August, 2011 Military Aviation News
08/31/2011
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin is to visit Indonesia early next month to seal a US$1 billion deal that would result in South Korea's first submarine exports. If the deal is secured, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine, which is likely to be chosen as the preferred bidder by the Indonesian government, will sign a memorandum of understanding to sell three 1,400-ton submarines to the Southeast Asian country, ministry officials said.
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08/31/2011
If you ever dreamt about owning your own fighter jet, here’s your chance. Hungary’s defense ministry is selling off eight of its MIG-29 planes. Hungary’s government has decided that it would part with the 24 planes to raise cash after they were retired from active duty. The deadline for bids for the first stage of the sales involving eight planes and 20 thrusters is Sept. 15. The jets will be sold off in a one-round public tender to be concluded in October.
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08/31/2011
A US lease to operate military aircraft from Kyrgyzstan's Manas air base will expire in 2013 and Bishkek won't renew it, a senior Kyrgyzstan official said Tuesday. 'It should be a civilian transportation hub,' said Prime Minister Almazbek Atambaev in an interview with Russia 24 television. 'There shouldn't be any kind of military base there.' The Kyrgyzstan government has already communicated to Washington its intention not to renew the air base lease, Atambaev said.
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08/31/2011
Five F-16 fighters from the Netherlands are on their way to Chile as the government continues to cut expenditures. The planes, which departed Monday from Volkel Air Base, are part of a 2009 sales agreement between the two countries. The Dutch Ministry of Defense said the first two batches of F-16s - totaling 12 aircraft in all -- were delivered in November 2010 and in April of this year.
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08/31/2011
NATO's air policing mission for the Baltic states has suffered its first major mishap, with two aircraft involved in a mid-air collision on 30 August. The Lithuanian defence ministry confirmed one of its Aero Vodochody L-39ZA trainer/light attack aircraft was involved in the incident, along with a French air force Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter.
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08/30/2011
(CNA) The United States is still mulling the sale of its advanced F-16 C/D jet fighters to Taiwan and has yet to make a decision, Taiwan's deputy representative to the U.S. said Thursday. Leo Lee, deputy head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington D.C., said the U.S. government is serious about its promise to Taiwan in the Taiwan Relations Act, and that the door on arms sales "has always been open."
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08/30/2011
The APG-79(V) multimode radar supports both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat missions and features active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology. In May 2011, Boeing awarded Raytheon a contract for 42 radars in the second procurement of the four-year Multi-Year III program for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
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08/30/2011
In the ten years since the 9-11 attacks, remotely-piloted aircraft have become the signature weapons of America’s global war on terrorists. As Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group aerospace consultancy observes in his August newsletter, the only stories concerning military aircraft that seem to make it into the news columns of most newspapers these days are reports about unmanned aircraft.
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08/30/2011
Compared to the West’s military interventions in the Gulf, Afghanistan or the Balkans, the war in Libya was a modest affair, with the engagement of about 100 combat aircraft and a baker’s dozen of attack helicopters.
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08/30/2011
Price Harry of Wales, who is an accomplished combat helicopter pilot, will undergo training at two U.S. military bases in California as part of an Apache attack helicopter course.
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08/29/2011
A major new Pentagon report on the Chinese military says China is on track to build a modern military by 2020 and that despite improvements in relations across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan remains the principal focus of the Chinese military. Fueled by its booming economy, China’s military growth in the past decade has exceeded most US forecasts.
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08/29/2011
B-52 flight and ground crew members from Minot, Barksdale's sister bomber base in North Dakota, wrote a new chapter in the history of Air Force Global Strike Command with a recent goodwill visit to Russia. Their bomber, "Wham Bam II," flew a route rarely used by aircraft, over the North Pole and the polar ice cap. It returned from its 10-day mission to take part in the MAKS 2011 International Aviation and Space Salon on Tuesday by way of an Air Force Base in Alaska.
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08/29/2011
Conservative lawmakers and analysts are seizing on the Pentagon’s finding that China is “closing the gap” with other militaries to criticize the Obama administration’s plans to pare U.S defense spending. The critics say the president does not fully grasp the Asian giant’s global ambitions.
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08/27/2011
If the bipartisan supercommittee assembled by Congress fails to agree on more than a trillion dollars in deficit reduction before Thanksgiving, federal spending will be slashed by that same amount in indiscriminate, across-the-board cuts. Fully half of those cuts would come out of defense.This is not a good way to make policy, for it does nothing to assess and deal with the emerging threats to our national security in a world where Iran is becoming a nuclear power and terrorist organizations are
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08/27/2011
Something has happened on the bombing runs over Libya. France played a major role in this war, winning grudging respect from a Pentagon that has long looked down on many European militaries. Although Americans led the way in knocking out Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s air defenses with volley after volley of Tomahawk missiles, French warplanes flew the first raid into Libya and, along with the British, have flown the bulk of the airstrike missions.
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08/27/2011
The Pentagon’s Report to Congress on China’s military and security developments has been constructed this year not as a criticism but rather as a series of questions in an effort to limit political backlash from Beijing.
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08/27/2011
"In normal times, the defense secretary's support for his department's biggest weapons program would be taken as a given. But these are not normal times. The federal government is borrowing billions of dollars each day, and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was put in charge of the Pentagon with an eye to finding big savings. Panetta is well qualified for that role, having chaired the House Budget Committee while serving in Congress, and then run the White House budget office.
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08/27/2011
Moscow is ready to loan Venezuela $4 billion on purchases of military equipment, Russia's Kommersant newspaper said on Friday citing a diplomatic source. "Russia is ready to loan money to Venezuela," the source said. "Considering the current election campaign in the country, this loan would mean the opportunity to support our key ally in the region."
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08/27/2011
Russia has never transferred any stealth technology to China to assist it with its J-20 Black Eagle fifth-generation stealth fighter prototype, Russian plane maker MiG said on Friday.
"We are not delivering any equipment to China, and never have," MiG spokeswoman Yelena Fyodorova said.
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08/26/2011
Money alone cannot reinvigorate an air force after years of neglect—that is the painful lesson the Russian military is learning as it and the domestic industry work to modernize the country’s air force. The influx of funding in the past two years has undoubtedly benefited industry, triggering a reversal of fortunes. But it also has brought to the forefront a raft of new problems, including how to meet the timetable for replenishing the air force fleet.
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08/26/2011
After an inaugural four-day trial at sea, China’s aircraft carrier returned to the mainland’s northeastern port of Dalian on Aug. 14. A reincarnation of the former Soviet carrier Varyag, it was acquired from Ukraine in 1998. The carrier is expected to be enlisted into the Chinese navy in August of next year, to be christened afterwards in October.
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08/26/2011
China is continuing to make significant gains in developing submarine technology but is still dependent on Russia for its aircraft know-how, defense specialists at a recent conference here on the transformation of Brazil's military said.
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08/26/2011
Both politicians and the general public seem unable to focus on significant problems underlying our economic collapse (e.g., huge imbalance in cash flow between the U.S. and foreign nations). Instead, they discuss corporate jets, increasing taxes on the evil wealthy or even throwing more, steadily shrinking dollars at poorly managed, failing businesses and financial institutions.
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08/25/2011
Eastern Carolina military installations are taking no chances with Hurricane Irene. At Seymour Johnson Air Force Base dozens of jets are being moved to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. The 78 jets include F-15E Strike Eagles and KC-135R Stratotankers. As the jets are being moved to safety the base says the 5,000 people stationed at Seymour Johnson are getting ready for possible high winds, and flooding.
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08/25/2011
As street fighting continues in Tripoli between Free Libya Forces and members of Colonel Gaddafi's former regime, British and NATO military aircraft are maintaining a presence in the air. In the lead up to Free Libya Forces entering Tripoli this weekend the RAF continued to strike at key Colonel Gaddafi targets within the city as part of NATO's Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR.
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08/25/2011
One of the U.S. military's newest aircraft made its debut over southern Idaho this month as part of a training exercise at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Aircrews and maintenance teams from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Calif., flew missions from the base as part of a scheduled deployment here.
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08/25/2011
Boeing recently sent two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) on a mission using swarm technology. Although testing drones isn’t new, the fact that the two drones were two different types of aircraft is. Popular Science has more about what’s called the “swarm” concept: This project is unique because it integrates two disparate types of aircraft, which is likely to be necessary if drone swarms are ever called up for duty.
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08/25/2011
The Pentagon issued fresh warnings Wednesday that China's military expansion could stir up new tensions and provoke dangerous misunderstandings.
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08/25/2011
Lockheed Martin completed delivery today of the third production C-5M Super Galaxy to the U.S. Air Force. The sixth C-5M overall to be delivered to the Air Force, this aircraft will undergo internal paint restoration at Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y., before traveling to its permanent home at Dover AFB, Del.
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08/24/2011
NATO succeeded in aiding the Libyan rebels in toppling Moammar Gadhafi despite early challenges in coordinating missions, and now the alliance and Libyans face an uncertain future, analysts and former officials say.
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08/24/2011
No large military contracts, though promised, were concluded or even announced at the MAKS-2011 international air show. The reason, experts believe, is the open conflict between buyers and sellers. The reluctance of manufacturers and the military to seek a compromise is the big story in combat aviation, even if the incident with the 5th generation fighter at the air show on Sunday steals the spotlight for a time.
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08/24/2011
China watchers have been fixated on the maiden voyage of Beijing's first aircraft carrier this month. However, U.S. and Asian defense planners should take care not to ignore another aspect of China's growing military might. The Chinese Air Force may one day play the most significant role in challenging America's military presence in the Asia-Pacific. At the same time, looming cuts to the U.S. Air Force may wind up reducing its ability to protect American interests.
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08/24/2011
Boeing on Aug. 20 delivered three F-15K Slam Eagle aircraft to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) at Daegu Air Base. The aircraft left the Boeing St. Louis facility on Aug. 16 and made stops in Palmdale, Calif., Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, before arriving in Korea.
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08/24/2011
Lockheed Martin recently delivered its third P-3 Orion with a new Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) kit to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
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08/23/2011
U.S. Navy officials are giving the go-ahead for the The Boeing Co. Defense, Space & Security segment in St. Louis to begin full-scale development of an infrared search and track (IRST) system for the F/A-18E/F carrier-based jet fighter-bomber, which will give the combat jet the ability to detect enemy aircraft and missiles at long ranges without using radar.
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08/23/2011
There are new concerns about the safety of drone technology, after an unmanned aircraft hit a military cargo plane over Afghanistan. No one was hurt, but as drone technology expands, some are concerned a disastrous drone accident is just waiting to happen. The American drone that collided with a huge air force cargo plane was only 12 feet long. But the collision forced the huge Air Force plane to make an emergency landing in Afghanistan, and it's raising questions about the safety of UAVs.
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08/23/2011
The chief worry is China’s new DF-21D whose primary target is America’s huge aircraft carriers. According to Chinese sources, the DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) has recently become operational in limited numbers. Originally developed for submarines, the DF-21D is said to have a range of 2,700km and at least some capability to strike moving targets.
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08/23/2011
Besides an ongoing plan to develop a fighter jet program with the US or Europe, Turkey is seeking to broaden its fleet with a second option. South Korea’s KAI and Sweden’s Saab are the two possible partners, according to a Turkish procurement official. Turkey is supposed to take part in the design of the possible project.
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08/23/2011
In PROSECUTING the air campaign against the forces of Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi there can be no doubt Nato far exceeded the action mandated by UN Resolution 1973. Only in a reading so broad as to make a mockery of language could the phrase "all necessary measures to protect civilians" be taken to justify the punitive ground-attack sorties undertaken by assorted warplanes.
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08/23/2011
NATO officials say the campaign won't necessarily be seen as a template for further intervention in the Middle East. The Libyan campaign had United Nations backing, giving it a legitimacy that the U.N. isn't likely to bestow too readily on other interventions, observers say. Cash-strapped Western governments and their war-weary publics have little appetite for more costly and riskier military adventures.
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08/23/2011
No question about it — the Brits have given the world some classic combat aircraft: The Spitfire. The Harrier. The Fairey Gannet. The Buccaneer. Their joint ventures with European partners have also been successful, including the Jaguar, the Tornado and most recently, the Eurofighter Typhoon. But the outgoing boss of UK aerospace supplier GKN warns that with the realities of the defense world today, the Typhoon could be Britain’s last fighter — and it’s only a portion British to begin with.
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08/23/2011
Boeing on Aug. 3 successfully completed an evaluation flight of the B-52 Combat Network Communications Technology (CONECT) interphone system. The six-hour flight from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., evaluated the interphone system's readiness for formal flight tests and accomplished formal flight tests of other CONECT capabilities. The interphone system enables crew members to communicate with one another, other aircraft and the ground.
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08/23/2011
Boeing has received a $1.64 billion (£1 billion) contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to provide 14 new CH-47 Chinook helicopters and associated support for the first five years to the Royal Air Force (RAF). The new-build CH-47 Mark (Mk)-6 Chinooks are part of the MOD's Strategic Helicopter Vision to modernize its helicopter force structure, and will expand the RAF fleet to 60 Chinooks.
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08/22/2011
A superfast unmanned military plane traveled at 20 times the speed of sound and managed to control itself for three minutes before crashing into the Pacific Ocean in a recent test, military officials said.
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08/22/2011
In the last 48 hours RAF strikes around Tripoli have intensified dramatically with both Tornado and Typhoon jets bombarding multiple targets around the Libyan capital.
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08/22/2011
When congressional cost-cutters meet later this year to decide on trimming the federal budget, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq could represent juicy targets. But how much do the wars actually cost U.S. taxpayers?
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08/21/2011
A Taiwanese who was convicted of conspiring to export defense articles from the US to China on Tuesday was deported and returned to Taiwan, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said on Wednesday.
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08/21/2011
A leading US expert on the Chinese military says that by 2020, Beijing could have 2,000 or more missiles, nearly 1,000 modern combat aircraft, 60 modern submarines and a potential invasion force of many hundreds of thousands of troops “pointed at Taiwan.”
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08/19/2011
One of 12 former South African Air Force (SAAF) fighter aircraft, sold to Ecuador for more than R550-million, has been quarantined following an unspecified "in-flight" incident in the South American country. On Thursday Denel Group spokesperson Sinah Phochana confirmed that a Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana (FAE) pilot was hospitalised after suffering injuries on Monday.
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08/19/2011
A superfast unmanned military plane traveled at 20 times the speed of sound and managed to control itself for three minutes before crashing into the Pacific Ocean in a recent test, military officials said. The prototype Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2), billed as the fastest aircraft ever built, splashed down in the Pacific earlier than planned on Aug. 11 shortly after launching from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base on its second-ever test flight.
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08/19/2011
Boeing Co. says it will provide a full transfer of technology to Brazil if the U.S.-based company wins a $5 billion fighter-jet bid. The president of Boeing Military Aircraft tells Brazil's Senate that the South American country would be able to fully produce the F-18 Super Hornet if it purchases the planes from Boeing.
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08/19/2011
Earlier this week, the Associated Press released a story on the outlook for military contractors that ended with an absurd observation by Brookings Institution senior fellow Michael O'Hanlon. The widely quoted military analyst said, "the era of manned airplanes should be seen as over," and he went on to imply that politics is the main reason Washington hasn't acknowledged the inexorable trend away from use of human pilots.
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08/19/2011
According to a report in Defense News, the Obama administration quietly informed Taiwanese officials last week that Washington won't supply Taipei with new fighter jets. Since 2006, Taipei has asked to buy 66 new F-16 C/D fighters, but it will only get an upgrade of its older F-16s with better radar.
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08/19/2011
Boeing today announced the successful autonomous communications and operation of dissimilar unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in flight tests over the rugged terrain of eastern Oregon.
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08/19/2011
Boeing today announced that it will use a Helimod helicopter simulator leased from Ryan Aerospace to help train Australian Army pilots to fly Bell 206B-1 Kiowa helicopters. Delivery is expected before the end of this year.
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08/19/2011
Next year Russia will build its second aircraft specially equipped for international aerial inspections under the Open Skies Treaty, Vladimir Verba, the director general of Vega concern, said on Thursday. Russia's first-built Tupolev Tu-214ON aircraft with installed equipment for aerial inspections was showcased for the first time at the MAKS-2011 International Air Show in the Moscow Region running between August 16 and 21.
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08/18/2011
Aviation buffs and military fans will have a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with military aircraft and the performers during the Selfridge Air Show. The event, set for Saturday and Sunday at Selfridge National Air Guard Base, will feature a mix of military and civilian aircraft.
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08/18/2011
Representatives from the United States Air Force are pondering a proposal from their Russian colleagues to perform a joint demonstration flight at the tenth international aerospace show, MAKS 2011, which opened in Zhukovsky near Moscow on Tuesday, a source from the flight control unit at the show told Interfax-AVN.
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08/18/2011
Electronics workers in Fife have landed a £20m order to help build one of the world's most advanced radar systems. BAE Systems at Hillend near Dunfermline will embark on building the next generation of the Typhoon combat aircraft. That will mean about 200 jobs will be secured for the next two years.
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08/18/2011
Russia expects initial orders for its fifth-generation T-50 fighter jet to be booked from 2015, United Aircraft Corporation's chief said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is due to watch the first public display of the stealth fighter at the MAKS airshow, where Russia is showcasing its top-of-the-line fighter jets and hoping to win civil aircraft contracts.
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08/18/2011
Russia on Wednesday lifted the curtains on its Sukhoi T-50 stealth fighter, the platform on which India's fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) will be based. In a major leap forward for the Indian Air Force's FGFA programme, a T-50 prototype blazed through the skies at the MAKS 2011 international airshow outside Moscow - the stealth jet's first public appearance.
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08/18/2011
Russia's Aviastar aircraft factory will produce the first production Il-76MD transport aircraft this year and test fly it in February 2012, a management source in the plant said at the international MAKS airshow on Tuesday. The first two Il-76MDs will be delivered by 2013, "probably for the Russian Emergencies Minstry or Defense Ministry," the manager said.
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08/18/2011
Russia's Sukhoi T-50 5th generation fighter performed its first demonstration flight at the MAKS 2011 International Aviation and Space Show on Wednesday. The flight was observed by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and other dignitaries.
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08/18/2011
The first flight, conducted by TAI’s test pilots, of T129 “P6” prototype helicopter has timely and successfully been completed at TAI’s facilities in Akinci (Ankara) the company said today.
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08/17/2011
China is not interested in acquiring the stealth technology currently being used by the United States for its flying machines as it has already developed the same in a much advanced shape and is using it in its most sophisticated multi-role planes, highly placed defence sources told The News here Monday.
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08/17/2011
The Turkish mediation and intervention in the ongoing crisis in Syria has many people inside and outside Syria puzzled as to whether Ankara is still trying to save the threatened regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad or is Turkey orchestrating international moves to change this regime.
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08/17/2011
Boeing today announced that its Defense, Space & Security (BDS) business unit will showcase the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Block II simulator inside the National Congress Building in Brasília from Aug. 16 through 19. The Brazilian public will be able to fly the simulator and see the advanced technology inside the Super Hornet.
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08/17/2011
The Russian military will use new MiG-35D multirole fighters as an equal to the U.S. F-35 fighters, the Air Force chief said on Tuesday. "We have not given up on the MiG-35D light aircraft project, but we will transfer to the T-50 [heavy fighter] in the future," Gen. Alexander Zelin, the Russian Air Force commander, said during his visit to the six-day air show MAKS-2011 that opened near Moscow on Tuesday.
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08/17/2011
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will on Wednesday attend the six-day air show MAKS-2011 that opened in the Moscow Region town of Zhukovsky on Tuesday, the government press service reported.
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08/17/2011
Russia's biggest helicopter building company has said it will supply the country's Air Force with more than 450 helicopters this year. Helicopters of Russia company head Dmitry Petrov said the firm had signed contracts to deliver the coppers, including Kamov KA-52 Alligators, as part of this year's arms procurement plan.
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08/17/2011
Russia's new stealth fighter jet, which is expected to make its first public appearance at the MAKS exhibition near Moscow on Tuesday, will be the principal plane for both the Russian and Indian military, a top official says.
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08/17/2011
Russia's United Aircraft corp (UAC) has said it is looking to clinch a contract to supply the country's military with ten Antonov An-124 freighters. "Staring from 2015, we plan to supply the Defense Ministry with ten An-124s as part of the arms procurement program until 2020," UAC chief Mikhail Pogosyan told reporters at the opening of the MAKS-2011 air show outside Moscow.
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08/17/2011
Russia's state-run United Aircraft corp (UAC) has said it plans to supply the country's military with more than 20 new planes a year. "From this year on, we will supply the Defense Ministry with more than 20 planes a year," UAC chief Mikhail Pogosyan told reporters on Tuesday.
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08/17/2011
A new generation prototype fighter is set to make its first public appearance at the Moscow Air Show this week. The Sukhoi T-50 will be the jewel in the Russian Air Force’s crown. The service has relied on the Mikoyan MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-27 family of combat aircraft as the core of its fighter force since the mid-1980s, but these aircraft are seen as approaching obsolescence.
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08/06/2011
With so much funding for the Defense Department now on the chopping block — particularly the potential for $600 billion in cuts under the debt limit agreement – America’s ability s to defend itself and confront emerging threats is at serious risk.
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08/06/2011
Morocco is the latest U.S. partner nation to receive the F-16 Fighting Falcon, a historic event marked by a ceremony here Aug. 4. The new Block 52 aircraft will supplement the Royal Moroccan Air Force's existing fleet of fighter aircraft and will contribute to the upgrade and modernization of the country's military.
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08/06/2011
The U.S. military and Lockheed Martin have grounded their F-35 fleet and launched an internal investigation into the matter, after a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base led to a power failure. The Pentagon's F-35 Joint Program Office noted this was a precautionary move, with an unknown date on when the temporary suspension will be lifted.
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08/06/2011
In response to President Obama’s call to action to support U.S. military veterans, Lockheed Martin today announced its strong endorsement of his challenge to support military families by actively recruiting and hiring veterans transitioning back into the workplace.
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08/06/2011
ARINC Engineering Services, LLC, has announced it has completed the modification of 22 Russian Mi-17 Helicopters for use by the Air Force of Iraq, under a 2007 U.S. Army contract.
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08/05/2011
The Navy is considering buying another 122 V-22 Ospreys from Textron Inc. (TXT) and Boeing Co. (BA) for about $8 billion. The proposed contract, in its early stages, would supply the aircraft to the Marine Corps and Air Force through 2017 -- renewing a current deal for five more years.
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08/05/2011
The Bell Boeing V-22 Program, a strategic alliance between The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Bell Helicopter – Textron [NYSE: TXT], announced today that it has submitted its proposal to the U.S. Navy for a second multiyear procurement (MYP II) contract for the production and delivery of V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.
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08/05/2011
Five new Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets have arrived at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Amberley, expanding the RAAF's fleet of the advanced multirole fighters to 20. Three aircraft landed at the base on July 14 and were joined by two additional Super Hornets on Aug. 3.
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08/05/2011
The sun shines above the newest addition to the C-5M modernization program. Tail number 85-0003, a C-5B Galaxy, is the eighth aircraft inducted into modernization production line to become a Super Galaxy.
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08/05/2011
Russia and the United States plan to sign more military cooperation deals, the deputy chief of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said on Thursday. This May, the United States signed a $367.5 million contract with Russia to buy 21 Mi-17V5 military transport helicopters for the Afghan army.
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08/04/2011
A small military transport plane from the Virginia National Guard made a safe, emergency landing at the Johnstown airport Tuesday evening after a problem developed with one of the craft’s two engines.
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08/04/2011
The US military, the most powerful defence organisation on the planet, is set to account for 69% of worldwide UAV procurement in the next decade, according to the Teal Group consultancy, and 77% of research and development spending. Though the US plans to withdraw completely from its two wars over the next several years, US UAVs will have a presence over Iraq and Afghanistan for decades to come. And the rise of China brings increased pressure to bear on maritime forces.
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08/04/2011
India plans to purchase military equipment, including fighter planes, warships, helicopters and artillery guns, worth $100 billion in the next ten years, which would make the country one of the world’s most lucrative arms markets.
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08/04/2011
The Czech Republic has paid for the Spanish-made CASA transport planes twice more than Portugal, the daily Lidove noviny (LN) reports today, referring to The Military Balance prestigious yearbook published by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.
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08/04/2011
Russia's MiG aircraft corporation has launched production of a new batch of MiG29K/KUB carrier fighters for the Indian Navy, a MiG spokesman said on Wednesday. The fighters are to be delivered under a 2010 contract, the spokesman said. Under the $1.5-billion contract, Russia will supply 29 MiG-29K Fulcrum-D jets to New Delhi starting in 2012.
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08/03/2011
Indian Air Force has ordered 40 Tejas Mark-I aircraft and two such planes would be ready for induction by March 2012, Defence Minister A K Antony said. "Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas has been completed in December 2010. So far 1,659 flight tests have been completed. IAF has ordered 40 Tejas Mk-I aircraft. Two aircraft will be ready by March 2012 for induction," Antony informed the Lok Sabha yesterday.
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08/03/2011
China will give Pakistan a squadron of the advanced J-10B multi-role, all-weather fighter aircraft in a bid to boost the strategic reach of its close ally, a media report has said. China has made the offer to Pakistan Army’s Chief of General Staff, Lt Gen Waheed Arshad, who has just concluded a week long visit to China, the Pakistani Urdu daily Jang said.
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08/03/2011
The Czech defense ministry is threatening to cancel a $200 million deal to buy four EADS military transport aircraft because they could not be deployed to Afghanistan as a result of technical problems.
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08/03/2011
Clinton is understood to have made a strong pitch for more US military sales to India, especially in the wake of American companies recently losing out in the race for a $ 10.4 billion order by the Indian Air Force for 126 fighter aircraft.
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08/03/2011
In the wake of the shrill debate about the purchase or otherwise of military aircraft for the Ghana Armed Forces, it may be important to pause and ask ourselves whether we needed to reach the current low depths of accusations and counter accusations.
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08/03/2011
NATO’s military operation against Libya, conducted mainly by the armed forces of the US, France and Britain, is speeding up the formation of a new system of international relations. At the same time the war serves as a firing ground for testing the strategy of the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM) in real combat situation as well as the efficiency of new weapons …
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08/03/2011
More than 200 Russian and foreign aircraft will be exhibited at the MAKS-2011 air show near Moscow in August, an organizer of the event told RIA Novosti. The MAKS-2011 air show will be held at Zhukovsky outside Moscow on August 16-21. In all, 627 aerospace industry companies, including 473 Russian and 154 foreign, have registered to take part in the air show as of June 1.
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08/03/2011
The UAE has received its third C-17 Globemaster III airlifter and took deliver from Boeing's final assembly facility in Long Beach, California
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08/02/2011
The development of light combat aircraft (LCA) is a step towards the technological freedom for the country. The LCA project will not only boost the aviation industry, it will also help develop a range of technologies which could be implemented in other sectors, such as automobile and healthcare, said senior scientist Kota Harinarayana here on Monday after he was felicitated with prestigious Lokmanya Tilak award.
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08/02/2011
Aircraft manufacturer Embraer and the Brazilian Air Force have selected BAE Systems to provide flight control electronics for the KC-390 military transport aircraft.
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08/02/2011
Japan expects China to further expand its maritime activities in the South China Sea and the Pacific, its annual defence report said on Tuesday, the latest expression of regional security concerns about China's military buildup.
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08/02/2011
The first four of 24 new Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] advanced Block 52 F-16s produced for the Royal Moroccan Air Force have left the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas, en route to Morrocco. An arrival ceremony will be held in Morocco later this week.
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08/02/2011
The Russian Air Force and NORAD, the U.S. and Canadian joint air defense command will hold a second round of anti-terrorism exercises on August 8-11, the Commander in Chief of the Eastern military district, Igor Muginov said on Monday.
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08/01/2011
Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne's task is well cut-out. From bolstering IAF's combat potential and strategic reach to infusing some much-needed "synergy" with Army and Navy, he will have to ensure his force can establish the primacy of "aerospace power" in "shaping" battlefields of the future.
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08/01/2011
China is offering Pakistan a squadron of J-10B, the advanced multi-role, all-weather fighter aircraft. The official offer was presented to the Pakistan Army’s Chief of General Staff, Lt Gen Waheed Arshad, during a week long visit to Beijing. If such delivery takes place, Pakistan will be the first country, after China, to operate the J-10B, considered as one of China’s most advanced, operational combat aircraft.
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08/01/2011
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will soon have to make up its mind between two fighter jets - the Eurofighter Typhoon and the French Dassault Rafale. Both these aircraft are competing fiercely to don IAF colours in what is being touted as the world's biggest defense deal.
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08/01/2011
Officials at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announced that company's X2 Technology demonstrator made its final flight, marking the end of the program. The X2 Technology demonstrator helicopter program will be transitioning to its first application, the S-97 Raider.
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