November 04, 2011 Military Aviation News

U.S. Air Force To Upgrade 300 F-16s

11/04/2011

The U.S. Air Force will upgrade between 300 and 350 F-16C Block 40 and 50 fighters with new avionics and increased airframe life, a three-star general said before Congress. Testifying Nov. 2, Lt. Gen. Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, Air Force deputy chief for operations, plans and requirements, also said the service doesn't have enough trained UAV pilots, and that the U-2 isn't quite ready for retirement.

Turkey seeks helicopter deal

11/04/2011

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency reports that Turkey is seeking the sale of Bell AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters. The total Foreign Military Sale package includes three AH-1Ws; seven T700-GE-401 engines; inspections and modifications; spare and repair parts; personnel training and training equipment; publications and technical documentation; U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics personnel support services.

Chinese State Media Threatens Military Action on South China Sea

11/04/2011

China's official media published a strongly worded article on Oct. 25, asking countries who have conflicts with China over the South China Sea region to get prepared for a military resolution. On the same day, however, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that they will “do their best to peacefully solve,” the conflicts in the South China Sea. The contradictory statements drew attention.

Recent Development Efforts for Military Airships

11/04/2011

During the past decade’s operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. military has come to rely heavily on the continuous or nearly continuous presence overhead of both manned and unmanned aircraft to support ground troops. Unmanned aircraft that remain aloft in particular locations (or “orbits”) have been primarily used to provide timely information about activities on the ground and to attack ground targets on short notice.

Pentagon chiefs: bigger defense cuts would hurt US

11/04/2011

Military leaders warned Congress on Wednesday that steeper cuts in defense spending, as either a policy choice or a consequence of political gridlock, will gut the armed forces and sap U.S. global influence.

Iran nuke fears may stir attack plans

11/04/2011

NATO has "no intention whatsoever" of intervening in Iran, the alliance's top official said in response to reports that some governments may be planning a military strike against Tehran's nuclear program. One of those reports came from the Guardian newspaper, which claimed the U.K. military is preparing "contingency planning for potential military action against Iran amid mounting concern about Tehran's nuclear enrichment programme."

Homing in on helicopter defense system

11/04/2011

The Army is looking for a lightweight way to protect its helicopters from shoulder-fired missiles such as those that went missing in Libya during the battles to overthrow Muammar Qadhafi.

A Brief History: One Century of Military Airpower

11/04/2011

Before humans were capable of heavier-than-air-powered flight, thinkers were already conceiving of ways that airpower could be used in warfare. Two years before the Wright Brothers conducted their first successful flights in December 1903, H.G. Wells published his bestselling work of futurology, Anticipations: Of the Reaction of Mechanical and Scientific Progress Upon Human Life.

Lockheed Martin employees, suppliers and officials get a chance to fly fighter jet

11/04/2011

Step into the cockpit of the world's most advanced fighter jet. It's the F-35 Lightning II. Not only can the fifth-generation fighter cruise across the sky at more than 1,200 mph, but the aircraft's stealth capabilities also enable it to fly deep into enemy territory unnoticed.

Quick-acting, effective military doesn't come cheap: top soldier

11/04/2011

The country's top soldier says that the speed with which Canada contributed to the mission in Libya and post-earthquake relief in Haiti would not have been possible without a trained and well-equipped military. But Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk, whose department is struggling with pending budget cuts during the first real lull in combat operations since 2006, said such capabilities do not come cheap.

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