September 22, 2012 Military Aviation News
09/22/2012
China's unveiling of a second low-observable (LO) or stealthy fighter, a Shenyang product possibly designated J-31, followed the same pattern as the revelation of the Chengdu J-20 at the end of 2010: Photos were leaked via the Internet on the eve of a U.S. defense secretary's visit to Beijing. The not-too-subtle message, as the U.S. follows through with its plans to shift air and naval forces to the Pacific region, is that China's own military modernization is not slowing down.
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09/22/2012
Within two days of getting safety clearance of the Japanese government to fly over the country, the first batch of a controversial U.S. military aircraft carried out test flights at an American base in Japan on Friday. Four gray-painted U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft took off from the Marines' Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi prefecture, two each in the morning and afternoon, reports said. No trouble was noticed in the maiden flights, which were on cruise mode.
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09/22/2012
A source close to the BDF says the aircraft were grounded last year because they were considered unsafe for continued use. Among the grounded aircraft are F5 fighter jets and transporters, including the massive C 130 and the Super King Air 200. According to the source, at present, the only aircraft in use are utility helicopters and a small fleet of PC-7 MK2 trainer aircraft that were bought last year.
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09/22/2012
India expects to finalize the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal by March 2013, according to the country's air force chief, N.A.K. Browne. "The negotiations are absolutely on with Dassault Aviation," Browne says. "We hope that at least this financial year [which runs through March 2013], we should be able to finish the negotiations and finalize the deal" for 126 Rafale fighters. After a global competition, the Rafale beat out the other finalist, the Eurofighter Typhoon.
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09/22/2012
The overhauled airfield at the Russian air base in Kyrgyzstan will be able to accommodate Russian strategic bombers in six months, but their deployment in the Central Asian state needs thorough consideration, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said. “Technically, we will complete the reconstruction [of the runway at the Kant airbase] in half a year,” Serdyukov told reporters on Friday.
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09/22/2012
The Russian Air Force’s first Su-30SM advanced fighter jet made its first flight on Friday, the manufacturer said. “The flight lasted for two hours and went smoothly,” the Irkut corporation said. The Su-30SM is a specialized version of the thrust-vectoring Su-30MKI for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions.
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09/22/2012
Uganda is in talks with Russian state arms export company Rosoboronexport over an option purchase of six more Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighter jets, the company's Deputy Director Alexander Mikheyev said on Friday at an arms exhibition in South Africa.
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