Sunday, July 31, 2005
Air Vectors : The Ilyushin Il-28 Beagle
The Ilyushin Il-28 Beagle is featured in August's Air Vectors.
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Air Vectors : Updates
The following Air Vectors articles were updated recently. The Boeing AH-64 Apache, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Mitsubishi A6M Zero ("Zeke"), North American P-51 Mustang and Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
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Ex-astronaut to dedicate museum's F-14 display
U.S. Navy Capt. Scott Altman, who spent two years as a test pilot for the F-14 program and flew many of the stunts included in the film "Top Gun," was at Grissom Air Museum to dedicate its F-14 display.
We have pictures of the VF-11 Tomcat arriving at Grissom in our
gallery.
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Vietnam War flier buried 40 years after plane crash
U.S. Air Force Maj. Arthur D. Baker was laid to rest Friday 40 years after his B-57B crashed over Laos during the Vietnam War.
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U.S. to make initial F-16 shipment to Pakistan
Washington has approved an initial shipment of two older but refurbished F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.
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Black Hawks helicopters to be based in Sydney
Australian Army�s 171 Aviation Squadron will relocate to Holsworthy Barracks near Sydney from the end of next year to boost the ability of Australia�s Special Forces to respond to a terrorist threat on the east coast of Australia. The Black Hawks will be be replaced by the new MRH 90 Troop Lift Helicopter Squadron.
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U.S. Navy chopper makes emergency landing on Kanagawa coast
A U.S. Navy UH3H helicopter made an emergency landing near a beach in Fujisawa, about 80 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, shortly before noon Saturday.
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'Resolution over China arms deal near'
Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said the dispute between Israel and the United States over Israel's sale of arms to China is nearing a resolution. The deal would give America veto power over Israeli arms sales to selected countries if Washington feels its national security is compromised.
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Boeing's F-15 tries to stay aloft
There are some influential members of the U.S. Congress who wants the USAF to buy 100 to 144 F-15s as insurance against a slip in the JSF program.
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Ex-pilot driving for professional golf glory
Former U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18 fighter pilot, Jay Slough, is trying to break into professional golf.
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Boeing loses battle with Bell for Army helicopter order
Boeing spokesman Hal Klopper said "the Boeing team is disappointed" that is lost the ARH competition and "will review the decision over the next several weeks."
Labels: ARH
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Dole says that Cherry Point could handle more
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole sent a letter to the BRAC Commission chairman stressing the existing capacity of MCAS Cherry Point to handle aircraft from NAS Oceana.
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Brand New Facility At Air Force Base Could Wind Up Empty
A new hangar at Nashville�s Berry Field has nearly been completed but the Pentagon's recommendations for realignment may mean that the hangar could be empty several years from now. The state-of�the-art building for the 118th Airlift Wing is designed to hold two C-130 and one C-17 aircraft.
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Monino Hosts WWII Air Show
A four-day air show kicked off Thursday afternoon at the Russian Air Force museum in Monino, southeast of Moscow. The show allows tourists to see the display of 184 vintage and modern aircraft at the museum.
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Uzbekistan evicts U.S. from air base
Uzbekistan gave U.S. forces six months to move out from Karshi-Khanabad air base.
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Chinook memorial: Parents 'snubbed'
The parents of one of the pilots killed in a 1994 RAF Chinook helicopter tragedy said they had been snubbed over the unveiling of a memorial at RAF Odiham in Hampshire to members of the RAF's support helicopter force.
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Saturday, July 30, 2005
Two Injured in Afghanistan Apache Helicopter Crash
Two crewmembers were injured Jul 29 when a U.S. military AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed during a training mission on a range near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.
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Glacier Girl wows EAA crowd
Glacier Girl, a P-38 Lightning World War II fighter, buried in ice for 50 years in Greenland is wooing crowds at this year�s Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture.
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Air Force to Be Modernized, Says Sultan
Saudi Arabia's second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation said the kingdom plans to acquire new advanced military aircraft and has sent some of its aircraft abroad to be modernized.
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LM Exploring Sea-Based Version Of PAC-3 Interceptor
Lockheed Martin has begun doing significant work on the possibility of adapting its land-based Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor for use on ships.
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Pilots make the move to Search and Rescue, learn new techniques
USMC Huey pilots from the fleet who join the Yuma's SAR team need to train for their new and diverse mission of saving lives, focusing on extraction techniques.
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Schrempp departure seen speeding EADS-Thales deal
The departure of DaimlerChrysler Chief Executive Juergen Schrempp could move aerospace firm EADS, in which Daimler is a key shareholder, closer to a takeover of French defence firm Thales, analysts said on Friday.
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Aerojet Awarded Contract to Develop New Technologies for Future Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems
Aerojet has won a contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop new solid rocket motor technologies for application on future Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Systems.
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F-14 to be dedicated tomorrow
A group of naval aviators who will be in Peru Saturday to dedicate Grissom Air Museum's F-14B Tomcat.
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Shakedown flights begin for Hawk Mk 128
The Hawk Mk 128 Advanced Jet Trainer began its shakedown flights on Wednesday at the BAE Systems facility at Warton, Lancashire.
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Navy�s top admiral will testify to save Oceana
Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the new chief of naval operations, will testify at an Aug. 4 hearing of the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission to defend NAS Oceana.
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U.K. May Upgrade Harrier To Extend Life Beyond 2020
United Kingdom may upgrade its Harrier fleet to extend its life beyond 2020. The prospective life extension program could include installing a single Link 16 datalink, improved defensive aids, a helmet-mounted target cueing system, the Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) and an updated reconnaissance pod.
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Test team members honored at base
Two newly completed buildings at Edwards Air Force Base that will serve as maintenance buildings for the F-35 joint strike fighter were dedicated in honor of two test team members who died last year.
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Textron's Bell Helicopter Awarded Army Contract to Build 368 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters
Bell Helicopter has been awarded a $2.2 billion contract by the United States Army to build its next generation Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter, or ARH. The ARH will replace the Army's OH-58D Kiowa Warrior Helicopter. Bell's ARH is a militarized version of its highly successful 407 single engine light helicopter.
Labels: ARH
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Predator operators see whole picture
Each MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle mission flown in the Iraqi sky begins and ends at Balad Air Force Base.
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IAF awaits vice-chief
The Indian government failed to nominate a vice-chief of air staff for the Indian Air Force to replace Air Marshal S.K. Malik who is retiring on Jul 31.
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Geren designated acting Air Force secretary
Pete Geren will be the new acting Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, replacing Michael L. Dominguez.
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Friday, July 29, 2005
Radar Vector
Radar Vector is a new blog which I setup in less than 24 hours yesterday to blog news from the civilian world. Everyday when I gather news for Alert 5 from the various sources, I come across many interesting news which are civilian in nature. Thus I decided to start a new blog to share these information. Its not a daily update, although most probably I will update it everyday, so as to focus more on Alert 5. I'm using a new layout for Radar Vector, its much simpler than Alert 5's current layout. I'm still tweaking it but the layout is 90% complete. Hopefully one day I can move Alert 5 to that layout. Take a look, comments are welcome.
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Move on to keep JSF and Raptor (Registration Required)
Lawmakers rallied to protect the F-35 joint strike fighter and F/A-22 Raptor on Wednesday after reports that the Lockheed Martin aircraft projects may be on the chopping block in the Pentagon.
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Watchkeeper green light a massive boost to region
The East of England is set to become a major beneficiary of the �700 million Watchkeeper programme.
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Officials Report on Chinook Incidents in Afghanistan
A U.S. CH-47 Chinook helicopter made a "hard landing" due to "brown-out conditions" southwest of the city of Spin Buldak on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan late on July 27. A fire broke out and destroyed the helicopter. An investigation of the April 6 CH-47D Chinook helicopter crash near the Afghan city of Ghazni that killed 18 is also completed.
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Delay call over Unst RAF closure
Community leaders have called on the U.K. Ministry of Defence to delay a plan to mothball an RAF base on Britain's most northerly inhabited island.
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Navy affirms 'enormous strategic value'
The U.S. Navy made it clear in a letter to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins that it does not want to see the Brunswick Naval Air Station closed. The Base Realignment and Closure Commission recently voted 8-1 to also add Brunswick to the list of bases being considered for closure.
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Israeli Defense Chief Cancels U.S. Trip
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has canceled a trip to Washington due to new U.S. demands to oversee Israeli weapons exports.
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Iran Claims A Missile Breakthrough
Iran said for the first time Wednesday it has fully developed solid-fuel technology in producing missiles.
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End run around civilian control
The recent revision of Japan's Self-Defense Forces Law which allows the Defense Agency chief to fire interceptor missiles without approval is raising concerns that it runs counter to the constitutional principle that the Diet shall be the highest organ of state power.
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Spy plane's maiden flight over N. Wales
RAF's Sentinel R Mk I, a modified Bombardier Global Express, made its maiden flight from a North Wales airfield.
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Military aircraft searching for plane missing between Vancouver and Smithers
Canadian Forces Buffalo aircrafts and Cormorant helicopters are helping to search for a missing King Air 200 between Vancouver and Smithers.
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Base, ILC keep eyes on launch
At Dover Air Force Base, emergency crews and air traffic controllers were prepared on Tuesday to receive the Space Shuttle in case the mission is aborted in flight.
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Battlelab develops C-5 aircrew night vision system
The USAF Air Mobility Command has approved the C-5 ANViL, or Aviator Night Vision Lighting System, to be used as a portable �clip-on� NVG compatible lighting system designed to improve existing lighting conditions and techniques for C-5 NVG missions.
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GW Reaches Overhaul Milestone as Last Propeller Reinstalled
USS George Washington (CVN 73) (GW) reached a major milestone during its Docked Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) July 25 as Northrop Grumman Newport News (NGNN) shipyard workers reinstalled the last of the ship's four propellers.
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Subs, Space, Tankers Critical In Taiwan Conflict, HASC Hears
Submarines, space-based platforms and aerial refueling tankers would be primary U.S. military assets in any conflict with China over Taiwan.
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Thursday, July 28, 2005
Cope North bilateral exercise wraps up in Guam
10 F-4EJ Kais and two E-2C Hawkeyes from JASDF joined 12 U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles for mock combat during the recent Cope North exercise in Guam. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III.
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Shaw F-16s intercept shuttle airspace violator
Two F-16 Fighting Falcons from the USAF 55th Fighter Squadron intercepted and escorted a small civilian aircraft three minutes from the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery.
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Multi-national maritime exercise Kakadu commences in northern Australia
Six RAAF F-111, eight RAAF F/A-18, 10 RAAF Hawk aircraft, and a RAAF AP-3C Orion will join a Singapore Air Force F-50 and a Royal New Zealand Air Force P3K Orion for multi-national maritime Exercise Kakadu 7 held in northern Australia.
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Officials prepare in case air base cannot be saved
South Dakota's officials are quietly preparing for what would happen if Ellsworth Air Force Base is closed.
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Yuma won't seek reimbursement for wreckage cleanup
Yuma County officials have decided not to ask the military to reimburse them for the costs of cleaning up wreckage from a Harrier jet that crashed into a neighborhood last month.
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Defense planners eye F/A-22, JSF for possible cuts (Registration Required)
Pentagon planners wants to scale back the U.S. Air Force's number of F-35 joint strike fighter and the F/A-22 Raptor as they content that the two jets have little use against terrorist networks and other unconventional threats.
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Food, Water Airdropped As Attempts To Reach Heli Crash Site Fail Again
An elite PASKAU (Special Air Team of the RMAF) unit tried to winch down personnel to a helicopter crash site in Sabah twice yesterday but failed.
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RAF Fairford was ready if shuttle needed to land
When the space shuttle Discovery blast off to space on Tuesday in Florida, more than two dozen people were on standby at RAF Fairford, England in case the shuttle develop problems during the first few minutes and needed a place to land.
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Patroit Missile
Pentagon made a verbal offer to provide a technical briefing on the Patriot Advance Capability (PAC)-3 anti-missile defence system to India during India's Defence Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee visit to Washington. This is not a formal offer to sell the system.
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Ilyushin Lessor's Shares Frozen
Russia's largest aircraft leasing company, Ilyushin Finance, had its shares frozen by prosecutors investigating its management at the highest levels.
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Revised figures may aid efforts to save base
A newly released USAF report claims it will cost nearly three times as much as was originally projected to relocate C-130 cargo planes to Little Rock, Arkansas.
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Taiwan warns Chinese missiles threaten Australia
Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has warned that China's missiles not only target Taiwan, but that they can also target Australia, New Zealand, the United States, India and Russia.
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3rd anniversary of air show tragedy to be marked in Lvov
Prayer services were held yesterday in Lvov, Western Ukraine to observe the third anniversary of the worst airshow disaster which a Su-27 crashed into a crowd at an airfield.
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JSF Electronic Warfare System Begins Flight-Tests
BAE Systems has started conducting flight-tests of the electronic warfare (EW) system it is developing for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter on a T-39 Sabreliner.
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Afghanistan: Large Protest Held At Main U.S. Air Base
A crowed estimated to number at least 1,000, chanted slogans against the United States at the main U.S. air base in Afghanistan located in Bagram on Jul 26.
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Tokyo-area bases prepare for tropical storm
U.S. bases in the Tokyo area are preparing for the arrival of Tropical Storm Banyan.
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Full alert declared at air force base for Boeing
A full airport emergency was declared at the RNZAF's Whenuapai base on Auckland's North Shore Jul 28 after one of its Boeing 757 reported a problem with one engine.
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Air Force Releases Two Boeing Small Diameter Bombs in Flight Test
Two Boeing Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) were dropped recently from a U.S. Air Force F-15E, scoring direct hits on two separate targets.
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Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Boeing-led Industry Team and Missile Defense Agency Dedicate Sea-Based X-Band Radar
The Boeing-led Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX) industry team and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) officially dedicated the SBX radar at Kiewit Offshore Services in Corpus Christ i, Texas Jul 26.
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Boeing Awards Multiple Contracts for First Phase of FCS Class II and III Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Development
Boeing, teamed with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) as the Lead Systems Integrator (LSI) for the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, has awarded four multimillion-dollar contracts to three premier industry partners to participate in the first phase of development for two classes of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
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Metal Storm to integrate weapons system into Dragonfly DP-4X Vertical Take Off and Landing UAV
Metal Storm Limited has won a contract from Dragonfly Pictures, Inc. to integrate the Metal Storm 40MM weapons system into Dragonfly�s existing DP-4X Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL), Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) / Weapon System, and conduct a live fire test.
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916th wins awards
A tiger-themed KC-135R from the USAF 916th Air Refueling Wing won the Best Presentation Award at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Gloucestershire, England.
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French military transport planes fly food into starving Niger
A French Hercules C-130 cargo plane on Sunday began flying food into the famine-struck west African state of Niger, where more than a million and half people face imminent starvation.
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Splashing waves of goodwill
Singapore Navy Chief Rear Admiral Ronnie Tay hopes the visit of INS Viraat will be the first of many to come.
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Air Force probes cause of U-2 crash
The U.S. Air Force has convened two separate boards to investigate a U-2 spy plane crash in the Middle East that killed a pilot stationed at Beale Air Force Base.
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Airmen maintain airlift operations in Africa
A team of USAF maintainers works 12-hour shifts to make sure two C-130s are always ready for their mission in Rwanda.
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Seeing a carrier, from the bottom up
Visitors had a rare opportunity to see a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in dry dock when the crew of the Norfolk-based George Washington and Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard showed off the carrier�s freshly painted bottom Monday.
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Timeline: A history of Oceana
This is a timeline of the history of Naval Air Station Oceana.
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F-16 production could go beyond 2010
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. expects to produce another 100 to 200 F-16s to extend the production line to 2010.
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Indonesian attack aircraft grounded following crash
The Indonesian Air Force decided Tuesday to suspend the operations of the remaining nine light attack aircraft OV-10 Broncos following the crash of a Bronco last Thursday that killed two pilots.
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Helicopter Crash: SAR Team Spots Signs Of Survivors
A Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Nuri helicopter with eight air force commandos trained in SAR operations are dispatched to rescue survivors of a Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopter crash in Sarawak.
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RAF jets 200ft from disaster
A RAF Hawk trainer passed just 200ft under a Flybe plane carrying 42 passengers and four crew last October in a near-miss incident over south-west Scotland.
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Tuesday, July 26, 2005
VFC-12 F/A-18 Legacy Jets Photos
Gerry just uploaded some new photos of VFC-12 Fighting Omars. If you like the photos and you want to post it at some other website or forum, do give the full credit and post a prominent link back to alert5.com. Over the weekend, I caught two person taking the photos from here and posting it at 2 different forums. One took 18 photos from the Viraat folder, put it in photobucket and posted it. The link back to our website was a tiny one at the bottom of one photo which can be easily miss out. The other one was even worse. No link at all! Gerry and I are nice to share our photos without watermarks as we wanted everyone to enjoy them in its original form, so please don't force us to watermark our photos.
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Northrop Grumman's Fire Scout UAV Successfully Fires Test Rockets
Northrop Grumman Corporation's RQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned air vehicle (UAV) reached another important milestone July 22 when the UAV successfully fired two 2.75-inch Mark 66 unguided rockets at Arizona's Yuma Proving Grounds. Photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman.
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Supersonic JDAM drop marks increase in Raptor capability
An F/A-22 Raptor, flown by Maj. John Teichert, releases a GBU-32 1,000-pound JDAM at supersonic speed for the first time near California's Panamint Mountain range. U.S. Air Force photo by Darin Russell.
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BAE Receives $31 Million USAF Contract For Radar Warning Receiver Systems
BAE Systems recently received a $31 million production contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide 31 AN/ALR-56M radar warning receiver systems for a new fleet of Air Force and Marine Corps C-130J aircraft and line replaceable unit (LRU) spares for the Taiwan Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.
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From a whisper to a roar on Oceana
Virginia's state official were surprised by the last-minute addition of Oceana Naval Air Station by the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission to its list of downsizing and closures.
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Mirage deal may not come through
Indian defence officials feels that the second-hand Mirage-2000-5 planes from Qatar are "too costly."
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BAE ready to fly first Hawk 128 AJT
BAE Systems expects to fly the first development Hawk 128 advanced jet trainer (AJT) for the UK Royal Air Force this week as it launches a sales campaign built around the latest version of the popular training aircraft. The UK company identifies Greece, Malaysia, Poland, Singapore and Thailand as early targets for the Hawk AJT.
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Rumsfeld: Base loss won�t stop Afghan mission
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Monday that the military could sustain its operations in Afghanistan even if it lost access to a key air base in neighboring Uzbekistan.
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HMS CREWLESS
The Royal Navy is desperately looking for more than 1,000 new recruits to help crew Britain's two new 60,000-ton aircraft carriers.
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Inside Oceana Naval Air Station
Naval Air Station Oceana has four runways capable of handling the nation�s largest military aircraft, two 18-hole golf courses, an Olympic-size swimming pool, a 24-lane bowling alley, a movie theater and horse stables.
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430 Tac Hel Sqn granted freedom of the city
Freedom of the city of Quebec was granted to Canadian 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron.
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Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet Engages Moving Targets with JDAM
Boeing has successfully demonstrated the capability of a single F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to engage moving land targets with JDAM during a test at Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division, China Lake, California.
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New V-22 Osprey Logistics Support Center Opens in New Bern, North Carolina
A new V-22 Logistics Support Facility officially opened Jul 25 at the Craven County Industrial Park to provide interim logistics support for the V-22 Osprey aircraft.
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Monday, July 25, 2005
Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet makes goodwill visit to Singapore
David Boey has kindly contributed this article on our recent visit to INS Viraat. Thank you very much David.
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EAA aviation fly-in features history-making spacecraft
The world's first successful civilian-built rocket plane, SpaceShipOne, and its carrier aircraft, the White Knight, will make their only planned public appearance together at the 53rd annual Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture before the rocket plane goes on permanent display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
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Romania moving closer to base access deal with U.S
U.S. and Romanian officials are discussing a deal that could give the U.S. military access to Romanian bases including the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base.
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`Stealth' director touts film's realistic action
The world premiere of naval action movie, "Stealth," at the Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, Calif., featured a flyover of F/A-18 Super Hornets.
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Former commanders: air base tied closely to airborne efficiency
Former commanders of Pope Air Force Base say paratroopers at Fort Bragg can do their jobs if aircraft are moved elsewhere, as is being proposed, but they say the paratroopers' performance will suffer.
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Aerial photos of Nagasaki A-bomb destruction found
The Japan Map Center has found 29 frames of negatives of aerial photographs of Nagasaki taken by the U.S. military a day after it dropped an atomic bomb on the city in 1945.
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RAF Regiment restructuring - details announced
Four Royal Air Force Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) squadrons will be disbanded as the role is to be transferred to the Army.
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Army blames human error in air accident(Registration Required)
The U.S. Army blames poor crew coordination for the AH-64D Apache helicopter crash in South Korea
earlier this year.
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Korean pilots view new fighter for first time at Seymour Johnson AFB
South Korean pilots at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base got their first look at the new fighter jet they will be flying when an F-15K pilot by Mark Snider touched down at the base Friday afternoon.
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Sunday, July 24, 2005
Misawa museum lands an F-16 fighter for its air parkAn F-16 from the USAF 35th Fighter Wing is on loan indefinitely as a static display at the Misawa Aviation Science Museum, Japan.
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Air base runway could go civilianThe Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission believes the Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base should become a civilian airport if the military moves out.
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U.S. to carry out inspection flight over Russia, BelarusAn American OS-135 will conduct an observation flight over Russia and Belarus under the Open Skies Treaty between July 25 and 29.
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US offers warships to India for first timeIndia's Chief of Naval staff Admiral Arun Prakash said negotiations on sale of P-3C Orions were at an advanced stage, but at the same time the Indian Navy might go for global tenders for the purchase of such aircraft.
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MCPON Visits USS NimitzMaster Chief Petty Officer of the U.S. Navy (MCPON) Terry Scott paid a visit to the Sailors and Marines of USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and Carrier Air Wing 11 July 12-13 as the ship transited the Strait of Hormuz on its way into the Arabian Gulf.
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Air Force in S. Korea wraps up drills to test forces' war readinessThe U.S. Air Force in South Korea wrapped up a routine weeklong exercise Friday that saw pilots attacking mock ground targets and ground crews launching and recovering jets while sweating in chemical suits.
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First view of RAF's agile new fighterThe Eurofighter Typhoon will be on display at the annual Yorkshire Air Show next month.
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Sea diplomacy: Navy to 'exercise' its mightIndia is using its aircraft carrier as a diplomatic tool to to project power as well as build bridges of friendship.
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Air Guard leaders drafting new planThe commanders of the National Guard in every U.S. state met on Friday to draft an alternative plan to save Air National Guard units from closing or losing planes.
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'I don't blame them but I hope they mourn the dead'Sixty years after the dropping of the first atomic bomb. Aircrew who flew the Enola Gay and Japanese victims of the bomb were interviewed in this article.
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Vintage aircraft, and patriotic spirit, set to soar at Eden Prairie expoAlmost 80 veteran military aviators like Robin Olds will be at the 2005 Flying Cloud Airport Air Expo, Eden Prairie, Minnesota to sign autographs.
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Missing Air Force plane found at East Java's Jabung HillThe wreckage of an Indonesian Air Force Bronco OV-10 was found on Friday morning at Jabung Hill, East Java. The plane's pilot and copilot were found dead.
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Air-to-air tanker plan to save fuelA report from Royal Aeronautical Society�s Greener by Design group suggests that passenger jets be refuelled in mid-air to save fuel and reduce the environmental damage from flights.
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Report: BRAC Considers Returning Navy Jets To Cecil FieldThe BRAC could return some jets to Cecil Field in Florida to relieve Oceana.
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Saturday, July 23, 2005
Potential cruise missile test-launched in ChinaChina is developing a previously unknown long-range tactical missile system.
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Japan approves new missile rulesJapan's upper house has passed legislation that allows the defence chief to order the interception of incoming missiles without seeking Cabinet permission. The lower house
passed the bill last month.
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State officials argue to keep 440th in MilwaukeeWisconsin state officials says the proposal to move the 440th Airlift Wing, which flies eight C-130H transport planes, might have been based on faulty, incomplete data and incorrect assumptions.
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U.S., Japanese forces strengthen ties at Cope North trainingThe U.S. Air Force and Japanese Air Self-Defense Force completed their Cope North training Thursday at Guam.
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Boeing Eyes Sales to Indian Air ForceChris Chadwick, Boeing Vice President for F/A-18 programs, says that Boeing is willing to transfer technology and co-produce the Super Hornets in India.
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Fighter show to woo forcesThe Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy will be given a presentation on the F/A-18 Superhornet�s performance in Afghanistan and Iraq soon.
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Sea King crash report due by year endThe board of inquiry looking into the Australian Sea King crash in Indonesia will hold public hearings next month.
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United States Air Force Tattoo 'exceptional'The U.S. Air Force Tattoo was held Monday on the U.S. Air Force Ceremonial Lawn at Bolling.
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Officials sue over transfer of Springfield squadronIllinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a lawsuit to block the Defense Department's proposal to move the 183rd Fighter Wing.
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Three army officers killed in Aceh military plane crashAn Indonesian Air Force CN-235 crash landed onto an Aceh airport on Thursday, killing three Army officers.
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South Korean pilots complete missionEight South Korean pilots and weapons system operators have completed their F-15 training at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
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U.S. advises of plan to support Israeli jetsPentagon may sell $600 million in equipment and services to Israel for maintenance of the engines on the Israeli Air Force's F-15 and F-16A/B fighter jets.
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Nixon threatens suit over plan to close Guard base in St. LouisMissouri Attorney General Jay Nixon says he ready to file a lawsuit to halt the transfer of the Missouri Air National Guard's 131st Fighter Wing.
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Meet LAFB�s ops group commanderCol. David E. Petersen recently assumed command at Laughlin Air Force Base as the 47th Operations Group commander overseeing the Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training.
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Fighter-plane Crashes In LubangoAn Angola MiG-23 crashed on Thursday 4pm in Lubango city.
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Friday, July 22, 2005
INS Viraat's Singapore VisitThanks to David Boey, defense correspondent from
Straits Times, a few of us from the
militarynuts forum were able to visit this Falklands War veteran for a 2 hour tour at Changi Naval Base. CDR Vikram Memon from INAS 300 was our host, he took us around the deck and answered questions and we ended the tour at the officers mess for tea. Despite its age, the Viraat is still a very capable ship with all its upgrades. A big Thank You to all the officers and sailors for the very pleasant trip.
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Northrop Grumman Opens Integration Lab to Test and Refine Its Fire Scout UAV for the U.S. ArmyNorthrop Grumman Corporation has opened its new System Integration Laboratory for the U.S. Army's RQ-8B Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing unmanned air vehicle (UAV). The laboratory provides a place for the Fire Scout team to test and refine the UAV.
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Raytheon Company Awarded $124.1 Million Standard Missile-3 ContractRaytheon Company has been awarded a $124.1 million contract from the U.S. Navy to
build, test and deliver additional Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) rounds to the Missile Defense Agency to meet the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense deployment requirements.
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Raytheon's Enhanced Paveway(TM) II Successfully Proves Extended Range CapabilitiesThe U.S. Navy has successfully dropped six Enhanced Paveway IIs at the U.S. Navy's China Lake Test Range.
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Raytheon Delivers Next Generation Anti-Jam GPS Sensor for F-35 Joint Strike FighterRaytheon Company's Space and Airborne Systems (SAS) delivered the first flight-ready GPS system six weeks ahead of its need date for installation in the first F-35 test aircraft.
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Raytheon Focuses Radar Expertise on Ground Targets in MotionThe U.S. Air Force has engaged Raytheon Company to devise a way for aircraft, from a safe distance, to detect, track and target hostile forces in motion on the ground.
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SEAL operates from cockpit of F/A-18USMC Capt. Aric Liberman, VMFA-212 pilot, served in the U.S. Navy SEALs for more than nine years before becoming a Marine Corps pilot.
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Harrier pilots train with top-dollar simulatorThe Radar Night Attack Weapons System Trainer is used to train USMC AV-8B Harrier pilots.
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The fight is on to save OceanaVirginia�s officials are putting up defences against the possible closure or downsizing of the Oceana Naval Air Station.
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General: Don't let the 'air' out of Air National GuardMembers of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee and the National Guard officers voiced concern that plans to strip aircraft from dozens of Air National Guard units could harm homeland security.
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RAF makes great showing at RIAT 2005.The Royal Air Force provided many of the highlights of this year's Royal International Air Tattoo held over the weekend of 16th and 17th July at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire.
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Boeing team lands on Friday for Hornet dealA Boeing delegation will be in New Delhi to pitch their F/A-18s and explain the technical snag that affect the IAF Chief's flight during the recent Paris Air Show.
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USS Tuscon launches Tomahawk IV in West Coast testUSS Tuscon, a submerged Los Angeles-Class submarine, launched a Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile off the coast of southern California.
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State targets Virginia air baseA group of North Carolina lobbyists and local and state leaders will be meeting to brainstorm ideas for attracting the U.S Navy to position jets from Oceana to North Carolina if the base is closed.
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Pentagon Concerned About Missile ThreatThe head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency says he wants to address the theoretical threat of short-range ballistic missiles coming from ships off the U.S. coast.
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Putin signs law on Russian air base with KyrgyzstanRussian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill ratifying the agreement with Kyrgyzstan on the status and operating conditions of the Russian air base in Kyrgyzstan.
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Vietnam-era fighter plane heading for display at Museum of AviationA restored F-100C will be displayed at Museum of Aviation, Georgia.
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Blackhawk helicopter lands at summer festMembers of the U.S. Army 106th National Guard flew a Blackhawk to Big Bear Lake in Vernon Hills' New Century Park to thank the local community for their support while they were in Iraq.
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Great Falls pitches keeping MANG jetsMontana's community leaders seeks to keep the 120th Fighter Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
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Vandenberg launches Minuteman IIIAn unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile was successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
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No plans to send Hunter UAVs to South Korea, Army officials sayThe U.S. 8th Army public affairs chief Lt. Col. Tom Budzyna clarified that there are no plans to deploy the Hunter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to South Korea.
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Thursday, July 21, 2005
INS Viraat visit in Singapore
I just came back from a 2 hour tour of the Indian Navy's sole aircraft carrier, INS Viraat. The pictures will be process tomorrow but here is a sneak peak of what to expect.
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Final Tomcat launch from USS Harry S. TrumanOne of the final F-14B Tomcats to launch from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) receives an impromptu send-off from Sailors assigned to VF-32. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Kristopher Wilson.
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Lobbyist for Boeing faces ethics probe by PentagonThe Pentagon's inspector general is investigating whether the U.S. Air National Guard's former director violated federal ethics law by accepting a job as a lobbyist with Boeing Co. only three months after he retired from the military.
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HAL, Snecma sign agreement on JVHindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Snecma will form a joint venture to build components for the Ardiden, a new helicopter engine that Snecma is developing. The engine will be tested on HAL�s advanced light helicopter.
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Hornet pilot�s remains foundThe remains of a pilot killed in the collision of two Navy Super Hornets Monday over China Lake Naval Weapons Station, Calif., were found by searchers the following day near the wreckage of the pilot�s F/A-18E Super Hornet.
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Milwaukee C-130 crew earns flying awardSix reservists earned the 2004 U.S. Air Force Association Outstanding Reserve Aircrew Award for safely landing their C-130 Hercules after it was damaged by enemy ground fire.
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Pope, AFIT added to list of potential base closuresBase Realignment and Closure Commission added Pope Air Force Base and the Air Force Institute of Technology to a list of potential closings.
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Chief of Royal Malaysian Air Force visits Viet NamGeneral Dato Sri Nik Ismail bin Nik Mohamed, Chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, wrapped up a four-day visit to Vietnam on July 20.
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Lockheed to begin US101 testingBasic avionic and systems testing for the US101 presidential helicopter will begin in the fourth quarter on an EH-101 craft.
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Bell CEO Thanks Employees for Contributions to V-22 ProgramThis is an internal email made available to public from Chief Executive Officer Mike Redenbaugh to Bell employees on the recent V-22 milestone.
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Navy to argue for N.C. landing field to federal appeals courtThe 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments by the U.S. Navy that it urgently needed to build a practice airfield in eastern North Carolina despite a lower court decision that the plan failed to fully consider the environmental impact.
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FLIR Systems Awarded Contract to Provide Star SAFIRE(R) HD(TM) Systems to Republic of KoreaFLIR Systems, Inc. will supply its most advanced airborne thermal imaging system, the Star SAFIRE(R) HD(TM), to the Republic of Korea (ROK) as part of the Korean Navy's P-3 Lot II Maritime Patrol Aircraft program.
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U.S. airline industry doubts anti-missile technologyJames May, chief executive of the Air Transport Association, says the anti-missile technology to be tested on U.S. airliners will not protect all aircraft from all types of missiles and is not worth the massive investment.
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Rolls-Royce wins defense contract to enhance military helicoptersRolls-Royce has been awarded a defense contract to produce Infrared Exhaust Suppressors for U.S. Special Operations Command MH-47 Chinook helicopters.
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Lockheed Martin/Northrop Grumman Longbow JV Awarded $13 Million Contract for Longbow Fire Control Radar Life Cycle SupportThe U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) awarded a $13.3 million contract to Longbow Limited (LBL) for Life Cycle Contractor Support (LCCS) of the Longbow Fire Control Radar (FCR).
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Multi-million pound 'Spy in the Sky' Watchkeeper programme announced to Defence SecretaryU.K. Defence Secretary John Reid has given the green light for the Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle programme.
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U.S. Army Probing Handling Of Documents In Helicopter ProgramsThe U.S. Army says it is investigating why contractors eyeing the Light Utility Helicopter and Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter competitions possessed documents they were not supposed to have.
Labels: ARH
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Lockheed Martin Receives Contract to Start Upgrade Program for Turkey's F-16sLockheed Martin received a long-lead contract, valued at approximately $67.7 million, from the U.S. Air Force to begin development of a major systems upgrade of Turkish Air Force F-16 aircraft.
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New Jet for WhidbeyThe U.S. Navy will based the EA-18G at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station when it enters service.
Labels: EA-18G
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Wednesday, July 20, 2005
EADS: Today's Greek fighter procurement is not against EurofighterEADS believes that the Greek order of 30 F-16s is for filling the gap in the HAF jet fighter fleet due to attrition and to satisfy an interim need of third-generation aircraft. EADS is convinced that on one of the forthcoming National Security Council (KYSEA) meeting, the Eurofighter will be the number one aircraft for the HAF.
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Greek govt to buy 30 Lockheed Martin F-16s worth 1.1 bln eurThe Greek government will purchase 30 F-16/Block 52 fighter aircraft with the option of 10 more, Greek Defence Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos said.
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Nimrods are flying high in air trialsLess than a year since its maiden flight, the Nimrod MRA4 is continuing to impress during its trial flights.
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Rivals Vie for US Army Cargo ProgramCompetitors for the contract to provide the U.S. Army with new cargo aircraft recently began more aggressively marketing their respective offerings.
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Gov't to develop unmanned spy dronesJapan's Technical Research and Development Institute plans to produce two prototype high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned reconnaissance aircraft by fiscal 2012.
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B-1 consolidation concerns panelistFormer Transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner, a member of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, challenged the Pentagon's plan to consolidate the B-1B fleet by closing Ellsworth Air Force Base at Rapid City.
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Athena Technologies Announces Contract to Develop Damage Tolerance Technology for Air Combat VehiclesAthena Technologies, Inc has been awarded a contract by the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) program to develop a new technology for UCAVs to survive an adversary's attack and allow the air vehicle to sustain flight and potentially continue its mission.
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General: Eielson could host exercises 8-9 months a yearGen. Michael Moseley believes the real value of Eielson Air Force Base is hosting Cope Thunder.
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Tenure of presence of the American Air Base to be discussedActing President of the Kyrgyz Republic K. S. Bakiyev confirmed his intention to question the United States on tenure of the American Air Base on the Kyrgyz territory.
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Malaysia Puts C-130 Upgrades on HoldThe Malaysian government has decided to put its supposedly high- priority C-130 modernization program on hold following intense lobbying by France to consider the purchase of new Airbus A400M military transports instead.
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Bases in Calif., Maine, Va. Added to ListBRAC has voted to close the Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine and reduced even further or shut down Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia.
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Canada's top guns need training, officer saysLieutenant-Colonel Dave McComb, former CO of Canada's 419 Tactical Fighter (Training) Squadron, Canada has to augment its combat air training to counter terrorist threats.
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xwave to deliver airborne mission system to Airbus Deutschlandxwave, an Aliant Company, has signed a contract with Airbus Deutschland GmbH. to supply hardware and software for the Air-to-Air Re-fuelling (AAR) mission management system for airborne use on German and Canadian air force Airbus A310 Multi-role Transport Tanker (MRTT) aircraft.
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2 Hurt, 1 Missing After Fighter Jets CrashOne pilot is still missing from the Super Hornets collision over China Lake.
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Boeing Awarded $31.2 Million C-17 Globemaster III Upgrade ContractThe U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a $31.2 million contract modification to upgrade 25 additional C-17s Globemaster IIIs with the Northrop Grumman Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures, or LAIRCM, defensive system.
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Sea King mission a "nightmare'': SenatorCanada plans to refit eight Sea King helicopters and deploy them to Afghanistan.
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USAFE supports Royal International Air TattooMore than 20 U.S. Air Force aircraft from bases worldwide took part in the two-day Royal International Air Tattoo.
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Tuesday, July 19, 2005
US to Deploy Upgraded Spy PlanesThe United States Forces Korea (USFK) will deploy the Hunter UAV to replace the Shadow 200 Tactical UAV.
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Russia might participate in helicopter tender again -- Turkish PremierRussian President Vladimir Putin said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had announced that Russia might have another chance at a tender on the sale of helicopters to Turkey.
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Network-centric warfare takes flightGlobal Hawks performed about 5 percent of the surveillance missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, but the vehicles were responsible for collecting about 55 percent of the information on time-sensitive targets.
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Williams wins contract for Javelin jet engineWilliams International will supply FJ33 turbofan engines for the Javelin jet. ATG has one contract so far for the military trainer version.
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Chinese defense minister meets ROK air force chiefChinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan met in Beijing on July 18 with Lee Han Ho, chief of staff of the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF).
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Arms agreement means no Global Hawk for South KoreaLt Gen Jeffrey Kohler, commander of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), says in an interview that RQ-4 exports to South Korea are unlikely due to the Missile Technology Control Regime pact restricting sales of UAVs that could be used to deliver weapons of mass destruction.
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Air power in counter insurgency is an option: Air Chief TyagiIndian Air Force Chief said the use of air power in counter insurgency was an option in "special circumstances."
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We have liftoff on homemade choppersThe Australian Government Jul 18 unveiled a $25million expansion of the Australian Aerospace helicopter production facility in Brisbane as the army took delivery of its first locally built "Tiger" armed reconnaissance helicopter. The helicopter delivered represented the first of 18 to be built in Brisbane over the next four years.
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Spy gear may not fit in Embraer planeEmbraer is waiting to learn whether it will be replaced as the airframe provider for the U.S. Army Aerial Common Sensor program..
Labels: ACS
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Northrop Grumman Awarded $109.8 million Long Lead Material Contract for LHA(R)The U.S. Navy has awarded a contract valued at $109.8 million to Northrop Grumman Corporation for advanced planning, long-lead material and systems engineering on the LHA(R) amphibious assault ship program. The LHA(R) will be the U.S. Navy's newest amphibious assault ship, incorporating enhanced aviation capabilities centered around the STOVL F-35B Joint Strike Fighter and the V-22 tilt-rotor Osprey.
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The Rolls-Royce of flying historyThe AirSpace Centre, when completed in 2007, will become the largest space for the display of aviation heritage in Europe, and the second largest in the world after the national U.S. Air Force museum in Ohio.
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ISRAELI-ORIGIN UAV COMPLETES TEST FLIGHTSThe Hunter-2 demonstrator has completed a series of tests for the U.S. Army as part of the U.S. Army's Extended Range/Multi-Purpose [ER/MP] program.
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Two fighter jets crash over Mojave DesertA F/A-18E and a F/A-18F collided in mid-air during training over China Lake on Monday. Both pilots were taken to Ridgecrest Regional Hospital in serious condition.
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Pentagon says Pope base won't lose all Air Force personnelIn a letter dated July 14 to the Base Closure and Realignment Commission, the Pentagon said five U.S. Air Force units would remain at the Pope air base after two wings that command cargo and fighter planes are sent elsewhere.
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Navy could need new jet base in a decade, admiral saysAdm. Robert Willard, the vice chief of U.S. naval operations, said that once the F-35 begins reaching the fleet around 2012, the Navy may need to develop a new "master jet base" to accommodate it and today's F/A-18.
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Eurofighter jet 'seconds from disaster'The pilot of a Eurofighter Typhoon jet narrowly avoided crashing his aircraft during rehearsals for the show at RAF Fairford.
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Chinese FC-1 faces export hurdleRussian engine manufacturer Chernyshev Moscow Machine Building Enterprise has banned China from exporting its RD-93-engined FC-1 attack fighter aircraft to Pakistan to avoid upsetting India.
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Enhance "Aerospace Power" for strategic needs, says Air ChiefIndian Air Force Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi, said that the IAF will play a major role in protecting the northern parts of the country.
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Indian aircraft carrier visitIndian navy aircraft carrier INS Viraat along with four supporting vessels, will dock at Port Klang, Malaysia on Saturday.
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Boeing Awarded $41.5 Million Apache Reset ContractThe U.S. Army awarded Boeing a $41.5 million contract for the refurbishment of 70 Apache AH-64 Helicopters under the Reset program.
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Reservists airlift dolphin to FloridaA crew from U.S. Air Force Reserve Command�s 815th Airlift Squadron helped airlift Noah, a rough-toothed dolphin, from Texas to Florida.
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Monday, July 18, 2005
AFM aircraft in ground collisionAn Armed Forces of Malta Bulldog aircraft with two persons on board was involved in a ground collision with an Enemalta vehicle Jul 16.
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Flying force-multiplier provides eyes forwardA 7-pound remote-control aircraft is helping the USAF 379th Security Forces Squadron to �see� threats like insurgents and possible land mines in Iraq.
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US has sealed deal on Japan's licensed production of PAC-3 missiles - reportWashington has concluded a deal to allow Japan's licensed production of Patriot Advanced Capability 3 missiles. Lockheed Martin Corp is expected to sign a contract before March 2006 to license Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd with PAC-3 production.
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Mi-8 helicopter crashed after colliding with a mountain - sourceThe most likely reason for the Mi-8 helicopter
crash on Saturday in Chechnya was a collision with a mountain.
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U.S. Contribution to Darfur Airlift Operation BeginsA U.S. Air Force advanced team and a C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft loaded with support equipment deployed to Kigali, Rwanda, July 14 to provide logistical and airlift support of Rwandan forces as part of the African Union's expanded mission in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan.
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Talks start with US on Trident's �15bn successorU.K. defence secretary, John Reid, has authorised officials to begin negotiations with Washington and with defence companies on a successor to Trident.
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PAF's High Mark-2005 War Games, Largest Deployment In History Of PakistanPakistan Air Force plans to conduct its largest ever air exercise this year. The planned exercises would include one prototype of JF-17 Thunder aircraft to test the aircraft in war time situation.
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Missile defense in place in Alaska, but will it work?Since Jul 22 last year, six missile interceptors have been placed in silos at Fort Greely, Alaska and two others at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
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Japan, US reach accord on airspace control over US base in Tokyo - reportJapan and the United States have reached an agreement on the return of Yokota Air Base's airspace control over Tokyo and its vicinities to Japan by 2009.
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Sunday, July 17, 2005
VFA-103 Safe for Flight CertifiedVFA-103 got their safe for flight certificate on Friday at 1400hrs and the CO and XO wasted no time in getting AG 200 and AG 201 out for an afternoon flight.
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V-22 Osprey to be tested in Santa FeA V-22 Osprey will undergo testing from Aug. 2 to Sept. 30 at the Santa Fe Municipal Airport.
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USFK commander offers condolences for crash victimsU.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Leon J. LaPorte expressed condolences Friday for the four South Korean air force members killed in two separate crashes Wednesday.
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Families fault UTC, Sikorsky, GE in fatal helicopter crashFamily members of two U.S. Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon pilots killed in a crash in Italy two years ago have filed lawsuits against the companies that built the aircraft, accusing them of negligence.
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Mi-8 chopper crashes in ChechnyaA Mi-8 chopper escorted by two Mi-24 helicopters crashed in Chechnya.
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Pilots earn DFC medals for close-air support missionUSMC Lt. Col. Mike Franzak and Capt. Mike Trapp were awarded the Distinguished Flying Crosses for saving a ground combat team in Afghanistan�s central mountain region on Aug. 25, 2003. This is the first time for Harrier pilots in 15 years, and the first of the medals given for Afghanistan operations.
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PR battle looms next for Osprey (Registration Required)USAF Col. Craig Olson, the V-22 program manager, wants to dispel perceptions of V-22 as unsafe and overpriced.
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Former POW awarded long-overdue Purple HeartLloyd Kilmer, who flew B-24 Liberators in the 8th Air Force, was awarded the Purple Heart at Luke Air Force Base.
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North Carolina Crash Is Second in a Month for Marine Harrier JetFor the second time in a month and the 152nd time in 34 years of flight, a U.S. Marine Corps Harrier attack jet has crashed during a noncombat mission.
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Boera ready to take command of Andersen wingCol. Michael R. Boera is to assume command of the 36th Air Expeditionary Wing at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, during a change-of-command ceremony Monday.
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Typhoon hailed as 'awesome' by ReidU.K. Defense Secretary Dr John Reid described the Eurofighter Typhoon as "awesome" at the Royal International Air Tattoo.
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Tejas PV-2 version to be ready soonThe Prototype Vehicle-2 (PV-2) version of Light Combat Aircraft will be ready soon.
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Misawa airman busted one rank, docked pay for hackingA USAF airman was caught trying to decrypt the Misawa Air Base�s user name and password file and was sentenced to 10 days of confinement and reduced in rank to E-2.
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Pentagon says long-term goal is to replace OceanaOceana Naval Air Station will ultimately be replaced by �a new, 21st century Master Jet Base� elsewhere on the East Coast.
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Plan to land shuttle hereAustralia's Amberley RAAF base has been placed on stand-by in case of an emergency landing by space shuttle Discovery.
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Rossi takes command of Army Patriot missile brigadeThe U.S. Army 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade has a new commander Friday following its first change-of-command ceremony on the Korean peninsula.
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Saturday, July 16, 2005
Defence Secretary witnesses RAF Typhoon debut at RIATU.K. Defence Secretary John Reid watched the RAF's Typhoon aircraft in action at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at RAF Fairford.
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The LCA puzzlePervez Shamim was nice to point out this article in Frontline magazine about the LCA project's future.
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Ecuador will not renew air base agreement with U.S.Ecuador will not renew an air base agreement with Washington allowing the United States to use an Ecuadorian air base to combat drug trafficking.
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Northrop, BAE to test US anti-missile defense on airliners - reportThe U.S. government will begin testing anti-missile laser defense equipment on three airliners next month.
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No one hurt in Cherry Point crashA U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point AV8-B Harrier crashed on Jul 14.
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World War II fliers leave a lasting gift for revered aircraftThe P-47 Thunderbolt Pilots Association held its last gathering as attendance have fallen from 1,500 to 130.
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Patriotic Fighter PilotsThe daily life of a typical South Korean fighter pilot.
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58th Fighter Association conducts 20th reunion (Registration Required)The 58th Fighter Association members joined by some family and friends held their 20th reunion in the Washington, D.C. area in June 2005.
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Navy Tells BRAC Oceana Best East Coast Alternative - For NowThe U.S. Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense says Oceana Naval Air Station was the best option to base the east coast tactical aviation squadrons for now.
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Pentagon defends Air Guard changesThe Pentagon on Friday stood by its plans to shut down or shift nearly 30 Air National Guard units, despite legal questions from the Base Closure and Realignment Commission that it may not have the authority to do so.
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City woman's flying tributeAn all female flypast over London by the RAF took place last weekend to commemorate the women in the Second World War.
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Naval pilots to train in US academyIndia is going ahead with plans to train Indian naval fighter pilots, especially for carrier landings and take offs with the U.S. Navy.
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Top Chinese general warns US over attackChinese General Zhu Chenghu said on Thursday that China is prepared to use nuclear weapons against the U.S. if it is attacked by Washington during a confrontation over Taiwan.
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Navy ace to politician, Cunningham had it allRandy "Duke" Cunningham has his fare share of scandals during and after his naval career.
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Marines take to the skies over EuropeExercise Clean Hunter at the Polish 31st Air Base in Poznan, Poland saw the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 134 , Marine Aerial Refueling Squadron 452, and Marine Aerial Logistics Squadron 41 came together for the exercise.
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House Rejects China Arms Sales BillThe U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday rejected with a vote of 215 to 203, the "East Asia Security Act" which will impose stiff penalties on European firms selling weapons to China.
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Wife sues over RAF airfield deathA widow is suing the U.K. Ministry of Defence for compensation after her husband died when their plane nose-dived and crashed at St Mawgan RAF base. She claims an RAF helicopter was too close.
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IAF under US pressure in aircraft deal with Qatar
Industry sources said the Indian Air Force offer of around $375 million to Qatar for 12 Mirage 2000-5 aircraft clearly signified that India was not serious about acquiring the fighters.
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Ness Technologies Receives Israel Defense Prize From President of IsraelNess Technologies, Inc. has received the 2005 Israel Defense Prize for developing a leading edge visual intelligence system currently being used by the Israeli Air Force.
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Army UAV Center of Excellence to be at RuckerThe U.S. Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., has been designated as the new Army Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Center of Excellence.
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UK's BAE chairman urges fewer U.S. export controls (Registration Required)Dick Olver, chairman of Britain's BAE Systems Plc, said that U.S. export controls could hamper U.K. efforts to share its expertise on short take-off and vertical landing for the F-35.
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F-16 pilots provide support for troops on the battlefieldThe USAF 510th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron�s F-16 Fighting Falcons provides support for ground commanders across the whole Iraq.
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Four Air Force Pilots Confirmed DeadFour South Korean Air Force pilots have been confirmed dead after their F-4E and F-5F crashed on Wednesday night.
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Air force to upgrade Sukhois and MiG-29sThe Indian Air Force will upgrade the first lot of Sukhoi-30s and some MiG-29s as part of its ongoing modernisation programme.
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Japan could sell new missiles: OnoJapan's Defense Agency Director General, Yoshinori Ono, says interceptor missiles it was developing with the United States could be sold to third countries if the United State requested it.
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Yuma wants reimbursement for Harrier crash recoveryYuma County plans to submit a claim for federal reimbursement of the costs of responding to the crash of a AV-8B Harrier in a Yuma neighborhood on Jun 15.
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BRAC: New hopeThe U.S. Air Force plans to double the unmanned aerial vehicle fleet and send half of the new UAVs to Grand Forks Air Force Base.
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Student pilots receive non-judicial punishment11 USAF officers were removed from pilot training after being caught cheating on emergency procedure quizzes during the T-37 phase of specialized undergraduate pilot training..
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Lockheed Martin Awarded $124 Million Contract for Japanese Sea-Based Missile Defense CapabilityLockheed Martin announced that it has been awarded a $124 million, three- year contract to provide the Aegis BMD Weapon System upgrades for the first of a planned group of four Japanese Kongo-class destroyers, DDG 173.
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U.S. Navy Awards Lockheed Martin $49.8 Million Contract to Begin Next Phase of MH-60R Helicopter IntegrationLockheed Martin has received a $49.8 million award from the U.S. Navy to integrate anti-submarine and surface warfare subsystems on board six new MH-60R multimission helicopters.
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Friday, July 15, 2005
Belgian F-16 jets fly into Kabul for poll securityFour Belgian F-16s flew into Kabu, Afghanistan on Jul 13 for peacekeeping mission.
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Rs 4 crore down the drain in development of LCAThe Comptroller and Auditor General of India is seeking an explaination on why the Defence Research Development Organisations bought two data recorders for the LCA when only one was necessary.
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Navy, Air chiefs receive highest French awardPakistan's Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Shahid Karimullah, and Air Chief, Kaleem Saadat, were decorated with the Legion of Honour by the French President.
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Marines celebrate 100,000-hour safety milestoneVMFA-332 will be the first squadron in the service to fly 100,000 hours without a major accident.
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Plane leads nostalgia missionFormer B-24 radio operator, George Harlow, and many other former B-24 aircrews will visit the Commemorative Air Force's B-24 Liberator parked at Waukegan Regional Airport this weekend.
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The First Hellenic Serial Production NH 90 Flies at the Eurocopter Marignane FacilityThe first Hellenic serial production NH90 successfully took to the air Jul 13 for a 95 minutes flight.
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Airbus, Sikorsky tangled with export snag facing BoeingAirbus and Sikorsky took great pains to remove gyrochips which can be used on military planes to avoid trouble with the U.S. State Department.
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Navy's N.C. airspace bid set backA U.S. federal judge on Wednesday rejected the U.S. Navy's conclusion that reserving 900 square miles of Eastern North Carolina airspace for pilot training would cause no environmental harm to four wildlife refuges and a national seashore.
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Boeing ScanEagle to Achieve European Air Show FirstThe Boeing ScanEagle will become the first fixed wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to fly at a European public air show, when it takes to the skies at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at RAF Fairford, July 16 - 17.
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Bell Boeing Team Supports V-22 Media DayThe U.S. Marine Corps Tiltrotor Test and Evaluation Squadron in New River, N.C., hosted media from around the nation to share highlights of the recently completed Operational Test and Evaluation and provide a look at where the program currently is and what milestones are yet to come for the V-22.
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OLF opponents take arguments to D.C. representatives (Registration Required)Twin sisters, Christy and Jennifer Ange, traveled to Washington D.C. to broaden their battle against the U.S. Navy�?s plan for a practice landing field in North Carolina.
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Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract to Complete Development of Radar Upgrade for U.S. Air Force F-16 AircraftNorthrop Grumman Corporation has received a three-year contract from the U.S. Air Force to finish developing the AN/APG-68(V)10 replacement "kit" that will improve performance and enhance reliability in approximately 240 F-16C and D fighter aircraft.
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IAF to induct upgraded Jaguars, Lakshya aircraftIndia's Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee will hand over Friday nine local upgraded Jaguars and the first Lakshya aircraft to the Indian Air Force.
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3 Firms Vie for Early Aircraft Warning SystemBoeing, SVC and IAI ELTA have submitted bids for South Korea�s $2 billion order of early aircraft warning systems.
Anybody heard of SVC before?
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P-8A MMA team earns NAVAIR Commander's AwardThe P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) System Development and Demonstration (SDD) team has received the NAVAIR Commander's National Award for Program Management.
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Overseas deployment of INS Viraat & eastern fleet ships to South East AsiaThe Indian naval aircraft carrier INS Viraat, accompanied by four other Indian naval ships will be visiting Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia from next week.
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List of this year's air show flying acts and displays (Registration Required)This is the list of flying displays at this weekend's Dayton Air Show.
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Global Hawk Unmanned System Reaches 7,000th Flight Hour While Supporting War on TerrorismNorthrop Grumman's RQ-4 Global Hawk reached its 7,000th total flight hour on June 22 during a combat mission supporting the global war on terrorism.
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2 Fighter Jets CrashOne pilot was killed and three were missing when a South Korean F-4E and a F-5F each went missing on separate training missions eight minutes apart.
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V-22 gets OK for production (Registration Required)Bell Helicopter's manufacturing processes on the V-22 Osprey program have improved enough to justify full production of the aircraft, Pentagon's Defense Contract Management Agency said in an e-mailed statement Tuesday.
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Indian Navy to hold joint drills with French, US counterpartsIndia's sole carrier, INS Viraat, will be holding exercises with French and American carriers over the next three months.
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AAFB training exercise features live bombsExercise Cope North on Guam will allow the Japanese forces to practice dropping live ordnance, something that they are not able to do in their home country.
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Thursday, July 14, 2005
Russia to Double Troop Numbers at Kant Airbase in KyrgyzstanRussia is going to double troop numbers at its Kant airbase in Kyrgyzstan.
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HELI PACIFIC: NH-90s to Make a Huge Impact on RNZAF CapabilityRoyal New Zealand Air Force�s chief of the air force, Air Vice-Marshal John Hamilton, said the introduction of the NH-90 represented a big change in capability.
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Mig-21 fighters fly over Czech Republic for the last timeCzech's MiG-21 fighters, which have protected Czech airspace for more than four decades, made their last, symbolic flight over the country Jul 13.
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Apaches grounded at Fort Hood after fatal crashThe U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division grounded its Apache helicopter fleet at Fort Hood on Tuesday after one of the aircraft crashed.
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Retired colonel leads charge for 188th Fighter WingRetired Col. Brock Strom, former operations director for the U.S. Air National Guard, pointed out to members of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission what he perceived as flaws in a recommendation to shut down the Air Guard's 188th Fighter Wing.
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Secret plan to mothball half RAAF's F-111 fleetA secret defence report says RAAF engineers have been ordered to mothball up to 13 of the fleet of 28 operational F-111s.
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Training foreign forces in Air Force special opsThe USAF 6th Special Operations Squadron is the only unit in the U.S. military with a wartime mission to assess, train, advise and assist foreign aviation forces.
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Marine General Wants Osprey by 2007 (Registration Required)U.S. Marine Corps top air commander, Lieutenant General Michael Hough, hopes to start replacing its fleet of Vietnam-era helicopters with the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft by 2007.
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Tokyo to protest naming of South Korean ship after disputed isletsJapan said Wednesday it would protest South Korea's decision to name a new helicopter carrier after islets claimed by both Tokyo and Seoul.
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Navy finds tiltrotor Osprey aircraft 'suitable'Ward Carroll, a U.S. Navy spokesman, said the Navy's operational testers had found three remaining MV-22 problems involving radios, troop seat comfort and electronic warfare warning gear. The Pentagon's Defense Acquisition Board is to consider whether the aircraft is ready for full production at a scheduled Sept. 27 meeting.
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Team GoldenEye Selected For Phase II of DARPA OAV-II ProgramTeam GoldenEye, an industry team led by Aurora Flight Sciences and including General Dynamics Robotic Systems and Northrop Grumman, has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to continue into phase two of the Organic Air Vehicle � II (OAV-II) competition.
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Boeing Machinists authorize strikeThe U.S. Navy�s Board of Inspection and Survey declared that the San Antonio, a helicopter and troop transport scheduled for delivery to the Navy this year, �is an incomplete ship.�
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Successful missile test firings from F-111 aircraftTwo AGM-142E missiles were successfully fired from an RAAF F-111 at the Woomera Test Range in South Australia Jul 13.
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U.S. Army Orders 31 Additional Helicopter Refuelling Systems From BAE SYSTEMSBAE Systems has received a $7.6 million order for 31 additional portable combat helicopter refuelling systems from the US Army.
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US close to testing massive 'bunker-busting' missile - New ScientistBritish weekly New Scientist will report in an issue on Saturday that Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control working with US Navy scientists will test four prototype 'bunker-busting' missiles later this year.
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GW Medical Team Saves Painter's EyesightUSS George Washington's Medical Response Team responded to a medical emergency July 9, saving a shipyard worker�s eyesight.
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McGuire receives final C-17The 13th and final C-17 to be delivered to McGuire Air Force Base arrived on Jul 6.
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Seoul May Buy Missiles From GermanyKlaus Von Sperber, director of the international armament affairs bureau in Germany�s Defense Ministry, arrived in Seoul Monday and met South Korean military officials to discuss South Korea�s plan to buy the German Patriot anti-missile system.
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McNabb nominated to command AMCThe U.S. President has nominated Lt. Gen. Duncan J. McNabb for the rank of general and to command Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base.
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CF-18 loses piece of luggage pod over Lake OntarioA Canadian CF-18 from 3 Wing Bagotville lost a small piece of its luggage pod during a fly-past over Lake Ontario during the Toronto Molson Indy on July 10.
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First Aurora With Modernized Sensor - Sharpest Eyes in the SkyThe first CP-140 Aurora modernized with new electro-optics and infrared sensors has rejoined the fleet after the Canadian Air Force formally accepted the modified aircraft from contractor Lockheed Martin Canada.
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Eurocopter Greets the Maiden Flight of the First Patria assembled NH90 helicopterThe first Patria Aviation assembled NH90 helicopter, KH-202, has made its successful maiden flight in Halli, J�ms� today, on July 13. This first helicopter from Patria assembly line will be delivered to the Finnish Defence Forces.
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CF-18 fighters deploy to Comox for Night Vision Goggle trainingTwo Canadian CF-18 fighter jets from 4 Wing Cold Lake deployed to the 19 Wing Comox during the first week of July to practice night flying using the new night vision systems on the aircraft.
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Romanian fighter pilots take on RAFRomanian fighter pilots joined their British counterparts at RAF Lossiemouth for exercise Dacian Wolf.
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Supporters work to expand Naval Air Station MuseumA group of volunteers are working hard to expand the DeLand Naval Air Station Museum.
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Two fighter squadrons merge in BagotvilleCanada will merge the two Bagotville CF-18 fighter squadrons into a single administrative unit.
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Northrop Grumman to Help NASA Define Requirements for Quiet Sonic Boom Research AircraftA Northrop Grumman Corporation-led team has been selected by NASA to help define requirements for a new aircraft that would be used to test theories about how to reduce the effects of an aircraft's sonic boom.
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Army to decide soon on chopper dealThe U.S. Army on Tuesday said it would soon announce a decision in a competition between teams led by Textron's Bell Helicopter and Boeing Co. to build a new armed reconnaissance helicopter.
Labels: ARH
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Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Bye-bye, HueyThe Republic of Singapore Air Force's 8 UH-1H helicopters landed for the last time at Sembawang Air Base on 11 Jul, after a 30-minute 'end-of-service' flight around the island.
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Russia Signs $300M Deal to Supply Engines for China�s New Combat JetYesterday's major news but it was too late to post it. Rosoboronexport, Russia�s main arms exporter, has signed a $300 million deal to sell 100 AL-31 engines for China�s J-10 single-engine fighter.
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US offer to sell Hawkeye spy aircraft to PakWashington has offered to sell Pakistan its Hawkeye-2000 during a briefing held for top Pakistani defence officials on board USS Nimitz, currently anchored off Karachi coast on Monday.
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Pentagon to switch Lockheed C-130 contract by Nov.The Pentagon expects to complete the conversion of Lockheed Martin Corp.'s $4.1 billion C-130J cargo aircraft contract into a more highly regulated defense contract by Nov. 15.
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Brazil to buy used French Mirage fighters - sourceBrzillian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will sign the deal to purchase 12 used Mirage 2000-C fighters when he visits France this week.
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ATK and Lockheed Martin to Develop Conventional Ballistic Missile for U.S. NavyAlliant Techsystems and Lockheed Martin have been awarded a $9.2 million contract by the U.S. Navy�s Strategic Systems Program (SSP) office to demonstrate and validate solid rocket motor technologies suitable for a Submarine Launched Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (SLIRBM).
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Lockheed Martin delivers first Update II.5 aircraft with AIP upgradesLockheed Martin has delivered to the U.S. Navy the first Update II.5 P-3C aircraft modified under the Anti-Surface Warfare Improvement Program (AIP).
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Practice puts U.S., Japanese pilots on the defensiveKadena-based USAF F-15s and Japanese F-4s from Naha practiced �defending� Japan last week.
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S. Korea to Purchase US Spy AircraftDuring a subpanel session of an annual defense ministerial meeting between South Korea and the U.S. in Hawaii last month, South Korean delegates asked the U.S. to consider selling them Global Hawks.
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'Pilot eject' in 20 millisecs flat!After successfully testing a ejection seat for the Tejas, the Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) is now ready to develop the system for other aircraft as well.
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1 Dead, 1 Hurt in Texas Helicopter CrashA U.S. Army 4th Infantry Division Apache Longbow crashed during a training flight, killing one crew member and injuring another.
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Kitty Hawk Ends Eventful Sydney Port VisitUSS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 departed Sydney, Australia, July 9.
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Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Japan considers shortening Longbow dealJapan is again considering terminating its acquisition of Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters amid growing budgetary constraints.
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Sukhoi asks Europe for fighter help
Sukhoi general director Mikhail Pogosyan has invited European companies to participate in developing Russia's fifth-generation fighter.
Labels: Russian 5th-generation fighter
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Boeing prepares Project Wedgetail aircraft for radar testsBoeing is gearing up to begin mission and radar system tests on the 737-700-based airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft for Australia�s Project Wedgetail.
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Navy may shun F-18 aircraft, opt for F-35sThe Indian Navy chief of naval staff, Admiral Arun Prakash, said the F-18, offered by USA, do not suit the needs of the Indian Navy. But it would be open to an offer for F-35 aircraft.
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Altus aircrew showcases dual-row airdropA USAF aircrew from the 58th Airlift Squadron has made the first dual-row airdrop from a C-17 Globemaster III July 5.
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More JSF engine parts to be made in the NetherlandsRolls-Royce had awarded contracts to DutchAero, the AVIO and Philips joint venture company based in Eindhoven, for the manufacture of components for the F136 engine.
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Taiwan spent $20bln in eight years on armsUnited States has promised to provide Taiwan with AGM-88 "Harm" high-speed, anti-radiation missile. It also helped the island to update and modify its F-16 and "Ching-kuo" fighters and equipped them with "Pathfinder/Sharpshooter" pods.
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Volvo Aero Norge AS selected as supplier to Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)Volvo Aero Norway will produce the intermediate case for the F135 engine for the Joint Strike Fighter. This component will be produced in addition to the low-pressure turbine (LPT) shaft, which Volvo Aero Norway already produces for the F135 engine.
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Northrop, EADS may bid this week on Air Force tankerNorthrop Grumman Corp. is expected to decide this week on an alliance with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. to bid on a new U.S. Air Force tanker.
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Boeing Awarded Additional $175 Million for Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems Capability Demonstration ProgramThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Boeing an additional $175 million to continue the X-45C portion of the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) Capability Demonstration Program. This new award continues the demonstration program and adds a full demonstration of a new Autonomous Aerial Refueling technology.
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Father's spirit leads Thunderbird pilot to successCapt. Nicole "Fifi" Malachowski ,the first female Thunderbird pilot, will be joined by her good friend and fellow 1996 Air Force Academy classmate, Capt. Tad "TC" Clark.
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Lockheed unveils hybrid cruise missile/UAV plansLockheed Martin has unveiled plans a hybrid forward-swept-wing cruise missile/unmanned air vehicle named Top Cover.
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Boeing Begins Major Upgrade of U.S. AWACS FleetBoeing has started installing satellite communications and air traffic management upgrades on the first of 32 U.S. Air Force AWACS aircraft.
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Air Force names 12 Outstanding Airmen of the YearA U.S. Air Force selection board at the Air Force Personnel Center selected 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2005.
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Monday, July 11, 2005
AWACS celebrates 50 years of protecting AmericaThe USAF 962nd Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron was activated on July 8 1955.
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Center commander pins on second starThe U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center commander, Curtis Bedke, was promoted to the rank of major general Tuesday.
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Global tender for 'spyplanes' soonThe Indian Navy has finalised a "request for proposal" (RFP) to procure eight long-range maritime patrol aircraft.
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IAF reluctant to place orders for LCAThe Indian Air Force wants management of the LCA to be transferred to HAL to resolve management issues.
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N.J. base fights to retain tanker squadronU.S. Rep. Jim Saxton told the Base Realignment and Closure Commission that retiring all 16 KC-135 Stratotankers assigned to the 108th Air Refueling Wing at McGuire would set aerial-refueling capabilities back to 1991 levels.
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F-15s Fleeing Hurricane Arrive In OklahomaTyndall Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle has sent some of its F-15 Eagles to Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City and others to Fort Worth, Texas to avoid Hurricane Dennis.
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Russia to offer new attack helicopter version at Turkish tenderKamov Helicopters and Rosoboronexport will offer a new version of the Ka-50 Black Shark attack helicopter, adapted to Turkish requirements, at an upcoming helicopter tender in Turkey.
Labels: Turkey Attack Helicopter
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Oceana, OLF under siege?The spotlight has intensified in recent weeks on the U.S. Navy's East Coast installations as both Virginia's Naval Air Station Oceana and an outlying landing field proposed for Washington County came under additional scrutiny.
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Sunday, July 10, 2005
A clear pic of JH-7A in PLAAF servicePhoto from China Defense Blog.
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Air force carries out dramatic rescue missionsThe Indian Air Force helicopters have carried out several dramatic missions in flood-hit areas of Jammu and Kashmir, airlifting people to safety from a truck stuck in a swollen river and rescuing border guards clinging for life to a fence on the frontier.
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Navy Board Recommends Intensified Search For Pilot Missing In Iraq Since 1991A new U.S. Navy review of efforts to determine the fate of missing pilot Capt. Michael Scott Speicher is recommending that the U.S. government undertake an intensified search in Iraq.
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CRASH: NAS Fallon stages mock disaster drillNaval Air Station Fallon held an exercise to determine the Naval Air Station's ability to respond to a real-life plane crash with mass casualties.
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Hercules and BeyondThis article takes a look at the few dedicated military transports with built-in ramps for loading and unloading that has the ability to deliver armoured vehicles to primitive airstrips.
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Vertical Jacks (Literally) of All TradesThe risks in moving personnel and supplies by means of road vehicles in environments such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan have underlined the importance of utility helicopters.
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Learning Topsy TurvyIn recent years the US services have introduced new basic turboprop and advanced jet trainers based on European designs. Russia and a number of West European nations are now developing aircraft that will leapfrog these American derivatives.
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MND pooh-poohs reported US suggestionA Taiwan Ministry of National Defense official said that completing the long-stalled purchase of a US arms package from the ministry's normal annual budget, instead of a special budget, was unlikely because of the government's constrained finances.
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BRAC: Ellsworth vs. Grand Forks?The future of Ellsworth Air Force Base could hinge on whether Grand Forks Air Force Base is added to the Pentagon's recommended closure list later this month, according to the leader of a task force working to save Ellsworth.
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U.S. bases in Japan ratchet up security in wake of terrorist attacks in LondonU.S. military installations in Japan bolstered security Friday after terrorist bombings in London Thursday.
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IAF planes back from joint exercise in FranceThe Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30K fighters refuelled from France's KC-135 in the Garuda-II joint air exercises with the French air force at Istres.
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ACC flying hours restoredUSAF Air Combat Command officials restored an estimated $201 million to its flying hour program July 1 after receiving additional funds from Air Force headquarters.
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Saturday, July 09, 2005
Historic aircraft to reach for the skiesMore than 60 historic aircraft will be at the Imperial War Museum for a royal flypast as part of this weekend's events marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
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IAF wants access to AWACSThe Indian Air Force wants access to AWACS being flown by countries which it exercises with to gain experience before it get its first AWACS aircraft from Israel in November 2007.
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IAF happy after joint exercise with French air forceThe Indian Air Force successfully participated in a fortnight-long joint exercise with its French counterpart at the picturesque Istres Base in southern France.
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Contract workers nabbed in U.S. air base operationU.S. officials arrested about 50 contract workers Wednesday at Seymour Johnson Air Force base on charges they used fake documents that gave them access to the base.
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Duluth Air Guard base may be out of flying business, general saysMinnesota Air Guard's 148th Fighter Wing may not have a flying mission in future.
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Misawa exercise reviews off-base crash planU.S. and Japan officials met at the Misawa police station to discuss guidelines to handle U.S. military aircraft crash in Misawa City.
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Pentagon Starts Task Force, New Center For Drone AircraftThe Pentagon on Friday announced that Nevada's Creech Air Force Base will host a Joint Center of Excellence for unmanned aerial vehicles and the Pentagon is creating a joint UAV overarching integrated product team lead by the U.S Marine Corps.
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New reason to keep Ellington's F-16sThe terrorist attacks in London showed the importance of keeping all F-16 jets of the U.S. Air National Guard's 147th Fighter Wing at Ellington Field.
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Asia�s biggest aircraft carrier reaches VizagIndia's aircraft carrier INS Viraat dock at Visakhapatnam after three months at sea.
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Helicopter crews rescue four off Mount RainierAn Oregon National Guard Blackhawk helicopter rescued four climbers on the slopes of Mount Rainier.
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Groups to Navy: Drop OLF Site CA coalition of conservation organizations has issued a news release urging the U.S. Navy to drop its preferred Washington County site as it re-examines alternative sites for construction of an outlying landing field.
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Friday, July 08, 2005
US Fighter Planes To Use Army Training Area in KuchynaU.S. F-16 fighter planes will use the Slovak's army training area in Kuchyna for ten days at the end of this month.
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Rules of conflict for a world warEfraim Halevi, who heads the Center for Strategic and Policy Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and a former head of the Mossad says the entire world is at war with absence of lines of conflict and an easily identifiable enemy.
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Uzbekistan weighs future of U.S air baseUzbekistan signaled Thursday that it was reconsidering the future of a U.S. airbase used for operations in neighboring Afghanistan.
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C5 airplanes land safely after troubleA USAF C-5 made a safe landing at Osan Air Base, South Korea, June 15 after the pilots reported the cockpit was filling with smoke.
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39th Air Base Wing to welcome new commanderCol. Murrell Stinnette will replace Col. Michael Gardiner at USAF 39th Air Base Wing.
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Navy: Landing field opponents don't understand urgent needThe U.S. Navy argued in the 45-page brief filed late Wednesday with the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond that the urgent need for pilots to safely practice aircraft carrier landings isn't understood by those fighting the construction of a training site in eastern North Carolina.
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Saving the Pentagon's Killer Chopper-Plane 22 years. $16 billion. 30 deaths. The V-22 Osprey has been an R&D nightmare. But now the dream of a tilt-rotor troop transport could finally come true.
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Tomahawk team wins its first Heinemann awardThe Tomahawk All-Up-Round Program Office, PMA-280, has received the ANA Heinemann award. The Heinemann Award is presented annually to an individual or team in NAVAIR who has significantly contributed to the improvement of the design or performance of an aircraft or related weapon system.
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Lockheed Martin Awarded $24.7 Million Contract for Joint Net-Centric Mission Execution SystemThe U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a 2-year, $24.7 million contract to continue development of a web-enabled mission execution system that will allow Joint battle commanders to work together to carry out battlefield strike missions in real time.
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Ospreys to be moved from Langley to OhioOspreys, not to be mistaken as the V-22, which are nesting at Langley Air Force Base will move to a new home in Ohio on Saturday.
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Thailand intends to purchase Russian combat fighters - ambassadorThe Thai ambassador to Russia toured the Irkut aircraft factory, which makes the Su-30MK.
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Panel questions removal of C-130sThe Base Realignment and Closure Commission is asking the Defense Department to justify its plan to remove all of the planes from several National Guard stations around the country.
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Robins turns to rocks to keep high-tech craft safe in stormsUSAF staff at Robins Air Force Base stuff support equipment into C-5s to shelter them from hurricanes or heavy storms and to add weight to the aircrafts.
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EADS CASA Military Aircraft starts Eurofighter heat test campaign in southern SpainEADS CASA Military Aircraft has just started long-term tests under operational conditions on a Eurofighter instrumented production aircraft IPA4 at the Spanish Air Force base of Mor�n (near Seville).
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PACAF prepares for Cope NorthUnits from the U.S. Air Force and the Japan Air Self Defense Force will take part in the annual Cope North exercise at Guam July 11 to 21.
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'INAS 552' navy's training squadron commissionedIndian Navy's 14th Sea Harrier training squadron 'INAS 552' was Jul 7 commissioned at INS Hansa in Vasco.
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IG investigation prompts Air Force official's reassignmentMichael L. Dominguez, acting secretary of the U.S. Air Force, and Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force chief of staff, have directed that Brig. Gen. Richard S. Hassan be reassigned as a result of an Air Force Inspector General investigation.
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GW Celebrates Birth of a Nation, Birth of a
ShipUSS George Washington (CVN 73) (GW) held a commemoration ceremony July 1 on the flight deck to celebrate its 13th birthday as well as the 229th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
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Bombardier Celebrates 5 Years of Successful NFTC Program OperationsLocal dignitaries and Canadian Forces' representatives gathered Jul 6 at Moose Jaw to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program.
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Thursday, July 07, 2005
Becoming Thunderbird is dream come true for Nevada nativeUSAF Capt. Nicole Malachowski, first female pilot to fly with the Thunderbirds, was only 5 years old when she knew she wanted to be fighter pilot.
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Lockheed Martin flies first F-16 for ChileLockheed Martin flew the first F-16 produced for the Chilean Air Force on its initial production acceptance flight.
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Boeing ScanEagle UAV Completes Sea Trials Aboard U.S. Navy ShipThe ScanEagle successfully completed a two week exercise off the San Diego coast aboard the USS Cleveland.
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Navy to have one aircraft carrierThe Royal Navy will have just one aircraft carrier in service when HMS Invincible is de-commissioned six months early on Aug 3.
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Retired admirals petition for BRAC to save OceanaAbout 30 retired USN admirals signed a four-page letter defending Oceana Naval Air Station as the U.S. Navy�s East Coast master jet base.
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Belgian F-16s head to AfghanistanSix Belgian F-16 jets departed for Afghanistan from the Florennes air base in the Namur province on Wednesday morning.
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Air force to get first two Hawk fighter trainers next monthBAE Systems will deliver the first two Hawk lead-in fighter trainer aircraft to the South African Air Force next month.
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IAF drone crashes in kibbutz fieldAn Israeli Air Force drone suffered a technical malfunction and crashed late Monday night into an empty field of kibbutz Magal near Hadera.
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Russian Jets To ThailandThe Thai ambassador to Russia said that Thailand will purchase ten Sukhoi Su-30 jets if Russia wins Thailand's international tender for fighter jets.
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Not accepting U.S. offer on missile shield: PranabIndian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that the meetings between officials of India and U.S on the defence missile shield should not be read as accepting the U.S. offer to join its programme.
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US Air Force eyes ScanEagle for convoy protectionThe US Air Force is evaluating the Boeing/Insitu ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for use in convoy protection in Iraq and could field the system there in that role before the end of 2005.
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More $$$ from JSF agreementMelbourne-based Hawker de Havilland (HdH) has signed a $70m long term agreement with US contractor Northrop Grumman for future work on the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) program.
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Boeing aircraft deliveries up 13% in 2nd quarterBoeing delivered 11 F/A-18E/F fighter jets and five C-17 cargo planes during the second quarter.
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Pilot proposes Air Canada fly military airliftsAir Canada pilot Don Eddie proposed that Air Canada planes and pilots be put to use hauling Canadian troops and equipment overseas.
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U.S. Army, Boeing Sign First Block III Apache Longbow RDT&E Contract, Set Stage for Long-Term Modernization ProgramThe U.S. Army paved the way for continued modernization of the world�s most capable multi-role combat helicopter by signing the first production engineering contract with Boeing for Block III AH-64D Apache Longbows.
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Iranian man sentenced in smuggling caseAn Iranian man was sentenced to 57 months in prison in Baltimore federal court for attempting to buy aircraft parts and weapons components for F-4 and F-14 fighter jets from a dummy corporation set up by federal agents investigating illegal arms deals.
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London FlypastOn Monday 4th July, the Red Arrows flew over central London in support of the VE Day Anniversary Celebrations.
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Lockheed Martin's Joint Common Missile Successfully Completes Key Design ReviewLockheed Martin�s Joint Common Missile program successfully completed its system-level Preliminary Design Review (PDR) on June 30.
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Japan's ASDF to conduct live bomb drill off GuamThe Japanese Air Self-Defense Force ( ASDF) is set to perform its first ever airstrike drill with live ammunition on an uninhabited island off Guam.
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Russia to adopt new missile systems in 2006 -- ministerThe Russian Armed Forces will replace the Rubezh missile systems with the new BAL coastal defense missile systems in 2006.
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Russia Bulava missile flight tests to be over in 2006 - Navy commanderFlight tests of the Russian Bulava missile system will be completed in 2006.
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State Department goes after BoeingThe U.S. State Department has prepared civil charges against Boeing for selling commercial airplanes equipped with a tiny gyrochip that has defense applications. The QRS-11 chip acts as a back-up to a spinning gyroscope.
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Back in the pilot's seatFighter pilot Arthur Bishop climbs into the cockpit (virtually) of a Royal Air Force Supermarine Spitfire for the first time since the Second World War.
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Boeing Completes Wedgetail Tests; Radome Mod Increases CoverageThe height of the radome on the 737 airborne early warning and control was raised by four inches after discovering in testing that it allowed better coverage.
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Report: Loss of control caused Predator crashA MQ-1 Predator ran out of fuel and crash after communication links with the aircraft were lost on Jan. 14
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Wednesday, July 06, 2005
The World's First Microprocessor Chip SetUnkown to many people, the Central Air Data Computer (CADC) in the F-14A was considered by many as the first microprocessor. The CADC controls the moving surfaces of the aircraft and the displaying of pilot information. The U.S. Navy considered the design as so advanced that it was until 1998 that the information was declassified. Thus the CADC is unknown today.
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Supporters of Oceana base are on defensiveSupporters of Naval Air Station Oceana rallied Friday to defend the base in response to a letter send to Donald Rumsfeld on why the base is not on the list of change in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process.
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China picks 6 potential astronautsChina has narrowed the list of astronauts for the country's second manned space mission later this year to six candidates.
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Navy to Launch Region's Biggest Troop Landing ShipSouth Korean Navy will soon launch Korea's first LPX-class ship equipped with a flight deck for 15 helicopters.
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Elbit wins contracts worth $25m. to upgrade Romanian helicoptersElbit Systems Ltd. has won two contracts worth $25 million to upgrade helicopters for the Romanian air force and navy
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Afghanistan: Is helicopter downing a sign of new tactics, weapons?The June 28 crash of a US Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan has raised questions about whether the insurgents operating against U.S.-led coalition forces and Afghan government troops have obtained new weapons or have learned new tactics.
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Raytheon-Boeing Sign P-8A MMA Industry Team ContractRaytheon will provide two upgraded APS-137D(V)5 maritime surveillance radars for the P-8A MMA.
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Brazil's Embraer reportedly out of running for U.S. spy-jet dealEmbraer's ERJ-145 jets had been dropped by Lockheed to be the platform for the Aerial Common Sensor programme.
Labels: ACS
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Top BRAC official tours Willow Grove air baseBase Realignment and Closure Commission chair Anthony Principi toured Willow Grove Air Base.
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Department of the Navy Announces the Death of Retired Vice Adm. James B. StockdaleRetired U.S Navy Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale, Medal of Honor recipient, former Viet Nam prisoner of war (POW), Naval aviator and test pilot, academic, and American hero died July 5 at his home in Coronado, California.
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Taiwan aircraft often damaged by birdsFrom 2000 to 2004, military and civil planes in Taiwan suffered a total of 681 bird collisions.
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Boeing Achieves Major Flight Testing Milestone on First Wedgetail AircraftBoeing has successfully completed the aircraft performance and flight handling test program with the first 737 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft for Australia�s Project Wedgetail.
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Carl Vinson Strike Group Concludes Persian Gulf OperationsThe USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Carrier Strike Group concluded operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and maritime security operations (MSO) in the Persian Gulf June 30.
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AT-63 Pampa Performs Flight Test Before Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina's EmployeesThe upgraded AT-63 Pampa performed a flight test recently at Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina�s facility in C�rdoba. The new Pampa will feature an upgraded crew station and digital avionics suite.
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Lockheed Martin's PAC-3 Missile Receives The NDIA Gold Medal For Exemplary PerformanceLockheed Martin�s PAC-3 Missile has received one of the National Defense Industrial Association�s (NDIA) Gold Medal Award for industrial development and manufacturing, one of the Association's highest honors.
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Kitty Hawk Strike Group visits SydneyUSS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) along with its embarked air wing and two escort ships, arrived in Sydney, Australia, July 3 for a brief port visit that included a celebration of the United States' 229th Independence Day anniversary July 4.
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Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Military choppers drop food to flood-hit GujaratIndian military helicopters dropped food packets on Monday to thousands of people stranded in vast lakes of water following floods and monsoon rains that killed 132 people.
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Fighter Jet Intercepts Plane Near Camp DavidNORAD dispatched an F-15 to shadow a Cessna 172 that entered restricted airspace Saturday night around Camp David.
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Provisions regarding the Helicopter programSaab plans to take a 250 million-kronor ($31.4 million) charge against 2005 earnings due to delays in delivering electronic components to NH Industries for 18 helicopters that Sweden ordered.
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Air Force fighter jet crashesA South African Air Force (SAAF) Impala Mk2 fighter trainer crashed near Pretoria shortly after take-off.
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US eyes fast fielding of attack laserPentagon is looking at quickly fielding the Tactical Relay Mirror System, a 15 kW-25 kW solid-state laser, to Iraq.
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Defence chief vows to eliminate harassmentAir Chief Marshal Angus Houston who is the new Australian Chief of the Defence Force has vowed to "eliminate" bullying and all forms of harassment.
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Air Force likes some low-tech training methodsNovice USAF air-traffic controllers train for 60 days using toy planes before moving to a simulated control room.
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RMAF 'Best Overall Academic Young Soldier' Award Goes To A WomanThe Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Training Institute recorded a first when a woman trainee was chosen as the "Best Overall Academic Young Soldier".
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Air Force major 'snatched'A Philippine Air Force (PAF) officer was abducted Sunday by suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Barangay Mawaque, Floridablanca.
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Promotion row over, IAF gears up for reshuffleThe posts of Vice Chief and Deputy Chief of the Indian Air Force will be up for grabs at the end of July.
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Fifth of Apaches not fit for active service11 out of the 67 British Army's new Apache attack helicopter fleet was grounded for repairs within days of entering active service.
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Monday, July 04, 2005
SAF's new Air Defense Mobile System (Correction)
I made a wrong assumption yesterday, both the Surveillance and Command Unit and the Missile Launching Unit have an antenna on the right side of the weapon station. Two aerials were not attached on the SCU but the receptacles were there.
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Kittyhawk carrier arrives in Sydney HarbourThe USS Kittyhawk is arrived in Sydney Harbour. The carrier strikegroup has been taking part in a joint training exercise with Australian forces off the north Queensland Coast.
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Dutch sending jets to Aruba to help find missing U.S. teenHolland deployed three F-16s rigged with search equipment to find Natalee Holloway, an Alabama teenager missing for five weeks.
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Four militants held, plan to attack Air Force station foiledA plan to attack Indian Air Force's Palam Air Force station had been foiled.
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New defence chief begins workFormer Royal Australian Air Force chief Air Marshal Angus Houston has assumed command of Australia's defence forces.
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Hu Jintao visits aircraft factory in NovosibirskChinese President Hu Jintao visited the Novosibirsk aircraft factory where the Su-34 bomber is being assembled.
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Yemen military plane crashes, pilot savedA Yemeni Air Force MiG-29 crashed north of the nation's capital.
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Air Force eyes planes from 911thKeep 'Em Flying, a group fighting the proposed closure of the West Virginia Air National Guard's 130th Airlift Wing, says the USAF is using the base reviewing process as a means to get to well-maintained Guard and Reserve C-130 aircraft.
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IAF worried over flight of pilotsThe Indian Air Force is alarmed at the number of experienced pilots quitting the force early for the civilian airlines.
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AF Nominee Promises Return To Traditional AcquisitionGen. Teed Michael "Buzz" Moseley, the next chief of the U.S. Air Force, blamed the service's acquisition problems on too much downsizing, and committed to promoting the "traditional" procurement process.
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Sunday, July 03, 2005
SAF's new Air Defense Mobile System
Yesterday was the second rehearsal for Singapore's National Day parade on Aug 9. One of our readers, Mr. Ching, tipped me off on the location of the assembly point for the armor vehicles. Armed with my little Nikon compact camera, I head down to the carpark at National Stadium and snapped some photos.
There are two versions of the vehicle, one with a search radar on top of the weapon station and one without. This system seems to be based on Rafael's
Air Defense Mobile System. The Surveillance and Command Unit's radar being mounted on top of the Missile Launching Unit's weapon station instead. This reduces the number of M113s needed to deploy.
There are two operator stations with LCD panels inside the Surveillance and Command Unit.
There is a FN MAG 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) mounted on the left side of the weapon station and a box containing possible optics for the sighting system on the right side. IFF antenna on top.
Missiles are Igla (SA-16) which Singapore license produce. Two on each side. Closeup of the GPMG without the butt.
There is an extra antenna on the right side of the weapon station for the Missile Launching Unit.
Whilst taking these photos, a Master SGT was giving me an unfriendly stare and I did what Sailor Malan would say. "Go in quickly - Punch hard - Get out!"
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B-1 move could cost more than Pentagon claims it will savePentagon's plan to close Ellsworth to save $161 million a year may not work out due to higher costs flying B-1s from Dyess to Belle Fourche Electronic Scoring Site.
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Building Better �Razor Blades�The next generation USAF weapons are small, stealthy, accurate, and lethal.
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Tomahawk missile test failures spark inquiry U.S. and U.K. officials have begun an investigation after two torpedo tube-launched (TTL) Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile development test firings from a Royal Navy (RN) nuclear attack submarine (SSN) ended in failure.
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Scots to land slice of �850m defence orderScotland's aerospace industry will benefit from an �850m contract to build the Eurofighter typhoon aircraft's missile warning system.
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NATO wraps up weeklong �Clean Hunter� exercise Exercise Clean Hunter 2005 saw 250 aircraft from 11 NATO countries taking part .
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Edwards flight testers 'fired up' over engine upgradeAn upgrade to the digital electronic engine control system for the F100-PW-229 jet engine passed its final F-16 flight test at Edwards Air Force Base June 21.
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BRAC is rethinking OceanaThe Base Closure and Realignment Commission says that moving Oceana's Hornets and Super Hornets to Moody Air Force Base will allow for more expansion.
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CEO may aid Boeing in defenseNew Boeing Co. CEO James McNerney may benefit from his outsider status when rebuilding relations with the Pentagon after a purchasing scandal.
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Saturday, July 02, 2005
Fly-by over USS Carl VinsonF/A-18C Hornets and F/A-18F Super Hornets perform a fly-by over USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) to mark the completion of the final combat missions flown over Iraq for CVW-9.
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Other Side of DetailsAccording to the United Nations register of conventional weapons, Russia's main weapons export for 2004 was fighters.
The website for the register is
here. In 2003, Singapore tried to hide the number of AIM-120 imported from USA. It listed them as 'several' under the Singapore listing, however if you look under the United States listing. The number is 160 missiles.
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Pentagon Is Asked to Justify Parts of Base-Closing Plan (Registration Required)The independent commission assessing the Pentagon's proposed list of domestic base closings directed Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to justify more than a dozen of the recommendations, the first clear signal that the panel may alter some of the military's choices.
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Mikhail Pogosyan AttackedMikhail Pogosyan, head of Sukhoi, will have to put off his next round of the talks with China on the sale of Sukhoi fighters after he was injured during a robbery.
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58th Anniversary of the Philippine Air ForceThe 58th Philippine Air Force Day was observed on Jul 1.
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Air Force group still favors PopeThe USAF still favours moving the 130th Airlift Wing's C-130s to Pope Air Force Base even if 12 or more C-130s can operate at Yeager Airport.
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US Aircraft Carrier First Nuclear-Powered Ship To Visit MalaysiaUSS Nimitz became the first nuclear-powered vessel to dock in Malaysian waters on Thursday.
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Air Force jet finds a new life in OttumwaA U.S. Air Force T-37 arrived at Indian Hills Community College airport campus to be used as a teaching aid for aircraft maintainence.
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UAV demo flies despite rainNearly 5,000 people attended the third Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Flight Demonstration at Naval Air Station Patuxent River's Webster Field.
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Boeing to restore some tanker jobsBoeing will rehire some workers it laid off last month in San Antonio after it secured a contract for three more KC-135 maintenance work from the USAF.
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Russians Test Missile for ChinaRussia is testing a variant of its Kh-59M (NATO AS-18 Kazoo) anti-ship missile for possible sale to China.
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B-52 fails to reach AtwaterAbout 100 people who went to the former Castle Air Force Base to watch a B-52 do a low-altitude pass was disappointed when the flight was cancelled because of an in-flight emergency.
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C-130J conducts first-ever combat airdropA crew from the Rhode Island Air National Guard's 143rd Air Wing made the first-ever C-130J Hercules combat airdrop Jun 30.
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Senate confirms Moseley as next CSAFThe U.S. Senate has confirmed General T. Michael Moseley as the next chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force.
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Air force saves 230 lives in Himachal PradeshSome 230 people, including 182 tourists, have been rescued by Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters from flooded areas of Himachal Pradesh.
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'Lucky shot' downed US helicopterAn unguided rocket-propelled grenade brought down the US Chinook helicopter that crashed in Afghanistan on Tuesday, US commanders believe.
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New Air Force cadets come face-to-face with their next 4 years1,400 new cadets for the USAF Academy class of 2009 arrived on Thursday to begin their basic training.
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Where Do UAVs Go From Here?The USAF wants to be the executive agent for coordinating various services UAV efforts.
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CVW-9 Aircraft Drops Bomb on Iraqi InsurgentsA F/A-18F flying from USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) in the Persian Gulf, dropped one precision-guided bomb on Iraqi insurgents June 25.
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Crew Training wins $14.1 million contract to train Air Force pilotsCrew Training International Inc. has won a six-year contract to train USAF pilots on how to function as a team and how to bring home intact their aircraft and wingman.
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What�s Left of the Defense IndustryUSAF says the United States must define �a minimum aircraft manufacturing industrial base.�
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Finmeccanica wins 850 mln stg order for Eurofighter avionics systemsFinmeccanica SpA said its Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems unit has won an 1.250 bln euro order to produce the defensive aids sub-system (DASS) avionics for the second tranche of production of the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft.
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Utah Governor Visits Navy's Newest Aircraft CarrierUtah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. embarked the Navy�s newest aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), while it conducted routine carrier qualifications off the coast of San Diego June 27 and 28.
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Investigation into jet crash underwayThe preliminary investigation into the crash of the Colorado Air National Guard's F-16 Fighting Falcon at Lamar Airport on Tuesday afternoon is already underway.
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F-18 crash investigation underwayU.S. Navy investigators arrived at Buckley Air Force Base to find out why one of their F/A-18C crashed into a hangar as it taxied down a runway one day earlier.
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New director heads up tanker squadronTerry D. Kasten assumed directorship of the USAF Aeronautical Systems Center Mobility Systems Wing�s Tanker Systems Modernization Systems Squadron during a formal ceremony on Monday.
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Kennedy calls base closing riskyU.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy is warning that closing Otis Air National Guard Base could leave the Boston area with just two F-15's on alert stationed within a 175-mile radius.
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Friday, July 01, 2005
Air Vectors : The De Havilland Vampire, Venom, & Sea VixenThe De Havilland Vampire, Venom, & Sea Vixen is featured in July's Air Vectors.
If I can recall correctly, the Sea Vixen, along with a Hunter and a Meteor, was the first time I ever saw a fighter jet up close when I visited the island of
Sentosa during my school holidays. This Sea Vixen is now at the
Queensland Air Museum after 6 volunteers rescued it from possible scrap in 1989.
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Oceana-based Hornet crashes in Colorado; pilot safeA F/A-18C Hornet from VFA-106 crashed into a building at Buckley Air Force Base when the plane lost its brakes and steering after landing.
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Home damaged in Harrier crash still in questionYuma residents Stephen and Robin Pavlak wants to know if their house, which was damaged by a U.S. Marine Harrier jet when it crashed on June 15, can be fully restored.
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B-52 marks 50th year as part of Air ForceAn unofficial flyover by a B-52 on a training flight was to be conducted over the remains of Castle Air Force Base yesterday to mark the 50th year of B-52 service in the USAF.
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China's buildup causing 'concern'Gen. T. Michael Moseley said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination to be U.S. Air Force chief of staff that the USAF is building up its forces on Guam to counter China's military buildup.
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Boeing Board Elects W. James McNerney, Jr. Chairman, President and CEOBoeing has elected W. James McNerney, Jr. as chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer, effective July 1.
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Bodies recovered from Afghan crash siteThe U.S. military have recovered all 16 bodies of the servicemen killed in a MH-47 helicopter crash Tuesday near the Afghan-Pakistan border.
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50th anniversary of B-52 deliveryOn June 29 1955, Brig. Gen. William Eubank, the 93d Bomb Wing commander at the time, delivered the first B-52 to the USAF.
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Report: Pilot�s failure to follow procedures caused F-16 crashA USAF pilot allowed a large metal briefcase to be strapped in the unoccupied rear cockpit seat of a F-16D and the briefcase jammed against the throttle in the full afterburner position during take off.
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Mexican Navy receives two Eurocopter Panther HelicoptersEurocopter officially handed over two Panther helicopters to the Mexican Navy.
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Bell submits proposal for Army's ARH program (Registration Required)Bell Helicopter Textron has submitted its militarized version of the Bell 407 in response to a request for an armed reconnaissance helicopter from the U.S. Army.
Labels: ARH
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