds" to deliver Christmas presents and supplies to an Athabascan village in northern Alaska - a tradition that's been around for 37 years.
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Santa on the RadarPreparations are underway at the North Pole for Santa’s annual launch, and North American Aerospace Defense Command controllers will be tracking him across the globe from Christmas Eve until he’s finished making his drops to all kids of all ages.
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Navy, Coast Guard Team Recovers Blue Angel JetSailors from U.S Navy's Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, along with the crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Cypress, have recovered the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron’s F/A-18 Hornet that crashed near Perdido Key in early December.
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Blue Angels Honor Fallen SnowbirdThe U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, visited the Canadian Forces jet demonstration team, the Snowbirds, Dec. 15 to pay their last respects to Capt. Miles Selby.
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Boeing F-15K Fighter Engine Delivered to the Republic of Korea Air ForceBoeing took a significant step toward building the first F-15K Strike Eagle fighter aircraft Dec. 10, with delivery of the first Samsung Techwin Company-built F-110 engine to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF). The engine was delivered at a ceremony in Changwon, South Korea.
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Missile Defense Agency May Buy Global Hawk To Observe
TestsThe U.S. Missile Defense Agency is considering buying a Northrop Grumman-built Global Hawk to monitor missile defense tests, Lt. Gen. Trey Obering said Dec. 16.
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Raytheon Awarded $29 Million Contract for Airborne Low Frequency SonarRaytheon Company has been awarded a $29.7 million contract to provide 10 AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low Frequency Sonar (ALFS) systems for the U.S. Navy's MH60R multi-
mission helicopter.
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Pilot confusion caused Dutch Apache crashThe crash of a Dutch Apache helicopter in Afghanistan in August appears to have been caused by a miscommunication between the pilot and gunner, it was reported on Friday.
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School strafing attributed to pilot error, poor designThe U.S. Air Force has concluded that pilot error and a poorly designed aircraft control caused an F-16 pilot to fire rounds into a New Jersey elementary school.
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Deployed members return for the holidaysOver the past week, approximately 400 personnel and eight B-1s from the USAF 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth.
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Hoon Rides Out Army Storm with Raf's TyphoonU.K. Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon will visit RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire to mark his announcement earlier this week that Britain has ordered 89 new Typhoon combat jets in a £4.3 billion deal.
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Dhruv to spread wings in Israel fleet this JanuaryThe Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd manufactured Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), will be inducted into the air fleet of the Israeli Defence Forces in January.
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Friday, December 17, 2004
US prepares GPS shutdown plansU.S. President George W Bush has ordered plans for temporarily disabling the US government-owned network of global positioning satellites to prevent terrorists from using the technology during a national crisis, the White House said.
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Two killed in RMAF Pilatus crashA Royal Malaysian Air Force flying instructor and a trainee pilot were killed when their Pilatus PC7 aircraft crashed in a padi field in Kampung Titi Besi, Kepala Batas, yesterday.
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Helicopter Pilots Injured in Afghanistan CrashTwo pilots were injured Dec. 16 when their U.S. Army OH- 58 Kiowa Warrior scout helicopter crashed just north of Shindand, in Afghanistan's Herat province.
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Russian company to supply aircraft engines to ChinaThe Moscow-based Salyut engineering production enterprise has signed a 900m-dollar contract on delivering about 250 AL-31FN aircraft engines to China in the next six years. The engines will be mounted on the Chinese J-10 fighter.
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Air Force: Fighter planes caused big boomOfficials from the U.S. Air Force confirmed Wednesday that two F-16 fighter planes were flying at supersonic speeds off the S.C. coast Tuesday night, causing a loud boom that shook the Grand Strand.
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Gunnery range reopens; pilots to hold their fireWarren Grove Gunnery Range, New Jersey reopens but no weapons will be used.
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U.S. AIR FORCE: Tanker chief visits GFAFBFour-star Gen. John Handy, head of all U.S. Air Force tanker and transport aircraft paid a social visit to Grand Forks Air Force Base on Wednesday to thank the airmen here for their hard work during the year.
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Air Force plays Santa for outer islandsThe U.S. Air Force completed a four-day Christmas Drop mission to about 59 islands in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia. The mission dropped some 28,000 pounds of toys, sporting goods, canned goods, rice, fishing equipment and other basic necessities including toiletries and clothes.
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Kadena Airmen aid Philippine typhoon victimsAirmen from Kadena Air Base, Japan 33rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron are helping the Philippines recover from the devastating effects of a series of typhoons that have left 1,400 dead or missing and displaced about 170,000 people.
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India to soon fly Kaveri aircraft: Krishna SwamyIndia will soon be able to fly the indigenously designed Kaveri aircraft, Air Chief Marshal S Krishna Swamy said.
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USAF and European Air Forces Adding Important New Capabilities to Their Lockheed Martin F-16sThe U.S. Air Force (USAF) and five European Participating Air Forces (EPAFs) are receiving new technologies for their F-16s. The most notable common new capabilities are the Link 16 data link and a helmet-mounted cueing system (HMCS). The USAF F-16s also will be receiving a capability to deliver the Lockheed Martin AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and have compatibility with the Lockheed Martin Sniper XR targeting pod. The European F-16s will gain the capability to deliver the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM).
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GMD Flight-Test Cut Short By Interceptor ShutdownA flight-test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system was cut short when the interceptor missile inexplicably shut down shortly before launch, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency announced Dec. 15.
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Jumper Confirms Air Force Plans To Cut Joint Strike Fighter PurchaseThe U.S. Air Force chief of staff confirmed Dec. 14 that the service intends to cut its planned buy of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. He also said that the service intends to buy about 200 to 250 STOVLs variant.
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U.S. Air Force deploys C-130Js for first timeThe U.S. Air Force's C-130J Hercules -- the newest variant of the versatile C-130 aircraft -- deployed for the first time this month.
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South Africa signs up for Airbus military planesThe South African government committed Wednesday to acquire a number of A400M military transport aircraft developed by Airbus Industrie in a deal worth at least EUR 750 million (USD one billion), Airbus said in a statement.
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Rookie naval pilot lands jet in seaA rookie Indian naval pilot plunged a Sea Harrier jet into the sea Thursday after failing to bring it to a halt before it slipped off a coastal runway strip, a naval spokesman said.
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Thursday, December 16, 2004
New Server
I have migrated to a new server and it may take up to 48 hours for your ISP to point to the new address. Any inconvenience caused is regretted. The new server comes with 2 GB of storage and it costs me US$96 a year. I would appreciate if readers could support this site by making a donation using paypal or choose to use
amazon to make any aviation book purchase.
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L-3 COMMUNICATIONS SELECTED TO MODERNIZE REPUBLIC OF KOREA NAVY P-3 FLEETL-3 Communications announced Dec. 13 that its Integrated Systems (L-3 IS) subsidiary, as part of an industry team headed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), has been selected by the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of National Defense to complete mission system modernizations and service life extensions for eight ROK Navy P-3 aircraft, known as "Lot II".
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Global star causes a buzzThe Golbal Hawk will fly direct from Edwards Air Force Base in California to star at next year's Australian International Airshow at Avalon.
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Coalition Maritime Forces Deter Pirate Attack off YemenA French Atlantique maritime patrol aircraft deterred pirates from attacking a civilian sailing yacht in international waters off the coast of Yemen, Dec. 12.
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IRAN SEEKS TO DEVELOP MILITARY-MODEL AN-140Iran has invested in the development of at least two versions of the An-140 cargo aircraft. One version would be for the navy and the other for the air force.
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Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina Rolls Out First AT-63 PampaLockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina S.A. rolled out the first upgraded Pampa jet trainer in a formal ceremony Dec. 15. This AT-63 Pampa is the demonstrator of the new configuration of the Pampa.
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LOCKHEED MARTIN F-16 CONTINUES RECORD AS SAFEST SINGLE-ENGINE MULTIROLE FIGHTERThe U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-16 fleet achieved its safest flying year in history during the 2004 fiscal year, with three F-16 units receiving top safety awards.
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It's a laser fit for top gunsAustralian Defence Force is struggling to find new pilots small enough to squeeze into the confines of its fighter aircraft. Potential pilots with weight and height of 55kg and 105kg, and from 163cm to 193cm can apply.
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Polish soldiers killed in Iraq chopper crashThree Polish soldiers have died in a helicopter crash in Iraq. Their Polish-made Sokol helicopter made an emergency landing following what was most probably engine failure.
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Wednesday, December 15, 2004
VF-103 Jolly Rogers F-14 Last Cruise Photos Gerry Clarke has posted photos of the VF-103 Jolly Rogers Final Deployment on the F-14. Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permissiom from Gerry. Thanks again Gerry!
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Senators' Comments Suggest Existence Of Secret Space ProgramCryptic comments by two Democrats on the Senate floor about a major program in the fiscal year 2005 intelligence authorization conference report point to a possible stealthy reconnaissance satellite.
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VFA-204 Helps Prepare VF-213 for Final Tomcat DeploymentFighter Squadron (VF) 213 arrived at the Naval Air Station New Orleans to begin their Strike Fighter Advanced Readiness Program (SFARP) training with Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 204. VF-213, based at Oceana Naval Air Station, Virginia Beach, Va., is scheduled to be the last Tomcat squadron to deploy before the aircraft is replaced with F/A-18 Super Hornets in 2006.
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Raytheon's JSOW-C Successfully Completes Operational TestThe U.S. Navy has given Raytheon Company's unitary penetration variant of the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW-C) its highest assessment: "suitable and effective."
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Airmen become jacks-of-all-trades when servicing aircraft at BaladA C-17 Globemaster might spend two or three hours on the ground at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. At Balad Air Base, Iraq, a C-17 is on the ground only 30 minutes.
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Hms Illustrious Returns to Base after £120m RefitThe Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, will return to base in Portsmouth, after completing a £120 million refit.
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Surface-to-Air Missiles Seized in Albania Not Destined for MacedoniaMacedonia Interior Ministry Spokesman, Goran Pavlovski stated that three Strela-2 man-portable surface-to-air missiles, which were seized by the Albanian police on Monday, were not intended for Macedonia.
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Pilot Hurt in Helicopter CrashAn RAF Squirrel made a hard landing at an airstrip at Tern Hill barracks, near Market Drayton, Shropshire. A student pilot was injured.
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To reduce risk to trucks, Air Force steps up cargo flights over IraqThe U.S. Air Force is making more cargo flights over Iraq to keep Army transport trucks off the country's dangerous roads, accepting the increased risk to planes and added cost to reduce the threat on the ground, officials said Tuesday. An increase of about 100 tons of cargo a day is added.
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Type Acceptance for Series Production Single-seat AircraftEurofighter GmbH announced the signature with NETMA, on Monday 13 December 2004, of the Type Acceptance agreement for the Eurofighter Typhoon Batch 2 aircraft. This signature will allow the delivery of the first series production single-seat Eurofighter Typhoons to the four Partner Nations of Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
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Flying Dragons headed to Texas for training on newer Longbow coptersThe 1st Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment in Hanau, Germany, is packing up and moving to Texas to prepare for a yearlong training mission and attack helicopter upgrade to newer AH-64D Apache Longbow.
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Krishnaswamy flies most advanced SU-30 MKIIndian Air Force Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy flew a familiarisation sortie on the SU-30 MKI during a farewell visit to the Air Force Station at Lohgaon.
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Stratotankers provide more than refueling capabilitiesThe KC-135 Stratotankers of the USAF 351st Air Refueling Squadron here have recently added aeromedical evacuation and airlift missions to their “been there, done that” list.
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Marine Pilots Land Ospreys On KearsargeFor the first time, the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) conducted landing operations with the MV-22 Osprey.
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Thunderbirds release 2005 show scheduleThe U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, announced its 2005 air show schedule.
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Tuesday, December 14, 2004
New buzz in the Hornet familyThis month's Boeing Frontiers features the EA-18G 'Growler'.
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Cuba starts 'huge' military drillCuba's armed forces have begun their biggest military exercise for nearly 20 years, involving MiG-29s.
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AAM MISSILE MARKET TO REACH $12.2BIn a report entitled "The Market for Air-to-Air Missiles," Forecast International said the air-to-air missile market is expected to reach $12.2 billion over the next decade.
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IAF variant of BrahMos likely in three yearsThe BrahMos supersonic missile for the Indian Air Force (IAF) could be ready in three years. The missile will fly on the SU-30.
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Snowbirds commander defends rescue reaction timeThe commander of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds is defending why it took so long for an air force rescue team to reach the site of last Friday's Snowbirds crash.
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CVW-17 Returns from DeploymentThe squadrons of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 returned home Dec. 12 and 13 from USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) to their various home stations. Fighter Squadron (VF) 103, the “Jolly Rogers," completed their final deployment in the F-14 Tomcat aircraft. The squadron will begin transitioning to the F/A-18F Super Hornet in February.
Pictures of the F/A-18F in Jolly Rogers colors are available
here
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Northrop Grumman Receives $215.3 Million Vinson Planning ContractThe U.S. Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a planning contract valued at approximately $215.3 million for continued preparations for the overhaul and refueling of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70).
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Germany, Italy, Spain, U.K. to Order Fighter Planes, People SayGermany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. will go ahead with a 13 billion-euro ($17 billion) order for Eurofighter military aircraft with the ground-attack capability demanded by Britain, said people familiar with the matter.
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Monday, December 13, 2004
Test acceleration expedites fielding warning systemEngineers at Edwards Air Force Base have cut the test time for a crucial missile warning system from months to weeks, speeding the operational debut of the system on C-17 Globemaster IIIs.
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Samsung Techwin Produces First Engine for F-15 FightersSamsung Techwin Co., an arm of the giant Samsung Group, said Sunday it has domestically produced for the first time an engine for F-15-type fighter jets under a licensing agreement with General Electric Co. of the United States.
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374th Airlift Wing troops preparing for Southwest Asia deploymentAbout 300 troops from the USAF 374th Airlift Wing will deploy throughout Southwest Asia next month.
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Spain to deploy 64 Patriot missiles facing Mediterranean: reportSpain is to deploy 64 Patriot missiles facing the Mediterranean following their purchase from Germany, the El Mundo newspaper reported on Sunday.
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Boeing Delivers 100,000th JDAM Tail KitThe Boeing Company delivered the 100,000 th tail kit on December 2 for the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) weapon to the U.S. Military at its weapons facility near St. Louis.
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Two Boeing X-45A Unmanned Jets Continue Coordinated FlightsBoeing's two X-45A technology demonstrator aircraft made their second and third coordinated flights at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
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Boeing GMD Team Places First Interceptor in Silo at Vandenberg SiteThe Boeing Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program team and the Missile Defense Agency emplaced the first GMD interceptor in its underground silo at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on Dec. 10.
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Sunday, December 12, 2004
Air force plane crash kills one in east ArgentinaA pilot of Argentine air force was killed Friday when the A-63 Pampa he fly crashed at the naval air force base at Punta Indio, east Argentina.
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VP-9 Golden Eagles Return From Overseas DeploymentU.S. Navy Patrol Squadron 9 (VP) 9 returned from a six-month deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility Dec. 10.
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New Navy Invention: Laser Detector Protects Pilots' EyesThe Vision Laboratory in Naval Air Systems Command's (NAVAIR) Human Systems Division won an Aviation Week and Space Technology Magazine "Product Breakthrough” award in late November for its Laser Event Recorder (LER), a device that gives aviators instant warning about laser radiation potentially hazardous to their eyesight.
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Army Announces Patriot Missile System’s Performance In Operation Iraqi FreedomThe U.S. Army has announced its investigation into the Patriot Missile System’s performance in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), which found the system was successful in performing its mission protecting troops and assets against enemy tactical ballistic missiles.
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Some Luftwaffe Airmen Will Depart From Holloman Air Force BaseNext week U.S. and German air forces will inactivate the 20th Fighter Squadron, a training unit that instructs Luftwaffe pilots on the F-4F Phantom II fighter jet.
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New stealth spy satellite debated on HillThe United States is building a new generation of spy satellites designed to orbit undetected.
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