December 15, 2011 Military Aviation News

Air Force Deploys Newest Armed Stealth Drone to Afghanistan

12/15/2011

As the military scrambles to deal with a U.S. spy drone lost in Iran, it was revealed that the U.S. Air Force has bought a cutting edge, jet-powered stealth drone -- and plans its immediate deployment in Afghanistan.

Investigation: Weight imbalance a factor in Libya F-15 crash

12/15/2011

An Air Force investigation into what caused the crash of an F-15E Strike Eagle during a night combat operation over Libya last March has concluded that a weight imbalance was a major factor. Col. Scott Shapiro, who led the accident investigation, said in a Wednesday phone interview from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, that the right wing of the jet was supporting at least 1,000 pounds more weight than the left side at the time of the March 21 crash.

U-2 Spy Plane Still Flying High

12/15/2011

One of the oldest planes the United States Air Force still flies is used to carry out some of America's most sensitive and critical missions. Whether it's aiding NATO troops in Afghanistan, providing surveillance over North Korea or examining Japan's hurricane ravaged coast, the high altitude U-2 keeps flying despite initial plans to retire it by the end of this year.

French PM ‘confident’ of Brazil fighter jet deal

12/15/2011

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said Wednesday he was confident of selling Rafale fighter jets to Brazil and could beat off rival bids because the aircraft’s technology cannot be matched. The Rafale is competing against US aviation giant Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet and Swedish manufacturer Saab’s Gripen jet for a tender from Brazil to supply 36 multi-role combat aircraft.

Industry Group Sees No Growth in 2012 U.S. Aerospace Sales

12/15/2011

U.S. aerospace sales for 2012 may remain unchanged from this year’s revenue of $218 billion because of weak military sales, an industry trade group said today.

Eurofighter combat jet: awaiting the outcome of the Indian and Japanese tenders

12/15/2011

These are decisive days for the Eurofighter Group, as its plane is competing in two major tenders in Japan and India. The first tender seems to have been lost, as announced yesterday by the Japanese press, having favored the F-35 Joint Strike fighter of which 40 units should be purchased to boost its self-defense, despite being more expensive than the two other competitors, the Eurofighter Typhoon and Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet.

House and Senate agree on Pentagon cuts

12/15/2011

House and Senate conferees agreed on $662.4 billion for the fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill, about $26.6 billion below the president’s original request, reflecting the level of reductions in national security spending required under August’s budget agreement. Almost all the cuts were made in the Pentagon’s core budget, with only $2.3 billion coming out of funds for Afghanistan and Iraq, and $1.2 billion from the nuclear weapons program.

Iran claims it will fill the skies with clones of crashed U.S. spy drone

12/15/2011

Iran has nearly completed their examination of a crashed U.S. Air Force spy drone and are preparing to reverse-engineer it so it can be mass-produced for the Iranian military. Iran refused requests from the U.S. that the drone be returned.

More problems with F-35 joint strike fighter are revealed

12/15/2011

The report, dated Nov. 29, sounds alarms that technological and performance problems, which will be costly to resolve, lie ahead for the already troubled and over-budget warplane. Among the issues raised are unexpectedly severe shaking and failures of an important electrical component. However, the report does not suggest that any of the problems cannot be overcome or that the F-35 will be unable to fulfill its intended capabilities.

World Air Forces Directory introduction

12/15/2011

An action-packed 2011 saw air power put to the test across its full spectrum of activities, from all-out conflict and clandestine cross-border raids to flying humanitarian relief missions in the wake of natural disasters. For once, the main defence headlines of the year were not driven by coalition action in Afghanistan or Iraq, but the result of the "Arab Spring" movement that swept through Middle Eastern and North African nations, bringing unrest and political upheaval.

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