November 23, 2012 Military Aviation News

Turkey to Begin Attack Helicopter Production Next Year

11/23/2012

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the Turkish defense industry will begin producing attack helicopters next year. Erdogan says mass production of Turkey's indigenous T-129 attack helicopters will begin in 2013 as part of the country's program to expand domestic production of military equipment.

Danish Officials Browse Candidates for New Fighter

11/23/2012

Danish military officials crisscrossed the U.S. last week in a major step toward restarting competition for the country’s fighter replacement program. On Nov. 12, the delegation visited Boeing’s facility in St. Louis to see the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Nov. 13 and 14 were spent on meetings in Washington before traveling to a Nov. 15 meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, where the group got a firsthand look at Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program.

Russian Officials Reveal J-31 Engine and Describe Sales to China

11/23/2012

China’s recently flown second stealth fighter is powered by a pair of Russian-supplied Klimov RD-93 turbofans, AIN has learned. A large model of the design, which has been dubbed the J-31 in unofficial reports, was on display at Airshow China in Zhuhai last week, labeled as “an advanced multi-role fighter for the international defense market.” Russian officials at the show described the supply of military turbofans to China in some detail.

Advanced Fighters

11/23/2012

If one were to classify modern advanced fighters in the order of performance, fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFAs) would clearly lead the pack. They represent a class of their own. However, technologies involved are so advanced and resources required so substantial that so far only the United States has been able to field a state-of-the- art operational fifth generation fighter in its F-22, the Raptor.

Czech military plane with 1 person aboard crashes near Prague, killing the pilot

11/23/2012

Czech officials say a military plane has crashed near Prague, killing the pilot, who was the only person onboard. Military spokeswoman Jana Ruzickova says the L-159 crashed Thursday at 5.24 p.m. (1624 GMT) west of Kolin, a town 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of the capital, Prague. Ruzickova says the pilot was the only person on board. She declined to give any more details.

Marine Corps forms new fighter jet squadron

11/23/2012

The Marine Corps is forming the first squadron of pilots to fly the next-generation strike fighter jet, months after lawmakers raised concern that there was a rush to end the testing of the aircraft that has had technical problems. So far, two veteran pilots of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing have been trained to fly the F-35B. They are becoming the first members of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 that will debut Tuesday at a ceremony at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz.

2 military planes collide in Venezuela, killing pilot

11/23/2012

Two military airplanes on Thursday collided in midair at the Libertador Air Base in Palo Negro, the Venezuelan state of Aragua, killing one of the pilots, a government official said. Preliminary reports said the collision took place at noon local time while the two planes were practicing for an air show scheduled for November 27. Minister of Communication and Information Ernesto Villegas later confirmed the death of a pilot via Twitter.

Russian Troops Get Six Pantsir-S Air Defense Systems

11/23/2012

Six Pantsir-S short-range air defense systems were handed over to air defense units of Russia’s eastern military district, the head of air defense troops of Russia's Air Forces, Viktor Gumenny, said on Friday. He said that all air and air defence forces commands in Russia will be equipped with the new system. The Defense Ministry has so far ordered 100 Pantsir-S units for Russia’s Aerospace Defense Forces, which are expected to be delivered in the next few years.

Irkut Delivers First Su-30SM Fighters to Russian Air Force

11/23/2012

Aircraft maker Irkut delivered the first two Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter aircraft to the Russian Air Force on Thursday, the company said. Flight testing of the multirole fighter jet began around two months ago, following the first flight of the Su-30SM on September 21, Irkut said.

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