Alert 5

Residents near NAF Atsugi win compensation, lose bid to halt flights

Posted on November 22, 2024 by alert5

A Japanese court has ruled that the government must compensate residents living near the strategically important Atsugi Air Base for past noise pollution, but stopped short of halting flight operations. The Yokohama District Court handed down the ruling on Nov. 20, awarding approximately 5.9 billion yen (US$38 million) to roughly 8,700 plaintiffs who claimed that aircraft noise, particularly at night and in the early morning, had significantly impacted their lives.

Yamaguchi Yoshiaki from Japan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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U.S. Marine Corps Reaper makes first flight at Cherry Point

Posted on November 22, 2024 by alert5

The U.S. Marine Corps marked a new era in its embrace of unmanned aviation on Nov. 21 when a General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper flew for the first time from Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina.

A U.S. Marine Corps MQ-9A Reaper unmanned aircraft system with Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Training Squadron (VMUT) 2 taxis at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, Nov. 21, 2024. VMUT-2 serves as the Marine Corps’ MQ-9A Reaper Fleet Replacement Squadron, whose primary mission is to train MQ-9 pilots and sensor operators in their respective military occupational specialties. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Akeel Austin)

Romania bolsters NATO’s eastern flank with F-35 acquisition

Posted on November 22, 2024 by alert5

Bucharest is set to become the 20th nation to join the F-35 program after inking a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for 32 F-35A Lightning II fighters.

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Eurofighter’s Electronic Warfare capabilities set to extend operational life to 2060 and beyond

Posted on November 21, 2024November 21, 2024 by alert5

The Eurofighter Typhoon is undergoing a significant modernisation to ensure its continued dominance in the face of ever-evolving threats. The heart of this upgrade is a next-generation electronic warfare (EW) system, poised to extend the aircraft’s operational life to 2060 and beyond. This new system, built upon the legacy of the existing “Praetorian” Defensive Aids Sub-System (DASS), promises to catapult the Eurofighter into a new era of electronic dominance.

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McConnell AFB Innovation Lab scores KC-46 Remote Start breakthrough

Posted on November 21, 2024November 21, 2024 by alert5

In a move that could dramatically improve the KC-46A Pegasus’s alert response, the 22nd Air Refueling Wing’s Innovation Lab has developed and tested a remote start system for the troubled tanker. The system, known as the Auxiliary Power Unit Start System, or APRUSS, allows aircrews to start the KC-46 remotely using cellular signals. This innovation could close the readiness gap between the KC-46 and its predecessor, the KC-135 Stratotanker.