Ontario student’s airport photography for Chinese contact results in U.S. charges

A University of Waterloo undergraduate is facing federal charges in the United States after admitting to investigators he photographed aircraft at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport for a contact he believed worked for the Chinese government, according to court documents reviewed by The Detroit News, CP24 and CBC News. What separates the case from ordinary plane spotting, a hobby practiced openly using the same vantage points and flight-tracking tools, is not the camera but the tasking behind it.


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Indonesia finalizes KF-21 payment as Malaysia, UAE and Philippines study the jet

South Korea’s KF-21 Boramae fighter program has reached a turning point. Indonesia, the aircraft’s only co-development partner, has confirmed it is walking away from local production in favor of buying the jet directly from Seoul, closing out a decade-long industrial partnership even as Korea works to turn the KF-21 into its first fighter jet export success.

KF-21 Boramae Prototype 006
ROK Ministry of National Defense's public work is used according to Korea Open Government License (KOGL) (KOGL Type 1 or KOGL Type 1), via Wikimedia Commons
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GA-ASI and Saab complete first flight of unmanned Airborne Early Warning system

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Saab have completed the first flight of what the two companies describe as the world’s first unmanned Airborne Early Warning solution, marking a significant step in efforts to bring persistent AEW surveillance to regions and missions where manned platforms are unavailable or impractical.


Photo: GA-ASI
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Indonesia takes delivery of two T-50i jets as Italy’s M-346 waits in the wings

Indonesia’s Air Force took delivery of two South Korean-made T-50i trainer jets, according to a report by ANTARA News in February. The aircraft, part of a six-aircraft purchase from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), were sent to Iswahjudi Air Base in Madiun, East Java. The delivery was subsequently confirmed by South Korean logistics firm CJ Logistics in a press release, which shed light on the complex operation behind the shipment.


Photo: CJ Logistics
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Embraer and Northrop Grumman formalize KC-390 Tanker Partnership, targeting U.S. Air Force and Allied markets

Embraer and Northrop Grumman announced on Feb. 19 that they are formally partnering to develop an advanced version of the KC-390 Millennium multi-mission aircraft for the United States Air Force and allied nations, closing the loop on a years long campaign by the Brazilian airframer to establish itself as a serious player in the American defense market.


Image: Embraer
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