July, 2012 Military Aviation News
07/31/2012
Northrop Grumman’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator has successfully completed its first flight from Naval Air Station Patuxent (Pax) River. The unmanned aircraft launched from Pax River and flew for 35 minutes, and reached an altitude of 7,500 feet at a speed of 180 knots before landing back at Pax River.
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07/31/2012
The United States has spent nearly $80 billion to develop the most advanced stealth fighter jet in history, the F-22 Raptor, but the Air Force recently found out firsthand that while the planes own the skies at modern long-range air combat, it is “evenly matched” with cheaper, foreign jets when it comes to old-school dogfighting.
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07/31/2012
Strapped into the cockpit of an F-16 jet fighter, Air Force Col. Scott Brenton has dropped bombs over Bosnia, screamed over the desert in Iraq and strafed Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. But on a recent morning, Brenton flew his combat mission from a leather easy chair in a low-slung cinder block building on the edge of Syracuse.
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07/31/2012
There was at least one thing on which all the participants of the round table, which was held in the Rosbalt information agency, have agreed upon: Russia should continue maintaining the existing fleet of strategic aircraft in a proper condition and continue to upgrade them. The resources for the Tupolev Tu-95MS, Tu-160, and Tu-22?3 allow these aircrafts to remain in service for many years. In these conditions, the improvement of their equipment and weapons is one of the key tasks.
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07/31/2012
Eurocopter has delivered two NH90s to France’s DGA for their deployment by the French Army and Navy. The ceremony celebrating this dual delivery was held at Marignane, the manufacturer’s headquarters, and was attended by the DGA, Dominique Maudet, Eurocopter Group’s Executive Officer for France & Vice President of Global Business and Services, and a number of representatives from France’s armed forces.
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07/31/2012
China would be keen to sell an indigenously developed combat helicopter to India, a senior officer of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aviation regiment said on Tuesday. Z-9WZ, designed and manufactured in China, was part of a show organised for foreign and local media that included displays and maneuvers by the helicopters on Tuesday.
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07/31/2012
In mid-June, 150 German airmen and eight twin-engine, non-stealthy Typhoons arrived at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska for an American-led Red Flag exercise involving more than 100 aircraft from Germany, the U.S. Air Force and Army, NATO, Japan, Australia and Poland. Eight times during the two-week war game, individual German Typhoons flew against single F-22s in basic fighter maneuvers meant to simulate a close-range dogfight.
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07/31/2012
The UAE will get the benefits of a new technology development in the Eurofighter Typhoon if it selects the aircraft for its multi-role combat type, the European partnership said today. On behalf of the four core nations in the Eurofighter programme, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, a Request for Proposal (RFP) has been issued by NETMA (NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency) to Eurofighter GmbH for the development of an Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar (E-Scan).
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07/30/2012
Inside a spotless hangar here, technicians work on three gleaming new Boeing 737s, painted in the drab grey favoured by the world’s navies. While two of these are marked with the US Navy logo, the third bears markings unusual for this hangar: the Indian Navy’s Devanagari logo: ‘Nau Sena’ (Navy).
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07/30/2012
From his computer console here in the Syracuse suburbs, Col. D. Scott Brenton remotely flies a Reaper drone that beams back hundreds of hours of live video of insurgents, his intended targets, going about their daily lives 7,000 miles away in Afghanistan. Sometimes he and his team watch the same family compound for weeks.
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07/30/2012
Critics say the move to unmanned aircraft blurs battlefield boundaries and makes it too easy to drop a bomb. The transition also is creating a major cultural shift for the Air National Guard.
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07/30/2012
A group of U.S. inspectors will make a one-week surveillance flight over Russia and Belarus in line with the international Open Skies Treaty beginning on Monday, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry said. “In line with the implementation of the Open Skies Treaty, a U.S. mission will make an observatory flight over the Russian and Belarusian territories between July 30 and August 4 on board of an OC-135B aircraft,” the spokesman said.
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07/30/2012
The Indian army has successfully test-fired a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, a spokesman for BrahMos Aerospace, which produces the missile, said on Sunday. “The test launch aimed to check the work of some new systems installed on the missile,” the spokesman said. The missile was launched from the Chandipur missile test range in the eastern province of Orissa.
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07/29/2012
For more than a decade, US fighter pilots have become accustomed to "owning the sky" in wars against insurgents who have no warplanes or air defenses. But in the desert outside Las Vegas, the US Air Force is trying to get back to basics, reminding pilots how to fly against a sophisticated enemy with fighter jets, surface-to-air missiles and satellite jammers.
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07/29/2012
The U.S. Coast Guard took delivery this week of its 14th HC-144A Ocean Sentry maritime patrol aircraft from prime contractor EADS North America. The Ocean Sentry is based on the Airbus Military CN235 tactical airlifter, more than 250 of which are currently in operation by 27 countries.
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07/29/2012
Last month, some college students were challenged by the Department of Homeland Security to try to hack into a drone flying over White Sands. They did it. So what does that mean for security especially in the military? Air Force officials offered some answers and a rare inside look at their remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) training program at Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo.
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07/29/2012
Military helicopters pounded a rebel-held district of Aleppo on Saturday and armoured units positioned themselves for an onslaught that could determine the fate of Syria's biggest city, opposition sources said. Turkey, once a friend but now a fierce critic of the Syrian government, joined growing diplomatic pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, calling for international steps to deal with the military build-up.
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07/29/2012
Japanese and U.S. officials will continue to try to allay the concerns of Japanese people over the safety of the U.S. Osprey military aircraft being deployed in American bases in Japan.
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07/29/2012
Servicemen may be evacuated from the Russian naval base in Tartus, Syria, if it comes under attack, Navy chief Vice Adm. Viktor Chirkov said on Saturday. “I am not the one to issue orders: We have the defense minister [for that],” he said in an interview with Ekho Moskvy Radio. “If we have to evacuate the personnel that is currently deployed there, we certainly will.”
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07/28/2012
A series of malfunctions led the Israel Air Force over the weekend to suspend midair refueling exercises as well as training flights for its fleet of older-model F-16s. On Friday, during a routine midair training flight, the hose disconnected from an F-16I - the IAF's most-advanced combat aircraft - causing light damage. The IAF decided to suspend the exercise and to land both the F-16 and the Boeing 707 refueling tanker.
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07/28/2012
Even amid mounting fears of a massacre in Syria's largest city, the United States must continue applying economic and diplomatic pressure before considering military intervention, America's highest-ranking military official said Friday.
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07/28/2012
The crash landing of the AV-8B Harrier aircraft near Felicity, Calif. Wednesday was caused by an unspecified mechanical failure, military officials stated. The site of the crash landing is still cordoned off by military and law enforcement personnel because two 500-pound bombs attached to the harrier that did not detonate upon impact still pose a danger to the public.
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07/28/2012
America's allies are extremely interested in buying U.S.-made military drone aircraft, positioning American firms well for an expected explosion of unmanned plane sales. In his global travels, Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro says he detects "an intense interest" among U.S. allies to purchase military drones.
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07/28/2012
A high-ranking source in the Russian Navy Command on Friday denied media reports that a flotilla of Russian warships will remain in the Mediterranean Sea on a permanent basis. “It’s too early to speak about the permanent presence of a naval flotilla in the Mediterranean… there’s no need for it so far,” the source said.
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07/27/2012
After two years of preparation, Colombia's Air Force participated in major military maneuvers with the United States for the first time in simulated air battles over a Nevada desert. "Not only is it a dream come true to be flying with the best air force, but it is also very important for us because we can learn a lot (...) and we can advance our integration with a very modern air force," said Colombian Brigadier General Carlos Bueno.
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07/27/2012
An AV-8B Harrier fighter jet carrying live ordnance crashed Wednesday near here, making this at least the seventh Harrier to crash in eastern Imperial County since 1996. The pilot involved in Wednesday’s crash ejected safely, a Marine Corps Air Station Yuma official said.
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07/27/2012
Despite Malacañang’s efforts to downplay the ongoing conflict in the South China Sea, Beijing on Thursday continued its aggressive stance on the issue following a statement from a high-ranking military officer asking the Chinese government to put up “maritime and air spaces” there.
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07/27/2012
Turkey will spend up to $8 billion in defense purchases as its exports will reach $2 billion in 2016, four years from now, according to a major estimation by the procurement agency, the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM). The present figures are around half of that.
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07/27/2012
Michigan’s Army and Air National Guard have two installations located in Northern Michigan that are leading the way into combat readiness. The Michigan Air National Guard’s Combat Readiness Training Center and Michigan Army National Guard’s Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center have become center stage for one of the largest military training operations in Michigan’s military history.
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07/27/2012
The growing military links with Indonesia will be on show this week after the arrival yesterday of an Indonesian Air Force Su-30 fighter. The Indonesian fighters will participate in Exercise Pitch Black 2012, also involving aircraft from Australia, the US, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand, operating from Darwin and Tindal in the Northern Territory.
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07/27/2012
A squadron of U.S. F-16 fighter jets in Japan has been grounded for safety checks after one of their aircraft crashed in the Pacific, military officials said Thursday.
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07/27/2012
Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) recently completed F-15E platform integration with a successful all-up round (AUR) flight test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
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07/26/2012
The Air Force has awarded Lockheed-Martin Corp. a $199.3 million contract to provide 18 F-16 fighter aircraft, with technical and equipment support, to the government of Iraq through the U.S. foreign military sales program.
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07/26/2012
Shindand Air Base has an 8,000-foot runway, a gleaming new headquarters complex and a cadre of motivated Afghan pilot candidates. Because of the way Washington operates, however, it lacks warplanes. The budding Afghan air force was supposed to receive $355 million worth of planes custom-made for fighting guerrillas well ahead of the U.S. withdrawal in 2014.
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07/26/2012
Japan has set up a panel of experts to make its own assessment on the safety of the U.S. military's Osprey transport aircraft brought to the country on Monday. Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto presided over the first meeting of the panel, headed by Defense Ministry's Deputy Director-General for Policy Tetsuro Kuroe, on Wednesday.
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07/26/2012
Britain's controversial Olympic security procedures swung into action when a fighter jet was scrambled to intercept an aircraft that had entered restricted airspace. The Typhoon jet was ordered to intercept the aircraft after it failed to contact air traffic controllers, the Ministry of Defence said. Communications were then restored and the fighter jet told to stand down.
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07/26/2012
The Boeing Company has selected L-3 Communications MAS of Mirabel and General Dynamics Canada of Ottawa for two In-Service Support Program contracts for Canadian Forces CH-147F Chinook helicopters.
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07/25/2012
Combat Pilot from Mad Catz is a new flight simulation, multiplayer game that looks pretty rockin'! I have to say that the game is definitely one I'll give a go at home with my own sons.
I can't say that I'm a huge flight sim fan, but one of our resident gamers here at Fox took a look at the trailer and was very enthusiastic about giving it a go. This is a PC only sim and does require a membership fee. The fee is $49.95 for the first month, then $11.99 a month thereafter.
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07/25/2012
The Air Force will gradually lift flight restrictions for the F-22 Raptor, expressing "very high confidence" that investigators have found what is causing oxygen-supply problems with the plane, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday. The first problem is a faulty valve on a high-pressure vest that Raptor pilots have worn during high-altitude missions. The valve caused the vest to inflate at the wrong time, which restricted a pilot's breathing.
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07/25/2012
India has approved a $2.4 billion contest to acquire 56 transports to replace the air force's Hindustan Aeronautics-built Hawker Siddeley HS 748s, setting the stage for a possible showdown between the Airbus Military C295 and Alenia Aermacchi C-27J. The planned acquisition was approved on 23 July by India's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), says the country's defence ministry. Headed by defence minister AK Antony, the DAC oversees the military's entire acquisition process.
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07/25/2012
The skies over Somalia have become so congested with drones that the unmanned aircraft pose a danger to air traffic and potentially violate a long-standing arms embargo against the war-torn country, according to United Nations officials.
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07/25/2012
It is claimed the jets have targeted the northern city of Aleppo as opposition fighters attempt to seize control of Syria's second city and commercial hub. The conflict has intensified with the regime unleashing warplanes and helicopter gunships to "drop bombs" in a bid to wrestle back control of neighbourhoods in Aleppo and the capital Damascus.
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07/25/2012
The arrival of the U.S. military's accident-prone Osprey V-22 aircraft in Japan on Monday sparked widespread protests from Japanese officials and citizens concerned about the plane's safety record and the government's plans to deploy the aircraft at U.S. bases in the south of Japan.
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07/25/2012
North Korea has placed several dozen combat helicopters near its sea border with South Korea, the Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday citing South Korean government sources. North Korea has deployed around 50 upgraded Russian-made helicopters on Baeknyeong Island in the West Sea since May.
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07/25/2012
The first MC-130J Commando II that will be converted to become an AC-130J Gunship is being built at the Lockheed Martin C-130 production facility here. The AC-130J will be equipped with a Precision Strike Package creating the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command’s newest gunship. Sixteen AC-130Js are planned with an Initial Operating Capability scheduled for 2015.
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07/25/2012
Boeing [NYSE: BA] has awarded contracts totaling nearly US$1.85 million to Australian companies Lovitt Technologies Australia and Ferra Engineering to manufacture parts and assemblies for the P-8A Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft. “Boeing continues to capture opportunities for value and growth through partnering with Australian suppliers,” said Ian Thomas, president of Boeing Australia & South Pacific.
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07/25/2012
Pilatus Aircraft has announced that the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) has awarded a contract to Pilatus for the procurement of a complete PC-21 Training System, consisting of a fleet of 24 PC-21 trainer aircraft, a suite of Ground Based Training System assets and an extensive logistics support and maintenance package.
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07/22/2012
The UK is the first country outside the US to receive these aircraft, and Mr Hammond announced that the MOD intends to order a fourth Lightning II aircraft next year to add to the three already on contract. The RAF and Royal Navy will conduct flight trials of the jets which will operate from land bases and from the sea.
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07/22/2012
Many countries that are partnering with the United States in the F-35 joint strike fighter program will have a role to play in the aircraft’s assembly, but the U.S. government will not decide which country does what, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said here today.
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07/22/2012
Twelve military personnel including six cadets were killed in a Brunei air force helicopter crash while flying home after jungle training, a spokesman said yesterday. The crash occurred Friday in Kuala Belait in the oil-rich sultanate on the island of Borneo.
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07/22/2012
Carrying five crew members, a U.S. Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon crashed in the Persian Gulf nation of Oman, approximately 60 miles southwest of Muscat on Thursday. Three crew members were injured and two previously reported as missing have been confirmed dead.
The aircraft and crew were conducting heavy lift support operations in the area. The helicopter was assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasure Squadron (HM) 15, based in Norfolk, Va.
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07/21/2012
The Navy is one year away from landing its first unmanned jet aircraft aboard a carrier after completing the most recent round of surrogate tests aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).
In early July, members from the Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) carrier integration team engaged in extensive software testing aboard Truman to validate the concept of autonomous UAV operations around an aircraft carrier and prepare for the X-47B unmanned aircraft’s arrival on a carrier next year.
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07/21/2012
The first of the UK's next generation stealth combat aircraft has yesterday been handed over to the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). At a ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond formally accepted the first of the jets, which will be known as Lightning II.
The aircraft are short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and are manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
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07/21/2012
DENEL, the state-owned arms company, was renegotiating the country’s purchase of Airbus A400M carriers after the collapse of an earlier contract for the aircraft, which were intended to play a crucial role in SA’s contribution to peacekeeping efforts in Africa, Denel Saab Aerostructures CEO Ismail Dockrat said yesterday.
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07/21/2012
Israel and Italy Thursday signed a $750 million agreement to provide the Italian Air Force with two early warning aircraft. The contract includes ground control stations and a "comprehensive logistical support package", Xinhua quoted the government-run Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) as saying.
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07/21/2012
A Russian cargo ship carrying a batch of Mi-25 attack helicopters and air defense systems for Syria has offloaded the aircraft in the Russian port of Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad region, a security source said on Friday. "The ship has unloaded," the source said. "These helicopters are now on the shore. A decision from Rosoboronexport on what to do with them is expected shortly."
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07/20/2012
Boeing on June 29 received a firm-fixed-price contract from U.S. Naval Air Systems Command for the production of nearly 90 Harpoon Block II missiles and associated hardware for the U.S. and four foreign militaries. The $145.1 million contract also includes exercise and test variants of the Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM ER). The first missile deliveries are scheduled for this August and contract work is expected to run through December 2013.
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07/19/2012
The United Kingdom accepted the first international Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft in a ceremony today with senior representatives of the U.K. Ministry of Defence and the U.S. Department of Defense. The Right Honourable Philip Hammond, U.K. Secretary of State for Defence, and Mr. Frank Kendall, U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, represented their governments.
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07/19/2012
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., and the U.S. Army today celebrated the delivery of the 500th H-60M BLACK HAWK helicopter. The deliveries to date comprise 400 UH-60M utility and 100 HH-60M MEDEVAC aircraft, the latter used exclusively as an air ambulance by the U.S. Army to rush wounded soldiers to field hospitals. Also included in the 500 are 73 UH-60M aircraft sold by the Army to six foreign militaries via the U.S. Government's Foreign Military Sales program.
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07/19/2012
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft represents the "future of tactical aviation" for U.S. and British forces, as Britain prepares to take delivery of its first test aircraft on Thursday in Fort Worth. The scheduled delivery at the Lockheed Martin plant in west Fort Worth shows there has been considerable progress made in the F-35 program, particularly in the past year, according to a report by Reuters new service.
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07/19/2012
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Thursday he is interested in buying Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E multirole fighter jets from Russia to enhance his country’s defense capabilities. “I have already sent a statement to the government of Russia that we are ready to consider buying in the next few years Su-35 fighters to modernize and enhance our defense powers,” Venezuela’s national radio quoted Chavez as saying.
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07/19/2012
Russian aircraft maker Irkut is planning a sensor-package upgrade program for the Yak-130 advanced jet trainer, including the installation of radar and electro-optical systems, Irkut head Alexei Fedorov said on Wednesday. "We plan to 'grow' the capabilities of this aircraft, fitting a radar and electro-optical, thermal and laser systems," Fedorov said. The upgrades are primarily to enable the aircraft to be used for advanced weapon training, he said, as well as combat roles.
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07/19/2012
The second Boeing P-8I aircraft for the Indian Navy completed its initial flight on July 12, taking off from Renton Field at 3:29 p.m. and landing two hours and 14 minutes later at Boeing Field in Seattle. The P-8I, a derivative of the Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 commercial airplane, is the second of eight long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft Boeing is building for India.
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07/17/2012
On July 11, a Colombian Air Force plane disappeared while on a mission in the Pacific province of Cauca, after taking off from the city of Cali earlier that afternoon. The wreckage was eventually found in the municipality of Jambalo, some 20 kilometers from Toribio, where fighting between the security forces and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has been raging for days.
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07/17/2012
With prices rising and schedules slipping for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Boeing says it is seeing a resurgent interest in the F-18 in U.S. foreign markets. The company is especially keen on potential international sales, says Mike Gibbons, vice president of F/A-18 & EA-18 programs for Boeing Military Aircraft. The company can leverage its global footprint to offer better deals to international customers.
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07/17/2012
The government has said it is confident there will not be a second U-turn on the type of fighter planes to be used on the navy's new aircraft carrier. In May, the coalition said it was changing from its proposed "catapult and trap" planes to jump jets. But newspaper reports say problems with the US-led Joint Strike Fighter project could force another change on the UK.
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07/17/2012
America has announced the deployment of a US carrier group to the Gulf as it moved to strengthen its forces surrounding Iran while simultaneously embarking on an diplomatic offensive to reassure Israel of its resolve in the Middle East.
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07/17/2012
This report is the result of ICD Research / Strategic Defence Intelligence's extensive market and company research covering the global military aviation MRO industry. It provides detailed analysis of both historic and forecast global industry values, factors influencing demand, the challenges faced by industry participants, analysis of the leading companies in the industry, and key news.
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07/17/2012
The Indian Navy's newest aircraft carrier, the Vikramaditya, has headed into the Barents Sea for second-stage sea trials, as part of its refit by Russia's Sevmash shipyard, Captain Vadim Serga of Russia's Northern Fleet information service said on Monday.
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07/15/2012
To escape the government he served until it gave him an order he could not obey, Capt. Akhmed Trad, a pilot in Syria’s air force, needed a plan: how to spirit himself over a border quickly, and leave no family behind.
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07/15/2012
A Philippine military aircraft confirmed Saturday that a Chinese naval frigate remains stranded in disputed waters of the South China Sea, a military spokesman said. The Chinese frigate and smaller craft were sighted by a Philippine Islander plane.
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07/15/2012
U.S. navy Capt. Rick Labranche streaks across the horizon at 1,000 kilometres an hour in his F-18 Hornet strike fighter. It has been 12 minutes since a catapult slung Labranche’s plane from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and Labranche is preparing to drop a pair of 225-kilogram bombs into the Indian Ocean’s two-metre swells.
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07/15/2012
If there was ever a one-stop shop for your aviation needs it was the Russian stands at last week's Farnborough International Airshow just outside London. From fighter jets and trainers to narrow-body airliners, executive helicopters to helicopter gunships, a resurgent Russian aerospace industry was out in force to catch the eyes - and the orders - of plane-buying air forces and airlines from around the world.
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07/14/2012
The Washington Free Beacon reports: Two Russian strategic nuclear bombers entered the U.S. air defense zone near the Pacific coast in early July 2012 and the combat aircraft were met by U.S. interceptor warplanes, most likely F-16’s, scrambled by NORAD at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado. This was twice now that Russia has dispatched “nuclear-capable bombers into the 322 kilometer zone surrounding U.S. territory in the past two weeks.”
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07/14/2012
Although the U.S. military is touting the safety of its MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft, media representatives wanting a demonstration ride first had to sign an unsettling form. We were asked to sign an agreement stating that we were fully aware of the risk of serious injury and death, and to provide an emergency contact number. Just in case. With this less than reassuring start, reporters were allowed to ride an MV-22 on July 12.
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07/14/2012
Airbus Military and MBDA have successfully completed the first flight of the C295 maritime patrol aircraft with an instrumented Marte MK2/S anti-ship inert missile installed under the wing. The flight was the first of a series of trials planned in a joint Airbus Military – MBDA collaboration to validate the aerodynamic integration of Marte on the C295. Subsequent flights will include handling qualities tests and aircraft flight performance tests.
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07/14/2012
The issue of Russian S-300 air-defense system delivery to Iran could still be resolved, an Iranian lawmaker said on Friday. Mohammad-Reza Mohseni-Sani said he hoped Moscow will finally fulfill its contractual obligation by delivering the system to Tehran and that Iran expects Russia will not support “unjust” UN Security Council sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The delivery of S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Iran is not against the UN sanctions imposed on the country, he added.
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07/14/2012
The General Staff of Turkey’s Armed Forces on Friday backed down from its previous claim that its fighter jet was downed last month by Syrian forces. “The actual cause of the incident will be established after the plane wreckage is raised from the seabed,” the General Staff said in a statement. "No traces of explosives or flammable products were found on the debris recovered from the sea."
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07/13/2012
The U.S. military aims to fly a full-scale rocket plane at 20 times the speed of sound by 2016, officials announced last week. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, laid out its plan to develop and test-fly the hypersonic vehicle in a press release issued Friday (July 6). The so-called X-plane would travel at Mach 20 — roughly 13,000 mph (20,900 kph) — allowing the military to reach any spot on the globe in less than an hour.
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07/13/2012
An emergency landing by a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey seems likely to further inflame opposition to deployment of the helicopter-plane hybrids to Japan, even though no one was injured. Marine Corps officials said the incident Monday afternoon came during a routine training flight. The crew landed the tilt-rotor aircraft as a "precautionary" measure at Wilmington International Airport in North Carolina, about 50 miles from its home base at Marine Corps Air Station New River.
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07/13/2012
The U.S. Air Force appears to be planning for a post-C-17 world with a new contract that would focus on maintaining the current fleet. Air Force officials say they plan to award Boeing Co. with a $500 million contract for post-production work of the Long Beach-assembled C-17 Globemaster III military cargo plane.
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07/13/2012
The Thales Group has announced two new military contracts -- one from the British Ministry of Defense and the other from Australia. The first award is a multimillion-dollar award from Britain to supply the first full-flight simulator for Airbus Military's A400M transport aircraft, which will be flown by the Royal Air Force. Thales, an Airbus partner, is the main supplier of the A400M's cockpit display systems.
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07/13/2012
Boeing Co. and Eurofighter are among aerospace companies revising their strategies to win military exports as shrinking weapons budgets in their home markets increase the importance of overseas contracts.
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07/13/2012
Bell Helicopter, a unit of Textron Inc, expects substantial growth in its commercial business in 2012 and sees stable orders in its military business despite cuts in U.S. military spending.
John Garrison, Bell's president and chief executive, said on Thursday he was upbeat about the outlook given strong commercial demand and continued work on three large U.S. military aircraft programs, which would provide stable orders.
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07/13/2012
Guerrilla group FARC claimed it has shot down a Colombian Air Force Super Tucano aircraft over the southwestern Cauca department on Wednesday evening. According to Colombian radio station Caracol, the aircraft was shot down over the Jambolo municipality during a military offensive against FARC rebels in the area. Both of the two crew members are believed to have died in the crash.
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07/13/2012
Boeing's new aircraft and innovative technologies attracted customers, partners, government officials and media at the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow. The show saw the first flying display of the innovative 787 Dreamliner in Qatar Airways livery and the new Enduring Awareness Pavilion, a display of advanced command, control, communication, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities.
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07/13/2012
The Boeing Company has received the first 10 new fuselages designed specifically for the AH-64D Apache Block III attack helicopter from long-time supplier Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). This milestone paves the way for delivery of the first Apache Block III aircraft with new fuselages next year.
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07/13/2012
The Airbus Military A400M final assembly line in Seville (Spain) has begun working on the first A400M for the Turkish Air Force. The integration of the wings and central wing-box for this aircraft, known as MSN9, began in mid-May while the integration of the nose and the fuselage started by the end of June.
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07/12/2012
Brazilian aircraft-maker Embraer has seen unprecedented success with its Super Tucano trainer plane which also doubles as an attack aircraft. In the last eight years, Embraer has sold 160 Super Tucano aircraft to 10 countries worth an estimated $2.25 billion making it the most successful aircraft of its type in the world today.
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07/12/2012
The US agency responsible for developing military technology has announced plans to design and build a hypersonic rocket launch aircraft by 2016. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) claims the vehicle, developed as part of the Integrated Hypersonics program, will have the capacity to be "anywhere in the world in under an hour". This is down to the proposed onboard booster rocket, which will be employed for some extra speed - and flare.
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07/12/2012
The Syrian Air Force has conducted military exercises involving fighter and attack aircraft, state-run Sana news agency reported. The drills were conducted Tuesday. Sana said they simulated "real battle conditions", and continued a series of military exercises which began during last weekend.
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07/12/2012
More than 25 countries have expressed interest in Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, including Singapore, which is still evaluating its options, and South Korea, which is due to pick a winner in its fighter competition by year's end, top Lockheed officials said on Wednesday.
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07/12/2012
Hawker Beechcraft Defense Company (HBDC) announced Jul. 9 that its worldwide fleet of Beechcraft T-6 military trainer aircraft exceeded 2 million flight hours in June.
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07/12/2012
The U.S. Navy’s top commander has publicly questioned the long-term benefits of stealth technology like that employed in the F-35 jet fighter, suggesting drones and other alternatives are the way of the future. The comments from Admiral Jonathan Greenert stand in sharp contrast to repeated Conservative government and Defence Department assertions about the overwhelming need for stealth in whatever aircraft replaces Canada’s CF-18s.
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07/12/2012
Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation and the Defense Ministry will prepare a framework agreement regulating Russia’s participation in international airshows.
The decision was made following a scandal over required paperwork and visa travel issues that prevented the Russian Knights aerobatic display team from participating in the ongoing Farnborough 2012 airshow near London.
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07/12/2012
Boeing's first P-8I aircraft for the Indian Navy began its official flight test program July 7, taking off from Boeing Field in Seattle at 9:15 a.m. and landing three hours and 49 minutes later after demonstrating flying qualities and handling characteristics. The flight went as planned with all test objectives met.
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07/12/2012
Airbus Military has obtained civil certification of the C295 transport in a move which responds to the evolving requirements of agencies and operators conducting humanitarian and other 'civic' operations. The new certification is awarded by Spain’s civil aviation authority AESA (Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea) confirms the C295’s compliance with the enhanced regulatory environment in this sector of the market.
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07/11/2012
On July 5, 2012, the French combat aircraft detachment, comprising a hundred airmen and three Mirage 2000D tactical fighters, conducted its last mission in Afghanistan before being withdrawn in the coming days. At 9:45 in the morning, the two Mirage 2000Ds flew on an escort mission in support of a coalition convoy in Farah province in western Afghanistan. The mission took place as planned, and the aircraft returned to base at around 14:00.
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07/11/2012
The Indonesian air force ordered eight A-29 Super Tucano high-performance military turboprop aircraft for light attack and tactical training from South American aircraft manufacturer Embraer S.A. in São José Dos Campos, Brazil. Embraer made the announcement Monday at the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, England.
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07/11/2012
Several countries are competing to become the first foreign buyer of the U.S. military's V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft, which flies like a plane but takes off and lands like a helicopter, according to the Marine Corps colonel who runs the program. Colonel Greg Masiello said officials from more than 12 countries, including eight air chiefs, got demonstration flights at the Farnborough International Airshow this week.
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07/11/2012
Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] F-35 program accrued the highest number of test points in a single month during June, an accomplishment indicative of the program’s ongoing maturation. Additionally, for the 18th consecutive month the F-35 test program remained ahead of plan. As of June 30, the F-35 Lightning II 5th Generation multirole fighter had conducted 595 test flights in 2012 versus a plan of 445 and accrued 4,830 test points against a plan of 3,901.
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07/11/2012
With the delivery of four Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft since June 29, an important milestone was achieved as the Department of Defense now possesses more operational-coded F-35s than test aircraft. A total of nine F-35s have been delivered for the year, giving the DOD a total of 30 aircraft fleet-wide. Of these, 16 are operational aircraft and 14 are test planes.
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07/11/2012
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has received a $23 million contract from the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) to provide additional Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP) for their F-16 fleet. In addition to the new Sniper pod deliveries, the contract also includes upgrades to the RAFO’s existing pods and support.
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07/11/2012
Embraer and Boeing today at the Farnborough Airshow announced an agreement that further enhances the collaboration between the two companies and brings additional capabilities to Embraer's A-29 Super Tucano through new weapons integration developments to meet future customer requirements.
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07/11/2012
The Boeing Company and Elbit Systems today at the Farnborough Airshow signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on the marketing and sales of Elbit Systems' Hermes 450 and 900 unmanned airborne system (UAS) product lines in the United States and select international countries.
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07/11/2012
Boeing today announced that it is offering a medium-sized Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA) to the global market. MSA builds on technologies developed for Boeing's larger Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms to provide a highly capable, low-risk and cost-effective ISR solution.
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07/11/2012
Raytheon's AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder air-to-air missile has been ordered by Morocco for integration with its 24 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters.
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07/10/2012
British Prime Minister David Cameron has unveiled a major sales push for the Eurofighter Typhoon armed with new weapons systems, with the Persian Gulf states of the United Arab Emirates and Oman as key targets. The Typhoon is built by the German and Spanish arms of European aerospace giant EADS, BAE Systems, Britain's leading defense contractor, and Italy's Finmeccanica.
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07/10/2012
Open-sea testing of the new Indian Navy aircraft carrier Vikramaditya and her primary weapons, in the form of MiG-29K/KUB deck fighters, means that the MiGs won’t be making appearance here at the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow. The ship has been bought from Russia to replace the former British-built HMS Hermes, which India acquired in 1986 and renamed Viraat.
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07/10/2012
Production of Pratt & Whitney’s F135 engines that power Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter is set to peak this year at 50 units before flattening out in the coming years as the U.S. defers deliveries of the new aircraft. According to Pratt & Whitney Military Engines president Bennett Croswell, the engine maker won’t have to substantially reduce its production rates in response to the slowdown, it will defer plans it had hatched to ramp up output that would have compensated for reduced rates of produ
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07/10/2012
The RAF's next generation military transport aircraft has officially been named Atlas at the Royal International Air Tattoo, which is taking place at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. The aircraft, which has until now been known as the A400M, will replace the RAF's existing C-130 Hercules fleet and, along with the Voyager and C-17, will provide the UK military's future air transport force.
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07/10/2012
Esterline CMC Electronics (CMC) will launch its new Cockpit 4000 NexGen technology demonstrator at the Farnborough Air Show. The Cockpit 4000 NexGen avionics suite is a configurable, fully integrated glass cockpit solution featuring a Large Area Display (LAD) with touchscreen technology. It is designed to enhance mission effectiveness and provide cross-platform training flexibility for advanced military trainers, ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) and light attack aircraft.
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07/10/2012
United Technologies Corp on Monday announced that its Sikorsky Aircraft unit had signed a five-year, $8.5 billion contract to build 653 H-60 Black Hawk and Seahawk helicopters for the U.S. Army and Navy. The contract includes options for up to 263 more aircraft that would increase the value of the contract to $11.7 billion if exercised. Actual production quantities will be determined year-by-year based on funding allocations set by Congress and Pentagon acquisition priorities, the company said.
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07/10/2012
Lockheed Martin has signed an agreement authorizing Marshall Aerospace to become the world’s first commercial company to install C-130 Center Wing Boxes (CWB). Marshall Aerospace is also the first C-130J Heavy Maintenance Centre (HMC) in the world.
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07/10/2012
The initial ground shelter for a vigilant “Dragon Shield” has been delivered to the Finnish Air Force by Lockheed Martin. The ground system will support a CASA C-295 aircraft that Lockheed Martin is modifying to accommodate an advanced surveillance system for the Finnish Air Command.
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07/10/2012
Oman has selected the General Electric F110-GE-129D for the 12 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 50 fighters it ordered last year. Deliveries are due to begin next year. The order was for ten single seat and a pair of two-seaters. The Oman force already operates F-16s with a further 12 in service.
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07/09/2012
Rise in temperature triggering snow melt in the mountains have revived hopes of locating the wreckage of the plane that reportedly exploded in air during nocturnal combat exercise. Two planes had left Adampur air base in Jalandhar on October 18, last year. While one came back safely, the other plane went missing.
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07/08/2012
Raytheon Company successfully demonstrated a wireless method of integrating its combat-proven Enhanced Paveway™ II precision-guided bomb on the French Navy RAFALE aircraft. Called WiPAK®, the avionics kit enables integration of Paveway on a variety of aircraft without any modifications to aircraft wiring or changes to the flight and stores management software.
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07/08/2012
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has another high-tech project in the works, according to an agency press release. The same agency whose stealth technology in the 1970s and 1980s led to the world’s most advanced radar-evading aircraft will once again flex its muscles to give a strategic national security advantage to the United States. DARPA says that to restore a military advantage to the U.S. it will need invest in hypersonic technologies.
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07/08/2012
South Korea’s primary defense acquisition agency, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), announced that evaluations would begin next week to select the winning bid in the competition for a $7.3 billion contract for 60 advanced fighter aircraft. Previously submitted bids from three defense contractors were found to be lacking relevant details and were resubmitted, at South Korea’s request, on 5 July.
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07/08/2012
Irkut is pursuing its ambition of capturing a 10-percent share in the world market for narrowbody airliners by funding its new MC-21 twinjet largely from funds earned from fighter sales. The Russian airframer now claims a 15-percent share of Russia’s overall military exports by value.
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07/08/2012
Geopolitical shifts including regime-change in Libya, the stiffening of international sanctions against Iran and violent unrest in Syria, are among the trends compelling Russian military export agency Rosoboronexport to keep looking for new clients worldwide. This is, to a large degree, one of its primary motives for exhibiting at the Farnborough International Airshow.
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07/07/2012
Malaysia is considering five competing bids, including a reported RM12 billion deal with UK-based BAE Systems, to replace its 10 Russian-made MiG fighter jets delivered 17 years ago.
BAE was reported in March to be “bullish” about securing the Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) replacement deal, but Defence Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi today said, “Everyone says they are bullish.”
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07/07/2012
Hirokazu Nakaima, governor of Japan’s Okinawa prefecture, has been making headlines this summer for his persistent calls to cancel the United States' planned deployment of 24 MV-22 Osprey aircraft to its Futenma base due to concerns over the aircraft’s safety record.
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07/07/2012
The Italian Defense Ministry is buying a high-resolution optical reconnaissance satellite from Israel as part of an offset package agreed to in exchange for the Israeli Defense Ministry’s purchase of Italian trainer aircraft, according to industry officials.
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07/07/2012
Not long ago, a thick cloud of rumors settled on the new, much-talked-about IDF [Israel Defense Forces] acquisition of 20 F-35's, a fighter plane known as the Stealth produced by the American Lockheed Martin Company. There were rumors regarding production slowdowns and delays of the F-35, known as the “fifth generation fighter plane” (in contrast to the Israeli fourth-generation F-16's). The fear is that they will reach Israel very late — too late to serve the IDF in coping with future challenge
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07/07/2012
Air Combat Command's senior airman completed F-22 Raptor pilot qualification recently, reinforcing his personal stake in the Air Force's efforts to identify the root cause of unexplained physiological incidents involving a small number of Raptor crews.
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07/07/2012
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Friday vowed to meet his agency’s goal to approve the contracts of 138 military modernization projects by the end of the month. Speaking during the 65th anniversary of the Air Force here, Gazmin said the Armed Forces’ upgrade program is “in full swing” and that efforts are underway to equip troops.
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07/07/2012
Poland was in the news in Europe and Asia this week for acquisition of aircraft and delivery of others. Spain-based Airbus Military reported that the Polish air force had signed a contract for five C295 transports. The Ministry of Defense of Brunei Darussalam, meanwhile, reported that PZL Mielec, the Polish subsidiary of Sikorsky, had completed the construction of several S-70i baseline Black Hawk helicopters that the country had ordered.
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07/07/2012
It's America versus Europe again in the latest battle for a giant, multibillion-dollar international order for fighter jets. South Korea is looking to replace some of its older warplanes with more modern machines, and has selected Boeing (NYSE: BA), Lockheed Martin and EADS (Paris: EAD) Eurofighter as finalists, the Korea Times reported.
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07/07/2012
The Canadian arm of the aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney closed a six-year U.S. government probe last week by admitting that it helped China produce its first modern attack helicopter, a serious violation of U.S. export laws that drew a multimillion dollar fine.
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07/07/2012
The titans of the global aerospace industry will converge Monday at the Farnborough International Airshow, ready to talk shop and wow the crowds with impressive flying displays of the latest in civil and military aircraft. But inside the sprawling maze of corporate chalets and exhibition halls in Hampshire, England, the pace of deal making at the show — the world’s biggest aviation bazaar — is likely to be more subdued than in recent years.
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07/06/2012
Taiwan will send back a proposal by the United States to overhaul the country's aging F-16 A/B jet fighters to seal the arms sales deal by the end of next week, Taiwan's military said Thursday. The Ministry of National Defense has recently completed its review of the letter detailing a retrofit package for Taiwan's 145 F-16A/B fighters, and will send back a reply to the U.S. by mid-July, the military told CNA.
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07/06/2012
The Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet jet fighter-bomber and the U.S. Marine Corps V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft are among the aircraft scheduled to make flight demonstrations during the Farnborough International Airshow from 9 to 13 July in Farnborough, England.
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07/06/2012
Russia's Aviastar aircraft plant has completed the first flying prototype of the Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A transport aircraft and sent it off for test-flights, the plant's general director, Sergei Dementyev, said on Thursday. The plant has built two of the modernized aircraft, he said.
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07/06/2012
The Russian Knights, one of the world’s best aerobatic teams, missed on Thursday the planned deadline for their departure to the British airshow in Farnborough over the lack of Russian bureaucratic paperwork, a source from the team said. The move could be an implicit answer to Britain stalling on visas for Russian participants of the show in punishment for Russia supporting the Syrian government, Russian media reported earlier.
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07/06/2012
Newsagency Reuters has reported that the Airbus A400M has pulled out of the flying display at next week's Farnborough Airshow due to continued engine problems. The move repeats a decision at last year's Paris Airshow, but is not expected to disrupt plans to deliver it to its first customer, France, around the end of the year.
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07/05/2012
The United States is moving ahead with plans to deploy its first Osprey military transport aircraft to Japan, despite strong opposition from residents over safety issues following two recent crashes, officials said Wednesday. The first 12 Ospreys left San Diego on a ship bound for Japan on Sunday. They will be assembled at a Marine base in the city of Iwakuni before being deployed to the southern island of Okinawa, which has a large and often sensitive U.S. military presence.
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07/05/2012
Taiwan's Air Force will formally commission three search-and-rescue helicopters purchased from Europe to beef up its disaster response capabilities at a ceremony July 10, the military said recently. The advanced EC-225 Super Puma helicopters, which Eurocopter delivered to Taiwan's military last November, will be the first Europe-made choppers to be incorporated into the Air Force's rescue squadron.
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07/05/2012
The bodies of two Turkish pilots of a jet downed by Syria in the Mediterranean Sea were found on Wednesday, the Hurriyet daily reported. Pilot Cpt. Gokhan Ertan and pilot Lt. Hasan Huseyin Aksoy had been missing since their RF-4 plane was shot down by Syria on June 22.
The bodies were located at a depth of 1,260 meters.
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07/05/2012
Samara-based AVIACOR aircraft maker will build six Antonov An-140-100 light transport planes under a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry by the end of 2012, the regional government said on Wednesday. The An-140-100 was developed by Russia's Antonov design bureau as a replacement for the An-24 and An-26 series aircraft. It can carry up to 6 metric tons of cargo to a range of over 2,000 kilometers, and can be used for patrol, military transport and spec-ops missions.
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07/05/2012
Russia’s Yakovlev Yak-130 Mitten trainer/light attack aircraft will be showcased for the first time at the Farnborough International Air Show as part of a large Russian exhibit. About 55 Russian companies, including 19 defense industry firms, will take part in the airshow near London on July 9-15 to exhibit the latest achievements in the Russian aircraft industry.
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07/04/2012
The atmosphere in the Dubai air show briefing room in November 2011 was electric. Journalists occupied every seat and photographers squeezed into the back of the room. Also present were a dozen senior Pakistan air force officials, who were forced to stand along one wall, as well as several Chinese executives in business suits.
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07/04/2012
Two RAF Tornado jets crashed Tuesday on Scotland's coast, leaving two British airmen missing after two others were plucked from the sea by helicopter. It was not clear if the jets crashed into each other. The search for the two missing airmen and the wreckage was continuing, British officials said.
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07/04/2012
In response to a flight of three Syrian military helicopters near Turkish border, a Turkish 2XF-16 military aircraft carried out a control flight over territory of Turkish Province of Hatay, which borders with Syria, the Sabah newspaper quotes Turkish General Staff's website as reporting on Tuesday.
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07/04/2012
The German air force's Fighter Wing 74 (JG74) brought eight of its Eurofighter combat aircraft to a Red Flag-Alaska exercise at Eielson AFB in Alaska during June, representing its first ever such deployment.
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07/04/2012
Despite a cooling off in relations between Russia and NATO countries, neither party has refused taking part in joint military programs. One such program is the regular aerial combat training exercise of the US Air Force and its allies, called “Red Flag”. The next exercise is scheduled for October 2012.
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07/04/2012
The United States has quietly moved significant military reinforcements into the Persian Gulf to deter the Iranian military from any possible attempt to shut the Strait of Hormuz and to increase the number of fighter jets capable of striking deep into Iran if the standoff over its nuclear program escalates.
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07/03/2012
Among a broad range of topics to be addressed by Indonesian and Australian leaders in Darwin this week, the two nations will discuss the Australian government’s plan to grant military aircraft and cooperation on disaster mitigation and transnational crime. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he would discuss the grant for Hercules C-130 military transport planes at a meeting to be held on Monday afternoon.
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07/03/2012
Aircraft maker Airbus said Monday Poland has ordered five Airbus Military C295 aircraft, increasing its fleet to 16 aircraft.
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07/03/2012
We are now seeing Russian and Chinese "stealth" aircraft appear, at least in prototype form. The Chinese have prototypes of the J-20 large fighter bomber, which looks as if it may enter service with the Chinese Air Force in 2018. In a recently published report on Chinese military power, the US Department of Defense wrote that the J-20 shows "China's ambition to produce a fighter aircraft that incorporates stealth attributes, advanced avionics and supercruise capable engines.
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07/03/2012
The Philippines may ask the United States to deploy spy planes over the South China Sea to help monitor the disputed waters, President Benigno Aquino told Reuters on Monday, a move that could worsen tensions with its giant neighbor China. The two countries only recently stepped back from a months-long standoff at the Scarborough Shoal, a horseshoe shaped reef near the Philippines in waters they both claim - the latest round of naval brinkmanship over the resource-rich sea.
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07/03/2012
Eurocopter continues its U.S. tour of the X3 high-speed hybrid helicopter today in Huntsville, Ala., where the aircraft will perform the first of several flight demonstrations for military leaders and aviators in several locations across the country. The X3 will demonstrate its unique flight characteristics, which include a cruise speed of 200 knots, high rates of climb and executing high-speed maneuvers that are not routine for conventional rotary-wing aircraft.
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07/03/2012
Russia exported over $6.5 billion worth of military equipment in the first half of 2012, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday. “Exports of Russian weaponry exceeded $6.5 billion, registering a 14% increase year-on-year,” Putin said at a meeting of the Committee on Military-Industrial Cooperation. Putin said Russian annual arms exports doubled over six years from $6 billion in 2005 to over $13 billion in 2011.
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07/03/2012
The Russian Air Force may receive its first PAK DA next generation long-range bomber about 2020 instead of 2025 as initially planned, Russia’s acting deputy Air Force commander, Major General Alexander Chernyayev, has said. “I think the first models of the Prospective Air Complex for Long Range Aviation (PAK DA) will be supplied to the Air Force approximately by 2020,” Chernyayev said in an interview published on the Russian Defense Ministry website late last week.
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07/02/2012
Despite concerns about U.S.-made drones ending up in enemy hands, American military contractors are lobbying the government to loosen export restrictions and open up foreign markets to the unmanned aircraft that have reshaped modern warfare. Companies such as Northrop Grumman Corp.and other arms makers are eager to tap a growing foreign appetite for high-tech — and relatively cheap — drones, already being sold on the world market by countries such as Israel and China.
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07/02/2012
With the threat of a mass protest, the governor of Okinawa on Sunday rejected a US plan to deploy Osprey military aircraft on the sub-tropic Japanese island chain amid safety concerns.
"We have no choice but to reject it if they forcibly bring in something which is questioned over its safety," Okinawa governor Hirokazu Nakaima told Japanese Defence Minister Satoshi Morimoto, according to Japanese media.
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07/02/2012
Turkey's armed forces command said on Sunday it had scrambled a total of six F-16 fighter jets in three separate incidents responding to Syrian military helicopters approaching the border on Saturday, but there was no violation of Turkish airspace.
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07/02/2012
“This weapon is perfect for close-quarters combat, house to house,” the Russian arms dealer explains, gently passing a silencer-equipped assault rifle, the AK-104, to the official from Syria, who brings the gun’s sight level with his eye and aims it across pavilion C3 of Russia‘s semi-annual arms bazaar.
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07/02/2012
Estonia is worried over defense spending cuts by NATO member states, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said on Wednesday. “Allied spending, required to maintain NATO’s defense capability, is a matter of trust in the organization,” Ilves told Knud Bartels,chairman of NATO 's Military Committee, on a two day visit in Tallinn.
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07/01/2012
The Indian Air Force will spend over Rs 2,900 crore for acquiring 75 trainer aircraft from the Swiss manufacturer, Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. The move is to replace the ageing Kiran aircraft. Stating this, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne said the deal, finalised two months ago, involves purchase of 75 Pilatus PC-7 aircraft. It will help in imparting better training to the IAF cadets, he told newspersons at the Dundigal Air Force Station today.
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07/01/2012
India’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) has completed weapons trials in preparation for its operational clearance before the end of this year. The single-seat, single-engine supersonic fighter also underwent flight trials in the western desert state of Rajasthan, a defense ministry official says.
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07/01/2012
For all the buzz about the U.S.’ disappointment after New Delhi ejected Washington from the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender competition, it would appear that 2012 is the year of intensified efforts by the Pentagon to deepen its defence ties with India.
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07/01/2012
With heated talk of foreign military intervention in Syria rising, it makes sense to take time for a calm comparison of the forces arrayed against one another in the Middle East. After all, the process of determining the future of the country is drawing interest from numerous, heavily armed powers, both within the region and without.
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07/01/2012
The U.S. military is preparing for the maiden flight of a football-field-size airship laden with surveillance gear designed to do the work of a dozen drones—and destined for Afghanistan.
The experimental craft, known as the Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle, or LEMV, is designed to loiter over combat zones for weeks at a time, outfitted with high-tech sensors that can intercept phone calls, shoot full-motion video or track the movement of insurgents.
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07/01/2012
A new long-range missile for Russia’s formidable S-400 air defense system will soon enter service, chief-of-staff of Russia’s Air and Missile Defense Command Maj. Gen. Andrei Demin said on Thursday. “A long-range missile for S-400 has passed all trials and will soon be delivered to air defense units,” Demin told RIA Novosti without specifying the model.
(Read More...)
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