Friday, June 30, 2006
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Variants (Picture)
Flight International has put up a large diagram of Lockheed Martin's
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Variants.
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Oceana to host Langley Raptors, airmen during repairs
Twelve
F-22As will arrive at Oceana today for a month's stay while runway repairs are being carried out at Langley Air Force Base.
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The new flying Phrog: safer, lighter, more payload
The USN CH-46E Sea Knight program office, PMA 226, is working to reduce the aircraft's weight by 700 lbs over the next three years.
New lightweight armor, new pilot/co-pilot crashworthy seats and various hydraulic, avionics and structural improvements will be made.
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Aegis warship to monitor North
Japan recalled its Aegis-equipped destroyer Kirishima back from exercises in Hawaii amid concerns that North Korea would launch a missile.
The ship recently took part in a U.S. sea-based missile defense system interceptor test.
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TPS back in Navy hands
The U.S. Naval
Test Pilot School is now back in charge of the Navy. Capt. Thomas "Huffer" Huff relieved Army Lt. Col. Steven "Pistol" Kihara on Jun. 16.
Related Article
Army takes TPS command
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Crash pilots 'inexperienced pair'
An inquiry into the crash of a British Army Gazelle helicopter in 2003 found that the squadron may have paired inexperienced pilots together for the flight.
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Turkey & Pak to sign joint production deal for UAV
Jane's Defence Weekly reported that Pakistan and Turkey plan to sign a deal next month for the joint production of six to seven tactical UAVs.
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Pratt & Whitney Delivers Second Flight Test F135 Engine for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
Pratt & Whitney has delivered the second F135 flight test engine on schedule to Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth facility.
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"Canada First" Defence Procurement - New Strategic & Tactical Airlift Fleets
Well the Indians could learn a thing or two from Canadians. When you say you are going to buy something, you do it. You don't go to the press every now and then and tell them you are buying something. Anyway, Canadians have released their requirements for four strategic and seventeen tactical lift aircraft.
While no supplier was identified for the strategic lift aircraft, Airbus identified Boeing as Canada's preferred supplier. Airbus said in a statement that it was "disappointed" by the decision to buy C-17s.
Sources
"Canada First" Defence Procurement - New Strategic & Tactical Airlift Fleets
"Canada First" Defence Procurement - Strategic Airlift
"Canada First" Defence Procurement - Tactical Airlift
Canada Plans to Spend C$5 Bln to Buy Transport Planes
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Boeing warns of more than $1bn charges
Delays in Boeing's 737 Airborne Early Warning & Control program will cost the company between $300m-$500m.
Boeing's chief executive, James McNerney, refused to comment on whether the delay could affect the company's chances in South Korea's competition.
Sources
Boeing warns of more than $1bn charges
Boeing to Take Charges in Second Quarter for Airborne Surveillance Program and Previously Disclosed Tentative Legal Settlement
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Thursday, June 29, 2006
Israeli Planes Buzz Home of Syria Leader
Four IAF F-16s buzzed the country home of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Ladekye on Wednesday. He was there at that time according to Israeli television.
State-run Syrian television said two Israeli planes flew near Syria's Mediterranean coast early Wednesday and its air defense system fired and chased the aircraft away.
Sources
IAF Fighter Pilots Buzz Syrian President's Palace
Syrian air defenses fire on Israeli jets
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UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES : 'Victory for North Dakota'
Grand Forks Air Force Base could become a UAV hub in future for the USAF to test and develop new technologies including the next generation of unmanned bombers.
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Hawk pilot's body and jet parts found (Picture)
A picture showing the recovery operation of the RMAF Hawk 208 that crashed last month off the coast of Rompin.
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Cruise missile BrahMos to be inducted into services: PM
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday toured the BrahMos Aerospeace complex and praised the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos.
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Sen. Warner: North Korea Not Ready to Test Long-Range Missile
The chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee said North Korea is not ready to launch a long-range missile yet after attending a closed-door briefing from officials of the Missile Defense Agency.
Senator John W. Warner said certain steps that needs to be taken before missile launch has not happen yet.
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Ecuador get festive welcome home
Two Ecuador Mirage F-1s escorted the airliner carrying its World Cup team returning home after its defeat by England to a warm welcome.
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Wright-Pat helping with flexible wing technology
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is working with FlexSys Inc. to test a flexible wing at its subsonic wind tunnel at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
After the wind tunnel tests, AFRL plans to fly the wing section in August by mounting it under the White Knight.
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Bell upbeat on Indian Army chopper order
Bell is highly confident that its Bell-407 will be selected by the Indian Army for an order for 197 multi-role helicopters and is willing to assist HAL to develop an attack helicopter as well.
Both the Bell-407 and the Eurocopter AS550 recently underwent trails in the Siachen Glacier and the deserts of Rajasthan, where they will primarily be deployed.
Labels: Indian Army Light Helicopter
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HMM-266 tilts toward future
USMC's HMM-266 cased their colors and stood down during a ceremony Jun. 16. It marks the transition from the CH-46E to MV-22.
It will be renamed VMM-266 and will stand back up next year as the third operational Osprey squadron in the Marine Corps.
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"Canada First" Defence Procurement - Medium-to Heavy-Lift Helicopters
The Canadian government on Wednesday announced an estimated $4.7 billion project to acquire a fleet of 16 medium-to heavy-lift helicopters.
The requirements are to carry 30 soldiers with full combat equipment or a lightweight field howitzer and associated equipment at a range of 100km.
Aircraft expected to compete are the Chinook, the S-92 and the NH90.
Sources
"Canada First" Defence Procurement - Medium-to Heavy-Lift Helicopters
"Canada First" Defence Procurement - Medium-to Heavy-Lift Helicopters
Canada launches C$4.7 billion helicopter tender
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Chile Making Way for New Fighter Jets
The Chilean Air Force plans to sell 18 used Mirage Elkan jets by the end of 2007 to make way for 10 new and 16 second hand F-16s.
Four F-16 Blk 50s arrived Tuesday at the Los Cóndores Air Base in Iquique to join two other jets that arrived in January.
The Dutch F-16s will be based at Antofagasta.
Sources
Chile Making Way for New Fighter Jets
Chile aquires four new F-16 fighter jets
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Navy Super Hornets Get Revolutionary Radar
The U.S. Navy is deploying its first APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar with VFA-213.
Raytheon will back fit new radars to as many as 135 Super Hornets and will install its 415th and last APG-79 in a Super Hornet in 2013.
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Australian defense minister criticizes Boeing over delay in surveillance plane
Australian Defense Minister Brendan Nelson is unhappy with Boeing over delays in Project Wedgetail.
"We are very disappointed with Boeing's performance on this project," a terse Nelson told a joint news conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Delivery of the first two aircraft has been pushed to 2008.
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Navy identifies Marine pilot killed in Hornet collision
The pilot who was killed when his F/A-18 collied with another Hornet on Monday was a Marine Corps pilot.
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Wing Commander George Unwin
Wing Commander George Unwin, who rose from being an RAF clerk to one of the most successful Battle of Britain aces, passed away Jun. 28.
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Pilot in Su-25 jet crash felt unwell before fatal plunge
A Russian Su-25 crashed in southwest Russia near the border with Ukraine on Wednesday. The pilot reported feeling unwell before the accident.
He was the flight leader of a pair of Frogfoots and he requested to descend about twenty minutes before the crash because he was feeling unwell.
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Selfridge museum lands F-14 fighter jet
Selfridge Military Air Museum has put up is F-14 Tomcat for permanent display. The jet is from VF-41.
It arrived at Selfridge Air National Guard base seven years ago for training by naval reservists.
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Boeing Awarded B-52H Weapons Integration Contract
Boeing has received a U.S. Air Force contract worth up to $150 million to support new weapons integration efforts on the B-52H bomber.
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Fighter aircraft arrive for Combat Archer
Twenty-eight fighters from Mountain Home Luke and Shaw have arrived in Tyndall Air Force Base for exercise Combat Archer.
Combat Archer is an air-to-air exercise where each pilot has the opportunity to shoot live-fire missiles at sub-scale and full-scale drones.
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Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Buy F-22 Raptors or face air gap: Beazley
Australia's opposition leader, Kim Beazley, has called for the government to buy the F-22A instead of the F-35.
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DoD cost estimate questions could cause trouble for F-22 fighter
Questions on how the USAF generate its cost estimates could raise trouble with its attempt to buy F-22As under a multi-year contract.
The service claims that it can save $250 million over three years if it buys the planes in a single bulk contract.
But a recent Pentagon Inspector General's report found that it could not justify estimates for what it would cost to cancel the C-130J contract.
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Upgrade to improve Argus
Sweden will upgrade two of its S100B Argus AEW aircraft to support international operations.
It will have three onboard operator stations, IFF systems, Link 16 datalinks and Have Quick digital radios.
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French airforce adds home-grown fighter plane to its arsenal
The French airforce took delivery of its first batch Rafales yesterday. The ceremony was attended by French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie.
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Australian defense minister visits Lockheed plant to view plane
Australian Defense Minister Brendan Nelson toured the Lockheed-Martin Corp. plant where the F-35 is being assembled.
He toured the plant for four hours and saw AA-1 undergoing testing before its first flight this fall.
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Defense Minister: Iran self-sufficient in new generation of missiles
Iran's Defense Minister claims that his country is now capable of producing a new generation of anti-tank missiles.
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U.S. approves $111 mln missile sale to South Korea
The Bush administration has approved the sale of 48 SM-2 Block IIIB surface-to-air missiles to South Korea.
The missiles will be used as the primary defensive system aboard South Korea's new KDX-III Aegis destroyers for anti-missile ship protection.
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Hawk Pilot Killed In Crash, Confirms Najib
The pilot of the RMAF Hawk 208 that crash has been found in the cockpit at the seabed on Tuesday evening.
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RAF pilots use US rules for secret missions
RAF airmen operating Predator drones within a USAF squadron are operating under American rules of engagement.
Related Article
In Las Vegas a pilot pulls the trigger. In Iraq a Predator fires its missile
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183rd jets come home
The U.S. Air National Guard's 183rd Fighter Wing has returned back home. Speculation abound that the wing was involved in the air strike that bomb Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
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Boeing Awarded Contract to Build Avengers for Egypt
Boeing has signed a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement with the U.S. Army to deliver Avenger short-range air defense fire units to Egypt.
The Avenger is the U.S. Army's mobile, shoot-on-the-move, short-range air defense system armed with Stinger missiles and a 50-caliber machine gun.
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Thales keen on upgrading Mirage 2000
Thales will discuss a proposal to upgrade Mirage 2000 fighters of the Indian Air Force to the -5 standard on Jul. 14.
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Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Fisherman finds wreckage of jet
A fisherman has found parts which are believed to be from the RMAF Hawk 208 that crashed last month.
Rescuers have so far recovered the aircraft's external fuel tank, inboard pylon and drag chute and a large piece of the wing.
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120 SQN Transforms into Apache Attack Squadron
RSAF's oldest helicopter squadron has been transformed from a utility to an attack squadron with the inauguration of the AH-64D. Poor quality (aka piece of shit) photo from Ministry of Defense.
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Raytheon Receives $9.3 Million Award for Manufacture of ALR-69A(V) Radar Warning Receivers
Raytheon will supply 10 10 ALR-69A(V) radar warning receiver systems for the USAF.
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Iraqi ex-pilot lives in fear in Dubai
A former Iraqi fighter pilot tells this story of how he escaped an attack by eight armed men in February and now lives and work in a bare, one-room office in Dubai.
The former commander of the Iraqi F-1 squadron was not so lucky to escape.
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Recent accidents in Japan
Asagiri sent in two incidents that happened in Japan recently. On May 22, a U.S. Navy C-2 lost its emergency escape hatch while in flight near Hiratsuka City.
On Jun. 23, a JGSDF OH-6D made an emergency landing in a pasture between national highway #4 and Okunakayama Plateau ski site.
Sources
嘉手納基地飛来のＣ２、厚木Ｃ２事故機の「尻拭い」
陸自八戸ヘリが一戸に緊急着陸 乗員4人無事
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Russia’s new fighter will use interim engine
Russia's fifth-generation fighter prototype will use an upgrade to an existing engine as an interim solution till a new engine is developed.
Labels: Russian 5th-generation fighter
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New Gripen variants studied by Saab
Gripen International will unveil a carrierborne strike variant of the JAS-39 at the Farnborough air show. Model of an enlarged F414 engined Gripen will be shown as well.
The variant is aimed at a Indian navy maritime strike requirement.
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Su-30MK jets to debut at Lima ‘07
Malaysia's Su-30MKM will make its public debut at LIMA 07 on Dec. 4 next year.
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New pilot evaluation test debuts August 14
The USAF will replace its 13-year old Basic Attributes Test with the Test of Basic Aviation Skills for pilot selection.
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Galileo Avionica plans carrier UAV
Italy’s Galileo Avionica has unveiled plans for a carrier or large-deck warship-launched and recovered version of its Falco tactical unmanned air vehicle.
The Falco, with its 60m take-off and landing run, would carry a dual sensor infrared and electro-optical turret and an X-band multimode lightweight maritime radar.
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Air Force failing to screen guards
The USAF has failed to screen half of its civilian security guards at entry stations, Pentagon inspectors found.
One quarter failed to complete their training before starting work and about one out of six were not weapons qualified.
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US seeks to lift export sales ban on F-22A
Jane's Defense Weekly reported that U.S. lawmakers will lift the export ban for the F-22A soon.
Potential customers are Japan and South Korea.
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Canada to confirm C-17 order as Boeing seeks more sales
Flight International says Canada is expected to purchase four C-17s at $220 million a piece. 17 C-130Js will be bought as well.
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Another RAAF plane faces delays
RAAF's Wedgetail AEW&C is facing a delay of at least 18 months after suffering testing problems with radar and sensor computer systems.
The software integration problems emerged during flight testing of the plane's advanced radar and sensors before delivery at end of the year.
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Senators Side With Industry, Approve Multiyear Raptor
U.S. Senators approved the F-22A multi-year acquisition contract on Jun. 22 with a 70-28 vote.
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Israeli Spike snares Tiger
According to Flight International, a French pilot went to Israel last may and launched three Spike-ERs from an Israeli air force Bell AH-1 Cobra.
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Report: Japan to Get U.S. PAC-3 Missiles
Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported yesterday that United States plan to deploy PAC-3 missiles at its Kadena Air Base or its ammunition storage area on Okinawa by the end of the year.
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Allied aircrews train for action
The German Air Force Flying Training Center based at Holloman Air Force Base is carrying out the final stages of the Tornado weapons instructor course at Mountain Home.
Students take part in exercises with F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons from Mountain Home; a B-1 Lancer from Ellsworth; an A-10 Thunderbolt II from Davis Monthan AFB; four F-117 Nighthawks from Holloman AFB; six Navy EA-6B Prowlers and tankers from other bases.
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Hornet Strike Fighters Involved in Mishap Over Fort Hunter-Liggett
Two F/A-18 Hornets from Lemoore were lost when they collided during a air-to-air intercept training mission Jun. 26.
One of the pilots ejected from the Hornet and was recovered in good condition. The other pilot is deceased. Both are from VFA-125.
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Lockheed Martin Awarded $385.6 Million Arrowhead Production Contract
Lockheed Martin has been given the Lot 3 follow-on production contract for Arrowhead Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) for the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.
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Boeing-led Team Fires Surrogate Lasers from Airborne Laser Aircraft
The Airborne Laser aircraft fired surrogate lasers from inside the aircraft during ground tests at Boeing facilities in Wichita recently.
The tests verified that the ABL team properly aligned the optical beam train, a series of optical components, steering and deformable mirrors, and sensors that will guide lasers to an actual target.
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Canada to buy Elbit Systems UAV
Elbit Systems will supply Skylark 2 UAVs to the Canadian Army for use in Afghanistan.
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Monday, June 26, 2006
10 years later, Khobar Towers survivors part of an unofficial club
Ten years ago, al-Qaida launched its first major attack against United States by blowing up an apartment complex housing U.S. airmen that were carrying out no-fly zone patrols in southern Iraq.
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New planes cost Air Force jobs
The need to buy new planes for the USAF has cost a few people their careers as they are fired to save money.
The service's "force-shaping" program aims to downsize by eliminating 40,000 full- and part-time jobs by 2011.
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U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J Sets Record Performance Levels
The Lockheed Martin KC-130J Super Hercules transport tankers operated by the United
States Marine Corps in Iraq reported a record level of performance for the month of May.
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Bikers Honor Fallen Special Forces
127 bikers formed a moving tribute through the streets of Savannah Saturday to honour U.S. Navy Seals and Army Night Stalkers who lost their lives for their country.
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Air Force special ops planning for next year's base move
The USAF will split its aircraft in the 16th Special Operations Wing between Hurlburt Field and Cannon next year.
The wing at Hurlburt Field will form the 1st Special Operations Wing and the 16th Special Operations Wing will move to Cannon.
This will create three active wings for the Air Force Special Operations Command with the 347th Rescue Wing at Moody.
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Joint Strike Fighter is not 'flawed'
The Australian Defence Department has rejected media reports that the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program is 'flawed' and should be abandoned.
It argued that the display problem found in the F-35 has been overcome with a more mature system.
A DSTO specialist has been posted to the U.S. for fulltime monitoring of JSF computing and software development
Sources
JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER IS NOT 'FLAWED'
Defence backs $16bn fighter purchase
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Sunday, June 25, 2006
Grumman F-14 Tomcat : Bye - Bye Baby...!
Dave's "Grumman F-14 Tomcat : Bye - Bye Baby...!" has started shipping. Have you got your
copy?
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Leveraging America's Aircraft Carrier Capabilities (PDF)
The U.S. Navy in fall 2004 commissioned the RAND Corporation to explore new and nontraditional ways that the United States might be able to employ aircraft carriers in the future. This is the report. Thanks to
DID for the link.
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Raytheon Celebrates 50th Anniversary of HAWK Air Defense System's First Successful Aerial Engagement
Raytheon Company on Friday celebrated the 50th anniversary of its HAWK air defense system's first successful aerial engagement by hosting a ceremony at the John F.
Kennedy Library in Boston.
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Apache earns its stripes above the Afghan battlefield
British Apache helicopters have performed better than expectations in their combat debut in Afghanistan, says the pilots.
They have been involved in 10 firefights, the majority so far in support of American and Canadian troops, and has fired 1,200 rounds of 30mm ammunition.
It has also fired a Hellfire anti-tank missile and some rockets.
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Budget plan cuts squadron
Supporters of VFA-201 is losing the fight to save the only F/A-18 squadron at Naval Air Station Fort Worth.
The Navy wants to disband the unit so that the planes can go to active units to replace worn out aircraft. The Senate and Congress failed to pass amendments to the defense authorization bill that would freeze cuts in the reserve and National Guard components for a year.
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X-Band radar operating in Japan with eye toward North Korea
The Forward-Based X-Band radar Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Shariki Base is expected to be operational on Wednesday.
A no-fly zone 3.8 mile in radius would be established around the radar.
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Marine 'Thunder Chickens' train for V-22 Osprey combat flights
VMM-263, the Thunder Chickens', has spent the last three months training above the coastal terrain of southeastern North Carolina.
They are confident that the squadron will be ready for its first combat deployment to Iraq in summer next year.
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Boeing will share bombing range
Boeing will soon share the Melrose Bombing Range next to Cannon Air Force Base with the USAF Special Operations 16th Wing.
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Saturday, June 24, 2006
U-2s boast new, improved cockpit
The new Block 20 U-2S made its first flight from Osan Air Base, South Korea, on Tuesday, June 20.
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Curtain comes down as the Canberra makes its last operational flight
The RAF's Canberra has completed its final deployment when two PR9 aircraft of No. 39(1 PRU) Squadron land back at their home Jun. 23.
The aircraft will retire and the squadron disestablished in 5 weeks time.
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Clowns Sabotage Nuke Missile
Three protesters dressed as clowns broke into a U.S. Minuteman III missile facility and hammer the silo cover to take it off-line.
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Weather improving for N. Korea missile test, sources say
North Korea could test its long-range ballistic missile this weekend as clear weather and favorable upper atmospheric conditions were forecast.
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US general "very confident" on missile defense
Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering told reporters that he is confident that the U.S. missile defense system is capable of shooting down any inbound North Korean missile.
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Testers Evaluate Helmet-Mounted Display in Cockpit
The USAF 412th Test Wing has completed a project June 20 to help evaluate a helmet-mounted display system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The wing used a commercially available helmet-mounted display to test out the display system as the Joint Strike Fighter simulators used weren't equipped for a helmet, and the actual Joint Strike Fighter helmet wasn't available.
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Sea Control Squadron 33 Disestablishes at Coronado
The U.S. Navy has disestablished VS-33, one of now five remaining S-3 Viking Squadrons, Jun. 15.
VS-33 was commissioned April 1, 1960 and was the first fixed wing anti-submarine squadron to be commissioned under the Navy's carrier group concept.
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N.Korea 'Continues Military Buildup'
South Korean lawmakers were told that North Korea recently acquired six more MiG aircraft.
The precise model could not be determined, but appears to be more advanced than the MiG-21.
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Last Block 10 Global Hawk arrives for check flights
The last Block 10 production Global Hawk has arrived at Edwards for a thorough checkup before delivery to an operational squadron.
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Okinawa airfield returned after 61 years
Japan will get back control of U.S. Marine Corps Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield in Okinawa after 61 years.
It was a former Imperial Japanese Army airfield and used by the USMC to train paratroops for some 40 years.
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Fending Off North Korea: U.S., Japan Sign Defense Pact
Japan and the United States signed an agreement Friday to jointly produce interceptor missiles.
The new agreement allows the transfer of ballistic missile defense technology from Japan to the United States.
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New jet fighter to debut in Cape Town
South Africa will unveiled its Gripen fighters to the public at the Africa Aerospace and Defence 2006 in September at Cape Town.
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Stealth fighter project 'flawed'
Australian scientists from the Defence Science and Technology Organisation has identified potential flaws with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
It found "major risks" inherent in the aircraft's cockpit display system due to late or substandard software.
This could result in poor mission system integration. Sources told The Australian that the cockpit problems were so severe the system had been completely redesigned.
The scientists also complained of difficulty in assessing the central computer due to restrictions.
Meanwhile Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has defended the plan to buy the JSF, he agreed that transfer of information is an issue and vowed to walk away from the project unless guarantees are given.
Sources
Stealth fighter project 'flawed'
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Senate votes to delay F-35
The U.S. Senate has decided to delay the production of the F-35 by one year and restore funding for the F136.
It wants more testing and development of the jet before production begins to minimize costs and delays.
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Cheney plays down N. Korea strike calls
U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney has played down calls from former defence officials for a pre-emptive military strike to destroy a potential North Korean missile launch site.
In an op-ed piece in Thursday's Washington Post, William Perry, secretary of defense under former President Bill Clinton, and Ashton Carter, Clinton's assistant secretary of defense, called for a pre-emptive strike to prevent North Korea from obtaining valuable flight data from the launch.
Cheney however said such actions will only worsen the situation.
Sources
Cheney plays down N. Korea strike calls
If Necessary, Strike and Destroy (Free Registration)
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RMAF pilots safe after emergency landing
Malaysia suffered another Hawk accident in a month when a 108 was forced to make an emergency landing after the nose wheel fail to deploy.
The instructor, CO of 6th Squadron, ejected after the external tanks caught fire while landing. The student did not eject. Both suffered minor burns and bruises.
All Hawks have been grounded pending investigation into their hydraulics and landing gears.
Sources
RMAF pilots safe after emergency landing
Hawks Grounded Pending Investigation Of Emergency Landing
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Friday, June 23, 2006
Military offered cheaper alternative to costly C-17 purchase
Skylink Aviation Inc., a Toronto-based commercial aviation company, has offered to lease Russian IL-76 and AN-124 as a cheaper alternative to Canada's plan purchase of C-17s.
Skylink offers to base two of each aircraft permanently at CFB Trenton and made available to Canadian Forces 24/7.
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House approves funding for three more C-17 cargo jets
Congress passed a defense appropriation bill for three more C-17s. The move however is unlikely to extend the production line beyond 2008.
Dan Page, Boeing's director of airlift business development, said what is need is a long term commitment by the USAF to buy more planes.
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Harper set to announce $15B in military spending
Canada will announce a spending spree next week. Monday for ships, Tuesday for trucks, helicopters on Wednesday and tactical transports on Thursday.
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CTRM bags RM70m deal from Sonaca
Malaysia's Composites Technology Research Malaysia will make the main landing gear doors for the A400M for Sonaca S.A.
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Army, Air Force to develop light air transport
The U.S. Army and Air Force signed an agreement on Jun. 21 to jointly develop the Joint Cargo Aircraft but pushed back the delivery date to 2010 for the Army.
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Raytheon looking to settle overcharging case
Raytheon's aircraft unit is negotiating with the U. S. Justice Department over allegations the company charged too much for its T-6 II for the Air Force and Navy.
Former Air Force official, Darleen Druyun, had awarded a $4.5 billion contract to Raytheon in 2000.
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Upgraded Raytheon Standard Missile-3 Intercepts Separating Ballistic Missile Target
Raytheon has carried out the first successful demonstration of the Block IA upgrades to the SM-3 and its Kinetic Warhead (KW).
The flight mission, Flight Test Maritime-10, was also the second successful test against a medium-range, separating ballistic missile target.
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Group Warns Of Cecil Field Ripple Effect
A civil group, Concerned Citizens for Cecil, pushing for a city-wide vote to bring U.S. Navy's east coast master jet base to Cecil Field.
This is to protect the Naval Air Depot at Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport.
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Russian Air Force to Get New Generation Radar Aircraft
Russian Air Force Commander Vladimir Mikhailov said a modernized A-50 AWACS will be delivered in 2008.
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House votes to fund half of JSF engine project
The U.S. Congress could only come up with $200 million out of $408 million needed to keep the F136 JSF engine program alive.
The House could not give more as $4 billion was shifted from defense to other priorities. It did include language indicating that it would be best to keep making the backup engine.
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U.S. investigates Iraq deaths
The U.S. military has cleared U.S. troops of intentionally killing Iraqi civilians in a March 15 raid in the village of Ishaqi. They had called in an AC-130 gunship to level a building after coming under attack.
The investigation found that the troops had acted correctly after coming under attack.
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Commander blames Greece over plane crash
Turkish Air Force commander Gen. Faruk Cömert has blamed HAF for the loss of its F-16 in a collision with another HAF F-16 last month.
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Barksdale bombers to take part in major exercise
A pair of B-52s from Barksdale Air Force Base's 93rd Bomb Squadron is headed for Guam to participate in Exercise Valiant Shield 2006.
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AgustaWestland Awarded Future Lynx Contract
AgustaWestland has been given a £1 billion contract to supply the British Army and Royal Navy with 40 and 30 Future Lynx helicopters respectively.
An option for 10 aircraft split equally between the Army and Royal Navy has been placed as well.
The Future Lynx will be powered by the CTS800-4 turboshaft engine supplied by Light Helicopter Turbine Engine Company (LHTEC), a partnership between Honeywell and Rolls-Royce.
Sources
AgustaWestland Awarded Future Lynx Contract
Honeywell and Rolls-Royce joint venture CTS800-4 turboshaft engine to power Future Lynx for United Kingdom Armed Forces
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Saab contract for Surveillance System to Pakistan becomes effective
Saab has finalized the contract to supply Saab 2000s with ERIEYE to Pakistan for 8,3 billion SEK.
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Gripen Interested in Bulgarian Fighter Jet Upgrade
Saab Gripen has confirmed its intention to supply 20 JAS-39s for Bulgaria. Company representatives held a presentation in Sofia on Thursday.
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Thursday, June 22, 2006
2006 Davenport Air Show
Gerry was at the recent 2006 Davenport Air Show.
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National Day Parade 06 Rehearsal
Yesterday was RSAF's last internal fly-past rehearsal for Singapore's National Day Parade. Pictures from Viper52
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Four Pakistani soldiers killed as military helicopter crashes
A Pakistan Army Bell 412 went down during a routine flight after experiencing a technical fault.
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Singapore Air Force Chief Awarded RBAir F Pilot Wing
Singapore's Chief of Air Force, Brigadier General Ng Chee Khern has been awarded the Royal Brunei Air Force Honorary Pilot Wing.
He is currently on an official visit from Jun. 19 to 21.
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GAO advises against spending on F-22 fighter jets
The U.S. Government Accountability Office labeled the U.S. Air Force's procurement plans for the F-22A Raptor "unexecutable," and questions the need for the aircraft in a changing environment.
The report could complicate plans by F-22 supports in Congress to reinstate a multiyear procurement strategy to buy 60 Raptors.
Sources
GAO report GAO-06-455R (PDF)
GAO advises against spending on F-22 fighter jets
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U.S. role as top Turkish arms supplier jeopardized
The lack of a U.S. bidder for Turkey's attack helicopter competition is signaling problems between the U.S.-Turkey military relationship.
Labels: Turkey Attack Helicopter
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Missile Defense Advocates On Hill Point To North Korea
U.S. missile defense advocates have taken the opportunity of a potential North Korea missile test to boost their own defense of the embattled system.
The test comes as lawmakers finalize missile defense funding for fiscal 2007.
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Pratt & Whitney F135 Completes First Engine Runs at Joint Reserve Base in Support of JSF Flight Tests
The first flight test F135 engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) has completed successful runs at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base facility in Fort Worth, Texas.
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Naval Chief flies Mig-29 fighterAdd to Clippings
Indian Navy chief Arun Prakash has flown in a MiG-29 on Tuesday and was impressed by the aircraft.
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Ike Qualifies Student Aviators
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower help conduct training command carrier qualifications (CQ) off the Atlantic Coast for 35 student aviators.
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Submarine-based system is the most likely option
Britain is likely to stick to submarine-launched ballistic missiles as its nuclear delivery option for the future.
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Boeing to get deal worth billions for military transport planes
Canada is expected to announce a plan to purchase Boeing C-17s in Quebec City on Friday.
Under the plan, Canada is expected to receive its first C-17 in nine months after the announcement.
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Guard may add new F-15 fighters
The U.S. Air Force intends to transfer 18 F-15Cs upgraded with AESA radars to the Air National Guard.
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Boeing says F-15 fighter crash won't affect S. Korea contract
Boeing says the crash of an F-15K has not resulted in its production schedule being suspended or altered.
The company is still on course to deliver 14 jets to South Korea this year.
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IAF chief procurement officer: F35 will replace F16
The Israeli Air Force's chief procurement officer Brig. Gen. Zeev Snir said plans to buy to replace its fleet of combat jets, transport planes, and helicopters are being completed.
Buying 100 F-35s is a key part of the plan and Snir added that IAF is willing to buy 24 F-22s as well but is not successful due to the high cost and Washington's refusal to sell it.
The IAF is considering buying six C-130Js and will test out the model soon.
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F-16s to visit Serbia
Two USAF F-16s are to visit a Serbian army airport later this week for the first time.
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Japanese ship to participate in U.S. missile test off Kauai
Against the backdrop of a possible North Korean missile test, the United States will carry out a missile defense test that involves a Japanese destroyer for the first time.
Japanese guided-missile destroyer Kirishima will be stationed off the Pacific Missile Range Facility to track the drone missile.
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Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Exercise Valiant Shield 2006
A B-2 leading 16 other aircraft from the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps fly over the USS Kitty Hawk, USS Ronald Reagan and USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike groups to kick-off Exercise Valiant Shield 2006. U.S. Navy photo/Chief Photographer's Mate Todd P. Cichonowicz.
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Successful Meteor missile firings with Gripen completed
A Gripen has successfully fired the Meteor missile for the second time on Jun. 20. The Meteor was rail-launched from Gripen at an altitude of 23,000 ft.
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Korean missile can reach Australia: govt
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says the missile North Korea plans to test has the range to reach Australia.
But Australia is unlikely to be a target, he said.
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US Air Force To Build New Ties To Spy Satellite Agency
The U.S. Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office has reached an agreement to strengthen their ties.
The Air Force will appoint a two-star general to NRO as its No. 3 man and the NRO will send a senior civilian to the Air Force as deputy director of air, space and information operations.
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Perfect Vision Is Helping and Hurting Navy (Free Registration)
New York Times explores how laser eye surgery has help U.S. Naval aviation and hurting the submarine service.
It has missed its quota for submarine officers after offering the surgery for free as more midshipmen apply to be aviators.
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Tata, HAL to make F-16s?
Lockheed Martin could outsource manufacturing of components for the F-16 and C-130 Hercules to Indian firms.
Lockheed's Director of Communications Joseph Stout said HAL will build most of the F-16s if selected by the Indian Air Force.
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Sweden to debut latest Gripen at 'Red Flag Alaska'
The Swedish Air Force will deploy its JAS 39 C/Ds to Red Flag for the first time next month.
It will bring along 12 of the most experienced JAS 39C/D pilots.
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Cannon Air Force Base gets new, boosted mission
Cannon Air Force Base could become the home of the Air Force's 16th Special Operations Wing once the F-16s move out.
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Jets for Queen and Blair at £12m a year
Britain will get its own Air Force One, Downing Street announced last night. Two planes will be acquired for the Prime Minister and the Queen.
One long haul plane, a Boeing 737 or an Airbus A330, and a smaller executive jet for shorter flights will be lease to the Government. Both will be second-hand and modified with anti-missile defences, communications and a bedroom.
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Turkey once again puts off chopper contest
Turkey has pushed back the dateline for its $500 million utility helicopter contest to Sept. 15. It had earlier postponed it from Mar. 15 to Jun. 15.
Sources familiar with the program said that the postponement is due to Sikorsky's request for more time.
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Russia Preparing New Missile Systems to Overcome Any Shield — Defense Minister
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said the Air Force will have a 5th generation fighter in 2009. He did not elaborate further.
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N. Korean threat activates shield
The United States has switched its ground-based interceptor missile defense system from test to operational mode as the Bush administration considers shooting down a North Korea missile if it is fired.
U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity said the move while unprecedented, is not considered the likeliest scenario.
Sources
N. Korean threat activates shield
U.S. Weighs Shootdown of N. Korea Missile
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40$ Mln Russian Fighter Jet Destroyed by Fire as Refueling Truck Explodes
A Russian Su-27 has been destroyed on the ground while refueling after its tanker caught fire at the Chkalovsk military airport in the Kaliningrad Region.
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Tanker Inquiry Finds Rumsfeld's Attention Was Elsewhere (Free Registration)
A transcript of Rumsfeld's interview to Pentagon investigators on the Air Force tanker scandal found that the secretary is more focused on waging war than weapons-buying.
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Delegation to watch US navy drills
A 10-member Chinese military delegation including three generals from the army, the air force and the navy is in Guam currently to witness exercise Valiant Shield 2006.
They were invited to the exercise by Admiral William J. Fallon, commander of the US Pacific Command, during his visit to China last month.
Related Article
U.S. Pacific Commander Pitches Partnership to Chinese Leaders
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US Air Force leaders wary of tanker services offering
U.S. Air Force leaders say they are wary of outsourcing tanker services to private companies whom they feel cannot perform in operational theaters.
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Northrop Grumman Begins Assembly of First Production EA-18G Growler, the Navy's Next-Generation Electronic Attack Aircraft
Northrop Grumman Corporation has begun assembling the first production center and aft fuselage for the U.S. Navy's EA-18G Growler.
Labels: EA-18G
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C-5 still going strong after 38 years
The upgraded C-5M made its maiden flight at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Jun. 19. It uses commercial CF6 engines.
The new engines have a 22 percent increase in thrust, allowing a 30 percent shorter take-off roll and a 38 percent higher climb to initial altitude.
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Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Lincoln Hosts Foreign Military Observers During Valiant Shield '06
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) sail in formation at the start of Exercise Valiant Shield 2006.
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$51 billion Defence Capability Plan for 2006-2016
Under Australia's Defence Capability Plan (DCP) for 2006-2016, the country will shop for a new anti-aircraft missile system.
It will also upgrade its Hawk and Hornet fleets and refurbish or replace its tactical transports.
Sources
Defence unveils new shopping list
$ 51 Billion Defence Capability Plan FOR 2006-2016
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Eurocopter Integrates Israeli Missile
The Spike-ER missile has been certified for the Eurocopter Tiger following firing trails in Spain last month.
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Russian firm to overhaul Indian copters
Rosoboronservice (India) has snatched a contract to overhaul India's Russian origin helicopter fleet.
The fleet includes Kamov 25, 28, and 31 series with the Navy; Mi 8, 17, 26 with the Air Force; and the Army's Mi series.
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Marine Corps Ospreys "writing the book" on long-range deployments
A pair of USMC MV-22 Ospreys completed two non-stop, coast-to-coast flights last week to prepare for the tiltrotor's forthcoming flight to England.
VMX-22 launched two Ospreys from their home at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., Monday, landing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., nine hours later. Both made the trip back to New River Thursday, making that flight in just eight hours.
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Italy Wins JSF Final Assembly; U.K. Presses Maintenance, Support
Italy will host the European final-assembly line for the Joint Strike Fighter. Alenia Aeronautica will carry out the assembly work near Cameri in the northern part of the country.
BAE Systems, which is a partner on Lockheed Martin's JSF team, has been viewed as a front-runner for the final assembly facility.
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We bribed Saudis, says ex-minister
Lord Gilmour, a former British Tory defence secretary, admitted that Britain bribed senior Saudi officials to secure arms contracts.
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Typhoons in RAF exercise
Five Eurofighter Typhoons took part in a major RAF exercise for the first time earlier this month.
Four Typhoons from the RAF’s 17 Sqn operational evaluation unit and one aircraft from its 29 Sqn Typhoon operational conversion unit took part in the biannual Combined Qualified Weapons Instructor (CQWI) course.
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Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missile Destroys Drone Target to Mark Second- Straight Successful Test Flight in May
Raytheon Company's Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM) successfully destoryed a a surrogate cruise missile last month.
It was the second of four development flight tests for the new Patriot system post deployment build-6 (PDB-6) software.
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Russia, Venezuela may sign contract on Sukhoi deliveries
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may sign the contract for 24 Su-30s during his visit to Moscow in late July.
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Boeing pitches for IAF deal
Boeing vice president Chris Chadwick gave this interview to The Financial Express regarding its F/A-18 E/F proposal to India.
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Indian air force 'lacks planes'
BBC has revealed that nearly 20 percent of the Indian Air Force pilots are having desk jobs due to a shortage of aircraft.
And a growing number of them have been refused to leave the service. Pilots doing administrative work complained that what they were doing contradicted claims by senior officials that pilots who wanted to leave the IAF could not do so as it would create a shortage of pilots.
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Monday, June 19, 2006
Talks with Ivanov successful: Dutt
Indian Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt is satisfied with the work being carried out on aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov at the Sevmash Naval Shipyard in Severodvinsk.
He said that Russia is scheduled to deliver the ship in the autumn of 2008 along with its MiG-29K fighters.
Labels: INS Vikramaditya
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Ronald Reagan Strike Group Underway Following Hong Kong Visit
USS Ronald Reagan departed Hong Kong June 13, following a four-day scheduled port visit.
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Iraq's Post-Hussein Air Force Finds Its Wings Clipped
While the U.S. military has been rushing to return every square mile of land back to Iraqi soldiers and police, there is no sign that it will return control of a single cubic inch of the country's skies.
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India to buy more spy planes from Russia
India's Navy will buy two more IL-38 maritime patrol aircraft to strengthen its IL-38 fleet.
The two will be upgraded with Sea Dragons suits.
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Air Force honors vets with C-17
The USAF has decided to honored the World War II bravery of Japanese-American soldiers by naming its latest C-17 after their motto "Go for Broke."
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$2bn deal for military choppers
Australia will add 34 more MRH-90 multi-role helicopters to the 12 on order to replace its ageing Sea King and Black Hawk fleets.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said the Sea Kings would be retired in 2010 followed by the Black Hawks which would be replaced between 2011 and 2015.
Related Article
$5b project on rationalising mission
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Taiwan F-5 fighter jet crash prompts call for purchase of F-16s from US
The fatal crash of a Taiwanese F-5F has prompted calls from lawmakers to buy new F-16 C/D Block 50 fighters to replace the F-5 fleet.
Both ruling and opposition legislators have spoke in favor of the purchase.
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C-5 crash report ignores deeper problems
Several retired, high ranking aviators criticized the USAF investigation report on C-5 crash in Dover.
They felt that the USAF should look at the C-5's throttles again as it lacks a lock position for dead engines.
The report also failed to recognized that the crew had only 4.5 hours of sleep before they started preparing for the mission.
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Researchers Find Technique To Quickly Erase Hard Drives
Researchers have come up with a method to quickly erased hard-disks drives after a U.S. Navy EP-3 landed in Chinese soil and the crew labored to erase information.
Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology and L-3 Communications Corp have come up with a 125lb prototype fast-erasure system that wipes out data in a matter of seconds.
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New obstacles revealed re sale of RNZAF training jets
New Zealand Defence Minister, Phil Goff, has revealed that Tactical Air Services has also lost a shareholder and needs a new partner in order to purchase RNZAF's Skyhawks.
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Sunday, June 18, 2006
Cockpit crew blamed for C-5 crash
Air Force Times has more details in the last minutes of the C-5 that crash near Dover Air Force base in April.
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Mohammed visits Korea aerospace industries
General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces visit KAI on Friday for a briefing on the T-50.
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North Korea accuses U.S. of conducting spy flights amid fears of missile test
North Korea has once again accused the United States of spying along its east coast with a RC-135.
The statement came as signs are emerging that North Korea could test a ballistic missile this weekend.
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Veteran comes full circle
Oscar-winning British film director Richard Attenborough has a reunion with a Lancaster bomber sixty years after he flew in a Lancaster in the Second World War as a cameraman for the Royal Air Force.
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Air force jet crashes in Chiayi County, pilot killed (Picture)
A Taiwan F-5F in a rice field on Saturday, a picture from a local newspaper shows parts of a bird and blood stains on another F-5 that was following behind.
The plane came down near the town of Taipao, central Taiwan and a Lt. Col. was killed while a junior officer suffered serious injuries.
Sources
僚機安返 發現11處鳥撞擊點
Air force jet crashes in Chiayi County, pilot killed
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Saturday, June 17, 2006
VF-31 at Long Island
William Barto has kindly contributed photos of VF-31's visit to Long Island and the first photo is up in the gallery. His son was interviewed in the video yesterday.
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Final departure for F-14s
Tomcats dipped their noses forward, bowing to the crowd who came to watch them depart Long Island for the last time yesterday.
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RSAF Open House '06
The RSAF will have an open house in September and these aircraft were spotted practising for the event on Friday. Pictures from Viper52.
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Fairchild tankers work to keep Thunderbirds flying (Video)
Watch the video of a KC-135 from Fairchild Air Force Base's 92nd Air Refueling Wing top up gas for the USAF Thunderbirds north of Flagstaff, Arizona on Thursday.
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Navy chief to fly MIG-29 in Moscow
Indian Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash would fly a MiG-29 fighter similar to the MiG-29K in Moscow next week.
It will be the first time an Indian Navy chief fly a fighter in a foreign country. He is in Russia to inspect work on aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov.
Labels: INS Vikramaditya
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US seeks to sway Russia on jet sales to Venezuela
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters in Washington that it will ask Russia to reconsider selling Su-30s to Venezuela.
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Former F-14 fliers building tribute to fighter at Oceana (Video)
Two of the U.S. Navy’s earliest F-14 Tomcat fliers are building a marker next to an F-14 at Oceana's Aviation Historical Park as a tribute to the plane and its crews.
The monument will be unveiled during the Tomcat Sunset ceremony in September.
Sources
Tomcat Sunset Set For September
Former F-14 fliers building tribute to fighter at Oceana
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McEvaddys Omega Air may raise up to $1.6bn (Free Registration)
Omega Air have to raise between $1.4bn to $1.6bn if it wins the contract to supply refuelling tankers for the USAF.
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RAF troops to help protect Afghan airfield base
130 troops from the RAF Regiment would be deployed to help protect Kandahar airfield in Afghanistan.
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Next carrier would bear Gerald Ford's name
CVN 78, the first ship in the CVN 21 class, may be named USS Gerald Ford. The former president served aboard the light aircraft carrier Monterey in the Pacific from 1943-1944.
Congress must approve the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2007 in order for it to take effect.
The selection has drawn criticism from the USS America Carrier Veterans Association who wants the name carrier to carry the America name.
President Ford said he is "highly honored" by the Senate's vote to name the Navy's newest aircraft carrier after him. He called Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner on Thursday to thank him for the honor.
Sources
Next carrier would bear Gerald Ford's name
Ford 'highly honored' by aircraft carrier naming
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Russia, Belarus to conduct Union Shield-2006 exercise in June
Two new Russian Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopters is taking part in an exercise with Belarus from Jun. 17 to 25.
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Steps taken to ensure smooth JSF production
Lockheed Martin has procured new tooling equipment and wants to establish early long-term relationships with raw materials suppliers to contain the cost of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
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U.S., U.K. Joint Strike Fighter Stall
Talks between U.S. and U.K. officials over technology transfers for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has stalled again.
Sources close to the talks said the negotiations are centre over four technology areas. They refused to identify what are the areas.
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40 Air Force crash victims remembered (Picture)
China's Central Military Commission vice chairman said the deaths of 40 people in the Jun. 3 air crash was a major loss for the modernization of the Air Force during memorial service on Thursday.
It was held in the barracks of the PLA Air Force in Jiangsu Province.
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Israel Aircraft Industries likely to win S. Korean military contract
Israeli paper Haaretz claims that it is likely that South Korea will choose IAI's G550 CAEW solution.
Labels: CAEW
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Norway denies deal to buy Lockheed's F-35 jet
The Norwegian Ministry of Defense has refuted a report by Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri that it had signed a letter of intent to buy the F-35.
A spokesman said the decision is still some way off.
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1 tender, 3 different preferences
Three groups in the committee set up to select Turkey's next attack helicopter have different preferences.
The Defense Industry Undersecretariat prefers the Rooivalk, the government wants to buy the Mangusta for political reasons and the Army wish to have the Tiger.
Labels: Turkey Attack Helicopter
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'The F-16s passed me at Osirak'
Gp Capt (Retd) Anant Bewoor was one kilometre away from Osirak in an An-24 when Israeli F-16s took out the nuclear plant. This is his story.
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Heavy-lift planes set for defence shopping list
The Canadian government will in the next few weeks release its requirements for new tactical and heavy-lift transports.
In the mean time, it is sceptical of a proposal from Airbus that its A400M will save more money instead of the C-17.
Heavy-lift planes set for defence shopping list
Tories urged to allow open bidding for military transport aircraft
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Russia to Deliver 12 Sukhoi Fighter Jets to India in 2006
Russia's Irkut Corporation has outlined the delivery schedule for Su-30s to India, Algeria and Malaysia.
12 will go to India this year, with the remaining six next year. Algeria will received an unspecified number will Malaysia will get nine jets.
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Defence Minister Kuehnl flies in Gripen
Czech defence minister Karel Kuehnl flew in a JAS-39 Gripen on Thursday.
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F-22A Savings Estimates Challenged
A business case analysis done by the Institute for Defense Analyses on the F-22A single, multiyear procurement contract found that it only produces a savings of 2.2 percent.
Pentagon had claimed that by buying the remaining 60 fighter aircraft over the next three years, a savings of 5 percent to 7 percent can be obtained.
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India, Russia to sign Fighter Jet swap deal
Indian Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt will seal a deal to swap 18 Su-30 K and MK for Su-30MKIs.
Dutt is likely to discuss a deal to lease Backfire bombers from Russia as well.
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As Iceland exodus proceeds, rescue squadron oves to Lakenheath
The USAF 56th Rescue Squadron has started its move from Iceland when the first two HH-60G Pave Hawks arrived at RAF Lakenheath Jun. 12 and 13.
Two Pave Hawks will remain in Iceland till mid-September while a fifth will be moving in the coming months.
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Expert floats idea of Canadian aircraft carrier
Rear Admiral Dan McNeil feels that Canada has a need for a small helicopter carrier to support its expeditions.
It will send some of its Sea King helicopters for exercises this fall with the USS Gunston Hall to test out the idea.
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Friday, June 16, 2006
LIers turn out for last look at F-14 (Video)
Watch two Tomcats from VF-31 make the last landing at Long Island.
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DARPA, Air Force and AirLaunch LLC Drop Test Sets New C-17 Record (PDF)
The C-17 has dropped its heaviest single load when a simulated AirLaunch QuickReach rocket weighing 65,000 lbs was dropped at Edwards Air Force Base Jun. 14.
The drop test was part of the Falcon Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) program which aims to deliver small satellites into space.
The test was conducted at an altitude of 29,500 feet above Mean Sea Level (MSL) and a true airspeed of 330 knots.
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Airbus Military Submits A400M Airlift Proposal to Canadian Government
The Canadian government has received a proposal from Airbus to supply its armed forces with the A400M military airlift aircraft.
Airbus says it can supply 16 A400Ms for $2.4 billion and promised substantial industrial benefits for Canada.
Sources
Airbus Military Submits A400M Airlift Proposal to Canadian Government
Airbus outlines offer for military transports
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Funding for Airbus A400M is safe - official
Airbus has assured that funding for the A400M military transport is secured and is not affected by the A380 fiasco.
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No new answers a year after Harrier crash
One year after a USMC Harrier jump jet crashed in a residential neighborhood in Yuma, investigations into the accident continues.
Related Article
Harrier Crash Forces Evacuations in Ariz.
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Navy sinks retired destroyers Comte de Grasse and Stump
F-14s, S-3 Vikings, a B-52 and a B-1B helped sank two retired Spruance-class destroyers off the North Carolina coast Jun. 7.
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Air Force to take delivery of upgraded Tu-160 bomber in July
The Russian Air Force will take delivery of a modernized Tu-160 Blackjack in early July.
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M'sian Forces In Timor Leste To Seek Use Of RMAF Special Air Team
The Malaysian peacekeeping force in Timor Leste has requested that the RMAF Special Air Team (Paskau) be deployed to strengthen the force.
RMAF deputy chief Lt Jen Datuk Azizan Ariffin said the proposal is to bring in 10 Paskau officers and men, who would be stationed in several locations under the supervision of the Malaysian peacekeepers.
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Snowbirds and CF-18 Perform at Air Show Ottawa
The Snowbirds will return to Air Show Ottawa this weekend after a five-year absence.
A CF-18, a CH-146 helicopter, a CH-146 helicopter and an CP-140 Aurora will also be performing in the air show.
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Boeing Unveils New CH-47F Chinook Helicopter to U.S. Army
Boeing has roll out the first production CH-47F Chinook helicopter to the U.S. Army.
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Chavez Says Venezuela Will Buy 24 Russian Sukhoi Jets in 2006
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez said on Wednesday that his country will buy 24 Su-30s this year and the first two jets will be arriving within a week.
He will also consider buy the Su-35 at a later date.
Sources
Chavez Says Venezuela Will Buy 24 Russian Sukhoi Jets in 2006
Chávez jet deal seen as 'waste of money'
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U.S. team switched to air base for security
The U.S. Fifa World Cup team decided to skip their five-star hotels and bunk in two nights at Ramstein Air Base because of safety concerns.
The team's security personnel felt that the hotels does not provide sufficient security for the team.
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Air Force base commander quits post
An Israeli Air Force commander has volunteered to resign after soldiers in his base was found to have committed statutory rape.
Maj. Gen. Eliezer Shkedy has accepted the resignation of the commander of Nevatim Air Force Base.
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Thursday, June 15, 2006
DSI Analyzes the Rafale & Typhoon (Francais)
DID looks at an article from French publication Defense et Securite Internationale which examines the export chances of Rafale and Eurofighter.
Sources
DSI Analyzes the Rafale & Typhoon (Francais)
Defense et Securite Internationale article
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U2 Spy Plane Makes Rare Hawaii Visit (Video)
Three U-2s made a half-day refueling stop at Hickam Air Force while on its way to South Korea on Tuesday.
Sources
U2 Spy Plane Makes Rare Hawaii Visit
High spying planes stop at Hickam
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Air Force Space Command eyes new helicopters
U.S. Air Force Space Command has completed an analysis of alternatives for helicopters to replace its aging UH-1 fleet.
Lt. Gen Frank Klotz, vice commander of the Space Command, said his command is in discussions of the Air Force's Air Mobility Command to jointly purchase the helicopters.
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Co. Admits Attempt to Sell Missle Parts
State Metal Industries, a smelting company, has admitted that it had tried to illegally export missile bodies and control sections of AIM 7-F Sparrows to China.
The company was supposed to melt the parts into ingots but it later sold the parts to a company owned, in part, by the Chinese government.
The components were loaded into a 40-foot shipping container and hide under scrap deep inside the container.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspectors found the parts on March 25, 2004.
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Skyhawk sale still on schedule says American buyer
Tactical Air Services says the sale of RNZAF Skyhawks and Aermacchi trainers to his company is not in trouble.
He said that the delay in getting approval from the U.S. State Department is normal.
Related Article
Skyhawk deal hits turbulence
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White House: "Bad idea" if N. Korea tests missile
White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley warned North Korea that it would be a "bad idea" to test a long-range missile.
In the mean time, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Alexander Vershbow said his country will "respond appropriately" if North Korea test-fires a long-range missile.
Sources
White House: "Bad idea" if N. Korea tests missile
US to respond appropriately if NKorea tests long-range missile - US envoy
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Missile Successfully Launched From Calif.
The USAF fired an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile at 1:22 a.m. on Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Its three warheads struck targets at the Kwajalein Missile Range after traveling 4,800 miles in 30 minutes.
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BAE SYSTEMS Delivers First Production F-22 Digital Electronic Warfare System to Lockheed Martin
Raptor 4084 is the first F-22A to receive the first production digital electronic warfare system from BAE Systems.
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Wing commander dismissed
The USAF has removed Col. Drew Jeter as head of 95th Air Base Wing at Edwards Air Force Base.
He is now being investigated.
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LANTIRN Lights the Way for VS-32, S-3 Aircraft
VS-32 is testing the LANTIRN pod on their S-3 Viking aircraft. The pod is mounted on the aircraft's wing station and is operated by the naval flight officer in the right front seat of the aircraft.
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Lockheed may offer India Israeli version of F-16
Lockheed may offer the F-16I to India for its MRCA competition.
Labels: MRCA
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Turkey eyes warplane compensation from Greece
Turkey wants Greece to compensate for the loss of its F-16 when it collided with a HAF F-16 last month.
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Ten Years Later, a Successful Demonstration of a Sea-Based Terminal Defense Against Ballistic Missiles
Baker Spring contributed this article to the Heritage Foundation urging Congress to support the U.S. Navy's AEGIS and Standard missile defense system.
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Early Warning Aircraft Bidding Enters Final Stage
Boeing and Elta's early warning aircraft proposals passed South Korea's preliminary evaluations yesterday.
Both planes were able to meet the Air Force's operational requirements. The stage is now set for a winner to be selected as early as next month.
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RAF Lossie plays host to UK and US Air Forces exercises
Five Super Hornets from VFA-14 are currently at RAF Lossiemouth at the invitation of 14 Squadron.
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LI's last look at the F-14
If you are able to make it to Long Island today, it will be your last chance to catch the Tomcat at the place of its birth.
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Report fuels spy plane theories
BBC is running a story on a recently declassified Ministry of Defense report that is expected to add more conspiracy theories to the existence of Aurora.
The report contains two pictures there were removed for security reasons and when shown to Bill Sweetman, he said that the report identified two U.S. 'Black' programs that may operate within the United Kingdom.
Sources
Report fuels spy plane theories
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) in the UK Air Defence Region
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Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Preemptive Strike by Alan Armstrong
I found out about this
book by chance yesterday from an article in the local newspaper. The book claims that United States planned to bomb Japan one month before Pearl Harbor by using the Flying Tigers in China.
The book goes on to theorized that Japanese advancement into South East Asia would have been disrupted if the plan went ahead.
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Alaska's first F-22 working its way toward Elmendorf AFB
This is Raptor 4087, the first F-22 scheduled for delivery to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. Lockheed Martin photo.
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Chinese Companies Accused by U.S. of Helping Iran on Missiles
The U.S. government has sanctioned four Chinese companies and one American company for allegedly helping Iran to develop missiles.
The U.S. government has applied various sanctions against the four Chinese companies in the past.
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The F-35 (Joint Strike Fighter) Project: progress and issues for Australia (PDF)
This is an Australian parliamentary research paper that suggests the government look at buying the F-15 as a cheaper and safer alternative to the F-35.
However it endorse the suggestion of getting STOVL version of the F-35 as it will be useful in expeditions.
The paper also rejects buying the F-22A on three issues.
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Ericsson sells defense unit to Saab for $520 mln
Saab has purchased Ericsson Microwave Systems which makes the radar for its JAS-39 Gripen fighter.
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U.S. military said moving ahead on new bomber
Pentagon and Air Force officials meet on Monday and agreed in principle to go ahead to develop a long-range strike weapon or bomber.
Both parties agreed that they have to start work soon if they wanted to meet the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) goal of having the new weapon ready by 2018.
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Navy chief will visit Russia to review defence projects
Indian Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash will visit Severodvinsk shipyard in Russia next week to inspect the ongoing refurbishment of Admiral Gorshkov.
Labels: INS Vikramaditya
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Chadian military plane crashes, no word on deaths
A Chadian C-130 crashed at an airport near the eastern town of Abeche on Sunday afternoon.
There were no reports on casualties.
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Marines test two Ospreys at Miramar
Two MV-22s are currently in Miramar Marine Corps Air Station as the crew practice aerial refueling in preparation for flights next month to England for The Royal International Air Tattoo.
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Canadian soldiers need some choppers, commander says
Canadian commanders in Afghanistan wants the government to send helicopters to help resupply troops in remote locations.
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Infrastructure delays Russia air base reinforcement in Kyrgyzstan
Russia will stop deploying personnel to its air base in Kyrgyzstan until proper working and living infrastructure has been set up.
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New blades may solve C-17 engine-failure problem
The USAF hopes to install a redesigned blade for the sixth-stage compressor for its C-17 F117 engines.
The blades have been failing faster than predicted and since 1997, there were nine cases of blade failure.
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Transport plane contract will have spinoffs, Boeing says
Boeing says the sale of C-17s to Canada will benefit and create jobs for the Canadian aerospace industry.
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Search Now At Sea For Missing RMAF Hawk, Pilot
Malaysia will confine the search area for its missing Hawk fighter to the sea off Kuala Rompin in Pahang.
The search will continue till end of the month before a decision is made to cancel it.
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BMD Watch: China Deploys New Dong Feng
China's new Dong Feng-31, or CSS-9, road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile is expected to enter service during 2006.
An extended-range DF-31A is expected next year.
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C-5 accident investigation board complete
A USAF accident investigation board has found that human error was the cause of a C-5 crash in Dover Apr. 3.
The findings confirmed what we heard so far; the crew had used the wrong flap settings and stalled the aircraft during finals.
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U.S. Navy Selects Lockheed Martin to Provide High Altitude Launch Capability to MK-54 Torpedoes
The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a 12-month contract to demonstrate delivery of the MK-54 lightweight torpedo from a P-3C aircraft operating at high altitudes (approximately 20,000) feet.
The High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapons Concept (HAAWC) will use Lockheed's LongShot Wing Adapter Kit for the torpedo to glide to its normal launch altitude close to the surface.
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Northrop Grumman Begins Flight Testing New Radar Antenna for B-2 Stealth Bomber
Testing of the active, electronically scanned array (AESA) antenna on the B-2 has started.
The antenna is supplied by Raytheon.
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Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Boeing Flies EA-18G Wingtip and Jamming Pods for First Time
The Growler has growl for the first time May 30. A modified F/A-18F was flown with wingtip antenna and high- and low-band jamming pods.
Labels: EA-18G
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Low, Slow and Stealthy
Aviation Week explores the latest in the U.S. military's thinking and efforts on cruise missile defense. Most of the efforts centers around the MP-RTIP radar.
Labels: MP-RTIP
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Microlight pilots narrowly miss bomber
Four German microlight pilots are being investigated for flying through a "live" RAF bombing range.
They avoided a Tornado that was doing a practice bombing run at the range by less than two minutes.
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Korea Asks for U.S. Help Finding F-15K's Black Box
The South Korean Air Force is seeking help from the U.S. Navy to locate the black box of its F-15K. Foreign maritime research institutes might be approached as well.
Meanwhile, Boeing is expected to pay South Korea up to $100 million if mechanical problems caused the F-15K crash. The contract states that Boeing needs to compensate for the first jet that crashes within two years of delivery due to mechanical issues.
Sources
Korea Asks for U.S. Help Finding F-15K's Black Box
Air Force to Request US Navy’s Help for Black Box Recovery
Jet Crash Puts Focus on Controversial Compensation Provision With Boeing
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Chinese Il-76 derivative crashes on surveillance mission
While Flight International also reported that it was a KJ-2000 that crashed in central Anhui Province Jun. 4, word on the street is that it was a KJ-
200. The Y-8 Balanced Beam aircraft.
Related Articles
Chinese AWACS crash
China's Hu orders probe into military crash
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F-22 Raptor Scores Direct Hit in Testing of Supersonic, High-Altitude JDAM Drop (Video)
Lockheed folks have released three videos of a recent supersonic high altitude JDAM drop from an F-22A.
The test took place at Mach 1.5, FL500.
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Air Force to release C5 crash report
USAF investigators are expected to release their findings into the C-5 crash at Dover on Apr. 3.
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Omega air joins Boeing, Northrop in DoD tanker race
Omega Air has decided to join the USAF tanker race by offering up to 60 modified DC-10 airplanes.
While both Boeing and Airbus choose to supply planes to the Air Force. Omega decided to offer contract refueling services instead.
Analysts said privately owned planes might be too radical for the Air Force to accept.
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UAE might upgrade aviation programme
The UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia may join Boeing's C-130 Avionics Modernisation Program.
Talks have started with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia with UAE scheduled next.
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Indonesia narrows contest
The race to refurbish grounded Indonesian C-130s has narrowed down to Malaysia's Airod and Singapore Technologies Aerospace.
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ST Aero lands C-130 avionics deal
Singapore Technologies Aerospace has been selected to upgrade the avionics on 10 Lockheed Martin C-130B/H Hercules transports for the RSAF.
This is the first time ST Aero has won a contract on the C-130 avionics upgrade market.
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Lockheed Martin Successfully Completes HELLFIRE Flight Test Series on Tiger Helicopter
Lockheed Martin has successfully completed a four-year program to integrate its HELLFIRE II missile system on Eurocopter's Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter (ARH) for Australia.
HELLFIRE scored seven target hits in seven shots in a test series that spanned more than six months.
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Service honours Black Hawk crash victims
A memorial service was held yesterday to mark one of Australia's worst peace-time air disasters.
18 servicemen died when their Black Hawks collided in mid-air in 1996.
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Monday, June 12, 2006
Northern Edge aims for air, sea dominance
An F-22 Raptor taxis down the runway after completion of its mission during Exercise Northern Edge 2006, on Jun. 7. U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Garrett Hothan.
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F-15K purchase could be delayed following crash
South Korea could delay the introduction of more F-15Ks in the wake of the recent F-15K crash.
14 more F-15Ks were expected to be delivered by end of this year.
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NKorea threatens to 'punish' US over spy flights
North Korea has threatened to shoot down U.S. aircraft it accused of carrying out spy flights over the country.
In a strongly-worded statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, the Air Force reminded Washington of the EC-121 accident in the 1960s and said it will 'punish' the United States for its spy flights over the country.
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Helicopter history
The American Helicopter Museum, located in Pennsylvania, has 38 civilian and military helicopters. Including the oldest existing U.S.-built rotorcraft.
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Artillery role for RAF's best of the best
The RAF's Combined Qualified Warfare Instructor course is teaching pilots on how to deal with terrorists fighting troops on the ground and how to eliminate "high value targets" such as al-Qa'eda leaders.
The focus has turned away from low-level flying aimed at dodging Soviet air defence systems to providing close air support for troops fighting in the mountains of Afghanistan or deserts of Iraq.
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Nuke-capable Prithvi-I tested
India tested its medium range nuclear capable Prithvi-I missile on Sunday at about 1:40 pm.
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India to launch tender soon for 126 fighter jets
India will soon launch an international tender for the supply of 126 fighter jets to replace its MiG-21s. Yeah, the wolf is coming too.
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Royal Artillery to take UAV to Afghanistan
Around seventy men and women from 18 (Quebec 1759) Battery, 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery will deploy to Afghanistan with the Desert Hawk UAV.
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Italian company eager for partnership, sweetens bid with full technology transfer
AgustaWestland is willing to grant production license of its Mangusta A129 to Turkey in a bid to secure a win for Turkey's attack helicopter contract.
Giuseppe Orsi, CEO of Italy's AgustaWestland, said the license will allow Turkey to export its own attack helicopters in future.
Labels: Turkey Attack Helicopter
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An arms race is taking place in Southeast Asia
Hideaki Kaneda, a retired vice admiral of Japan's Self Defense Forces, wrote this commentary on the recent arms race in Southeast Asia. Fighter aircraft was on the shopping list for a few countries.
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Saudi order for jets will keep RAF waiting
I don't know what the hell this sentence is talking about, I'll let you go figure it out. (defence sources last night suggested the Saudi (Eurofighter) order could be used to "get the MoD off the hook", and allow the (U.K.) government to cancel the third tranche without incurring huge cancellation fees.)
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Sunday, June 11, 2006
China's hi-tech military disaster
The Sunday Times' coverage of the AWACS crash in China and its analysis on how China might be trying to duplicate the Phalcon system on the IL-76, aka KJ-2000.
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RMAF pilots may go to India for training
Malaysia Deputy Prime Minister reiterated that Malaysia is keen to send RMAF pilots for training in India and source technical support, maintenance and spare parts for its 18 Sukhoi-30MKM as well.
He gave the comments after visiting India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) aircraft assembly division at Nasik, Maharashtra.
Sources
RMAF pilots may go to India for training
Joint training plan for RMAF pilots
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Retired Israeli general: Iran strike feasible
Isaac Ben Israel, a retired Israeli general who planned the Osirak attack, claims that it is easier to strike Iran today than 25 years ago.
He ridiculed claims that Iran learn from Iraq's lesson by building facilities underground. "These things are always built underground. It's not an Iranian invention," he said.
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Air Force finds use for C-5 cockpit
The USAF wants to salvage the C-5 that crash in Dover by using the cockpit for ground testing C-5 electronics systems and software.
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Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group Makes Port Visit to Hong Kong
USS Ronald Reagan is currently in Hong Kong for a scheduled port visit. Carrier Strike Group 7 arrived on Jun. 10.
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Saturday, June 10, 2006
UKAerialPhotos.com Makes the Past Perfect with Online RAF Photos
UKAerialPhotos.com has made available aerial photos from RAF photographic sheets that were previously subjected to censorship.
Previously many military sites removed or clouds painted over secret installations but they can now be seen in their entirety.
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Gul, Bakoyannis to sign anti-crisis air force hotline accord
Greek and Turkish Air Force will set up a hotline linking their operational headquarters in the central Greek city of Larissa and western Turkish city of Eskisehir.
Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and her Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul are to sign an agreement today establishing the hotline.
The measure came after a Greek pilot was killed in a mid-air crash between his F-16 and a Turkish F-16.
Source
Gul, Bakoyannis to sign anti-crisis air force hotline accord
Deal to be signed with Turkey
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Ukraine's air force to phase in new An-70 aircraft in 2 years
Ukraine will receive its first An-70 in two years time despite Russia pulling out of the program.
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All the airmen behind the President’s flight
The ground crew from the Indian Air Force's 20 Squadron took pride in spending endless hours over the past few days to prepare Su-30MKI, SB 101, for President A P J Abdul Kalam's flight.
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Tech-export deal holds up Israeli role in F-35 jet
Shalom Ben-Natan, deputy head of air force procurement at the Israeli Defence Ministry, dismissed a report last month that Israel is unhappy that its F-35s cannot be upgraded with Israeli-made avionics.
Ben-Natan hinted that Israel may cancel its order due to budget issues.
Related Article
U.S., Israel spar over JSF purchase
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Boeing's rivals urge US alter tanker-purchase plan
Northrop Grumman and EADS urged the Pentagon Friday to drop the requirement to spell out any government subsidies that competing companies received for their proposed aerial tankers.
Northrop said that the subsidy issue is a government-to-government matter and should be left out of the tanker contest.
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RAAF men return for medals
42 Royal Australian Air Force veterans were awarded the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) by the Malaysian government for their contributions defending the country during the Emergency and the Indonesian Confrontation.
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Soldier killed in Ky. helicopter accident
A U.S. soldier was hit by a Black Hawk's main rotors while making an emergency exit after a precautionary landing Friday.
The accident happened near Fort Campbell and four others on board were hospitalised.
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Malaysia eyes training pact with India
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak told journalists covering his week-long visit to India that Malaysia would hold discussions with India on the possibility of training for its Sukhoi pilots and cooperating on maintenance of aircraft as well as spare parts.
He will visit the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) plant in Nasik where HAL assembles it Su-30s.
Source
Malaysia eyes training pact with India
Najib To Visit Fighter Jet Manufacturing Plant
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Dhruv back in skies with new tail rotors: HAL
Hindustan Aeronautics will roll out its Advanced Light attack helicopter in the next two years.
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IJT completes "hot weather" trial runs
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.'s Intermediate Jet Trainer, IJT-36, has successfully completed the first phase of the hot weather trials in Nagpur recently.
The two prototypes of the aircraft (PT-1 and PT-2) logged eight hours of flight in a span of one week.
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F-15K Crash Probe Yields Few Answers
"Knock it off," was the last radio message sent by the South Korean F-15K before it crashed on Wednesday.
There are currently three theories on the cause of the F-15K crash: pilot error caused by vertigo effect, technical defects in the aircraft or maintenance blunder.
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Friday, June 09, 2006
Drones provide Singapore Navy with realistic training opportunity
The Republic of Singapore Navy missile corvette RSS Vengeance launches two BARAK missiles and shot down two BQM-74E aerial drones launched from the deck of USS Tortuga yesterday.
This is the first time two drones were engaged simultaneously. Both targets flew at 450 knots and drone one flew at 1,200 feet to simulate an aircraft. The second drone dropped down to 30 feet to simulate a sea-skimming air to surface missile.
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Boeing Completes Radar Improvements for French AWACS Fleet
Boeing has completed ahead of schedule the installation of Radar System Improvement Program (RSIP) kits on France's fleet of four E-3F Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.
The RSIP kit increases the aircraft's radar sensitivity, allowing it to detect and track smaller targets.
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Kalam’s dream takes off (Picture)
Indian President A P J Abdul Kalam flew a 30 minute sortie in a Su-30MKI yesterday with Wing Commander Ajay Rathore at the controls.
His jet was escorted by two Su-30s and he was shown how to locate targets using the radar.
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On routine sortie, MiG-29 crashes, pilots eject out
A MiG-29 from the Indian Air Force crashed yesterday around 12.30 pm 30 km from the Jamnagar airbase.
Both pilots were able to eject safely.
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F-15K Crash Investigators Look Into Pilot Error
The RoKAF F-15K that crashed Wednesday drifted far off course when they crashed. Investigators also revealed that they were flying much lower than the mission plan.
The F-15K was on a training mission with 2 other F-15Ks.
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Dassault deal report denied
Olivier Dassault, son of Serge Dassault and grandson of the founder Marcel, has denied a report that Dassault will be selling Rafale jets to Morocco.
"The news went a bit too fast and alas is not true," he said.
Related Article
Le Maroc pourrait acheter 12 à 18 Rafale de Dassault
Labels: Morocco Rafale
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Raytheon's Standard Missile Naval Defense Family: FY 2006 Contracts
DID did an update on the progress of the Raytheon's Standard family of naval air defense missiles. Currently the most successful missile defence interceptors.
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al Zarqawi F-16 air strike video
Flight International got it wrong and corrected it. But they didn't get it right, they only link it to a CNN video. Here is the actual video, straight from the Pentagon.
A USAF F-16 hit the safe house first with a GBU-12 and then with a GBU-38.
Source
US precision-guided bombs used for pinpoint strikes
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Thursday, June 08, 2006
25th Anniversary of Israeli Bombing of Osirak
BBC News has a series of articles, a video and an audio interview with the mission leader marking 25 years since Israel bombed Iraq's
Osirak nuclear reactor.
They spoke to four of the F-16 pilots and also obtained HUD video of the bombing.
Source
Osirak: Over the reactor
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First Flight Of Conformal Airborne Early Warning (Caew) Gulfstream Aircraft Completed Just Three Weeks After Rollout
Gulfstream's first G550 modified to be Israel's Compact Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) platform has made its maiden flight on May 20.
ELTA Systems will install the radar once the jet is delivered at the end of August.
Labels: CAEW
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Unease at N Korea missile reports
South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon has expressed concerns over reports that North Korea is preparing to test a long-range missile.
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UK carrier force is readied for strike
Janes looks at the new reconfigured British Carrier Air Group.
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NATO surveillance planes to patrol World Cup
NATO will provide 24 planes to help monitor this year's World Cup in Germany. 17 will be based in Germany and seven based in Britain.
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Les swaps his soccer boots for flying suit
Former England striker Les Ferdinand put on a blue flight suit worn by British Army's Blue Eagles demonstration team and flew into RAF Fairford to help start the countdown to this year's Royal International Air Tattoo.
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Raytheon, EADS offer two bids in US DoD cargo plane race
Raytheon and its partner EADS submitted two seperate bids for the U.S. Army Joint Cargo Aircraft program.
Both companies submitted the CN-235 and the C-295. It will face competition from the C-27J and a shorten version of the C-130J.
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When Eagles from the USA landed over at Eglinton base
American Eagles, the volunteer pilots that flew for the RAF during WW2, will have they last reunion in California later this year.
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F-35 engine in line with DoD goals, despite criticism
F-35 program managers say the F135 engine isn't in developmental trouble despite revelations that the STOVL version is running hotter than planned.
Robert Burnes, F-35 propulsion director, said the high temperature will affect maintenance but won't hurt flight safety. He also said that the F136 engine is on track.
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GAO wants better strategy for costly UAV
The U.S. Government Accountability Office criticized the Army's Warrior medium-altitude UAV program as risky and potentially costly
The GAO cited two technologies used, an internal Ethernet control ability and a multirole tactical common data link, as immature.
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U.S. Airstrikes on Afghanistan Top 750 for May
The U.S. Air Force conducted 750 airstrikes Taliban and other insurgent targets in Afghanistan in May alone.
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Le Maroc pourrait acheter 12 à 18 Rafale de Dassault
French newspaper La Tribune reported yesterday that Morocco is negotiating for the purchase of 12 to 18 Rafales with financial support from Saudi Arabia.
The paper claims that Morocco is anxious to boost its Air Force after neighbour, Algeria, purchase Russian fighters recently.
Sources
Le Maroc pourrait acheter 12 à 18 Rafale de Dassault
Morocco: Looking To Purchase Fighter Planes?
Labels: Morocco Rafale
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Army showing off new X-Band radar in Japan
The U.S. military showed its Forward-Based X-Band radar to local Japanese media and government officials at media and Japanese government officials at Misawa Air Base on Tuesday.
The system consists of four components: a 510-by-350-inch antennae, electronics for storing and processing data, a coolant system and an office unit for support personnel.
It will be transported to the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force’s Shariki base in Tsugaru City after completing system checks.
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RAF tackles radar turbine problem
The RAF has staged a major exercise in mid Wales to study the effects of wind turbines on its radar.
It is testing out two new system that can track aircraft despite the radar clutter caused by the turbines' rotating blades.
The BAE Systems Advanced Digital Tracker (ADT) and the Sensis SPE-3000 processor are being tested.
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Canadian Forces Unlikely to Buy Russian Planes
Defense experts say that it is unlikely that Canada will buy Russian aircraft due to interoperability concerns with NATO allies.
A Russian trade delegation was in Ottawa last week in an attempt to sell military transports and helicopters to Canada.
Related Articles
Russia tries to sell military planes to Canada
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실종된 F-15K 추락 확인
A South Korean F-15K has crashed during a training flight in the East Sea on Wednesday night.
The jet left Daegu air base at 7:45 p.m. (1045 GMT) and suddenly disappeared from the radar while carrying out a nighttime mission at 8:20 p.m.
Parts of the plane was found in the sea off the Eastern coastal city of Pohang.
Sources
실종된 F-15K 추락 확인
S. Korea confirms crash of F-15K fighter jet
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Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Chinese AWACS crash
Hong Kong newspapers linked to the Beijing government on Monday reported that the military plane crash in central Anhui Province on Sunday was an AWACS.
Ta Kung Pao said that besides 5 aircrew, the rest on board were electronic experts. Wen Wei Po carried a picture of the plane's wreckage.
While both papers did not identify the exact model of aircraft, they did describe it as an AWACS. Ta Kung Pao also ran an accompanying article discussing the KJ-2000.
While Chinese forums have speculated that the aircraft might be a Y-8 AEW variant based on photos and eye witness reports, it is unlikely that the Y-8 can fit 40 people inside.
Robert Karniol, Asia-Pacific editor for Jane's Defense Weekly, said the appointment of Gen. Guo Boxiong, the vice chairman of the Communist Party commission overseeing the military, to investigate suggest that it is not an ordinary military crash.
Allen Behm, an expert on the Chinese military, suggest that the plane carried so many technicians as China wanted to conduct the tests without transmitting the data to the ground. This is to avoid interception by American intelligence.
Source
軍機墜安徽 胡總悼40烈士 - Wen Wei Po
預警機故障避民居撞山 - Ta Kung Pao
Reports: Crashed Chinese Craft a Spy Plane - Houston Chronicle
Crash of Chinese Surveillance Plane Hurts Effort on Warning System - New York Times
Related Article
China's Hu orders probe into military crash
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Indonesia to buy transport planes from Poland
Indonesia will buy 10 M-28 Skytruck light transport from Poland for use as maritime patrol aircraft.
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Raytheon P-8A MMA Radar Receives New AN/APY-10 Nomenclature
The maritime surveillance radar for the P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft has been designated the AN/APY-10.
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Bell Announces Eagle Eye Airframe Supplier (PDF)
Bell Helicopter has selected Aurora Flight Sciences as the airframe provider of the Bell Eagle Eye TR916 Unmanned Aircraft System.
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World War II bomber found in Mojave Desert
A B-24D that went missing during a training mission in the Mojave Desert in 1944 has been found.
The POW and MIA Accounting Command is currently recovering human remains there.
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Sikorsky plans aircraft center for Big Flats
Sikorsky Aircraft plans to build a 100,000-square-foot helicopter finishing center at Schweizer Aircraft in Big Flats for its Black Hawk helicopters.
The aircraft will be manufactured at Sikorsky's facilities in Connecticut then transported to Big Flats for final assembly.
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Enterprise Strike Group Begins Operations in Persian Gulf
The Enterprise Carrier Strike Group began conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the Persian Gulf June 6 as part of a routine rotation of maritime forces.
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First qualification firing of the Aster PAAMS system
The first qualification firing of the PAAMS system, based on an EMPAR radar and a naval ASTER 30 missile, was performed on 23 May 2006.
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Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Russian warplanes expected in Venezuela in July
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that Russian Su-30s may fly over Caracas, capital of Venezuela, during a military parade Jul. 5 to celebrate its Independence Day.
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Small plane enters restricted Washington airspace
Two F-16s were scrambled to intercept a Cessna 182 that had strayed into restricted airspace in the U.S. capital.
The plane was escorted to an airport in Maryland.
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Air Force to buy six more Sukhois
Indonesian Air Force commander Air Chief Marshall Herman Prayitno told lawmakers on its plans to acquire six Su-27s for US$1 billion.
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UK closer to JSF sovereignty deal
Despite an announcement by President George Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair, Washington and London are still trying to iron out details in technology transfer issues on the Joint Strike Fighter.
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Australia missing out on JSF programme
Australia has admitted that the contract values of the projects given to Australia for the F-35 program is less than expected.
The contract values has reached only $82 million, despite around 100 projects being offered.
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US agrees to sell Japan SM-2 missiles worth $70 mln
Defense Security and Cooperation Agency has notified Congress on a possible sale of 44 SM-2 Block IIIB missiles to Japan.
The agency said Japan had asked to buy 20 SM-2 Block IIIB Tactical STANDARD missiles and 24 SM-2 Block IIIB Telemetry STANDARD missiles.
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NextGen to build morphing UAV
NextGen Aeronautics has been given a contract for Phase 3 of the DARPA's morphing aircraft structures program. It will build a 90kg UAV to demonstrate its morphing wing in flight.
NextGen will have to fly the aircraft within nine months at speeds exceeding 175 knots.
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Boeing Wins Demonstration Contract to Detect Biological Warfare Agents
Boeing has been given a contract by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency to demonstrate to turn the ScanEagle UAV into a detector of biological and chemical attacks.
Boeing Phantom Works together with the DTRA, U.S. Pacific Command and the U.S. Navy Third Fleet will design and develop a remote sensor system to detect biological warfare agents.
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Expert Help May Be Sought To Locate Plane And Pilot
Malaysia may engage foreign help to locate its missing Hawk jet and its pilot. Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Zainal Abidin Zin conceded that Malaysia lacked the expertise nor the technology to locate the wreckage in deep waters.
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Hopes raised for Captor-E tests
Euroradar hopes to test its Captor-E AESA radar on a Eurofighter by later this year subject to aircraft availability.
It is expected to fly on one of the existing Typhoon test aircraft based at EADS's Manching facility.
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Israel cuts short Apache upgrade
Israel has decided not to exercise its option to upgrade six AH-64A Apaches to the AH-64D Apache Longbow standard.
A contract was signed with Boeing in 2000 to remanufacture 18 of its A-model helicopters, an additional six was added later.
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RMAF May Buy More Trainer Planes
The Royal Malaysian Air Force is seeking 12 new jet trainers to supplement its existing fleet of Aermacchi MB339s.
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RAF stretches tours of duty
An investigation by The Herald found that RAF helicopter crews spent up to one third longer on operational deployment last year.
Figures obtained showed that Puma crews spent up to 204 days on detached duty, Merlin pilots 203 days, Chinook crews 179 and Sea King fliers 88.
Royal Navy's Sea King crews faced the worse with 225 days on detached duty.
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Noisy planes to get landed with big fines
The RAF's VC-10s are expected to be fined between £500 to £1000 each time they land at Edinburgh Airport due to new noise emissions standards.
Airport operator BAA believes it has the power to fine the Ministry of Defence.
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Pentagon restructures Northrop's Global Hawk
Kenneth Krieg told Congress on Monday that the Pentagon will restructure the Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk program.
He told lawmakers that national security needs made it necessary to continue the program despite major cost overruns.
The production would be limited to no more than five aircraft per year until initial operational tests were completed.
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U.S. okay with India's ICBM testing : Pace
Chairman of the U.S. joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace, told the media at the U.S. Embassy in India that Washington does not view the testing of India's Agni-III as "destabilising" for the region. He has also invited India to join the Red Flag exercise as well.
Pace said that India has to right to decide what weapons to test and when as a sovereign state.
Sources
No US pressure against Agni-III, says US General - The Tribune
US okay with India testing ICBM: Pace - Financial Express
US allays fears on test firing of Agni-III by India - Hindustan Times
US allays fears on Agni-III test-firing - Times of India
Labels: Agni-III
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Raytheon Delivers Final APG-73 Radar for Super Hornet; Wins $23 Million Support Pact
Raytheon has delivered the final mechanically scanned APG-73 radar system to the U.S. Navy. A total of 932 APG-73s have been delivered to the Navy and various international customers including Australia, Canada, Finland, Malaysia and Switzerland.
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Israel planning "Arrow Mark 4"
Israel has started design work on the Arrow Mark IV missile defense system.
The Mark 4 will have a new radar unit, improved interceptor missiles, and other components that will convert the system from a theater anti-ballistic missile defense system into an integrated nationwide anti-ballistic missile defense system.
The plan is to improve the system gradually beginning with a Mark 3.5 upgrade with improved radar and interceptor missiles.
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8th Air Force command shift date set
Lt. Gen. Kevin P. Chilton will hand over command of the 8th Air Force to Maj. Gen. Robert J. "Bob" Elder on Jun. 13 at Barksdale Air Force Base.
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Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missiles Destroy Two Surrogate Ballistic Missile Targets During Successful Test Flight
The Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM) destroyed two surrogate ballistic missiles at White Sands Missile Range.
Two GEMs were ripple-fired at an incoming tactical ballistic missile when the Patriot Configuration-3 radar detected a second target. A third GEM successfully intercepted the second incoming missile.
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Flying boat UAV makes a splash with successful water landings
Oregon Iron Works has demonstrated autonomous water landings of its Sea Scout UAV. The plane made two autonomous water landings in early May.
Using a laser-radar sensor, the UAV is designed to take off and land in wave heights up to sea state 3.
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Army investigators check site of fatal helicopter crash
The U.S. Army has started investigations into why a Nightstalkers MH-47 on its way to Fort Rucker crashed in Georgia last week.
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Pilots' bomb raid secret
The Sun tracked down two pilots who were involved in Operation Black Buck, the long range bombing of Falklands, and find out what they are doing now.
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Aviano airmen to participate in multi-national exercise
U.S., French and Pakistani planes will join Turkish airmen in exercise "Anatolian Eagle 06/02" later this month.
The 510th Fighter Squadron, based at Aviano, Italy will take part.
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IL-78 in U.S. service
According to these two articles, International Tactical Training Center based in Grayson County Airport, Texas has obtained its first of five IL-76/78.
They will be used as aerial refueling tankers, cargo and water bombers. The company, runned by Ret. Air Force Gen. Charlie Searock, is currently negotiating a contract to provide aerial refueling for a Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16 detachment.
Source
New aircraft arrives - Herald Democrat
Inside the belly of a whale - Herald Democrat
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Group: Spend more on troops, less on projects
The Project On Government Accountability group is urging U.S. lawmakers to remove the provision to buy three V-22 Ospreys using money meant for night-vision goggles, lightly armored vehicles and other equipment replacements.
The Senate Appropriations Committee has justified the move by saying the Ospreys are meant to replace CH-46E and CH-53D helicopters lost in combat.
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Ospreys in flight
Two U.S. Air Force CV-22 Ospreys are currently in New Mexico to take part in the filming of the movie, "Transformers."
A Little Rock C-130J is supposed to be involved as well.
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Launch of the development contract for the KHP Helicopter with Eurocopter
The South Korean government has given its final approval for the launch of the new KHP military transport helicopter.
Korea Aerospace Industry will partner with Eurocopter to supply 245 helicopters.
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Reactivation of 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron
Canada will reactivate the 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron at 4 Wing Cold Lake on Jul. 6.
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Kitty Hawk PALS Certified Safe to Recover Aircraft
USS Kitty Hawk's Precision Approach Landing System (PALS) was certified again on May 30 for aircraft recovery.
The PALS comprises of the ACLS (Automatic Carrier Landing System), ICLS (Instrument Carrier Landing System) and IFLOLS (Improved Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System).
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New Global Hawk Production Aircraft Surpass 1,000 Combat Hours
Two USAF RQ-4 Global Hawks have already flown approximately 50 missions and more than 1,000 combat hours since deploying to the Persian Gulf in January of this year.
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Boeing Delivers Ninth C-40A Aircraft to U. S. Navy
Boeing has delivered the ninth C-40A Clipper transport aircraft to the U. S. Navy's VR-57.
The C-40A is a derivative of the 737-700C commercial airliner.
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Monday, June 05, 2006
30th international Sanicole Airshow
The folks at Aeroclub Sanicole is organizing their 30th anniversary airshow on Jul. 23. Four display teams: Red Arrows, Patrouille de France, Asas de Portugal and the Breitling Jet Team, will be there.
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China's Hu orders probe into military crash
Chinese President Hu Jintao has ordered an investigation into the crash of a military transport plane in east China's Anhui province on Saturday.
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Australia's Need For UAVs Becomes Critical
Australia may cut the number of JSFs from 100 to 70 in order to field a stealthy UCAV to complement the F-35s.
They are also looking into getting a new type of UAV that can carry an AESA radar for land and maritime surveillance.
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U.K. May Lease Transport Helos To Ease Defense Budget Crunch
The British may lease military transport helicopters in order to avoid a budget crunch.
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Three F-16 wings deploy to Korea
Three Air National Guard F-16 units have deployed to South Korea as part of their air expeditionary force rotations.
Components of the 150th, 140th and 120th Fighter Wings from the New Mexico, Colorado and Montana Air National Guard, respectively, have been renamed the 186th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and nicknamed the "Rocky Mountain Coalition."
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GE's Alternative Engine Program Also Facing Hiccups During Development
The GE F136 engine suffered a stall in April during a test. An oil leak just in front of the high-pressure compressor stage caused an engine imbalance which leads to a compressor stall.
A number of new, low-pressure turbine blades were damaged as a result. The engine will be repaired and return to testing later this year.
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EADS CASA receives the first A330 for conversion into Multi Role Tanker Transport for the Royal Australian Air Force
The first A330 that will be converted into the Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) for the Royal Australian Air Force has arrived in EADS CASA.
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Dakotas may battle it out over UAVs
Both North Dakota and South Dakota are fighting to bring the Global Hawk to their states in order to safeguard the future of their air bases.
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Carriers ready for war games
USS Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln and Kitty Hawk will converge at Guam later this month for military exercises.
Related Article
Three carriers to take part in Pacific exercises
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Now, MiG engines may light homes
An Indo-Russian company is exploring the possibility of turning used fighter engines into power generators.
Company officials say that a MiG-21 engine can generate around 13 MW of power while a MiG-27 engine can produce 25 MW.
The engines will be modified to run on Compressed Natural Gas. There are 400 engines currently available and they will be modified to have a lifespan of 1,00,000 hours.
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Sunday, June 04, 2006
Tories set to sink billions into cargo planes for military
The Canadian government is expected to announce as early as Monday a plan to buy C-17s and a competition to replace its C-130s.
Four C-17s are expected to be ordered with the first arriving late this year.
Its plan to replace the C-130s could favour the C-130J as well. The government is expected to call for delivery of the planes by about two years. The A400M is not expected to enter production until 2009.
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Joint Strike Fighter Delay Feared
JSF Program Manager Rear Adm. Steven Enewold is worried that initial operating capability of the F-35 could be delayed if funding cuts proposed by the House and Senate goes through.
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Fly-past for Britain's oldest man
Two RAF Tornadoes from No 31 Squadron are expected to fly over a seaside town next week to celebrate the 110th birthday of its founding member.
Henry Allingham, who joined the RAF in 1918, also happens to be Britain's oldest man.
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Airline move for RAAF's top guns
The Australian Defence Force has come up with a plan to allow RAAF fighter pilots to work part-time with Qantas or Virgin Blue.
This is a bid to retain staff while allowing them to earn more money in the private sector.
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Fuel Believed To Be From Hawk Aircraft Detected
A search-and-rescue team has found fuel believed to be from the RMAF Hawk that went missing on Wednesday.
The fuel was found within a 20-mile radius of the jet's last known location.s
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IAF interested in new F-15I squadron and V-22
The Jerusalem Post reported that BG Amir Eshel, deputy IAF commander, visited Boeing headquarters in March on the possible procurement of another squadron of F-15I with enhanced long-range capabilities.
The Eagles are expected to fill a gap that might be created due to possible delays in production of the F-35.
Boeing is expected to get back to the IAF on how to modify the F-15 to increase its range.
Boeing's V-22 has also attracted the interest from Israel which might use the aircraft for search and rescue teams and possibly for special ground forces.
Labels: Israel V-22
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National Guard unit gets new assignment
The California Air National Guard 163rd Air Refueling Wing has switched to flying Predator drones after the last KC-135 Stratotankers departed on Tuesday.
They are currently flying the UAVs at Nellis Air Force Base while March Air Reserve Base is being prepared to handle the Predators.
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Marines to keep buying copters
Pentagon sources said that Kenneth Krieg has reluctantly agreed to continue the troubled H-1 helicopter upgrade program for the Marines.
The Navy will now buy just 145 helicopters between now and 2011 instead of 162.
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Military says Miramar won't fly as joint-use airport
The U.S. Marine Corps has launched its publicity bid against plans by San Diego County officials to turn Miramar Air Station into a joint use airfield.
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MSDF drops missile, orders hush-up
The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force accidentally dropped a SSM1B sea-to-sea missile two years ago and senior officers tried to cover up the incident.
The troops had used a forklift to carry a plastic missile launcher containing a missile to a storage area at the Etajima missile range. However the carrier on the forklift was made for metal launchers, making it unstable. The missile dropped onto the ground after hitting a electricity pole and leaked fuel.
The MSDF is still trying to determine if the missile can be used again.
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Air Force version of BrahMos getting ready
The air launch version of the BrahMos supersonic missile will be ready for trails on a Su-30 by the end of next year.
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EADS to raise £3bn air tanker funding
EADS will approach banks as early as August to secure loans to finance the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft project.
The plan to supply the RAF with a new generation of air-to-air refuelling tankers is expected to be approved in July.
EADS will have to convert 15 Airbus A330s into tankers.
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Defence Ministry finds chinks in IAF ground defence armour
The Indian Defence Ministry has found 'critical voids' in the IAF's ground-based air defence capability.
The three surface-to-air missile systems, the S-125M Pechora, OSA-AK and Igla 1-M, are facing shortages and are ageing.
Only 23 out of the 60 S-125M Pechora systems will be operational by the end of the year. While the OSA-AK missile systems faces shortages in missiles and spares.
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US Super Aircraft Carrier Visits Malaysia
The USS Ronald Reagan is currently in Port Klang, Malaysia for a 3-day visit. The carrier arrived on Saturday.
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Ex-minister ignored rule and took job as lobbyist
A former British defence minister has been criticised by a government vetting committee for becoming a lobbyist for Eurofighter and MBDA Missile Systems without seeking official permission.
Ivor Caplin has taken lobbying jobs for Foresight Communications, representing the Eurofighter, and MBDA Missile Systems.
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Saturday, June 03, 2006
RMAF Hawk 108 crash update
Malaysian Defence Minister Najib Tun Razak has ruled out that the Hawks suffered from serious defects in view of recent crashes.
In the mean time, CN235 and B200 aircraft and Nuri helicopters have also been deployed to search for the pilot.
Air Force chief Jen Datuk Seri Nik Ismail Nik Mohamed said operations are being conducted over land as there is a possibility that the pilot’s parachute may have floated inland after ejection.
The pilot in the other Hawk had picked up a five-second signal ELT signal after the crash.
Sources
No Problem With Hawk Jetfighters: Najib - Bernama
Search for pilot may be extended - New Straits Times
Search For Hawk Pilot Centred Around Kuala Rompin - Berita Wilayah
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Auditors fault missile defense plans
The U.S. Government Accountability Office wants the Pentagon to come up with standards that each component and the overall ballistic missile defense system must meet before they can be used.
It wants a new structure to identify all the costs of operating the missile defense system as well.
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Tanker Wars: Boeing challenged
James Wallace from the Seattle Post Intelligencer has written a two-part series on whether Boeing or the team of Northrop/EADS will eventually supply the tankers for the U.S. Air Force.
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In Las Vegas a pilot pulls the trigger. In Iraq a Predator fires its missile
RAF's 1115 Flight operates one in seven military Predator flights together with Americans at Nellis Air Force Base.
They have been at the base for two years and many of them hold key positions in the two joint squadrons.
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Choice of names for JSF narrows
The Reaper has a slight advantage over the Lightning II in our poll currently and over at Air Force Times. The folks would like to know what you think of the names as well.
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Navy refutes Iran claim that UAV buzzed Reagan
The Iranian UAV circling over Reagan was the most popular news item this week, the U.S. Navy has claimed that the event did not take place.
5th Fleet officials in Bahrain also denied that planes were scrambled to intercept the UAV.
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No aircraft carriers for Russia, at least until 2015
Russia will wait until nine years later to decide on need to build new aircraft carriers.
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New high-tech helmet for Typhoon pilots
The latest state-of-the-art pilot helmet designed and manufactured by BAE Systems has been tested on Eurofighter Typhoon.
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Deal signed with Bofors for missile repair
Pakistan has approached Saab Bofors to extend the life of its RBS-70 anti-aircraft missiles.
A total of 913 missiles will go through the extension.
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Czech Gripens upgraded to carry improved Sidewinder
Czech's Gripens have been modified to allow the carriage of the AIM-9M8/9 Sidewinder missile in service with the Army of the Czech Republic.
Changes were made to the Gripen software and wingtip pylons.
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'Secret' mission to uncover ghosts of Battle of Britain
RAF engineers will dig up Kenley Airfield in August in a bid to uncover if World War II aircraft are buried there.
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Military confirms another interceptor at Fort Greely
The Missile Defense Agency has added a ninth interceptor at Fort Greely.
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Funding issue could delay cargo planes - US Army
Brig. Gen. Stephen Mundt, director of the U.S. Army Aviation Task Force, said the funding cut for the light cargo aircraft program could delay its delivery by two years.
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Boeing says expects India warplane offer soon
Jim Albaugh told reporters in Singapore that he expects to make India an offer for 126 warplanes soon.
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BAE bans England flags on cars
Folks working at the BAE Systems plant in Warton have been told not to put England flags on their cars in order to avoid an air disaster.
Management is worried that a broken flag may be suck into a jet engine.
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Future of Bell program in question (Free Registration)
Pentagon's Defense Acquisition Board has completed its review of the troubled H-1 helicopter upgrade program but has yet to issue a decision.
U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry said he doesn't think that the program will be cancelled but the Pentagon will expect improvements from Bell.
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Bombs Away?
A report from the National Academy of Sciences has cast doubts on the ability of the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator to destroy deeply buried targets.
The 150-page report concludes that although it may fare better than conventional weapons. There will severe civilian casualties due to the nuclear fall-out.
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Computer problem slows work at 48th Fighter Wing
Widespread computer problems hit the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath on Thursday and Friday.
Airmen said the problems slowed their work.
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US Army sees helicopter contract award in 30 days
The winner of the U.S. Army light utility helicopter competition would be announced within 30 days.
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Friday, June 02, 2006
中國組成特殊戰鬥機隊 單挑F16
China is in the process of forming its first aggressor squadron using the Su-27. The squadron aims to simulate the Taiwan F-16.
The Su-27 fighter technology laboratory in the Nanjing military region has been tasked to form the unit and has been upgraded to a center.
The PLAAF found that such a unit was required after three quarters of their Su-27 fleet was decimated in exercises.
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F16進駐空軍桃園基地 獲美同意加掛AIM120飛彈
From Donny Chan : The RoCAF has deployed the F-16 along with AIM-120s to Tao Yuan Air Base for the first time in five years.
The fighters are usually based at Hua Lian and Jia Yi.
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Final Flight
An era comes to an end when the Grumman F-14 Tomcat departs the place of its birth for the last time on Jun. 16.
Two Tomcats will make a fly past over Calverton and Bethpage on Jun. 15 before landing at Republic Airport. The American Airpower Museum will play host before they fly away the next day.
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RMAF Hawk 108 crash
Malaysian marine police divers recovered the rudder of the Hawk 108 that crashed off in Souther Johor yesterday morning.
Rescue efforts will now be concentrated on the area about seven nautical miles east of Mersing.
The jet was part of a two-ship formation that left Kuantan at 2.55pm on a training mission.
A fisherman who was in the area of the crash said that he saw both aircraft flying low near the Kuala Rompin jetty. He added that both were flying lower than usual at about 5pm during heavy rain and thunderstorm.
Sources
Divers find rudder of Hawk jet - The Star
Fighter Jets Flew Low In Bad Weather - Bernama
Metal Pieces From Missing Fighter Jet Found - Bernama
Related Article
A RMAF Hawk Jetfighter Goes Missing Over Johor Air Space
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India asks Russian proposal for fighters
Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi said his country has asked MiG aircraft corporation to send a request for proposal for it MRCA competition.
He made the comments after watching the MiG-29OVT demonstration at a Russian air force base near Moscow.
Labels: MRCA
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Luke cancels training flights over glider event
A glider competition has prompted Luke Air Force Base to cancel some of its F-16 fighter pilot training this week because of safety concerns.
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Outside View: Air-Launched Space Craft
Yuri Zaitsev, an expert of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Space Research Institute, contributes this article on the Ishim air-launched space system.
The project aims to build on the experience gain in the MiG-31D anti-satellite fighter program and develop the MiG-31I mother ship.
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4 killed in Army helicopter crash in Ga.
A U.S. Army MH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed Thursday, killing four members while on a training flight in South Georgia.
The crew was from the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
The chopper had clipped a wire as it flew past a television station's 1,000-foot tower.
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Paper: N. Korea Preparing for Missile Test
The United States has deployed its RC-135S Cobra Ball as Japan and itself have detected signs that North Korea is almost ready to test-fire a long-range ballistic missile.
Japan's Sankei Shimbun reported Thursday that North Korean is in the final stages of launching a Taepodong-2. It said that radio communications intercepted near a missile test-site in northeast North Korea changed in early May, signaling an imminent launch.
Two weeks ago, Japanese media reported that North Korea had moved a missile close to a launch site.
Sources
Paper: N. Korea Preparing for Missile Test - Forbes
Japan, US on alert on NKorea's long-range ballistic missile - Forbes
Related Article
S. Korea Tries to Verify N. Korean Missile Report
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SA keen to sell attack helicopters to Turkey
South Africa has offered to transfer military technology in any program they are involved in with Turkey in a bid to secure the contract to sell the Rooivalk attack helicopter.
Denel Aviation claims that it has no difficulty in Turkish requirements for the domestic manufacturing of 40 to 50% of the weapons.
Labels: Turkey Attack Helicopter
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Turkey edges closer to decision on attack helicopter competition
Turkey will finally decided its choice of attack helicopter at a meeting on Jun. 27.
Labels: Turkey Attack Helicopter
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Bulgarian govt prepares to tender for fighter aircraft
Bulgaria has sent out requests for information about new fighter aircraft for its airforce to Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Dassault and Saab AB.
So far only Boeing has responded.
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Investigation Launched After Reservist Dies on F-16 Flight
The U.S. Air Force is investigating the death of a reservist while taking a ride on an F-16 fighter.
Staff Sgt. Rom Walters was part of the 302nd Fighter Squadron. He was taking the flight as a reward for his hard work.
Sources
Investigation Launched After Reservist Dies on F-16 Flight - First Coast News
Air Force Probes Reservist's Death Aboard Fighter Jet In Key West - WFtv
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Toward A New Laser Era
The Air Force Association looks at the various types of lasers that are suitable for airborne applications.
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Bombing With the Beam
This article in the Air Force Association outlines the use of radar by the Strategic Air Command in bombing targets from post-WW2 to Vietnam.
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Air Force conducts first live surface-to-air missile tests during Trident Fury
The Canadian Air Force conducted live air to air missile firings during Exercise Trident Fury held 1-19 May 2006 off the west coast of British Columbia.
Remote-controlled Vindicator drones launched off the deck of the HMCS Algonquin was used for the live firings.
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Thursday, June 01, 2006
Aircraft project features wingless design
Norm Howell, a C-17 transport test pilot, will pilot the maiden
X-48B flight at Edwards Air Force Base.
Labels: X-48
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India may consider buying P3C Orion aircraft of US: Adm Prakash
Indian Navy Chief, Admiral Arun Prakash, said that his service will consider the P-3C again when the tender for maritime patrol aircraft is opened.
India earlier this year rejected an offer from United States to lease two P-3Cs citing high costs.
Related Article
India says no to US P-3C Orion aircraft
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Lockheed Martin Delivers Upgraded P-3 Maritime Surveillance Aircraft For Navy Foreign Military Sale
Lockheed Martin has delivered the 10th upgraded P-3C for the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN).
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Pratt & Whitney F117 Engine Reaches Milestone -- Four Million Flight Hours on the C-17 Globemaster III
Pratt & Whitney's F117 engine program has logged more than four million flight hours of operation for the Boeing C-17.
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BAE SYSTEMS Delivers Initial F-35 JSF Electronic Warfare System
BAE Systems has delivered the first electronic warfare system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
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Osirak raid leader's top fear was...running out of fuel
Ze'ev Raz, leader of the
Osirak raid, said that IAF raids on Iran's nuclear facilities will only disrupt their program, a ground attack will be necessary to destroy it.
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Australia to cut Hercules flying hours
The RAAF will cut the operational hours flown by its C-130H/J Hercules transports by one-third and the shortfall will be covered by the C-17.
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Russia tries to sell military planes to Canada
A five-man team from Russia is in Canada to advertise their military transports to the Canadian defense ministry.
So far they have not been successful in meeting defense officials.
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Air force lacks Hawk instructors
The South African Air Force does not have a instructor pilot to train pilots to fly the new Hawks that were delivered recently.
Although five instructors and one pilot have converted to the Hawk from Impalas, none have an instructor rating.
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SAAF takes delivery of first Hawks
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Voronezh willing to start production of Il-76MF plane
Voronezh says it is ready to begin production of the Il-76MF heavy transport plane for the Russian Air Force. This will allow Russia to give up the An-70 joint project with Ukraine.
The Il-76MF will be updated with PC-90 engines.
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DoD OKs $370 mln deal to sell missiles to Pakistan
The Bush administration said Wednesday it was planning to sell 130 Harpoon anti-ship missiles to Pakistan.
The deal includes 50 submarine-launched missiles, 50 surface-launched missiles and 30 air-launch missiles.
Pakistan plans to use the Harpoon on its P-3 maritime surveillance aircraft, surface ships and submarines.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the sale would help U.S. interests by strengthening a friendly country and upgrading Pakistan's military technology.
Sources
US plans "significant" Pakistan missile sale - Reuters
DoD OKs $370 mln deal to sell missiles to Pakistan - MarketWatch
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One dead after helicopter crash
A U.S. Navy TH-57 Sea Ranger helicopter crashed in a heavily wooded area approximately five miles of west of Naval Air Station Whiting Field May 30.
A Navy student was killed while a Marine student and the instructor suffered critical injuries.
Sources
One dead after helicopter crash - Navy Times
California man killed in military helicopter crash in Florida - The Mercury News
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A RMAF Hawk Jetfighter Goes Missing Over Johor Air Space
An RMAF Hawk 108 fighter from 6th Squadron went missing yesterday and is believed to have crashed in the sea about two nautical miles to the north of Kuala Rompin.
The jet lost communications with air traffic control at 4.37 pm while on a routine training flight.
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Brahmos successfully test fired
India successfully test-fired the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile for the 12th time May 31.
This surface-to-surface version was test fired by trained Army personnel in the Rajasthan desert.
The test was witness by Army Chief Gen J J Singh, Corps Commanders and other senior officers.
Sources
BRAHMOS SUCCESSFULLY TEST FIRED - Press Information Bureau
Surface-to-surface version of Brahmos tested - Outlook India
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