Former U.S. minesweeper that fought Japan in WWII sunk by Japanese anti-ship missiles

Japanese troops fired two Type-88 surface-to-ship missiles from the coast of northwestern Luzon on May 5, sinking a decommissioned Philippine Navy corvette that had once fought against Japan in the Pacific War. The missiles, fired from Culili Point in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, struck the BRP Quezon (PS-70) approximately 50 miles offshore, sending the 82-year-old vessel to the bottom of the South China Sea. The ship, which as USS Vigilance had conducted anti-submarine patrols near Okinawa, was sent to the bottom by the nation she once helped defeat. The live-fire was the centerpiece of this year’s Balikatan exercise, the annual joint military drill between the Philippines and the United States, which runs through May 8.


U.S. Marine Corps video by Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Pruett
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Spartan transport returning from FPDA exercise makes emergency landing at Longreach after smoke alert

A Royal Australian Air Force C-27J Spartan transport aircraft made an emergency landing at Longreach Airport in Queensland’s Central West on May 3rd after smoke was detected onboard, just days after the aircraft had completed a multinational military exercise in Southeast Asia.

Royal Australian Air Force (A34-002) Alenia C-27J Spartan taxiing at Wagga Wagga Airport (4)
Bidgee, CC BY-SA 3.0 AU, via Wikimedia Commons
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U.S. Marine Corps picks Autonomous Cargo Helicopter from Sikorsky and Robinson team

The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded Sikorsky a $15.5 million contract to develop and demonstrate an autonomous cargo helicopter for frontline resupply missions, selecting a commercially developed aircraft over a purpose-built military design.


Image: Robinson Unmanned
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Chinese engineering student arrested after photographing E-4B, RC-135 at Offutt AFB

A 21-year-old Chinese national studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Glasgow, Scotland has been arrested by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after allegedly photographing restricted military aircraft at one of America’s most sensitive air force bases.

Boeing E-4B (747-200B), USA - Air Force AN1571215
Mike Freer – Touchdown-aviation (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2), via Wikimedia Commons
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