December 13, 2011 Military Aviation News

France hopeful on Rafale, not giving up aviation-PM

12/13/2011

France still hopes to find a buyer for its Rafale fighter jets and has no intention of giving up on its aviation industry because of difficulties selling the aircraft abroad, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Monday. France delivered its 100th Rafale plane this summer and production is due to stop in 2021 if no new order materialises.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy Review

12/13/2011

In 2011, gamers were graced with two Ace Combat titles, one on consoles and the other on the Nintendo 3DS. Both games carry the title “Assault Horizon” but they are both completely different titles when it comes to the gameplay department. In Assault Horizon on the consoles, players can expect very explosive dog and ground-fights while in Legacy, they are toned down due to the limitations of the 3DS hardware.

Indian Light Combat Aircraft Slipping A Year

12/13/2011

Fresh troubles are delaying India’s indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft program, with final operational clearance slipping by over a year to December 2014. Testing challenges and performance-parameter issues have delayed flight testing, operational envelope expansion and certification, leading to the Indian air force (IAF) reluctantly agreeing to a 12-month slip in declaration of the aircraft as fully operational.

U.S. to mothball gear to build top F-22 fighter

12/13/2011

Even as the last F-22 fighter jet rolls out of flag-draped doors at a Lockheed Martin Corp assembly plant on Tuesday, the Air Force has taken steps that leave open an option to restart the premier plane's production relatively cheaply. The Air Force is preserving the hardware used to build the jet, not scrapping it, although it insists this is solely to sustain the fleet over its projected 30-plus years' "lifecycle."

Iraq Wants to Buy 18 More F-16 Fighter Jets

12/13/2011

Iraq wants to buy an additional 18 Lockheed Martin F-16IQ Fighting Falcon jets, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on Dec. 12. The $2.3 billion sale includes 24 Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-229 or General Electric F110-GE-129 engines, and would be managed under the Pentagon's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) apparatus, the release says. The deal would also include a host of ancillary equipment such as targeting pods, weapons and conformal fuel tanks.

Is War in the South China Sea Inevitable?

12/13/2011

Hu said that China's navy should "make extended preparations for warfare," adding that the navy should "accelerate its transformation and modernization in a sturdy way, and make extended preparations for military combat in order to make greater contributions to safeguard national security. Our work must closely encircle the main theme of national defense and military building."

Tactical common data link for UAVs

12/13/2011

The U.S. Army's MQ-5B Hunter unmanned aerial ISR vehicles will be reset by Northrop Grumman from C-Band communications to a tactical common data link. The work comes under two contractor logistics support contract modifications worth $91.2 million. Each features a one-year performance period.

Canada to purchase F-35s, but final number not carved in stone

12/13/2011

The ability to defend the skies and operate overseas at the same time would be in peril if the Harper government buys fewer stealth fighters than planned, the head of the Royal Canadian Air Force said Monday. Lt.-Gen. Andre Deschamps said the air force would have to review how much "concurrent activity" it could handle if the number of radar-evading F-35s drop below the 65 aircraft the government has promised.

No Indian Ocean military base: China

12/13/2011

China on Monday said its naval fleet would only seek supplies or recuperate in the Seychelles during anti-piracy operations, denying reports that Beijing might break with its long-standing policy by setting up a military base overseas with a presence in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Boeing B-52 CONECT System Completes Flight Test Milestone

12/13/2011

Today Boeing announced completion of all flight testing needed for the B-52 Combat Network Communications Technology (CONECT) program to receive low rate initial production (LRIP) authorization from the U.S. Air Force. The flight test program was conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., by Boeing and the Air Force.

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