Wednesday, November 30, 2005
'Dhruv - a fail-safe chopper'
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited claims that its Dhruv is a 'fail-safe' chopper.
It justified the claim with the fact that despite a tail rotor failure at 5,000 feet, a Dhruv managed to land safely recently.
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Topol missile life could be extended
The service life of Russia's Topol intercontinental ballistic missile could be extended to 23 years.
The Topol currently has a service life of 20 years.
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Raytheon Delivers 2,000th Joint Standoff Weapon
Raytheon Company has delivered the 2,000th Joint Standoff Weapon. Raytheon is under contract to provide JSOW to the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force.
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'Perfect storm' could reshape Air Force for years to come
Bob Largent, president of the Air Force Association, believes the U.S. Air Force is in the middle of what he calls a 'perfect storm.'
He insists the situation is not hopeless. There is hope, even optimism.
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Lockheed delivers helicopter plans
Lockheed Martin has delivered 2,500 pages of specifications and supporting documentation to the USAF for its combat search-and-rescue helicopter competition.
The contract is expected to be awarded in May.
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Korea-Israel defense talks open amid bids for AWACS contract
Rumours of South Korea choosing the IAI G550 as its airborne early warning system prompted the U.S. Ambassador to Korea a last-ditch plea on behalf of Boeing.
South Korea is expected to announce the winning bidder by as early as Dec. 10.
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Indonesia to Retract Jetfighters Components Held by U.S. Embargo
Indonesia wants to retrieve back some of its military jet components after United States lifted its military embargo.
The parts are in New Zealand, South Korea and United States.
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Air Force pilot praised for helping guide imperiled plane to safety
A USAF A-10 came to the rescue of a Piper Chieftain after the latter lost electrical power and became disoriented over the skies of Europe.
Maj. Peter Olson, an A-10 weapons tactics officer with the 52nd Fighter Wing, was on a routine training mission when air traffic controllers asked for help.
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European consortium pushes Typhoon for IAF contract
EADS made a last attempt to enter the Eurofighter into India's multirole fighter competition before the RFPs are issued.
Both the Eurofighter and Rafale was rejected last year as they were longer range and more expensive than what India wanted.
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Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Invasion England
Flight International was granted exclusive access to see the RAF carry out a large scale helicopter exercise using simulators.
These exercises take place every two to three weeks at RAF Benson.
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Missile system ignites cancer detection
An Australian university lecturer is using fuzzy logic used in missile guidance to create a device capable of cancer detection.
The device will differentiate between benign and malignant human tissue in magnetic resonance images.
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RAF pilot 'victim of base crash'
An RAF Seaking pilot who was blamed for causing the crash of a Cessna plane is a forgotten victim, his wife said.
He has been confined to a desk job while cleared for flying last December. While an RAF board of inquiry and an Air Accident Investigation Branch investigation found no fault with the Seaking flight path. The government choose to give a £5m payout to settle out of court.
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RAAF launches light plane crash investigation
The RAAF is investigating into why a Beechcraft Bonaza crash-landed at its Edinburgh base, north of Adelaide on Monday.
The landing gear collapsed shortly after touching down.
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First Naval UAV squadron to be commissioned next year
The Indian Navy's first UAV squadron will be commissioned in Jan. 6 next year.
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Tanker duel moves to Middle East
Boeing and EADS are eyeing a competition to supply aerial tankers to the United Arab Emirates.
UAE wants to field a tanker in the next three to five years to support its F-16s and Mirages.
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Canada seeks new transport fleet
Canada's decision to seek 16 new tactical transport aircraft which are to be certificated before the contract is awarded effectively rules out the A400M.
The C-17 will be ruled out because of its price also.
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Malaysia - the big push
Malaysia plans to introduce a medium-range air defense system over the next five years.
China's KS-1/KS-1A is the current favourite. It may be supplemented by China's FN-6 or either the Igla or new Igla-S.
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UAE studies new roles for F-16E/Fs
UAE wants to add stand-off strike capability to the F-16E/Fs. This role is currently being carried out by its Mirage 2000-9s.
UAE air defence command assistant commander Brig Gen Ali Khadem Al Mansouri said the F-16s are intended primarily for air defence over their 30-year life.
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Indian Air Force, in war games, gives US a run
Observers are saying that during the recent
encounters between USAF F-16s and IAF Su-30MKIs, the Indians were the winners.
Capt. Martin Mentch, the first USAF F-16 pilot to meet the Su-30MKI, told a U.S. Air Force publication, AFPN that the MKI "is an amazing jet that has a lot of manoeuvrability."
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UAE scraps AEW plan
UAE has scrapped plans to acquire a fleet of AEW aircraft and is instead exploring options for an airborne intelligence and battlefield control capability.
The decision is a disappointment for Northrop Grumman who has been pushing to sell its E-2C in that market.
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£3.6bn carriers deal faces delay
Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier could be delayed by an extra-four years according to a new study.
The first ship may not be completed until 2014.
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US firms lobby India
U.S. firms are have been lobbying India individually and collectively under the US-India Business Council not to implement an offset policy.
India wants to have a policy with direct offsets worth 30% and technology transfers worth 90% for all future imports, in addition to co-production.
This could jeopardise plans to offer American fighters for India's 126 new fighters tender.
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Travelling manager (Free Registration)
The executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. and general manager of the F-35 joint strike fighter program has an office that he seldom use.
Tom Burbage spends many of his days, nights and weeks travelling to meet with officials of U.S. and foreign governments and military services.
So far this year, he has been away on travel for 150 days. About 90 days of that was outside the United States.
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Calif. Congressman Admits Taking Bribes
America's first ace during the Vietnam War has pleaded guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes.
He could get up to 10 years in prison at sentencing Feb. 27 on federal charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and fraud, and tax evasion.
The bribes are mostly from defense contractors for Cunningham to help steer defense contracts.
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Two F-16s to land this week in Islamabad, says report
Two F-16 fighter jets will be delivered to Pakistan this week while a P-3C has already been handed over.
Washington has agreed in July to deliver two refurbished F-16s to Pakistan.
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Lawmaker says ex-president masterminded Mirage procurement
Opposition lawmakers in Taiwan claims that ex President Lee Teng-hui masterminded the purchase of Mirage 2000s that included kickbacks.
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On the train
For the first time in a fighter development program, a single training program is being designed for all customers, regardless of service or nationality.
Lockheed Martin has to come up with a training system for three F-35 variants, three U.S. services and nine countries.
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Venezuela signs Spain arms deal
Spain has agreed to sell 10 C-295 transport planes and two CN-235 maritime patrol planes to Venezuela.
Washington had tried to block the deal last week.
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Protesters at Yokosuka rally against U.S. plans
Some 2,000 protesters marched from Yokosuka’s Daiei Mall to Yokosuka Chuo station to protest recently announced U.S. military plans.
But the major concern is the deployment of a nuclear carrier to replace USS Kitty Hawk in 2008.
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Hickam readies for C-17 arrival
Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii is getting ready to start operations with the C-17 on Feb. 8.
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Snowbirds announce newest team members
Three pilots have officially became the newest members of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds.
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DOD Nears Decision On Fate Of SBIRS-High
Pentagon is expected to decide next month whether the Space Based Infrared System-High (SBIRS-High) program will be restructured or canceled due to cost overruns.
Program costs have risen more than 25 percent.
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Maritime Decision
Malaysia plans to select the Fokker 50 or Raytheon Beech King Air 350ER for its maritime requirement.
It also plans to lease two aircraft by year-end for joint patrol obligations.
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F-16s to be modified for Chile sale
18 ex-Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16A/Bs will be heading for Chile after modernisation by Lockheed Martin.
Lockheed will have to remove strike and HARM capability to meet Washington's rules.
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Monday, November 28, 2005
Valions Roar from Al Asad, Return to Roosevelt
VFA-15 chose to continue combat operations at Al Asad, Iraq when its carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt made a port call in Dubai.
They were hosted by the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing while there.
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McConnell completes first refurbishment project
McConnell Air Force Base recently completed its first complete KC-135 Stratotanker refurbishment.
It takes approximately 30 days to refurbish an aircraft.
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Italian Army Aviation Gets NH-90 TTH by End Q2, 2006
NH-90 tactical transport helicopters will be delivered to the Italian Army at the end of Q2, 2006.
NH-90 TTL will replace some of the AB-205, 212 and 412s.
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IAF contract: Top officials of US firms to receive key document
Boeing and Lockheed Martin officials will be in India to receive the RFP documents for 126 fighters when they are issued in early December.
Boeing's Chris Chadwick, vice-president of the F/A-18 Super Hornet programme and managing director of Lockheed Martin, Royce L. Caplinger will collect the documents.
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Repaired chopper being returned to Nepal
One year after it made a 'hard landing', a Nepalese Dhruv is being return back after repairs.
The tail rotor pitch control had failed.
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Sunday, November 27, 2005
JSF Air Force version's cancellation would hurt Turkish fighter program
Turkish plan to modernize its Air Force with the F-35 will be jeopardize if the Air Force version is cancelled.
Turkey had hoped that competition between the F-35 and the Eurofighter could reap benefits in terms of price and local industry participation.
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Russian pilot responsible for fighter crash in Lithuania
A Russian Air Force commission found that Major Valery Troyanov was at fault for the Su-27 crash in Lithuania.
He had become disoriented during the flight, which led fuel starvation and engine failure. He was poorly prepared for the flight, lost orientation and showed negligence in an emergency.
His pilot ranking has been downgraded from first-class to second-class.
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RSAF's Apache helicopters expected home early next year
RSAF's AH-64D Apache attack helicopters is expected to be back in Singapore early next year.
Twelve more Apaches are expected to be delivered next year bring the total number to twenty.
Most probably they should be back just in time for display at Asian Aerospace.
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T-50 Trainer Debuts at Dubai Air Show
UAE plans to take a closer look at the T-50 after it finishes it appearance at the Dubai Air Show.
The T-50 will shift to an air force base and its flying capabilities will be assessed for two weeks.
It is said that UAE is willing to purchase 60 T-50s for pilot training.
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Russian Defense Minister Denies Plans to Deploy Military Base in Uzbekistan
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has officially denied that Russia will occupy an air base in Uzbekistan that was recently vacated by United States.
Interfax news agency earlier said that a Russian air force unit could be deployed at the Khanabad airfield.
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Russia, India to sign military cargo plane deal
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will sign an agreement on developing the IL-214/MTA multipurpose military transport plane while visiting Russia next month.
100 MTA planes are to be built for the Russian Air Force and 45 for India.
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Iran offered N. Korea oil for weapons help - magazine
Iran has offered North Korea oil and natural gas as payment for help in developing nuclear missiles.
Iran's Shahab-3 missiles are based on North Korea's Nodong rockets.
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Sondhi alleges C-130 cover-up
Sondhi Limthongkul, Thai Prime Minister's greatest critic, provided evidence that officials lied to cover up the misuse of a C-130 by the Prime Minister's sister.
He produced evidence to show that the flight was not a mail delivery one as claimed by the government.
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Showpiece copter crashes
India’s Dhruv helicopter suffered its first crash on Nov. 25 when one crashed near Karimnagar in Andhra Pradesh.
The helicopter was flying from Bangalore to Ranchi.
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Saturday, November 26, 2005
MoD cuts equipment orders to save £700m
The U.K. government saved £700 million in the past year by cutting back on aircraft and missiles.
The number of new Nimrod MRA4 was cut to 12 from 18 and extra weapons' capabilities for the F-35 was removed.
The orders for Meteor air-to-air missiles were cut too.
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Sarang aerobatic team to participate in Langkawi Aerospace Expo
India's Sarang aerobatic team will be performing at the Langkawi Air Show next month.
It will also conduct a display in Indonesia.
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Hawk order from UK expected in early 2006
BAE Systems expects to receive a contract next year for 30 Hawk 128 to replace the RAF’s current Hawk T1/1As.
The order will cover airframe production but not through-life support.
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IAF to hold joint exercises with Singapore Air Force
The Indian Air Force will hold another exercise with the Republic of Singapore Air Force again.
The RSAF's F-16s was in India this year for exercises with the IAF.
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Friday, November 25, 2005
Gripen ready to offer flexible offset financing packages - UAE
Gripen International is ready to offer attractive and flexible offset financing package to its Middle East, Asia and Africa customers.
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Bulgarian court decision enables Elbit helicopter upgrade
Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court overturned a decision made by the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense to stop negotiations between the Bulgarian Air Force and Elbit Systems.
In December 2004, a team led by Elbit and Lockheed Martin were selected as the preferred bidder for a Bulgarian Air Force program to upgrade 18 Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters.
In March, Bulgarian Ministry of Defense informed Elbit that its offer "did not meet the previously announced requirements."
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Cruising for trouble
The United States currently does not have any way of defending itself against a missile launched from a cargo ship off its coast.
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PAF admits no fighter jets to combat insurgents until 2011
The Philippine Air Force does not have any fighter planes until 2011 for air defense.
It currently has to make do with only five operational S-211.
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Four UAVs crash within two years of induction
India is unhappy that four of the 50 IAI Searcher and Heron UAVs it bought has crashed over the span of two years.
In one incident, an Indian Air Force handler was killed.
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Russia, India have no plans to sign deal on 5G fighter
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov clarified that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will not sign any deal on the development of a fifth-generation fighter during Singh's visit to Russia in December.
The two countries were planning to sign a bilateral agreement on the development of a military transport plane instead.
Labels: Russian 5th-generation fighter
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Eurofighters join the race for combat aircraft
The Eurofighter has emerged as a potential bidder for India's new fighter competition.
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Defense Agency missile sensor test a success
Japan tested its Advanced Infrared Ballistic Missile Optical Sensor System mounted on a UP3C during the recent Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense intercept flight test in Hawaii.
Nicknamed AIRBOSS, the new system is designed to detect missiles or aircraft at a distance of up to several hundred kilometers with an 80-centimeter-tall and 60-centimeter-diameter cylindrical sensor.
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Defying US, Chavez pushes for Spanish military deal
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said his government will go ahead with the purchase of 10 C-295 transport planes and two maritime surveillance planes.
Washington has been pressuring Mandrid to cancel the deal.
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Thursday, November 24, 2005
F/A-22 Raptor Still On Track For Initial Capability In December
USAF Air Combat Command's Col. Jimmy Clark told attendees at the Fighter Jet Conference last week that the F/A-22 will achieve its initial operational capability in December.
Clark said that the F/A-22 will have the ability to drop JDAM at about Mach 1.5 at 40,000 feet when it is IOC'd.
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Hi-tech training for RBAF pilots
Royal Bahrain Air Force's training program is transitioning to the Hawk Mk129 smoothly.
The Hawk Mk129 aircraft has a Mk128 airframe and Mk127 avionics.
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India-French naval exercises in Gulf of Aden
Indian aircraft carrier INS Viraat will take part in exercises with the French Navy in the Gulf of Aden.
French Atlantique surveillance aircraft and Mirage 2000 will take part also.
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Royal Maces Achieve Safety Milestone
VFA-27 celebrated their 80,000th Class ‘A’ mishap-free flight hour Nov. 9, while deployed aboard USS Kitty Hawk .
The event represented a sustained achievement over the course of 18 years and more than 47,000 sorties.
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Workers fail to inspect Darwin-based Sea King, inquiry told
Maintenance personnel failed to check an Australian Sea King and cleared it for flight.
The pilot found parts were missing while doing a preflight inspection.
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Government of Canada Announces New Tactical Airlift Project
Canada is going ahead to buy at least 16 new airlifters valued at between $4-5 billion.
The new tactical airlift aircraft will replace 13 older CC-130 Hercules.
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Northrop Grumman's E-10A Multi-Sensor Command-and-Control Aircraft Program Concludes Platform Design Review
The U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman Corporation-led team's E-10A multi-sensor command-and-control aircraft program successfully completed its critical platform design review last week.
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Landing signal officers guide in jets, grade pilots’ landings
The world’s only school for landing signal officers can be found at NAS Oceana.
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Most Advanced Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighters Featured at Dubai Air Show
Lockheed Martin's F-16E/F made its debut at the Dubai Air Show this week. It was flown by Troy Pennington.
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Lockheed Martin to Produce New Wings and Service Life Extension Kits for P-3 and CP-140 Aircraft
Lockheed Martin will open a new outer wing production line to support service life extension of the P-3 and CP-140 aircraft around the world.
The outer wings will give P-3 operators an additional 15,000 hours of service life.
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Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Gripen air-to-air refueling from C-130 Hercules tanker
The first Gripen air-to-air refueling test flights with a C-130 Hercules are successfully completed.
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Venezuela Poised to Take Over as Top Latin American Arms Buyer
Forecast International says the Venezuelan Air Force is considering buying the Russian Su-27s or Chinese J-10s.
It has a requirement for as many as 50 fighters.
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Team tests Joint Strike Fighter's survivability
Members of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Integrated Test Force here are testing the chemical and biological survivability of the jet on a retired F-16.
The test involves three internal trials and one external contamination trial using a simulated chemical agent and a simulated biological agent.
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Air Force releases F-16 accident report
The USAF has releases its findings into the crash of an F-16 Fighting Falcon landing at Lamar Airport, Colorado Jun. 28.
An improperly installed engine augmenter fan manifold caused a fuel leak leading to a fire.
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EADS plans tech transfer to HAL
EADS is trying to sell its AS 555 SN Fennec and Tiger helicopter to the Indian Army.
It plans to break into the Indian market by transferring technology to Hindustan Aeronautics.
Labels: Indian Army Light Helicopter
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Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules Demonstrates Long-Range Capabilities En Route to Dubai Air Show
A C-130J from the USAF 815th Airlift Squadron, 403rd Wing flew from the Mississippi Delta to Dubai.
The flight included a stop in Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and a nonstop leg of nearly 3,500 miles from Ramstein to Dubai.
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Lockheed Martin's THAAD Missile Successful in Developmental Flight Test
Lockheed Martin successfully conducted a developmental flight test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile at White Sands Missile Range yesterday.
Test was designed to evaluate the missile during fly-out, as well as demonstrate and collect data on missile control. No target was involved in the test.
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ANNUALEX ’05 Comes to a Successful Conclusion
The USS Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group has concluded a joint exercise between the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
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Bell selling stake in helicopter program to partner
Bell is selling its remaining 25 percent interest in the AB139 medium twin helicopter program to AgustaWestland.
The US139 is being offered to the U.S. Army for its utility helicopter program.
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AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin Makes Its First Appearance at Dubai Airshow
The AgustaWestland EH101 helicopter is making its first public appearance in the Dubai Airshow.
The EH101 Merlin HC Mk3 on display, is operated by 28 (AC) Squadron of the RAF.
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Raytheon's CLAWS Scores Direct Hits During Successful Operational Test
Raytheon's Complementary Low Altitude Weapon System (CLAWS) has completed a successful operational test at White Sands Missile Range.
CLAWS uses the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle as its platform and the AIM-120 AMRAAM as its interceptor.
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Denel UAV on first overseas visit
Denel unveiled its Bateleur medium-altitude long-endurance UAV abroad for the first time at Dubai.
A scale model of the Bateleur is on show at the airshow. It is being developed to meet South African Navy and South African Air Force's Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) requirement.
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MND denies chopper deal
Taiwan officials and defense industry insiders denied a report in a Chinese-language newspaper that Taiwan has decided to purchase 72 AH-64D from Boeing.
Industry insiders however confirmed that Bell will supply Taiwan with the AH-1Z King Cobra attack helicopter.
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US planes to carry nukes during NT exercises: ex-officer
Dr Doug Rokke, former head of the U.S. Army's depleted uranium project, says nuclear weapons will be carried by USAF bombers over northern Australia during bombing exercises.
Officials say that no nuclear devices or depleted uranium will be used.
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T-50 makes its international aerial debut at Dubai Air Show
The T-50 Golden Eagle has made its international aerial debut at the Dubai Air Show.
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2 sentenced in case tied to India's nuclear missiles
Two Americans were sentenced to one year of home detention and three years' probation for illegally selling India technology that made its nuclear missiles more accurate.
They sold a control panel made by their firm to the Defense Research Development Laboratory in India. The control panel would help operate a isostatic press to produce carbon-carbon.
Carbon-carbon is used on missile nosetips, rocket nozzles, and reentry heatshields to help maneuver through the ultra-hot and turbulent atmosphere.
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MiG confident of win in Indian fighter contest
The MiG-29SMT that is flying everyday at the Dubai Air Show is wooing crowds with its vectored thrust capabilities.
The MiG-35 also features an all-axial deflected vectored thrust (DTV) engine for extreme manoeuvrability.
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Tuesday, November 22, 2005
US F-16 fighter jet makes emergency landing in Manila (12:22 p.m.)
A USAF F-16 fighter jet returning to Japan made an emergency landing at Manila airport this morning.
The jet was returning to Misawa after finishing a Commando Sling exercise in Singapore. There were two F-16s altogether and the other jet also landed in Manila.
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Gerry's Air Show pics for 2005
A few new photos from Gerry in the gallery.
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Greece reports tough talk with LM
Greek Defense Ministry has been taken aback by the price set by Lockheed Martin for the F-16 Block 52+ multi-role fighter.
They said the price for the aircraft was far higher than estimated by the government.
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DA opposes air-force training deal with Zim
South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance party has urged the government not to use Zimbabwean flying instructors to train South African Air Force pilots.
The opposition is concern that taxpayer's money will be used to train the Zimbabwean instructors on South Africa's aircraft.
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FCA contest heats up
China's Xian MA-60, a Chinese version of the Antonov An-24, and the An-24 have been identified as potential competitors for the U.S. Army’s Future Cargo Aircraft.
Boeing is seeking to be the final assembly partner.
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Russian warhead alters course midflight in test
Russia recently conducted a flight test of a new warhead that can maneuver in midflight.
Moscow is testing the new warhead to defeat the new U.S. missile-defense system of interceptors deployed in Alaska and California.
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Saab flies SAAF Gripen and Filur UAV
Saab announce at the Dubai air show of the first flight of its Filur unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator in Sweden last month.
The flight lasts 10 mins at Sweden’s Vidsel test range on 10 October.
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MiG to Export $300M by Year-End
RAC MiG will have delivered 20 MiG-29 SMT fighter jets and upgrades to various countries and have repaired 13 more fighters by year end.
The company also expects to sign contracts to sell 120 fighter jets and upgrades to five countries next year.
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US Navy to issue new tender for supersonic target
The U.S. Navy is studying the possibility of combining a SM-2 or MIM-23B Hawk missile with a BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile to simulate a newly deployed Russian supersonic sea-skimming missile.
NPO Mashinostroyenhe’s P-900 “Alfa” missile flies as a subsonic cruise missile, but at a distance of 20km from its intended target, the front end of the cruise missile separates and begins a supersonic, sea-skimming dash.
The USN's current inventory of aerial targets has no way of allowing the navy to test how its shipborne anti-missile defences would cope against the system.
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U.S. Completes Withdrawal From Uzbek Base
The U.S. military flew its last plane Monday out of an air base in Uzbekistan. The C-17 departed with 90 personnel on board.
Washington was evicted from the air base after it joined international condemnation of a bloody government crackdown.
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Rafael unveils new mini-UAV
Rafael is demonstrating its new tactical mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), intended for use by the IDF.
The new mini-UAV is a member of the SkyLite family of UAVs for tactical intelligence for field units and special forces.
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Tracking Noshir Gowadia’s Military Technology Expertise
INDOLink tracked Noshir Sheriarji Gowadia's, accused of selling B-2 secrets, conference papers and other published studies through the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics database to determine his military expertise.
One 2004 article in Jane's International Defense Review identified Gowadia as developing a system that would make aircraft "virtually invulnerable to attack" from infrared-guided air defense systems.
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Air force opens bidding war for combat tanker
The following aircraft are competing in the U.S. Air Force Special Operations requirement for more than 30 dual-role small tankers and airborne mission command aircraft.
Alenia/L-3 Communications joint venture Global Military Aircraft Systems (GMAS), which is offering the C-27J. EADS may offer Casa’s C-295.
Airbus Military’s A400M is another potential candidate and Lockheed will enter the competition with the short-fuselage version of its KC-130J.
Northrop Grumman may team with Bell Boeing to offer the V-22.
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Retiree heads opposition to US nuclear carrier
Manabu Hattori, a 79 year old retiree, stands almost every night on the street with a petition hanging from his shoulders to gather signatures. He does not want his hometown, Yokosuka, to host a U.S. nuclear carrier.
Hattori and his civil group have gathered more than 450,000 petition signatures from around Japan, even though Yokosuka's population is 430,000.
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Elop delay threatens Turkish sensor contract
Turkey threaten to revoke the contract with Elop over the delayed availability of its long-range oblique photography (LOROP) system.
The system had been intended to equip the Turkish air force’s RF-4E and some of its F-16s.
The LOROP uses a modified 1,140 litre (300USgal) external fuel tank.
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MiG-29SMT demonstrates hi-tech capabilities
The MiG-29SMT being shown in Dubai features the new Zhuk-ME multimode radar and open architecture of avionics based on MIL-STD-1553B bus military standards.
It also features in-flight refuelling and has a longer range. The internal fuel capacity has been increased by 950 litres through an addition of a strap-on tank behind the cockpit. The capacity of the external fuel tank has also increased up to 2,000 litres.
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Taipei stalls on P-3 buy
Taiwan has again delayed its planned purchase of 12 ex-US Navy P-3Cs and three Patriot PAC-3 air-defence missile systems.
The move has frustrated Washington and officials are threatening not to approve other items until the matter is resolved.
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Lockheed Martin Awarded Nearly $15 Million for U.S. Marine Corps Missile Defense Radar Upgrades
Lockheed Martin is awarded a $14.9 million USMC contract to provide post-production support for its AN/TPS-59(V)3 mobile long range air defense radars.
Sixteen AN/TPS-59(V)3 radars are in service with the USMC.
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Taiwan air force selects S-92 for search and rescue role
ROCAF has selected Sikorsky to deliver three search and rescue (SAR)-configured S-92s from 2007.
The contract will be sign next year if it can convince the cabinet to include the purchase in its 2006 budget.
The S-92 will also compete with Eurocopter’s EC225 in Japan for SAR role.
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Saab first to sign for Dubai 2007
Saab AB has become the first company to sign up for Dubai 2007. The show will be held from Nov. 11-15, 2007.
Dubai 2007 will be the third time Saab is taking part in the show.
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Cope India was a great learning experience: Air Chief
India's Chief of the Air Staff said the recent Cope India 06 was a 'great learning experience' for the air force.
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President presents Colours & Presidential Standard to IAM & ASTE
India's President honoured two Indian Air Force formations with the presentation of the Presidential standard to the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) and Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM).
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Monday, November 21, 2005
UAE’s new F-16s to get weapon systems upgrade
UAE's brand new F-16E/Fs will be upgraded from Standard 1 to Standard 2 just six months into service.
Standard 2 adds capability, including the forward-looking infrared and targeting system, integrated electronic warfare system, additional modes for the APG-80 active array radar and automated modes for the digital flight control system.
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Streamlined military purchase to go ahead
Canada will announce Tuesday that its buying 16 C-130Js. The C-130 purchase was originally part of a bigger package that includes Chinooks.
The cabinet put off the decision due to election concerns.
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Pacific's all-time air warriors fly again - this time, in peace
The only Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero still flying and a Grumman F6F Hellcat will fly together again over Palm Springs Saturday.
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Airod waits in wings for Malaysian order
Malaysian maintenance company Airod hopes to benefit from an expected year-end decision by the Malaysian government to order up to eight Airbus Military A400M transports.
Malaysia is expected to announce orders for four A400Ms and take four options for delivery from 2012 at the Langkawi air show.
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Alcatel plots £5bn takeover of Thales
French telecoms-equipment group, Alcatel, wants to buy French defence group Thales for £5 billion.
Alcatel already holds 9.5% of Thales, making it the second-largest shareholder.
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New CEO Tries to Get Denel Back on Track; Seeks International Stakeholders
South African defence contractor Denel said the government has provided nearly R 680 million in funding to see the Rooivalk attack helicopter programme through to completion.
The money will allow finishing the development of the Mokopa anti-tank missile. This allows the Rooivalk to enter the Turkish attack helicopter bid.
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Army mechanics doing double time
Conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are creating boom times for the biggest helicopter hospital in the world.
The U.S. Army's Corpus Christi Depot has about 3,500 workers working to get the helicopters back in action.
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Navy will examine US offer
The India Navy will study Washington's offer of 8 P-3Cs for its long term maritime patrol requirement.
Although the P-3C is a top contender, the Navy is looking at other alternatives like the Russian IL-38s to the Boeing P-8A.
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Nineteen (19) UAV Types Currently Operating in Iraq
General Ron Fogleman (Ret'd), former USAF chief of staff, said there are 19 different UAV types operating in Iraq.
He said that early in the operation, the UAVs were treated as 'trucks' with disastrous results.
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Eurofighter Typhoon racks up operational milestones
The Italian Air Force is expected to be the first to deploy the Eurofighter operationally early next year.
The fighter will be deployed as Quick Reaction Aircraft.
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Triple Gripen line-up set to wow Dubai
The Saab Gripen will make its flying debut at Dubai with a breathtaking three-aircraft display.
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Kitty Hawk Makes History During 3M Assessment
USS Kitty Hawk made history recently by becoming the first aircraft carrier ever to complete the maintenance and material management (3M) assessment without a single department receiving an unsatisfactory grade.
The assessment, conducted by a team from Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF), evaluated Kitty Hawk’s 3M program in several areas.
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U.S. Navy's Super Hornet Program Proposes Buying More Jets
Remember the Fighter Jet conference that was promoted here recently. The conference ended last week and this news was announced at the event.
The U.S. Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet program is proposing to buy another 20 to 24 fighters.
Capt. James Wallace, the USN's F/A-18 international programs manager, added that one unnamed country had recently signed a "letter of intent," signaling it is "very interested" in buying the aircraft.
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Northrop Grumman's Hawkeye Aircraft Leads Rescue Efforts After Hurricane Katrina
Six E-2C Hawkeye from one Navy reserve and two Navy squadrons help coordinated the rescue effort after Hurricane Katrina struck.
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Sunday, November 20, 2005
Singapore's Top Gun
I came across this article this morning in the local newspaper. The article requires subscription but I'll post some details about it.
Last month, Aviation Week ran an article on Red Flag and inside the article it mention an engagement where an RSAF F-16 pilot saved an EA-6B Prowler by shooting down a simulated MiG that slipped through a blockade of F-15 Eagles.
The pilot is Major Ong Swee Chuan, call sign 'Sushi.' He has more than 1,300 hours in the F-16 and in the half-yearly Top Gun competition at Luke AFB, he topped three of the five categories.
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Air Force version of F-35 may be eliminated (Free Registration)
Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of Lexington Institute, says Defense Undersecretary Gordon England wants to stop development of the
F-35A and make the USAF buy the F-35C.
But some observers say that strategy would not save much money and would undermine Lockheed Martin's plans to sell large numbers of the F-35 to foreign nations.
The F-35A would be the highest-performance and least-expensive version of the three and is the one likely to be purchased by most foreign buyers.
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C-130 flight `not just for Monthathip'
The Thai Air Force admitted that one of its C-130 aircraft was used to fly friends of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's sister, Monthathip Komutcharoenkulm to attend her birthday in Chiang Mai.
ACM Sukampol Suwannathat, the air force chief-of-staff, admitted that he approve the flight but insisted he had no idea that Ms Monthathip was also planning to celebrate her birthday on Nov 14.
He said the flight was carrying out a routine air force mail delivery round and the guests were accommodated on that flight.
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Records for nuclear missile parts allegedly falsified
The owners and an employee of a now-defunct Florida company have been charged with falsifying test records for metal that was to be made into nuclear missile components.
The company won a contract in 2003 to supply metal that was to be used for a cylinder housing a system "designed to prevent inadvertent nuclear detonations."
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MoD pays £5m to family of banker over fatal air crash
An investment banker who died in an accident involving an RAF Sea King helicopter have been awarded £5 million.
He was flying a Cessna with his wife and children when it crashed at St Mawgan RAF base, near Newquay, Cornwall, in June 2001.
The family sued the Ministry of Defence, claiming that the crash was caused by an RAF Sea King helicopter manoeuvring too close to the runway.
The MoD denied blame for the accident but agreed to pay £5 million to settle the case.
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Commando Sling wraps up
F-16s from the USAF 14th Fighter Squadron at Misawa Air Base, Japan has completed a Commando Sling exercise with the RSAF recently.
Commando Sling is a agreement that allows for an almost continuous deployment of U.S. fighter aircraft and the permanent presence of U.S. forces in Singapore.
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Cambodia destroys anti-aircraft missiles
The United States has praised Cambodia for destroying two SA-3 missiles.
The joint effort between the two countries will ensure that the missiles do not end up in the hands of terrorists.
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Never too old for the ‘Top Gun’ fantasy
Stars and Stripes reporter Scott Schonauer took a ride in an F-16 Oct. 12 from Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany.
The F-16 is from the 23rd Fighter Squadron, 52nd Fighter Wing.
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Last U.S. Navy Sea King Helicopter Delivered
The U.S. Navy took delivery of its last Sea King helicopter recently. It went thru extensive maintenance and upgrade program to gain an additional 2,000 hours of life.
The helicopter will be based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River for search and rescue duty.
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Saturday, November 19, 2005
Eurofighter Typhoon Achieves First 5,000 Hours in Operational Flying
The Eurofighter fleet in the four Partner Air Forces has surpassed the 5,000 flying hour mark early November 2005.
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Mayday . . . farmers at ten o'clock
U.K.'s
Apache helicopter training is being disrupted by a group of farmers unhappy at low-flying night exercises.
The farmers shone torches at the helicopters conducting operations with night-vision goggles.
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Czech Republic wants anti-missile shield
Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda said yesterday that while his country is not discussing participation in the proposed U.S. anti-missile defence, they want to participate if asked.
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Boeing touts new tanker’s communications capability
Boeing said in a news briefing that its 767 tanker will have Link-16 capabilities.
Tankers equipped with Link-16 devices will be able to set a course for rendezvous with aircraft which need fuel on their own.
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US to drop bombs on NT
USAF
bombers flying from Guam will be able to drop live bombs on an Australian training range in the Northern Territory next year.
The Darwin RAAF base would also be available for the bombers to land and refuel if necessary.
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Emergency landing for RAAF plane in NZ
A Royal Australian Air Force
C-130 made an emergency landing at Christchurch Airport on Friday.
Smoke was seen from the plane as it circled above the airport before landing at about 7.30pm local time.
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Pak a primary threat to India: Air Chief Marshal
Chief of Indian Air Force says that inspite of the confidence-building measures, Pakistan remain a primary threat to India.
He also gave his views on the threat from China.
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GW to call Japan home
USS George Washington will replace USS Kitty Hawk in Japan when the latter retires in 2008.
The official announcement from the U.S. Navy is expected in the next few weeks.
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Gov't says talks for F-16 deal near completion
Athens will conclude the sale of
F-16s with Washington in "a few days."
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Alleged spy wanted $3m from ADF
Noshir Gowadia, the former
B-2 engineer charged with selling secrets, tried to sell top-secret infra-red suppression technology to Australia.
He sought $3 million from Australian Defence officials for technology to protect RAAF aircraft.
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Friday, November 18, 2005
Four teams in bid for Army chopper deal
The US139, the UH 145, the MD Explorer and the Bell 412 EP are vying to be the next U.S. Army light utility helicopter.
The Army has a requirement of 320 helicopters.
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EDO to Provide ESM System for Korean P-3 Program
EDO Corporation will provide its ALR-95 tactical radar Electronic Support Measures (ESM) and surveillance system for eight P-3 aircraft being procured by the Republic of Korea Navy.
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Pentagon pays Uzbekistan for use of air base
The Pentagon, despite objections in Congress, said on Wednesday it had paid Uzbekistan nearly $23 million for use of an air base.
The Senate voted last month to delay the payment for a year. The money covers use of the base from January 2003 through this past March.
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Two Russian missile brigades to receive new complexes in 2007
The Russian Army will be equipped two missile brigades with new SS-26 Iskander missiles in 2007.
The 92nd and the 107th missile brigade of the Far Eastern military district will be the first.
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Ottawa delays purchase of military aircraft
The Canadian government has delayed a $12-billion purchase of military aircraft until after the next election.
Defence Minister Bill Graham said, "We don't make major procurements during elections."
The government is worried that buying foreign aircraft instead of locally produced ones could alienate voters.
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Latest generation Gripen arrives in Dubai
A JAS-39 Gripen C and a D has arrived in Dubai for the Dubai Air Show.
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Helicopter and Japanese military plane nearly collide; authorities investigating
A YS-11TA transporter from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces nearly collided with a helicopter in southern Japan on Wednesday morning.
Both aircraft was only 30ft apart at one point.
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Shortfalls of Special Operations Command Are Cited
Michael Vickers, a defense analyst and former Army Special Forces officer, said the the U.S. Special Operations Command has a capability shortfall to conduct secret air operations over countries with increasingly advanced air defenses.
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Queen's farewell to RAF station
Britain's Queen Elizabeth visited the only remaining operational Battle of Britain airfield for the last time on Thursday to marked its 65th anniversary.
RAF Coltishall opened two weeks before the Battle of Britain and is now home to No 41 (Fighter) Squadron and No 6 Squadron.
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Controlling Iraq’s Crowded Airspace No Easy Task
The U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps operate than 1,000 UAVs and countless helicopters in Iraq. This forced the Army to create a specialized cadre of air-traffic controllers whose job is to prevent collisions between friendly aircraft.
Most fly at low altitudes, below 3,000 feet. USAF traditionally control aircraft flying above 10,000 to 15,000 feet. The Army feels it need to have develop its own expertise as its aircraft are flying at lower altitudes.
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IAF show leaves US forces spellbound
At Cope India 2006, the two sides flew a rare high value airborne asset (HVAA) attack simulation.
In the mission, the USAF’s E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft was escorted by F-16s and Su-30s in a scenario where the AWACS was attacked by a hybrid mix of F-16s, Mirage-2000s and Su-30s.
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US considers Polish missile base
Washington is talking to Poland and other countries over the possibility of setting up a European base to intercept long-range missiles.
An unnamed Pentagon official said the talks had been going on since 2002 and the base would help protect the U.S. and Europe from missiles fired from the Middle East or North Africa.
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US pilots get 'surprises' from India's ageing MiG-21s
USAF F-16 pilots were in for a few "surprises" when they squared off with their Indian counterparts in the MiG-21.
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Modified AWACS for India by 2007
India's Il-76 based AWACS will be delivered in 2007.
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Mukherjee invites RAC MiG to present concept of fifth-gen plane
More information on India's joint development of a fifth-generation fighter with Russia.
Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee has invited MiG to present its concept of fifth generation fighter to the Indian Air Force.
The Russian Air Force had choosen Sukhoi as the designer of the fifth generation fighter aircraft and the design has already been presented to India.
However, India seems to be in favour of a lighter aircraft.
Labels: Russian 5th-generation fighter
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Basing decisions for Joint Combat Aircraft and Nimrod
U.K. Minister for the Armed forces Adam Ingram announced that the F-35 will be based at RAF Lossiemouth and the Nimrod MRA4 will be based at RAF Kinloss when both enter service.
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Sea-Based Missile Defense “Hit To Kill” Intercept Achieved (PDF)
The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system successfully completed an interception off the coast of Hawaii Nov. 17.
The test involved for the first time a “separating” target, meaning that the target warhead separated from its booster rocket.
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EA-18G: "Growler"
The U.S. Air Force Headquarters Materiel Command has officially designated the EA-18G with the popular name "Growler."
The first two Growlers, EA-1 and EA-2, are scheduled to begin testing in September and November 2006.
Labels: EA-18G
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Northrop Grumman Passes Final Design Review for Advanced Hawkeye Aircraft
Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy have successfully completed the critical design review of the E-2D Advance Hawkeye aircraft.
The Navy's current plan is to buy 75 E-2D.
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Northrop Grumman Completes Successful First Flight Tests of Distributed Aperture System Sensors for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
Northrop Grumman has begun initial flight testing of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System (EO DAS) sensors.
Flown on a BAC 1-11. The six electro-optical sensors will warn the pilot of incoming aircraft and missile threats, providing day/night vision and supporting the navigation function of the F-35's forward-looking infrared sensor.
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Thursday, November 17, 2005
Italy Joins ATK and the U.S. Navy in the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile Development Program
Italy will take part in the joint development of the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM).
AARGM is the follow-on to the High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM). The Italian Government will provide approximately $20 million of developmental funding.
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Bid to Save C-17 Line Gets Another Boost (Free Registration)
The U.S. Defense Science Board wants the U.S. Air Force to have the option to buy more C-17s to meet its increased global requirements.
The board, composed of scientists and retired military officials, pointed to the March 2003 airdrop of 1,000 paratroopers and the delivery of their equipment and supplies into northern Iraq. That mission took 32 C-17s, or 40% of the fleet at the time, 20 days to accomplish.
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L-3 Communications Display Systems Awarded Panoramic Cockpit Display Contract for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
L-3 Communications has been awarded a System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract from Lockheed Martin to provide the Panoramic Cockpit Display (PCD) subsystem for the F-35.
L-3 Display Systems will design, qualify and manufacture the high-resolution, high-brightness, night vision-compatible 20"x 8" active matrix liquid crystal display and a highly redundant display management computer.
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Air Force chief to introduce T-50 at Dubai Air Show
Lt. Gen. Kim Sung-il, chief of the South Korean Air Force, will introduce the T-50 at the Dubai Air Show.
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Army, IAF plan "Exercise Desert Strike"
The Indian Air Force and Army will conduct a joint exercise on Nov. 18.
The Su-30 is not taking part in the exercise.
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Pentagon weighs cuts in F-35 program (Free Registration)
Tom Burbage, Lockheed's executive vice president and general manager of the F-35 program, is concerned that Pentagon may cut the number of F-35s it wants.
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Govt probes defence staffer's 'spy link'
The B-2 spy probe has taken a new twist, an Australian Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) officer is under investigation for links with the U.S. engineer charged with
selling B-2 secrets.
Noshir Gowadia and Arthur Lazarou are listed as joint directors and shareholders in the Canberra-based company N-Tech Australia Pty Ltd.
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Deal on with Russia to help India develop nuclear submarine: Pranab
Russia will help India develop its Air Defence Ship and India would also take part in the development and financing of a fifth generation fighter with Russia.
Russia also agreed to provide India access to the Russian Glonass global navigational satellite system for military application.
Labels: Russian 5th-generation fighter
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C-5 upgrades a bit more clear for Robins visionaries
The decision to upgrade all 112 USAF C-5s will be determined by a number of factors.
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Russia, India to build new multi-purpose transport plane
India and Russia have agreed to joint produce a new multi-purpose transport plane.
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Russians to roll out cutting edge defence technology at Dubai 2005
The Russians will bring their MiG-29SMT and SU-30MKI to the Dubai air show next week.
Two MiG-29SMTs will be at the show and one will take part in the daily flying display.
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Cope India ’06: Fast-paced and full of firsts
By the time Cope India 06 concludes Saturday, Misawa’s F-16 pilots expect to log close to 150 training missions with the Indian Air Force.
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Air Force fighters strike insurgents
U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles, F-16 Fighting Falcons and MQ-1 Predators flew air strikes against anti-Iraqi forces near the Iraq-Syria border in support of Operation Steel Curtain.
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B-52 simulator plays big role in exercise
A B-52 Stratofortress simulator is allowing 11th Bomb Squadron students to train via network in the live fire portion of exercise Air Warrior II.
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Russia proposes to modernize Indian warplanes
MiG has proposed to upgrade India's MiG-29 and MiG-27 fleet. The plan is to modernise all 70 of the Fulcrums.
A modernised MiG-27 will make its first flight next year and demonstrate to the Indians.
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Danish National Armament Director flight-tested the Eurofighter
Major General Klaus L. Axelsen, Chief of the Royal Danish Air Force Air Materiel Command (AMC), and National Armament Director, flew the Eurofighter for one hour and 15 minutes recently.
He had control throughtout the mission including the landing and used the onboard Infra Red Search and Track system as well.
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VAW-123’s New Propellers Take Flight Aboard Enterprise
VAW-123 is very happy with the new NP2000 eight-bladed propellers that replaced their old four-bladed propellers.
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Learning from each other
Pilots and airmen from the USAF are impressed by the technical skills of their Indian Air Force counterparts.
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Denel investigates fault in unmanned-craft flight
A Seeker UAV from Denel Aerospace Systems had to make an emergency landing in a nature reserve.
The aircraft partially lost engine power 2.5 hours into its flight.
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RAF Trails success for Brimstone
The RAF has concluded a series of highly successful firing trials of MBDA’s Brimstone air-launched anti-armour weapon at the China Lake test firing range in California.
A total of 31 Brimstone missiles were fired during nine firing trials.
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SSM once again puts off attack helicopter deadline
Turkey has push back the deadline for purchase and co-production of attack helicopters from Nov. 8 to Dec. 5.
The requirement for a local designed mission computer has put off the U.S. manufacturers and Turkey is worried that non-U.S. suppliers will jack up the prices.
Labels: Turkey Attack Helicopter
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Wednesday, November 16, 2005
No place to hide
This is a flight test report of Seabird Aviation Jordan’s SB7L-360A Seeker short-take off and landing (STOL) aircraft currently in service with Iraq.
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Nimrod set to suffer further delay
The decision to start production of Royal Air Force’s Nimrod MRA4 will be delayed until next year.
BAE had hope to secure the go ahead last month after successful flight tests of three prototypes.
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Netherlands counts cost of helicopter setbacks
The Royal Netherlands Navy is to extend operations of its Westland Lynx helicopters due to the lack of a NH90 simulator to train the pilots.
It is now looking into the possiblity of buying their own simulator.
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Vet-snub answer doesn't fly
Canadian Veterans, including former CF-18 pilots, are unhappy over the excuse given for the cancellation of the Missing Man formation by four CF-18s on Remembrance Day.
The official version is that snowy conditions at Canadian Forces Base Bagotville prevented the jets from taking off.
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Russia Delivers $30M of Arms to Afghanistan
Russia has delivered two Mi-24 helicopters to Afghanistan with two more Mi-24 helicopters and two L-39s to be delivered shortly.
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UAE looks to develop its own UAVs
United Arab Emirates wants to select a foreign partner to help it develop its own medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) and tactical unmanned air vehicles.
The country has decided not to seek a partner from U.S. as it feels the country is sensitive about UAV technology.
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The Italian job
Italian aerospace and defence company Finmeccanica is strengthening itself to take on U.K. rival BAE Systems in Britain and United States.
Finmeccanica has publicly stated that it wants to manufacture the F-35 for all mainland European countries wishing to buy it.
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Raytheon Receives $1.3 Billion Contract Modification for JLENS Development
Raytheon has received a $1.3 billion contract modification from the U.S. Army for
system development and demonstration of the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS).
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Off the Ground
Fight International highlights the difficulty of rebuilding the Iraqi Air Force from scratch after two Gulf Wars.
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Raytheon trials new concept for co-ordinating weapon attacks
Raytheon is pitching a new approach to shift the terminal control of a bomb or missile to a ground commander.
This will relief the burden of the aircrew from identifying the target and guiding the weapon.
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France will buy 5-7 amphibian Be-200 aircraft from Russia - Naryshkin
France will buy 5-7 Russian-made Be-200 amphibian aircraft. France has also proposed improving the maneuvering capability of the aircraft.
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Embraer's spy plane plans on hold
Embraer may have to wait until Dec. 14 to find out if its still in the Aerial Common Sensor program.
Lockheed Martin presented three plans to the U.S. Army and one of the option is to replace the aircraft with Bombardier's Global Express.
Labels: ACS
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Saab venture to flight-test missile decoy system
Saab Avitronics, a Swedish-South African aerospace company, plans to introduce a missile-defence system for civil aircraft that does not lasers or pyrotechnic flares.
The MAW-300 is combined with an electromechanical dispenser which ejects a decoy material that burst open and burns undetectably at the visible spectrum.
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Tories attack ‘incompetence’ over aircraft carriers delay
The U.K. opposition attacked the government over delays in building the new Royal Navy aircraft carriers.
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BAE Systems set to win major role in MoD aircraft carrier contract
BAE Systems is set to emerge as the biggest winner to build two aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy.
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Lockheed Martin Gets $2.9B Air Force Pact
Lockheed Martin has received a two-year, $2.9 billion contract from the U.S. Air Force to build 24 F/A-22s.
This will bring the total number of contracted aircraft to 107.
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Raytheon details AESA radar flight test plan
Raytheon plans to start production of its APG-63(V)3 AESA radar by the end of next year for the US Air National Guard (ANG) and Singapore.
An F-15E will begin testing the (V)3 at Eglin AFB, Florida for three months starting in mid-2006.
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French air force ponders Mirage replacement
The French air force is starting work on replacing its Mirage 2000 fleet in 2020.
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Lockheed Martin to lay off 300 employees
Lockheed Martin plans to lay off 300 employees from its F-16 workforce in January.
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First Polish pilot complets F-16 training
Colonel Rościsław Stepaniuk became the first Polish pilot to qualify on the F-16.
He is among thirteen Polish pilots currently in the U.S. for training. A totol of 48 pilots will be trained.
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South Korea reveals UAV development project
Korean Air (KAL) has begun developing a small, close-range unmanned air vehicle and expects to begin flight tests by August 2007.
The pusher prop will have a range of 40km and a 4,900ft operating altitude.
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Tuesday, November 15, 2005
747-8
A classic is given a new life today. Boeing has launched the 747-8 which features a new wing, engines from the 787 and a new flight deck.
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South African Gripen makes its maiden flight
The first South African dual seat Gripen made its maiden flight in Sweden on Friday Nov. 11.
The flight lasted 1 hr 10 min with South African test pilot Charl Coetzee and Saab test pilot Magnus Olsson at the controls.
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EU to build network of spy satellites
The European Union is building its own network of spy satellites to boost its "internal security".
The move is part of EU's first steps towards becoming a military power.
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Cambodia to destroy 36 surface-to-air missiles
Cambodia is destroying 36 surface-to-air missiles discovered recently at a military base.
Cambodia destroyed 233 similar shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles last year.
This is to prevent them from being smuggled abroad.
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Lockheed Martin said to recommend switch to Bombardier for Aerial Common Sensor
Lockheed Martin will recommend to the U.S. Army that it switch to Bombardier's Global Express as the platform for the troubled Aerial Common Sensor program.
The U.S. Army had earlier requested information on the Sentinel R1 from U.K. Ministry of Defence and Raytheon.
Labels: ACS
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U.S., Indian controllers on scope
USAF AWACS controllers have to use an Indian air force radar and tracking systems after their E-3 was forced to return to Kadena, Japan for repairs.
Looks like the F-16s are being outnumbered this time again.
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'Radar Village' to help showcase prowess
At Lima 05, an exhibit will feature radars used by the Malaysian Armed Forces as well as those used by other countries.
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Lockheed Martin Optimistic on Orders
Lockheed Martin Corp. is optimistic that its F-16 will win an order for more than 120 new combat aircraft from the Indian Air Force.
Vice President Orville Prins said the company is looking to collaborate with India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. on the development and co-production of the jets.
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APEC leaders to arrive through security-tightened Gimhae Airbase
South Korean F-16s will patrol the skies around Gimhae Airbase near Busan as world leaders attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation arrive.
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TR-based Aircraft Continue Support of Operation Steel Curtain
Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 stationed aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) continued support of Operation Steel Curtain (OSC) throughout the second week of November.
F-14 Tomcats assigned to VF-213 and VF-31, along with F/A-18s assigned to VFA-15, have conducted several strikes on locations in Iraq.
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GMAS to Offer C-27J to U.S. Air Force for Combat Rescue Tanker
Global Military Aircraft Systems (GMAS) announced that it will propose the C-27J Spartan to the U.S. Air Force as a possibility for the Combat Rescue Tanker.
GMAS is a joint venture of L-3 Communications subsidiary, Integrated Systems and Alenia North America, Inc. (a Finmeccanica Company).
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IAF to receive first batch of AJT by March 2007
The Indian Air Force will get its first batch of BAe Hawk AJT by March 2007.
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Bird hit caused last month's MiG-21 crash, says AOC-in-C
An Indian Air Force MiG-21 crash near Bangalore Airport
last month was due to a bird strike.
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PAC-3 Interceptors Missed Target In Latest Test, U.S. Army Says
The U.S. Army is investigating why the latest test of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile system apparently failed to achieve an intercept.
The test occured on Nov. 11 at White Sands Missile Range and involved a newer version of the PAC-3 missile.
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Finland - AIM-9X SIDEWINDER Missiles (PDF)
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Finland of up to 150 AIM-9X Sidewinder Missiles.
The Finland government also requested 11 AIM-9X Dummy Air Training Missiles and 40 AIM-9X Captive Air Training Missiles.
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India – Logistic Support for P-3C Aircraft (PDF)
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to India of logistics support for two leased P-3C aircraft.
The two leased P-3 aircraft will replace two existing Indian Navy patrol aircraft, Soviet built IL-38 May aircraft.
There has been talks of P-3s going to India for some time already.
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Russia space boss charged with spying for China
The head of a Russian rocket and space technology company has been arrested by Russian authorities on espionage charges and accused of delivering sensitive technology to China.
Igor Reshetin, director of TsNIIMASH-Export, is charged with the illegal transfer of state-controlled technology to a Chinese company.
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Boeing’s Missile Defense Systems’ Sea-Based X-Band Radar Begins Transport Operation through the Straits of Magellan
The Boeing Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX) will begin its move from the Gulf of Mexico via the Straits of Magellan to Alaska.
The final destination for the SBX is Adak, Alaska, a small island located in the Aleutian Island chain.
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Monday, November 14, 2005
U.S. FORCES' REALIGNMENT--Entering a new phase / Joint ops essential foralliance
Japan's FPS-XX radar will be deployed at four sites across the country by 2008 and will be integrated with U.S.'s X-band radar as part of Japan's missile shield.
A joint operations center will be setup at Yokota Air Base to manage the missile defense system.
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Bush May Stay in US Aircraft Carrier
U.S President George W. Bush may stay in the USS Kitty Hawk at the South Korean port of Pusan while he attend the APEC forum there.
USS Kitty Hawk is currently in South Korea for a joint military exercise training between South Korea and the U.S.
Bush had stayed in the USS Enterprise during a G-8 summit in Italy in 2001.
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On APEC's eve, North sends aircraft south
Two North Korean fighters entered South Korea's airspace on Nov. 11 at 1.11pm local time.
They retreated after South Korea's Air Force issued radio warnings.
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Lockheed favored in copter bid
Lockeed Martin and defense analysts are confident that the US101 will win the USAF combat search and rescue craft competition.
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Czech Gripens help Armenian cargo plane in difficulties
Two Czech Gripens help escort an Armenian A320 cargo plane out of its airspace after the latter had difficulties contacting air traffic control.
The A320 was not able to establish connection with the fighters 121.6 Mhz, thus the fighters started to fly over the Armenian plane and the pilot responded with a light signal.
The Gripens then accompanied the plane about 100 kilometres into Germany and before returning to Caslav air base.
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Good news for the C-17
The news to extend production of C-17s for four more years was not just good news to Boeing but also for Long Beach as well.
Thousands of businesses depend on Boeing C-17 employees, customers and suppliers for survival.
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China vetoes US missile initiative - official
China has vetoed a U.S. proposal asking members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group to assess the vulnerability of their airports to Man-Portable Air Defence Systems.
A Chinese official would only comment that its a very sensitive issue.
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Sunday, November 13, 2005
DOD Weapons Review Identifies 'Niche' Gaps
A Pentagon review proposed the development of a joint, dual-use weapon that could perform in both air-to-air and air-to-ground modes.
The conventional engagement capability road map currently focused on air-to-ground weapons. Future versions of the new road map will look at other capabilities, including air-to-air and ship-launched weapons.
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Navy pilots thank plant with tours of fighter jets
The U.S. Navy brought two F/A-18s to the Mercury Air Center to show workers of BAE Systems the aircraft they help develop.
BAE Systems builds the engine controls and flight controls for F/A-18.
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Lockheed Martin eyes new opportunities in Indian arms market
Lockheed Martin is offer other types of aircraft besides the F-16 as it eyes a bigger piece of the Indian market.
It plans to offer the C-130J, PAC-3 and MH-60 helicopter to the country.
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We serve to ensure these freedoms: USAF
The USAF is unfazed by the protests in India over its participation in exercises with the Indian Air Force.
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Japan to procure 124 Patriot missiles by 2010, building majority at home
Japan plans to have up to 124 PAC-3 missiles by 2010. The missiles will initially be supplied by United States before switching to those produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
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Saturday, November 12, 2005
Revolution or curiosity? UCAVs wait for a mission statement
Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles in development now lacks a clear mission statement for the future.
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Deal to Base Nuclear Carrier in Japan Could Impact Norfolk-based Fleet
The U.S. Navy will decide in two months time on the relocation of its carriers as two are being retired.
One interesting fact is that the USS Harry S. Truman will not go to Japan - as the former president ordered the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II.
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Military seeks $12.2B
A Canadian cabinet committee could approve a $12.2-billion purchase of new airplanes and helicopters on Monday.
16 C-130Js, 15 Chinooks and 15 C27Js are being considered.
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General issues call to action (Free Registration)
Lt.Gen. John G. Castellaw, deputy aviation commandant for the USMC, toured Bell Helicopter's V-22 Osprey plant Thursday.
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Lithuania considers dispute over Russian fighter settled
Lithuanian Foreign Minister said the diplomatic spat over the Russian Su-27 crash in his country in September is over.
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Kyrgyzstan not planning to host new Russian airbase
Kyrgyzstan has no plans to host a new Russian airbase in Osh according to Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Alikbek Dzhekshenkulov.
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Friday, November 11, 2005
EADS to supply digital map generators for Eurofighter and Tornado
EADS is to equip the Eurofighters of Germany, Great Britain, Spain, Italy and Austria as well as the Tornados of the German Armed Forces with a total of 364 Digital Map Generator systems (DMG).
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USS Ronald Reagan, Carrier Strike Group 7 Return from COMPTUEX
USS Ronald Reagan and Carrier Air Wing 14 returned home to San Diego Nov. 10 following completion of the ship’s initial Composite Training Unit Exercise.
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American, Indian Airmen ‘mix it up’
USAF pilots faced the SU-30 MKI for the first time on Nov. 9. Capt. Martin “Gabby” Mentch and 1st Lt. Robert “Pipes” Stimpson were the first to face the Russian fighter.
The F-16s will also face the SU-30K at Cope India 05.
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U.S. says Pakistan copter wasn't fired on
Rear Adm. Michael LeFever, commander of U.S. relief efforts in Pakistan, said a Chinook delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims in Pakistan apparently did not come under fire earlier this month as initially reported.
Explosions from a road-clearing work being done in the area may have been mistaken for an attack.
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Five Air Force colonels in Europe nominated for first star
This is the list of five U.S. Air Force colonels stationed in Europe have been nominated for Brigadier General.
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B-2 engineer asks for security clearance for lawyers
The family of Noshir Gowadia, who is accused of selling information about the B-2 stealth bomber he helped develop, is asking for security clearance for defense lawyers so they can prove his innocence.
They claimed that his arrest was the result of misunderstanding about his consulting work with other countries.
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Talent amendment keeps Boeing C-17 line open in St. Louis
An amendment to the defense authorization bill Thursday authorized the U.S. Air Force to purchase up to 42 new C-17s.
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2 charged with conspiracy to import Chinese missiles
Two men were indicted Nov. 9 in Los Angeles on charges of attempting to illegally import Chinese shoulder-fired missiles into the United States.
Both men were caught in a sting and were conspiring to import Chinese-made QW-2 anti-aircraft missiles and launchers.
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Rumor on Lincoln move is dismissed
Mayor of Everett dismissed reports that USS Abraham Lincoln will be the carrier to replace USS Kitty Hawk in Japan.
Japan Times said in a report Wednesday that since Abraham Lincoln is a favorite U.S. president among the Japanese, a ship by that name would be a candidate for relocation.
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Japanese mayor protests deployment of nuclear aircraft carrier
Mayor Ryoichi Kabaya of Yokosuka meet the U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thursday to protest plans to deploy a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier there.
The mayor told the ambassador the city cannot accept the plan because of residents’ concerns about the safety of nuclear power.
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Russian Defense Ministry slams Air Force over Lithuania crash
The Russian Defense Ministry cited serious flaws in the flight planning of the Su-27 that crash in Lithuania in September.
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov issued a warning to the commander and deputy commander of the 6th Air Army, which flew the plane.
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Pentagon cuts pose new threat to plan for British carriers
The Royal Navy would have to fit electro-magnetic catapults and arrestor gear on its new carriers if the F-35 is axed by Pentagon.
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Turkey eyes large Eurofighter order, says Finmeccanica
Italian aerospace firm Finmeccanica said Turkey is requesting information on buying more than 100 Eurofighter Typhoons.
Karlo Mancusi, Eurofighter program manager for Finmeccanica said Turkey was looking to buy "more than 100" jets.
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Nimrod finds missing yachts - Interview with the Nimrod Crew
Interview and photos of the Nimrod crew who were scrambled on Nov. 8 to provide long-range search and rescue cover for 2 capsized French yachts some 200 miles south-west of the Scillies.
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Boeing Small Diameter Bomb Enters Operational Testing
U.S. Air Force recently began operational testing of the Boeing Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) at Eglin Air Force Base.
Aircrews with combat experience will conduct the operational tests in scenarios that are as realistic as possible.
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Baltic states set up joint early warning center
Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia agreed on Wednesday to set up a joint early warning center to strengthen their ability to safeguard their airspace.
The move came after a Russian Su-27 crashed in Lithuania on Sept. 15.
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Robins' C-17 workload set to take off over next three years
Robins Air Force Base will see its maintenance work for the C-17 increase over the next three years.
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Lockheed Martin Awarded Secretary of Defense Performance Based Logistics Award for F-117 Aircraft
Lockheed Martin’s F-117 Team Nighthawk was selected as a winner of the first Performance Based Logistics (PBL) Award by the Pentagon.
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Lockheed Martin Wins $65 Million Paveway II Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb Contract
Lockheed Martin has been selected to develop, qualify and produce the Paveway II Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb (DMLGB) for the U.S. Navy.
The Navy’s inventory of legacy Paveway II kits will have its existing Computer Control Group (CCG) system replace with an Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System (INS/GPS) to provide an all-weather guidance system with dual-mode guidance capability.
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MBDA Breaks Into Infrared Seeker Market
The French DGA has accepted MADRID, MBDA’s strapdown infrared seeker model.
DGA awarded a contract to MBDA on 27th September 2002 for a low cost, anti-surface imaging infrared seeker model.
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Ex RAF Tucano T Mk 1's to be sold
The U.K. Ministry of Defence's Disposal Services Agency will put up a number of Ex-RAF Tucano T Mk 1 for sale next spring.
The difference between a Tucano T Mk 1 and the the Embraer Tucano is the use of a Garrett turboprop over the standard Pratt & Whitney engine.
For further information and expressions of interest contact Tina Randall at the DSA, tel, +44 (0) 207 305 3280, e-mail. dsaops1a1@deso.mod.uk
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Kalaikunda: IAF men display AWACS instinct
Indian Air Force pilots are looking forward to the Large Force Engagement (LFE) sorties to begin on November 12-13 during Cope India 05.
During this period both sides will make use of the USAF E-3 AWACS for battle information.
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World’s only restored WWII Halifax bomber unveiled in Trenton
A fully restored Halifax bomber was unveiled at RCAF Memorial Museum after 50 years at the bottom of Lake Mjosa in Norway.
More than 100 volunteers, many of whom actually flew the bomber during World War II, spent 10 years and 350,000 hours restoring it.
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Why News Late Today
Cos I went to watch this land for the first time in Asia.
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'Swordsmen' begin transition to Super Hornet
Lt. Ashley Augostini, PAO VF-32
The "Swordsmen" of VF-32 officially became VFA-32 and commenced their transition to the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet Tuesday, Nov. 1. Having flown the Tomcat for over 30 years, "Fighting 32" will follow in the footsteps of other east coast Tomcat squadrons and complete their transition at VFA-106, home of the "Gladiators." The Swordsmen are the final Northrop-Grumman F-14B upgrade squadron to transition.
The Swordsmen are excited to have the opportunity to complete their transition at their home base of NAS Oceana. VFA-32 Executive Officer Cmdr. Scott Butler explained, "We are really fortunate to be able to transition at home. Being able to train here obviously has a huge positive impact on the morale of the squadron, especially so soon after completing a deployment."
Most other squadrons have been required to move their entire commands to NAS Lemoore, Calif. during the transition, often immediately following a six month deployment.
The VFA-32 aircrew will receive intensive training in the classroom, in simulators, and flying VFA-106 aircraft while the maintenance crews will receive classroom training at the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit Oceana and hands-on training at VFA-106 and other Super Hornet squadrons. AO1 Chabonnie Alexander, VFA-32's Ordnance's LPO, is looking forward to the new jet because "it will give the shop more exposure to new weapon systems and advanced technology that wasn't available in the Tomcat."
Due to the foresight and excellent planning by the Assistant Maintenance Officer Lt. Vic Allende, the Swordsmen enter into this transition period well-prepared. Many Gypsy maintainers have already commenced their Super Hornet training and will be complete before the official transition.
No other squadron in naval aviation flew the Tomcat longer than VF-32. The squadron began flying the F-14A in 1974, transitioned to the F-14B in 1997, followed by the F-14B upgrade in 1998.
Fighting 32's most recent deployment aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) took them throught the Mediterranean and into the Northern Arabian Gulf, where they remained on station for four months. During their six-month deployment, they flew over 1,120 sorties totaling 3,300 hours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Gypsies flew 413 combat missions dropping 21 tons of ordnance allowing the first successful Democratic election in Iraq in over 50 years.
As they were the only Tomcat squadron in town at the time, the Swordsmen said their final good-byes in the venerable F-14B when they performed one last time at the NAS Oceana Air Show this past September. Executing a precision attack demonstration in front of thousands of supporters, the Gypsy aircrew and maintenance team upheld the highest standards of aviation excellence and performed flawlessly in front of the crowd, some of whom had come from as far as Japan to see the last Tomcat performance. The command's Maintenance Master Chief AFCM[AW] Russ Bargy, worked with the dedicated professionals of the Swordsmen maintenance work centers to provide the fans with flawlessly groomed jets for the show.
The end of an era came in early October for the Swordsmen. Upholding the time-honored tradition of displaying planes from naval aviation history, Fighting 32 delivered their last two Tomcats to aviation museums. On Oct. 4, Gypsy 115, crewed by Lt. Brian Hodges and Lt. Ashley Augostini, flew to the MAPS Air Museum in Canton, Ohio where it will be displayed next to an F-4 Phantom and a MiG-17 Fresco.
The following day, as maintainers and aircrew looked on, VFA-32 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Mike Wallace and Maintenance Officer Jeffery D'Alatri, departed Oceana flying Gypsy 101 to the Aviation Museum of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky. This departure marked the final Tomcat flight for the Swordsmen.
At the flight line in Kentucky, crowds of people waited in anticipation to greet the veteran plane. "You can't imagine how excited these people are to receive the Tomcat into their museum. You can see it by looking at their faces and you realized how honored they are," said D'Alatri. The two F-14B will remain on permanent loan from the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Fla. allowing present and past Swordsmen a place to visit their old jets.
Fighting 32 looks forward to the chance of tackling the challenges of the transition to the Super Hornet over the next several months. Since their inception, the Swordsmen have carried the fight to the enemy in seven consecutive decades. In every instance, they have responded with pride, professionalism and deadly accuracy. The Swordsmen have a proud tradition of service with honor, unrivaled spirit and unmatched dedication - a tradition that will continue in the new era of the Super Hornet.
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Thursday, November 10, 2005
Maintainers keeping F-16s soaring over India
Just three days into Cope India 05, the 12 USAF F-16s have flown 52 missions with no sortie cancellations due to maintenance.
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Boeing, U.S. Navy Team Conduct P-8A Preliminary Design Review
Boeing and the U.S. Navy held a successful P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program Preliminary Design Review last week in Seattle.
The team now must complete nine action items before the PDR can be considered officially "closed" or complete.
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BAE Systems Celebrates Delivery of 5,000th Laser Warning Sensor
BAE Systems celebrated the delivery of the 5,000th laser warning sensor as a part of the AN/AAR-47(V)2 Sensor Upgrade Production Program.
The sensors are installed on U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Army helicopters and transport aircraft.
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J-UCAS control changes hands
A US Air Force/Navy program office has taken over the leadership of the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems from DARPA.
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Mexican navy to get more muscle
The Mexican navy is considering beefing up its aviation element and recently examines Saab’s Gripen and Sukhoi’s Su-27 as possible candidates.
It wants to protect key areas such as the Bay of Campeche oil field.
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MND defends P-3C procurement
Captain Wu Chun-wei, a Taiwan S-2T pilot, told local and foreign journalists at a tour of his base that most S-2T pilots consider the aircraft dangerous to fly.
He added that the S-2Ts are unable to detect China's best submarines, such as the Ming-class, Song-class and Kilo-class submarines.
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Russia compensates Lithuania for plane's crash
Russia has compensated Lithuania for damages caused by its Su-27 Flanker fighter that crashed in Lithuania in September.
The cost of the damage is 67,062.88 litas.
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Grand Jury Indicts Ex-Aerospace Engineer
Noshir S. Gowadia, former B-2 engineer, was indicted on new charges Tuesday by a federal grand jury.
He is accused of giving national defense information to people in three unidentified countries and of violating the Arms Export Control Act.
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Japanese jets up China scrambles
The JASDF has scrambled fighters 30 times to turn away Chinese planes approaching Japan's airspace in the last six months.
This is more than twice the 13 times in the same period last year.
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New Swedish rapid-reaction fighter unit puts JAS 39 Gripen to international test
The Swedish Air Force rapid-reaction fighter unit will transition to NATO-compatible JAS 39C/D Gripen model by 1 January 2008.
The C/D model will be equipped with Litening targeting pods, laser-guided bombs, as well as the new Saab Avionics/Terma reconnaissance pod.
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Exercise tests aircrews in virtual reality by linking simulators nationwide
Virtual Flag 06, is a virtual reality USAF exercise that saw the U.S. Navy E/A-18G participating for the first time.
Boeing networked their development facility in St. Louis into the exercise to validate the weapons system and test its integration into an air campaign.
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DOD to begin BRAC closures, realignments
The latest round of BRAC closures, realignments has taken effect.
Pentagon now has until Sept. 15, 2007 to begin closing and realigning the installations as called for in the report.
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C-130J Hercules undergoes new test
The C-130J Hercules qualification test and evaluation second phase will see the aircraft fly airdrop and formation-drop operations later this month.
The evaluation will test the aircraft's warfighting capabilities.
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Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Boeing EA-18G Program Completes INCANS Verification Testing, Demonstration
Boeing has completed the initial laboratory verification of the EA-18G tactical aircraft’s Interference Cancellation (INCANS) system.
Labels: EA-18G
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Nimrod finds missing yachts
An RAF Nimrod scrambled to the aid of three stricken yachts in the Atlantic west of the Bay of Biscay.
It found two overturned hulls and dropped liferafts to their crews.
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100th MTR390-2C engine delivered for Eurocopter Tiger
MTU-Turbomeca-Rolls-Royce GmbH (MTR) recently delivered its 100th Tiger MTR390-2C standard engine.
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US Navy may sharpen EA-18G Growler’s bite
The U.S. Navy is considering upgrading the capabilities of the Growler before the aircraft even make its first flight.
The most significant change could be the need for an all-new jamming pod to replace the ICAP III suite’s ALQ-99.
Labels: EA-18G
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Bombardier courts NFTC users
Bombardier Military Aviation Training is in discussion with several air forces to join the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) scheme next year.
Current users are Canada, Denmark, Italy, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
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USAF faces airlift battle
The USAF is seeking to buy at least 42 more Boeing C-17s opposing the Mobility Capability Study view to stop at 180 C-17s.
The USAF had long argued that the study’s predecessor, the five-year-old Mobility Requirements Study-05, quickly became outdated following 9/11.
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Boeing announces 250 layoffs in Wichita
Boeing will lay off about 250 workers at its Wichita operations including those at the Integrated Defense Systems unit.
Boeing's Wichita site does design work and upgrades for the KC-135 tanker, 767 tankers, B-52 Stratofortress, airborne laser and international programs.
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US Air Force B-52 jammer program seen at risk
Defense analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute said the USAF may cancel the B-52 Stand-off Jammer program.
Thompson said current Air Force leaders would prefer to put the radar-jamming equipment on a smaller, more agile aircraft that could go to war with the F/A-22.
Looks like its a job for the E/A-18 Growler.
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Iran protests illegal U.S. overflights
Iran's deputy U.N. ambassador asked the U.N. Security Council on Oct. 26 to circulate two letters protesting illegal overflights by two American UAVs that crashed in Iran.
One is a Shadow-200 that crashed on July 4 about 38 miles inside Iranian territory in the province of Ilam, and the other one a Hermes that crashed 125 miles inside Iranian territory in the Khoram Abad area on Aug. 25.
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'Flying crane' may give Army big lift
The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command is considering a new type of unmanned aerial vehicle that could lift from 3,000 to 6,000 pounds.
They are considering the K-MAX unmanned aerial vehicle built by Kaman Aerospace Corp.
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Gunfighters Save Sniper's Life in Midst of Battle
A USMC UH-1 Huey carrying out close air support came to the rescue of a fellow Marine during a firefight in northwest Iraq.
The rescue mission was made more difficult as the Huey was flying without its rear doors and strong winds were blowing into the cabin.
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UK defense chief expresses confidence in Joint Strike Fighter
The F-35 is still the best replacement for the Royal Navy's fleet of Harrier according to U.K. Defence Secretary John Reid.
He added that a final decision will be made in the first half of next year on its plans to build two new aircraft carriers.
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First JSF Flight-Test Engine To Be Completed In Weeks
Pratt & Whitney expects to finish assembly of the first flight-test engine for the F-35 near the end of November.
The engine will be installed in A-1, the first flight-test jet, in February with first flight in August.
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VFA-211 Makes History Once Again On Board Big E
VFA-211 is now the first East Coast squadron to fly the new F/A-18F Super Hornet.
All the pilots are now flight deck qualified after going through carrier qualifications on the USS Enterprise.
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Iraq terrorist video shows crashed U.S. copter
An Internet video posted by Al-Qaida in Iraq claims to show the
shooting down of a USMC AH-1W.
Two Marines died when their AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter crashed outside the western Iraqi city of Ramadi Nov. 2.
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Eagles, Raptors team to deter ‘attack’
F-15 Eagle instructor pilots from the USAF 1st Fighter Squadron got a chance to test their skills recently.
Two F/A-22 Raptors from the 43rd FS took part for the first time also.
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Test Fire of Air-to-Air Missile Successful
The attack version of the KAI T-50, the A50, carried out a live firing of an air-to-air missile.
An AIM-9L was fired at an unmanned target at an air base in Sachon.
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N-deal on only if India delivers: Cohen
Former U.S. defence secretary William S Cohen is in India as part of a U.S.-India Business Council delegation, he dodge a question on whether if the IAF will buy American fighter jets.
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Go-ahead given for delivery of Taurus production missiles after successful operational testing
Operational testing of the Taurus KEPD 350 standoff guided missile system has been successfully completed at Overberg / South Africa.
The first missiles will be delivered to the German Air Force before the end of November 2005.
A total of 600 missiles will be delivered.
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Tuesday, November 08, 2005
India, US hold joint air exercises as thousands protest
Around 70,000 people gathered to protest the Cope India 05 exercise held at Kalaikunda Air Base as the exercise began.
The protesters shouted anti-U.S. slogans and torched cloth-and-bamboo effigies of President George W. Bush.
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Successful first flight of high-speed UAV demonstrator CARAPAS
EADS's high-speed UAV demonstrator CARAPAS made its first flight at the Biscarrosse missile test centre (CELM) in France.
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Jane’s: First IAI-Boeing “Arrow 2” missile delivered to IAF
The Israel Air Force has received the first "Arrow 2" anti-ballistic missile missile on October 31.
Israel will carry out an interception test of the missile this year.
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Ten days after quake, Pakistan said Ji Saab to $1 billion deal
Pakistan is close to finalising a $1 billion defence deal for a Saab-Ericsson airborne early warning system.
Two thirds of the $1 billion will be paid for the aircraft, while the rest goes to Ericsson for the Erieye airborne radar.
The deal will also put the Gripen in a good position to enter the Pakistan market.
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Reid still committed to Lockheed F-35
The U.K. is committed to Joint Strike Fighter program, despite looming cuts in U.S. defence spending that could drive up the cost of the program.
Any cut in the number of aircraft purchased will drive up the cost of the program.
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Cope North training coming to the skies off Japan’s coast
Cope North, a twice yearly exercise, will see U.S. and Japanese fighters carry out air-to-air and air-to-ground exercises in the airspace near Komatsu.
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Rolls-Royce tackles high-altitude flaw affecting Global Hawk engine
Rolls-Royce acknowledges that a flaw in the AE3007 powerplant caused at least two in-flight engine shutdowns and emergency landings of the US Air Force’s RQ-4A Global Hawk.
Without getting into details, the engine maker said the cause is due to how the engine reacts to ingesting disturbed air at high altitude.
The company developed a software upgrade to improve the AE3007’s performance at high altitude after the two incidents.
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Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract to Produce RQ-4B Global Hawks
The U.S. Air Force has ordered five more RQ-4B Global Hawk aerial reconnaissance systems.
Production is expected to begin late this year, with assembly starting next year.
The RQ-4B Global Hawk is designed to carry 3,000 pounds of payload, 50 percent more than the original RQ-4A configuration.
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Warplane firm eyes London listing
Irkut, Russia's largest biggest defence firm, plans to list some of its shares on the London Stock Exchange.
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Ex-U.S. Air Force official joins Rolls-Royce board
Former U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff, retired Gen. John Jumper, has joined the North American board of directors of Rolls-Royce.
He would replace former Air Force chief of staff, retired Gen. Ronald Fogleman.
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TR airwing continues anti-terror strikes (Free Registration)
VF-213 Black Lions provided close air support for ground troops in the vicinity of Husaybah near the Iraq-Syria border on Sunday.
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Advanced jet trainers to be inducted by 2007: Tyagi
The AJT will enter service with the Indian Air Force in 2007.
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Typhoon on show at Dubai 2005 - UAE
BAE will showcase the Eurofighter and Hawk at the Dubai 2005 air show.
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IAF pilots given advanced training in BVR tactics: Air Marshal
Indian Air Force's Air Marshal A K Singh said IAF pilots are being train in Beyond Visual Range (BVR) tactics.
His comments come as IAF pilots for the first time would be exposed to fighting in AWACS environment with a USAF E-3 during Cope India 05.
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France Withdraws Jets from Afghanistan
France has withdrawn its six Mirage 2000s and two refueling tankers from Afghanistan as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force.
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Navy May Scrap Ties With Lockheed Spy-Plane Project, Young Says
The U.S. Navy may pull out of the Aerial Common Sensor program if Lockheed Martin cannot prove that its solution will meet naval reconnaissance needs.
The Navy wants to purchase 19 aircraft as part of a 57 aircraft joint program led by the U.S. Army.
The Navy's outgoing Assistant Secretary for Acquisition John Young said if the Army sticks with the Embraer 145 airframe and opts for a lesser capability, the Navy will reevaluate to see if it meet its needs.
Labels: ACS
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Monday, November 07, 2005
Greek, French officials discuss stepped up defence sector cooperation
Greek Deputy Defence Minister Vassilis Mihaloliakos meet the visiting chief executive of the French arms arms-procurement agency DGA. Among the items discussed was the purchase of additional Mirage 2000-5.
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ASDF may expand flights from Kuwait
Tokyo wants to keep its Air Self-Defense Force transport unit stationed in Kuwait even after pulling Ground Self-Defense Force troops out of Iraq next year.
Japan currently has three C-130 transport planes stationed in Kuwait to assist in the reconstruction of Iraq.
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Govt considering to create Aerospace command
Government is considering an Indian Air Force proposal to create an aerospace command to explore the use of space for military use.
The proposed aerospace command will coordinate space related activities and requirements of the IAF and the other services.
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Team to restore WWII spy plane
A group of Japanese aviation enthusiasts will try to restore a Nakajima C6N1-S Saiun "Myrt" that has been lying rusting in the Truk Islands.
They are now trying to raise 150 million yen in order to ship the aircraft back to Japan and carry out restoration works.
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Investigators probing Arizona Osprey incident (Free Registration)
Its has been revealed that the second CV-22 on its way to Edwards Air Force Base sustained
damaged to its engines and tail section.
The damage costs $200,000 to $1 million and is considered a Class B mishap. It has since arrived safely at Edwards.
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Sunday, November 06, 2005
UV North America: US/Allies Have Big UAV Gap To Bridge
United States and its Allies have a large gap in UAV capabilities between them.
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U.S. says it honors Venezuela contract
Washington claims that it has recently sent replacement parts to Venezuela for their F-16s.
A shipment of cartridges for ejector seats and other components arrived at Caracas' La Guaira international airport two weeks ago, officials said.
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Cuba says it has no need for Venezuelan F-16s
Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque said his country has no need for Venezuelan F-16s.
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First US101 'test vehicle' is delivered to Navy base
A test version of the US101 came straight off the AgustaWestland production line in Italy and landed at the U.S. Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland.
Pilots will fly this version of the aircraft to familiarize themselves with the controls and the characteristics of the craft.
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Quake delays F-16 order (Free Registration)
With the delay of F-16 order from Pakistan, Lockheed Martin now depends on the order from Greece to keep the line going.
Production of some parts and subassemblies could be halted with a new order soon as Lockheed has not received a firm order for new F-16 fighter planes in nearly three years.
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China among nations to buy stealth secrets
A former B-2 engineer who was
arrested for selling secrets on the stealth bomber, sold military secrets to China.
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Syria and Iran obtain German missile technology, magazine says
Iran and Syria are obtaining sophisticated German equipment via criminal, Moscow-based companies to make missiles.
Berling named 15 firms with addresses in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Samara which are involved in such activities.
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U.S., India ready to join forces for 15-day air combat exercise
Misawa is sending 12 13th Fighter Squadron F-16s and Kadena is sending an E-3 from 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron for Cope India 05.
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Saturday protest set to demand closure of Yokota Air Base
Japanese labor union members and citizens’ groups are protesting near Yokota to demand closure of the U.S. Air Force base.
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Eisenhower Up and Flying Again
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (Ike) (CVN 69) returned to sea Oct. 26 and successfully completed her Flight Deck Certification Oct. 28.
VFA-37, VFA-105, VS-31, VAW-121, and HS-5 took part in the qualifications.
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Saturday, November 05, 2005
Armed forces begin plane, helicopter purchases
Canda's Air Force is in the market looking for heavy-lift helicopters, transport aircraft and search-rescue planes.
The aircraft could be either new build or used.
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Meet the New Interrogators: Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin, maker of the F-16, F/A-22 and F-35, has a new mission. Recruiting contract interrogators for the military.
Known in the intelligence community as "97 Echoes," they will work with military interrogators overseas.
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Plan names facilities to be protected first in attack
The key Japanese facilities that will be protected by a missile defense shield has been unveiled.
The defense will be carried out by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and U.S. military forces in Japan.
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Pakistan: Quake Victims Come Before Planes
Pakistan will delay the purchase of 77 F-16 fighters as funds are needed to rebuild northern Pakistan flattened by the Oct. 8 earthquake.
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JVR: US breach of F-16 supply contract ‘unacceptable’
Venezuelan Vice President José Vicente Ran-gel reiterated President Hugo Chávez’s claims that Washington was breaking a contract to supply spares for it’s F-16s and was also pressuring other countries not to help maintain them.
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Active Balancing: Coming Soon to an Aircraft Near You?
Lord Corporation partnered with Hamilton Sundstrand to offer an active balancing system for propellers called In-Flight Propeller Balancing (IFPB).
IFPB system can be expected to reduce the average propeller vibration level during flight by a factor of five to 10 and could benefit USAF C-130 and the U.S. Navy P-3 and E-2C/C-2A.
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Dragon Eye Protects Troops, Improves Recon
U.S. Marines are using the Dragon Eye to minimize friendly casualties and maximize surveillance during missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
The Dragon Eye gives the Marines a tool that allows them to see farther over rough terrain, fits in a backpack and is easy to carry with them.
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Second Air Force CV-22 arrives at Edwards
The U.S. Air Force’s second CV-22 Osprey arrived at Edwards Air Force Base Oct. 27.
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F-16s arrive for joint Indo-US exercise
12 USAF F-16s have arrived at Kalaikunda Air Base, West Bengal for Cope India 2005.
The 250-strong contingent, led by Colonel Cobat Nelson, came from Miswa Air Base in Japan.
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Romania denies air base used as CIA prison
Romania denies that its Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base is being used by the CIA as a secret prison for suspected terrorists.
Human Rights Watch in New York said Thursday that flight logs of CIA aircraft from 2001 to 2004 showed the CIA transported suspected terrorists captured in Afghanistan to Poland and Romania.
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Air Force authorizes Berlin Airlift streamers
U.S. Air Force units involved in the Berlin Airlift are now authorized a new streamer to add to their unit guidons.
Air Force Chief of Staff General T. Michael Moseley presented the first streamer to Gen. Duncan T. McNabb, Air Mobility Command commander, during a ceremony Oct. 28.
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Israel to resume involvement in prestigious U.S. defense project
Israel is back in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The freeze will be lifted immediately.
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Friday, November 04, 2005
Engine Problem With Global Hawk Delays Navy Test Program
Two engine flame-outs with USAF Global Hawks over the summer has contributed to a delay with the Navy's Global Hawk Maritime Demonstration program.
Delivery to the USN has slipped because of the engine and another issue.
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Red Flag Exercises Prepare Units Prior to Combat Deployments
Aviation Week's William B. Scott updates on what is happening to the USAF 'Red Flag' exercises.
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Bengal Left gun misfires: Target US, IAF hit
1,500 activists and supporters of the Communist Party of India demonstrated outside the Kolkata airport against Cope India 2005.
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Al-Qaida claims responsibility
Al-Qaida in Iraq claims responsibility of shooting down a U.S. Marine AH-1W using a Strella anti-aircraft missile.
The U.S. military said that witnesses saw something fired at the helicopter and saw the helicopter break in pieces in midair and then crash.
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Russian pilot back on the job after crash in Lithuania
Major Valery Troyanov, who crash his Su-27 in Lithuania in September is heading back to his base after recoverying from his injuries.
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Buckeyes dropping out of TPS inventory
The arrival of six T-6A Texan IIs at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School will see the T-2 Buckeye being slowly retired.
Class 131 will be the first to fly the T-6A.
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Environmentalists try to drown out jet noise
Swiss environmentalist Franz Weber has mustered 113,000 validated signatures for a petition for a nationwide vote on banning military flights from holiday zones.
They demand that Swiss F/A-18s be restricted to the low season so as not to disturb holidaymakers.
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Defense Ministry to finish tests of new strategic weapon by 2008
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told President Vladimir Putin that plans to develop a new strategic missile will be completed by 2008.
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Raytheon's SLAMRAAM Completes Two Successful System Reviews
Raytheon Company's Surface Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (SLAMRAAM) program received the go-ahead to continue further software build and fire unit development.
The program passed a successful system/software requirements review and a successful critical design review.
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Boeing Starts F/A-18F Aft Seat Testing of Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System
Boeing has started flight tests this month of the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) integration into the aft cockpits of the F/A-18F Super Hornet.
The test marks the first time both the pilot and weapon systems officer have used the helmet in an F/A-18F during flight.
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3 (Fighter) Squadron completes final Harrier operational tour
RAF's No 3(Fighter) Squadron return home from Kandahar after four months in Afghanistan. It was the last ever operational sortie flying the Harrier GR7A for the squadron.
No 3 (F) Squadron will become the first operational Typhoon Squadron in April next year when it hands the Harriers over to No 800 Squadron Royal Navy and converts to the new fighter.
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Venezuela must consult U.S. on jet moves
The U.S. ambassador to Venezuela told the Venezuelan television channel Globovision that Benezuela must consult his country before transferring any U.S.-made warplanes to another country..
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday he might share Venezuela's F-16 fighters with Cuba and China due to spare parts embargo by United States.
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Northrup Grumman Newport News Aircraft Carrier Project Will Not Be Delayed
The midlife refueling and overhaul on the USS Carl Vinson will not be delayed at Northrop Grumman Newport News later this month.
This is because the Pentagon's 2006 budget bill is set to be completed by next week.
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Snowbirds celebrate 35 years of hearts
450 past and present Snowbirds gathered at Moose Jaw, Cananda to celebrate its 35th anniversary.
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Tac Hel pilot excels at US joint firepower course
Captain Paul Gautron of Canadian 403 Helicopter Operational Training Squadron is now a distinguished graduate of the USAF Air Ground Operations School Joint Firepower Course.
The two week course at Nellis Air Force Base Las Vegas, Nevada require students to plan, request and employ Close Air Support, Indirect Fire Support and Naval Gunfire.
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The next mission for Ellsworth?
Supporters of Ellsworth Air Force Base are taking steps to ensure the base survives a future round of base closings by upgrading the B-1s.
One way the base can add value to itself is to improve the B-1s there with new radar and weapons to ensure the bomber will be vital to the military far into the future.
Other options include getting more missions or operations, such as an Airborne Laser system, unmanned aerial vehicles or a financial services operation.
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CCSG 9 Sets Sail for JTFEX
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group, led by Rear Adm. Bill Goodwin, is participating in a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) off the coast of Southern California through the beginning of November.
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Thursday, November 03, 2005
Venezuela threatens US over F-16s
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has warned Washington he could give some of his country's F-16s to Cuba or China.
Speaking at a nationally televised address, "Maybe we will just send them back to them, or perhaps we will send 10 planes to Cuba, or to China, so they can have a look at the technology of these aircraft."
He accused the U.S. of breaking a contract to supply spare parts for the jets.
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Robins work force sends off C-5 after 171 days
USAF C-5 tail number 80213 set a record when it finished it overhaul in 171 days only at Robins Air Force Base.
Two techniques, critical chain project management and lean process improvement help to cut down the number of days required for the complex process.
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Good vibrations with the builders of the RAF’s Lynx
This is an interview with Alan Staple, chief designer for the Lynx helicopter at AgustaWestland.
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New weapon system arriving at Ellsworth
Ellsworth Air Force Base is storing its first shipment of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile.
The base has 16 missiles and is slated to get 32 more this year.
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Kyrgyzstan Raises Fees for US Air Base
Kyrgyzstan is drafting a new agreement on the use of its air base by the United States.
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said his figures and the U.S. figures on spending on the air base at Manas airport differ.
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US air base downgraded
RAF Mildenhall will no longer be headquarters of the U.S. 3rd Air Force. It will now be part of the 16th Air Force.
The commander of the 3rd Air Force but will now be the vice commander of the 16th Air Force.
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UK targets missile networking technology
A consortium led by missile manufacturer MBDA will research on technologies that allow strike weapons to receive and send information across a battlefield communications network.
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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to be deployed to Iraq
Australian Defence Force soldiers will deploy to Iraq with four Skylark miniature UAVs.
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Global Hawk tests ability to detect airborne targets
The RQ-4A Global Hawk took part in a demonstration off southern California last week to test the effectiveness of the Global Hawk's radar to detect small aircraft in flight.
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Committee questions rising cost of fighter plane purchase
Australian Defence Force chief Angus Houston said the price of an F-35 has risen from $US40 million to $US45 million.
Australian Labor Senator John Faulkner questioned the ADF chief about the price hike.
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Global Hawk aimed at Asia despite restrictions
Northrop Grumman aims to secure approval to export its RQ-4 Global Hawk to South Korea and other Asia-Pacific countries.
Washington is working on a new policy which, if approved, could be used to clear sales on the condition that countries promise not to use the platform to launch missiles.
Singapore, which is not a signatory to the 34-nation MTCR agreement also hopes to receive the Global Hawk.
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Asian buyers seek improved Longbow
Taiwan and South Korea could be potential export customers for a new littoral version of the Longbow fire-control radar.
The upgraded radar adds an over-water capability and improved reliability. It will be available as part of Block 3 spiral development programme between 2010 and 2015.
Seoul is preparing to relaunch its attack helicopter contest in 2008, with the AH-64D considered the current favourite.
Longbow International is preparing to supply a radar similar to the new littoral version of the Longbow system should Taiwan opt for Bell Helicopter’s AH-1Z from 2007.
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3-6 Apaches training with 1-2 at Rodriguez Range
Ten AH-64s from the U.S. Army's 3rd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment trained at Rodriguez Range, South Korea this week for the first time since joining the 2nd Infantry Division.
They flew together with four 1st Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment Apaches. Both are part of 2nd ID’s newly formed Combat Aviation Brigade.
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Taiwan requests AH-1Z production
Bell Helicopter is preparing a new offer for Taiwan to locally produce 30 AH-1Z attack helicopters.
Boeing said it will only prepare a new AH-64D Apache Longbow bid if a formal government-to-government request is made.
Taiwan’s army rated the Apache above the AH-1Z.
Taiwan's AIDC currently supplies tail booms for the U.S. Marine Corps’ AH-1Z and UH-1Y utility helicopter program.
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Air defenders train with Israeli counterparts
The U.S. Army 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade is preparing and training for Juniper Cobra 2007, the brigade's biennial exercise with the Israel Defense Forces.
At the Patriot Conduct of Fire Trainer in Ansbach, Germany, the air defense crews have been working directly with the IDF's 137th Theater Missile Defense Battalion since Oct. 30 to begin the process of preparing for an exercise that is still more than a year in the future.
The training is slated to end Nov. 3.
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Chinook hopes ride on CSAR bid
The shift in requirements of the USAF combat search and rescue (CSAR-X) program allowed Boeing's HH-47 Chinook a chance in the competition.
The lowering of the speed requirement to 135kt also forced the CV-22 out of the race.
But Boeing's late entry with the Chinook is giving the team so technical challenges. It first has to demonstrate that it can reassemble an HH-47 within 3h after being airlifted aboard a Boeing C-17 or Lockheed C-5, the current record is 3h 15min.
Labels: CSAR-X
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Leader Envisions Future of Air Mobility Command
U.S. Air Force Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander of Air Mobility Command, gave his vision on the future of his command at the Airlift/Tanker Association convention on Oct. 29.
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Left in West Bengal to protest Indo-US air exercise
Communist party workers in West Bengal, India, will be holding a protest on Nov. 7 when the Indo-U.S. air exercise starts.
Cope India this year will see USAF F-16s and E-3 battling the Indian Air Force.
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Pilot who 'saved Palace' honoured
A RAF fighter pilot who rammed a German bomber to prevent it attacking Buckingham Palace during World War II will be honored posthumously.
His former squadron will be presented with a model of the Hurricane made from its melted-down engine.
Last year, archaeologists unearthed parts of his fighter plane.
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Yokosuka says it doesn't want to host U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
Yokosuka, which hosts the U.S. Seventh Fleet in Japan, has voted against plans to deploy a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the city.
The 45-member municipal assembly said the feelings of people in the country against atomic weapons must be respected.
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Helicopter Crash Kills Two Marines; Two Other Troops Die in Attack
Two Marines died when their AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter crashed outside the western Iraqi city of Ramadi Nov. 2.
The cause of the crash is not known yet.
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Boom! Missile fired into Outback oblivion
Australia fired its last remaining 25 Rapier anti-aircraft missiles during a live-fire exercise at Woomera on Nov. 2.
The Rapier, in service for 25 years, will be replaced by Swedish-built RBS-70.
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Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Raytheon Delivers First Production ISS for Global Hawk
Raytheon Company has delivered the first full production Integrated Sensor Suite (ISS) for the Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk.
The full production configuration includes both synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) high resolution imaging capability in a single integrated sensor system.
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Boeing Adds Germany’s LFK to “Alliance Shield” Team Competing for NATO Missile Defense Contract
Boeing announced Germany’s LENKFLUGKORPERSYSTEME GmbH (LFK) has joined the trans-Atlantic "Alliance Shield" team competing for NATO’s upcoming Theater Missile Defense systems engineering and integration support contract.
LFK is the leading guided missile system house of Germany.
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Laser alternatives sought for anti-terror protection
A group of U.S. legislators wants the Bush administration to invest in alternatives to laser jammers to protect commercial airliners from missile attack.
They single out the Raytheon Vigilant Eagle ground-based high-power microwave system as a possible alternative.
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Russian Military Successfully Test-launches Topol ICBM
Russia on Tuesday test-fired a RS-12M Topol missile from a facility at Plesetsk, in northern Russia.
The warhead hit its target at Balkhash range ground in Kazakhstan.
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South Korea to launch MALE UAV
South Korean air force will be getting a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned air vehicle in future.
Korea Aerospace Industries has began working earlier this year with the Agency for Defence Development (ADD) on a preliminary design for the proposed MALE system, and that a 10-year development effort will start in 2006.
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Paths to Air Dominance
At the Air Force Association’s Air & Space Conference held in September, speakers said the modernization of the combat Air Force is not only a strategic necessity, but it is also a fiscally sensible course of action.
F/A-22 and F-35 will provide a greater range of military options for Washington and drive down both the size and cost of the force.
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Bombers Need Freedom, Not Inspections (Free Registration)
The USAF 2nd Bomb Wing and 5th Bomb Wing have flunked their Defense Nuclear Surety Inspection inspections in the past three years.
The 2nd Bomb Wing received an "unsatisfactory" rating this July while the 5th Bomb Wing received an unsatisfactory rating in June 2003.
Both wings have subsequently passed follow-on inspections.
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Dutch copter makes emergency landing in Afghanistan
A Dutch Chinook helicopter made an emergency landing in Afghanistan on Monday. Three people were injured in the process.
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Military aborts mission to sink ship
The Taiwan military has temporarily suspended any attempt to
sink a capsized South Korean freighter carrying a cargo of toxic benzene.
The Environmental Protection Administration will come up with a plan to handle the capsized ship and its toxic cargo.
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U.S. Copter Carrying Quake Aid Fired At
A U.S. CH-47 Chinook was fired at with a RPG while ferrying supplies to earthquake victims in Pakistan's portion of Kashmir.
The Pakistani army spokesman, Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, said what the pilots saw was most probably engineers using explosives to clear a road.
However the U.S. is sticking to the story, a spokesman said the crewman who reported the attack had just served in Afghanistan for months and can recognize a fired rocket-propelled grenade.
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Bell summarises LUH summarises US Army LUH offering based on Bell 412EP
Bell Helicopter has presented a formal proposal for the U.S. Army's Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) request for proposal. Bell is offering its 412EP medium twin-engine helicopter.
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Russia to export first S-300 missile systems to Belarus in March
Belarus's first S-300 missile system will arrive from Russia in March next year.
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MiG retirement marks the end of an era
Albania will retire its MiG fleet which has killed 35 Albanian pilots so far. It will focus on flying helicopters.
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U.S. F-15 fighter jet suffers minor damage during flight off Okinawa
A USAF F-15 from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa suffered minor damage to its tail during a training flight and made an emergency landing at the base Tuesday.
The horizontal stabilizer was damaged while flying northwest of Okinawa. The damage is believed to have been caused by water which got into the inside of the tail area, froze and expanded.
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Iraq completes six day air exercise
The Iraq Air Force has completed a six-day exercise "Independent Action." Two fully-loaded C-130Es from 23rd squadron flew to its new home at Al Muthana Air Base in Baghdad International Airport.
The exercise which ended on Oct. 12, was deemed the first in a series of maneuvers meant to develop the C-130 squadron.
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VSI awarded JHMCS contracts valued at more than $100 million
Vision Systems International, LLC has been awarded a contract for the delivery of more than 500 additional Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems from Boeing.
VSI also received direct contracts from the United States Navy and Air Force for spares and test equipments in support of the JHMCS program.
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Pakistan receives first of six C-130s
The first of the six C-130s that Pakistan bought from United States in 2003 has arrived and began delivering supplies for earthquake victims.
It is not known when the rest will be delivered.
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Two Trucks Carrying Missile Parts Catch Fire
Two trucks carrying propellants of Nike Hercules missiles caught fire inside a highway tunnel near Taegu.
Two other trucks carrying the warheads had earlier passed through the tunnel. Overheated brakes caused the accident.
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UK seeks USAF deal to extend Predator use
U.K. wants to extend the use of USAF's MQ-1 Predator by its 1115 Flight in Nevada. It is also looking into operating the MQ-9 Predator B.
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Eurofighter joins Turkish contest for new fighters (Free Registration)
The Turkish Ministry of Defense has send a Request for Information about the Eurofighter to Alenia.
Giovanni Bertolone, CEO for Alenia Aeronautica SpA, said the company would replay by mid January next year.
Alenia is suggesting the Turkey join the Eurofighter partnership together with U.K., Germany, Spain and Italy.
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UAV Market to Top $13 Billion by 2014
Forecast International unmanned vehicles analyst Larry Dickerson said the UAV market is expected to be worth $13.6 billion through 2014.
This amount of money includes air vehicles, ground control equipment and payloads.
More than 9,000 UAVs are expected to be purchased over the next 10 years by countries in every region of the world.
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Small Firms Turn to Drones (Free Registration)
Small unmanned aircraft have created big business for small Washington area companies.
After Sept. 11, 2001, spending on drones of all sizes has jumped nearly fivefold, from $364 million in fiscal 2001 to $1.67 billion in fiscal 2006.
While most of the money goes to the bigger planes like Global Hawk, the smaller drones make up of 75 percent of the military's pilotless planes.
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Smiths Aerospace selected for E-2D systems
Smiths Aerospace will provide the flight management and integrated standby instrument systems for the E-2D Hawkeye.
This is the first time the E-2 will have a flight management system (FMS) capability.
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EDO Receives Contract for P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft
EDO Corporation will design and develop pneumatic ejector bomb-rack units for the U.S. Navy’s P-8A.
EDO has also earlier won a contract for the P-8A sonobuoy-launcher system.
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Martino takes ride in Eurofighter
Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino flew in a Eurofighter on Monday as it clocked its 1000th hour of test flights.
He commented that its easier to fly the Eurofighter than it is to drive a car.
Italian Air Force Chief of Staff General Leonardo Tricarico said that testing was ahead of schedule and the new fighter would enter into service on Dec. 16.
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Air defense units to be revamped
The U.S. Army's is transforming its air defense units to be more modular. They will be called Air and Missile Defense.
They will merge the Patriot and Avenger missile system into one unit.
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A stealth fighter for India, soon
The Indian Aeronautical Development Agency has formed a team to design a medium combat aircraft.
Besides using technology developed for the single-engine Light Combat Aircraft. The plane will also use radar-absorbent materials.
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U.S. Military Wants to Own the Weather
The U.S. Air Force is looking at ways to make satellites and satellite launches cheaper and faster in the short term. In the long term, it wants the ability to manipulate weather to its advantage.
A research paper written by a seven person team of military officers envision the U.S. military "owning the weather" in 2025.
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Tuesday, November 01, 2005
New month and a new blog
The beginning of a new month and the start of a new blog. Mygadgetbox will cover gadgets and stuff but one of the main categories covered will be photography. I know a lot of readers are avid photographers who spend their spare time taking pictures of airplanes. I'll focus on the latest cameras introduced and rumors of new products.
Its just nice that Nikon also happen to introduce its new D200 digital SLR today. So do go and take a look.
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Air Vectors : The Yakovlev Yak-25 & Yak-28
November's new article on Air Vectors feature the Yakovlev Yak-25 & Yak-28 series of aircraft.
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Botched bombing efforts embarrass defense officials
The Republic of China Air Force sent two F-16s and two AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters to sink a South Korean freighter that capsized off its coast last Thursday. Both missions failed to sink the ship, but the Ministry of National Defense still declared the mission a success.
The F-16s dropped four 2,000 pound laser-guided bombs but only one managed to hit the target. The first two bombs were laser-guided but the other pair was dropped using radar due to thick clouds.
Two Super Cobras were then dispatched to sink the ship with eight Hellfire missiles. This mission still failed to completely sink the ship but the military went ahead and declared it a success.
The Taiwanese wants to sink the ship as it is carrying more than 2,000 tonnes of benzene which is toxic.
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Russia, US to Start Sharing Data on Portable Missiles — Minister
Russia and the United States will soon share information on transfers of mobile surface-to-air missiles outside their respective national borders.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said the information will be on mobile missile systems and not just man-portable types.
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N. Korea: U.S. flew 180 spy missions in October
North Korea alleged Monday that U.S. spy planes flew about 180 missions over the communist state in October
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency claimed that American aircraft, including U-2s, RC-135s and EP-3s spied on "strategic military objects," coastal areas and under the sea.
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GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE: 'Open for business'
The first KC-135 tanker to return to Grand Forks Air Force Base touch down on Sunday at 1 p.m.
As many as 17 more jets will find their way back to the base by the end of the week.
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Raytheon's Net-Enabled APG-79 AESA Radar Completes Successful Live Fire Flight Tests of AMRAAM and JDAM
The APG-79 AESA radar completed multiple live firing tests using inert AMRAAM and JDAM weapons this month.
Both performed well within the operational specifications. This test the end-to-end air-to-air missile delivery sequence and end-to-end air-to-ground synthetic aperture (SAR)targeting capabilities of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
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Russia Wants Georgia to Enforce Anti-Aircraft System Agreement
Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Georgia to enforce control of its portable anti-aircraft missile systems.
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