4/18/2014 Goodbye, Afghanistan — hello, Africa: Air Force to shift as U.S. exits Middle East  As the war in Afghanistan begins to wind down, the Air Force foresees its resources shifting to Africa. Col. Kelly Passmore of the 449th Air Expeditionary Group commander at Camp Lemonnier said he believes it’s already happening. “Our presence here in Djibouti is enduring and I think it is growing,” Col. Passmore told Stars and Stripes. “As DOD has capacity that is freed up from our transition out of Afghanistan, it gives us forces that are able to now focus on this region.” |
4/18/2014 Two U.S. arms programs face live-or-die reviews after costs jump  An unmanned U.S. Navy helicopter built by Northrop Grumman Corp and a precision ship-landing system built by Raytheon Co face mandatory reviews that could lead to their cancellation after quantity reductions drove unit costs sharply higher in 2013, the Pentagon announced on Thursday. |
4/18/2014 US to send 'non-lethal' aid to Ukraine  The United States will send helmets, medical supplies and other non-lethal military aid to Ukraine amid fears of another Russian incursion there, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel says.
Hagel said on Thursday he had informed Kiev that President Barack Obama "has approved additional non-lethal military assistance for health and welfare items and other supplies". |
4/18/2014 Up to RM6bil for fighter jets?  The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), which is looking to replace its fleet of 18 Russian-made Mikoyan-29N Fulcrum jet fighters, will soon be accepting tenders for multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) from defence aviation companies. |
4/18/2014 JSF Tests against Russian, Chinese Air Defenses  Six Air Force F-35A Joint Strike Fighter aircraft are currently at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to test the aircraft's stealth and sensor technologies against representations of Russian, Iranian and Chinese air-defenses. "The surface threat is a tough problem because it is a system of systems and the emerging threats that we have right now can see you hundreds of miles away. |
4/18/2014 Jordanian Fighter Jets Attack Repel Terror Raid from Syria, Iraq?  Jordanian military warplanes struck a convoy of vehicles as they were trying to enter Jordan from Syria, the Jordanian army said in a statement Wednesday. A Syrian military official acknowledged the vehicles did not belong to the Syrian army. According to the Associated Press, the statement did not say how many vehicles were in the convoy, nor did it offer casualty figures. |
4/18/2014 International Debut for F-35 at Farnborough, Air Tattoo in July  The F-35 Lightning II aircraft will make its international debut in July this summer, the British Defence Secretary has announced. The F-35 Lightning II will participate in the flight demonstration at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford (11-13 July, 2014). It will continue to the Farnborough International Air Show (14-20 July) where it will also participate in the aerial flight display. |
4/18/2014 Canada Sends Fighter Jets To Eastern Europe  Canada is deploying six CF-18 fighter jets to Eastern Europe as part of NATO’s response to the worsening crisis in Ukraine, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Thursday. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Ukraine was on the brink of civil war, stoking fears of outright Russian intervention. |
4/18/2014 US fighter aircraft to make European debut at Fairford Air Tattoo  Aviation history will be made in the UK this summer when, in a major airshow first, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, the Joint Strike Fighter, makes its much-anticipated European debut. This hugely important multi-role combat aircraft, which has never before been seen outside of the US, will display at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford between July 11 and 13. |
4/17/2014 Russian aircraft buzz US Navy destroyer: How big a deal?  When Russian attack aircraft buzzed the USS Donald Cook in the international waters of the Black Sea, even as tensions in the region ratchet up, Pentagon officials decried the move as “provocative.” How big a deal are these “provocative” actions on the part of the Russian military – or were these just a couple of rogue Russian pilots out for a joy ride? |