February, 2013 Military Aviation News
02/28/2013
America's military superiority is founded on training and readiness, and the fiscal crisis facing the country threatens to strip away that edge, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Congress Feb. 26.
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02/28/2013
The federal government should scrap its involvement in the $US570 billion ($A560 billion) US joint strike fighter (JSF) program, the Australian Greens say. Australia is considering whether to buy up to 100 of the F-35 fighters from the US. It has so far purchased two and deferred the acquisition of the next tranche of 12 for two years.
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02/28/2013
The senior US military officer in charge of the controversial Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program says Australia will receive JSF aircraft on schedule at a cost of about $US90 million ($A88.42 million) each. Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan said Australia's plan was to declare initial operational capability with 12 JSFs in 2020.
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02/28/2013
Japan is confident Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT)’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will overcome its development setbacks and expects to accept an initial order of four planes on schedule in 2016, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said. “Problems tend to occur when a plane is in development,” Onodera said today in an interview at his office in Tokyo. “We have heard nothing from the U.S. to say there will be a delay. We think the end result will be a good product.”
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02/28/2013
As other airshows are canceled, preparations continue for Battle Creek’s high flying summer festival. “Its business as normal,” said Barbara Haluszka, executive director of Battle Creek’s Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival. “Even without the (U.S. Air Force) Thunderbirds, we will still have an event.”
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02/28/2013
Asserting that middlemen in defence deals provide "extra potential" for corruption, Russia, one of India's biggest defence partners, has said there should be no role for such people when military contracts are being negotiated and signed. The remarks by Russia came amidst a ranging controversy over alleged kickbacks and role of middlemen in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP helicopter deal with an Italian firm Finmeccanica.
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02/28/2013
European Aeronautic Defense & Space, the parent company of Airbus, reported on Wednesday a 19 percent increase in net profit for 2012, propelled by sales of commercial jets and helicopters, while its military business continued to struggle as budget pressures squeezed U.S. and European defense spending.
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02/28/2013
Pilot error was the reason two Canadian CF-18 Hornet fighter jets scrambled to intercept a Sunwing Airlines flight near Quebec City, after the Toronto-bound aircraft lost contact with air traffic control for more than an hour, a CTV News investigation has learned. The jets were under the command of NORAD, the military command responsible for the defence of North American airspace.
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02/28/2013
The U.S. Department of Defense has issued a $427 million contract to a Nevada plane manufacturer for construction of military aircraft in Jacksonville. Sierra Nevada Corp. of Sparks, Nev., partnered with Brazilian plane maker Embraer to build fighter aircraft for the U.S. Air Force in 2011. A Defense Department contract awarded to Sierra Nevada was voided last year in a dispute over the bidding process with Hawker Beechcraft for the plane contract.
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02/28/2013
Members of Congress will not be allowed to travel by military aircraft once the forced spending cuts set to take effect on Friday kick in, House Speaker John Boehner told Republican members at a meeting Wednesday afternoon.
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02/27/2013
America’s military superiority is founded on training and readiness, and the fiscal crisis facing the country threatens to strip away that edge, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Congress today.
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02/27/2013
Spending cuts under consideration by the U.K. government threaten an 11 billion-pound ($16.7 billion) hole in the defense budget, a research organization said. “If the 2013 spending review leads to further defense spending cuts, the extent of the prospective gap between planned spending and available resources could be significant,” Malcolm Chalmers, research director at the Royal United Services Institute, said in a report published in London today.
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02/27/2013
The Indian Air Force lost another of its Russian made Su-30MKI jet fighters on February 20th. This is the fourth loss since 2009. Two years ago the commander of the Indian Air Force took an hour-long flight in one of India's Su-30MKI to reassure Indian pilots that the Su-30MKI was safe. Two had crashed in 2009 due to mechanical failures and there were widely publicized reliability problems with the engines and many of the other Russian designed and built components of the aircraft.
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02/27/2013
The days of Top Gun fighter pilots in tight flying suits and Ray Bans might be numbered, as support grows for unmanned combat aircraft to lead future air wars. Defence Minister Stephen Smith yesterday revealed that unmanned combat aerial vehicles were under active consideration by the government.
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02/27/2013
You don't have to be an aviation enthusiast to appreciate the mid-air stunt shows that headline the world's biggest and best air shows. Dozens of such events take place each year around the globe, and we've scoped out the best of the bunch.
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02/27/2013
As Boeing continues to address a series of problems related to the use of lithium-ion batteries in its Dreamliner fleet, the Pentagon has announced that it will continue to use the power source as part of its F-35 fighter jet program.
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02/27/2013
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the main research arm of the military, just released some details of a new experimental aircraft program "to develop the next generation of vertical flight." DARPA hopes the Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) X-Plane can go beyond the current offerings, such as the V-22 Osprey.
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02/27/2013
Federal budget cuts may prevent military aircraft from flying in the Thunder Over Louisville air show, prompting local officials to sign up more civilian air acts to fill out the April 20 event. In past years, the military has contributed more than 50 fighter jets, helicopters, cargo planes and others to the popular air show. But the sequester’s automatic military cuts are threatening events around the nation, including canceling the Indianapolis Air Show scheduled for June.
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02/27/2013
Boeing's liquid hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye unmanned airborne system completed its second flight Feb. 25, demonstrating capabilities that will allow it to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions for up to four days without refueling. During the flight, at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Phantom Eye climbed above an altitude of 8,000 feet and remained aloft for 66 minutes at a cruising speed of 62 knots before landing.
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02/27/2013
Four operational flight trainers built by Boeing [NYSE: BA] are up and running at Naval Air Station Pensacola (Fla.), allowing the U.S. Navy to shift some training for its T-45 aircraft to the ground and thereby improve safety and save money. The flight simulators use high-fidelity, state-of-the-art visuals to train naval flight officers (NFO) on the ground, saving time and freeing up the aircraft for live flight instruction.
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02/26/2013
After more than 50 years of service and 22,500 flying hours, the first operational KC-135R Stratotanker retired from service, Feb. 21, 2013. The aircraft made one last high-speed pass on the runway before heading to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., better known as the "Boneyard," where Air Force aircraft go to provide parts to satisfy critical supply needs without any major holds.
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02/26/2013
Pratt & Whitney expects to test a new adaptive fan design for its version of the US Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) adaptive engine technology development (AETD) variable cycle engine programme within the next 30 days, a top company official says."Our AETD configuration features an adaptive fan," says Bennett Croswell, president of P&W military engines. "It's a three-stream fan and our initial test of that piece is coming up in about a month."
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02/26/2013
This year’s second grounding of Lockheed Martin Corp’s F-35 warplane, plus looming U.S. defence cuts, will complicate a push this week by Lockheed and U.S. officials to convince Australian lawmakers and generals to stick to a plan to buy 100 of the jets. Australia, a close American ally, is considering doubling its fleet of 24 Boeing Co F/A-18 Super Hornets amid delays and setbacks in Lockheed’s $396 billion F-35 project.
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02/26/2013
Most of 800,000 Department of Defense civilian employees will see their work weeks shortened and their pay cut by 20 percent from late April through September if Congress, as expected, fails to stop $46 billion in indiscriminate defense budget cuts set to take effect March 1.
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02/26/2013
Beechcraft today announced it plans to display its T-6C military trainer Feb. 26 through March 3 at the 2013 Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (Avalon) in Geelong, Victoria. Additionally, the company will exhibit a Beechcraft King Air 350i turboprop at the nearby Hawker Pacific static display TA16-18.
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02/26/2013
Two out of the six Sukhoi Su-30 MK2 jet fighters ordered by the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) arrived at Sultan Hasanuddin Air Force Base in Makassar late on Friday evening. A spokesman from the base, Maj. Muliadi, said on Saturday the two jet fighters were part of an order of six Su-30 MK2s arriving in batches. “The remaining four jet fighters will arrive in June and July,” he said.
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02/26/2013
Ghostly illusions could one day help disguise military aircraft for greater stealth, researchers say. In the last eight years or so, scientists have discovered cloaking devices are possible, which can bend and twist light completely around objects, rendering them invisible. Cloaking devices that work against other kinds of waves are possible as well, such as the acoustic waves used in sonar.
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02/26/2013
Lockheed Martin has completed the 400th Common Cockpit™ avionics suite for the U.S. Navy’s MH-60 Seahawk helicopter program. The digital cockpit will be installed aboard the first of 24 MH-60R (Romeo) anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare helicopters to be acquired by the Royal Australian Navy via the U.S. Government’s Foreign Military Sales program.
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02/26/2013
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] today announced its media briefing schedule for the 2013 Avalon International Airshow and Aerospace & Defense Exposition in Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
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02/26/2013
The new Arrow 3 interceptor, which Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) are co-developing to enhance Israel's ballistic missile defense, today successfully completed its first flight test. Arrow 3 is the next-generation interceptor for the Arrow Weapon System jointly developed by Israel and the United States. It can be launched earlier and engage threats at higher altitudes outside the Earth's atmosphere than previous interceptors.
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02/25/2013
More than 2,000 years back, Sun Tzu, the author of the Art of War wrote, “For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill; to subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.” If I was a Chinese general and keen to defeat India without combating, do you know what I would do? I would provide ‘proofs’ that foreign arms dealers have corrupted some Indian officials or politicians by paying hefty ‘commissions’.
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02/25/2013
The U.S. Navy has had two aircraft carriers steaming in Middle Eastern waters for most of the past three years. And despite warnings from the Navy that maintaining the two-carrier presence there over an extended period could have drastic effects on the fleet, they stayed for one simple reason: a general believed they were necessary.
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02/25/2013
The Indian Air Force (IAF) didn’t take any chances guarding President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister A K Antony at Pokhran in Rajasthan where the trio had gone to witness the IAF combat exercise codenamed ‘Iron Fist’. For three hours on February 22, a fully-armed IAF Su-30MKI combat plane kept a tight but unobtrusive combat-mode vigil over here.
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02/25/2013
In the latest setback to the already-overbudget Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme, the Pentagon grounded the entire fleet while it investigated a potentially devastating tear in the engine of a US Air Force jet. Among the 51 aircraft suspended from flying were two British fighters, which are currently undergoing testing at an American base in Florida.
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02/25/2013
Iran's Revolutionary Guard denied claims Sunday that it had brought downed a foreign surveillance drone on its soil, just hours after state media reported the aircraft's capture. The official Islamic Republic News Agency had initially broken news of the apparent seizure of a unmanned drone on Saturday, quoting an army general as stating: "We have managed to bring down a drone of the enemy. This has happened before in our country."
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02/24/2013
BAE Systems has said it has received a contract valued at nearly $23m to provide F-16 support equipment, test systems, and spares to the government of Oman. The European defence firm said the contract continues the its strong global position to deliver the right systems and expertise to support F-16 aircraft operated by US allies.
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02/24/2013
Hundreds of civilian U.S. Department of Defense workers in the Keys face a 20 percent reduction in pay if Congress and the White House don't reach a budget deal by the end of next week. If no agreement is in place by March 1, the oft-talked-about sequestration kicks in - $1.2 trillion in across-the-board government spending cuts over the next 10 years. One of the ways to achieve these reductions is unpaid furlough days for federal employees.
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02/24/2013
A new global campaign to persuade nations to ban "killer robots" before they reach the production stage is to be launched in the UK by a group of academics, pressure groups and Nobel peace prize laureates. Robot warfare and autonomous weapons, the next step from unmanned drones, are already being worked on by scientists and will be available within the decade, said Dr Noel Sharkey, a leading robotics and artificial intelligence expert and professor at Sheffield University.
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02/24/2013
When the chief executive of French vehicle maker Nexter met with the deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, he got a surprising remark about his company’s offer to sell 700 armored vehicles to the Arabian Gulf country. “Give me your best price,” Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan reportedly said to Philippe Burtin on the first day of the International Defense Exhibition & Conference (IDEX), which finished last week.
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02/24/2013
AUSTRALIA'S $16 billion program to buy the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) has suffered another blow, with the US suspending all test flights after a crack was found on a turbine blade of a test plane during a routine inspection.
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02/24/2013
Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saturday that it had captured a foreign unmanned aircraft during a military exercise in southern Iran. Gen. Hamid Sarkheili, a spokesman for the military exercise, said the Guard’s electronic warfare unit spotted signals indicating that foreign drones were trying to enter Iranian airspace. Sarkheili said Guard experts took control of one drone’s navigation system and brought it down near the city of Sirjan where the military drills began on Saturday.
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02/23/2013
Sweden has placed its first contract with Saab linked to the introduction of 60 new-generation Gripen E fighters from 2018. Announced in mid-February, the development forms part of a potentially SKr47.2 billion ($7.4 billion) deal to field the single-seat combat aircraft, which has design features including extended-range performance, an active electronically scanned array radar and internally carried weapons.
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02/23/2013
Earlier this month, the Swiss government revealed – perhaps earlier than it would have liked – that its national aerobatic team, the Patrouille Suisse, would be facing disbandment in 2016. With the retirement of its F-5 Tigers, and the planned introduction of its replacement, the Saab Gripen, the Swiss Air Force can no longer really justify retaining a unit as an aerobatic team.
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02/23/2013
The skies of Pokhran came alive on Friday with the Indian Air Force’s first ever day-night full combat and fire demonstration, named “Iron Fist.” President Pranab Mukherjee, the supreme commander of the armed forces, was the chief guest at the event at Chandan Range near Jaisalmer. He was accompanied by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister A.K. Anthony, Air Chief N.A.K. Browne, Naval Chief Devendra Joshi, Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
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02/23/2013
Boeing and Elbit Systems signed a memorandum of understanding to offer Elbit’s directed infrared counter measure (DIRCM) system for international customers of Boeing fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
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02/23/2013
President Barack Obama has deployed American military personnel and drone aircraft to the African country of Niger, where they could be used to support a French counterterrorism mission in neighboring Mali. Defense Department officials told NBC News that a first wave will include two Raptor surveillance drones and 250 to 300 military personnel, including remote pilots and security and maintenance crews. They are expected to arrive soon.
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02/23/2013
American aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin has told the Financieele Dagblad it is fully confident the Netherlands will buy 85 of the controversial JSF fighter jets, despite doubts in the Dutch parliament. 'We have an agreement with the Netherlands to deliver 85 aircraft,' director Stephen O'Bryan told the paper. 'Our information is that this will go ahead.'
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02/23/2013
The cash-strapped Harper government is going to revise its military procurement plan – known as the Canada First Defence Strategy – following the 2013 budget, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Thursday. This would be the first restatement of the strategy since it was unveiled in 2008 and since the federal government began running big deficits to cope with a recession and slow recovery that followed.
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02/23/2013
The Pentagon said on Friday that it had grounded all of its stealthy new F-35 fighter jets after an inspection found a crack in a turbine blade in the engine of one of the planes. The suspension of flights comes at an awkward time for the military, which is facing automatic budget cuts that could slow its purchases of the planes. The Pentagon grounded all three versions of the jets — for the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines — on Thursday while it investigated the problem.
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02/23/2013
Airmen from units deployed in support of Cope North 13 transported an R-11 refueling truck on a C-130 Hercules aircraft from here to Rota Island Feb. 13, to recover a Navy F/A-18 Hornet that diverted there due to weather a day prior.
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02/23/2013
The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle 3, the U.S. Air Force's secretive robotic space plane, has been on its latest mission for over 10 weeks now, zipping around in low-Earth orbit since it made its third launch into space back on December 11th. However, given what the pint-sized robot space shuttle is capable of, or should I say incapable of, it begs the question 'What is the military using it for?'
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02/22/2013
Congress' failure to pass a spending bill for the Pentagon is causing almost as much concern as the automatic spending cuts that loom March 1, according to an internal document obtained by USA TODAY. The Pentagon operates under a stopgap spending plan that hews to the 2012 budget. That plan allocates more money to buying weapons than it does to more urgent priorities like maintenance and training.
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02/22/2013
The majority of the recent debate over unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs), more commonly called drones by the media, has focused on the political, ethical and legal questions regarding their use in war. Technology, though, plays a huge role in the utilization of drones for military applications.
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02/22/2013
Lockheed Martin says the Joint Strike Fighter will be far better and cheaper than the current generation combat aircraft. Defence company Lockheed Martin has defended its controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), declaring it will be better than current combat aircraft, and cheaper.
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02/22/2013
Imagine if someone told you 70 percent of all American combat aircraft would not be ready to fly in time of war by July. That's just what Air Force Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told some 600 people attending the Air Force Associations's annual winter conference this morning will happen should the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration occur.
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02/22/2013
Little more than ten years ago, they were barely known and barely used. The only people who really knew of their existence were military experts who used them for secretive surveillance missions. But following a decade of conflict fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, drones have become an essential and controversial tool for the U.S. military.
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02/22/2013
Despite a decade of costly and indecisive warfare and mounting fiscal pressures, the long-standing consensus among American policymakers about United States grand strategy has remained remarkably intact. As the presidential campaign made clear, Republicans and Democrats may quibble over foreign policy at the margins, but they agree on the big picture: that the US should dominate the world militarily, economically, and politically.
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02/22/2013
British defence giant BAE Systems plans to buy back £1bn of shares over the next three years, but has warned that 3,500 US jobs are threatened by spending cuts. FTSE 100 listed BAE said that had started a three-year buyback programme of up to £1bn, the full implementation of which is subject to a "satisfactory resolution" of its negotiations over its contract to supply Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Saudia Arabia.
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02/22/2013
For the second time in less than three months, residents of the Yemeni capital were startled to hear that a military plane had fallen from the sky. The pilot of the transport plane that crashed in November was able to steer it towards an empty area before it was brought down by a technical problem, killing all 10 aboard. But yesterday’s crash proved more tragic, as a Yemeni fighter jet crashed directly into a residential neighborhood, killing 12, including two children.
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02/22/2013
The UAE is likely to purchase 60 Eurofighter Typhoon jets as a UAE military team had started negotiations with British company since December 2012 on “certain specifications to meet the requirements of the UAE Armed Forces”, a senior official said. “The UAE Armed Forces are in talks with us for a purchase of 60 Typhoon fighters,” Joe Parker, Eurofighter Director of Export, told the Gulf News in an interview.
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02/22/2013
The Pentagon envisioned the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as an affordable, state-of-the-art stealth jet serving three military branches and U.S. allies. Instead, the Lockheed Martin Corp. aircraft has been plagued by a costly redesign, bulkhead cracks, too much weight, and delays to essential software that have helped put it seven years behind schedule and 70 percent over its initial cost estimate. At almost $400 billion, it’s the most expensive weapons system in U.S. history.
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02/21/2013
An unchecked flood of weapons out of Libya, including thousands of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, is providing new firepower to al Qaeda-linked jihadist militias across northern Africa, according to Defense Department officials, accelerating conflict and raising new risks for U.S. and western interests.
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02/21/2013
Russia's Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) does not rule out the possibility that India might annul the results of a tender to buy 126 combat aircraft.
"The tender for the purchase of combat planes that our MiG-35 participated in has still not gone into effect, despite the fact that it was announced the winner. It's possible that the results of the tender might be annulled and a new one will be announced.
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02/21/2013
Earlier this month, the Japanese Defense Ministry said two Russian fighter jets had violated its airspace, roughly a month after Japan announced a similar violation by China. In an email interview, Richard Bitzinger, an expert in Asia-Pacific military modernization at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, discussed the state of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Forces and Japan’s response to regional tensions.
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02/21/2013
A little more than a week before the first wave of federal budget cuts would take effect, the Navy on Tuesday released an updated list of savings, including canceling the Bataan amphibious ready group's deployment, buying four fewer F-35 fighter jets and nearly halving training programs for midshipmen, flight officers and new pilots.
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02/21/2013
New military aircraft will soon begin filling Taiwan’s skies as it takes delivery of new fixed-wing maritime patrol aircraft along with attack and utility helicopters. All told, $7.6 billion worth of new equipment and aircraft designed to keep China’s hands off the island will begin filling the arsenals of Taiwan’s military this year.
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02/21/2013
The Department of Homeland Security may soon replace cheaper commercial planes with military aircraft to absorb 8.2% in budget cuts in March, Popular Science reports. The department was exploring buying used aircraft from the military but discovered that it’s more inexpensive to use commercial planes, Popular Science wrote.
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02/21/2013
Boeing and Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Turkey’s leading aerospace engineering and technology institution, today announced a new collaboration in aerospace research to benefit the flying public. Boeing Turkey President Bernard Dunn and ITU Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Karaca held a signing ceremony at the university campus to celebrate an agreement to launch joint research and development programs.
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02/21/2013
Boeing will provide the U.S. Air Force with a lightweight, compact laser targeting system designed to improve the effectiveness of battlefield airmen on Close Air Support missions. The $3 million contract award includes design, development, delivery, training and sustainment for the Line of Sight – Short (LOS-S) integrated targeting system, as well as priced options for production systems. With all options exercised, the contract has a potential total value of more than $100 million.
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02/21/2013
The Russian Aerospace Defense Forces will develop a series of measures aimed at protecting the Russian soil from falling meteorites and other dangerous space objects, commander of the western military district’s aviation Maj. Gen. Igor Makushev said on Wednesday. “The Aerospace Defense Forces have been ordered to handle this issue and come up with a plan to protect Russia from these ‘space travelers,’” Makushev said.
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02/21/2013
The Defense Ministry and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) are close to signing a deal for new Ilyushin Il-78 Midas aerial refuelling tankers for the Russian Air Force, a UAC source told RIA Novosti on Wednesday. “The contract for the delivery of Il-78 planes is at the signing stage,” the source said without specifying the number of aircraft.
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02/20/2013
A SU-30 MKI combat jet belonging to the IAF crashed in the Pokhran firing range in Rajasthan on Tuesday evening during a firepower demonstration drill. The aircraft, flown by Squadron Leaders JPS Chauhan and A.R. Tamta, was carrying out a night-flying mission when it crashed. The pilots managed to eject. There was no loss of life or damage to property on the ground, defence spokesperson S.D. Goswami said.
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02/20/2013
A smaller variant of the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is being developed for arming IAF's fighter aircraft. A new version of the missile is to be fitted on the frontline aircraft of Air Force including Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000 and the future inductions such as the 126 multirole combat aircraft, BrahMos officials said today.
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02/20/2013
A rare exception was made in the technical trial of AgustaWestland VVIP helicopters. All flight tests were held in the UK, in violation of all norms of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) that makes it mandatory for all trials to be held in India. The DPP, which lays down the process for buying a weapon system for India, stipulates that the vendors bring their systems here for extensive trials in all types of terrain and weather conditions.
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02/20/2013
Fears of Iran and unrest around the Middle East have prompted a shopping spree by Gulf countries for military hardware, ranging from anti-missile systems to unmanned surveillance drones. At the Middle East’s biggest arms fair in the United Arab Emirates this week, leading companies are wooing Arabian Peninsula states for deals on weapons ranging from warplanes to the technology that could underpin a future regional missile defence shield.
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02/20/2013
Canada could soon have a Department of Military Procurement, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper struggles to regain control over much-delayed and increasingly expensive projects — like the effort to replace CF-18 fighter jets with F-35s. Yet the plan for a new department misses the point. In the style of the classic BBC show, politicians have long been “Yes Ministered” by the Department of National Defence.
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02/20/2013
While spending billions of dollars on defense equipment, India's military faces a number of challenges in its quest to enter the 21st century. The old saying that a developing country is at a crossroads, whether it’s India or Indonesia, is especially tempting when it comes to India’s armed forces. Decades of underinvestment, corruption, bureaucratic ineptitude and hazy strategic thinking have left the country with a decidedly mixed bag of military capabilities.
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02/20/2013
Moscow showcased its state-of-the-art export models of aircraft engineering and air defence facilities at the Aero India 2013 show, which was held in Bangalore from 6 to 10 February 2013. There is a popular belief that Russia is losing the Indian market for combat aviation to the West but is this true?
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02/20/2013
A Yemeni fighter plane has crashed in a residential area of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, killing several people, reports Reuters. The Ministry of Defense said in a text message that the plane had been on a training flight when it came down in a western residential district. A military official said the aircraft was a Russian SU-22 fighter/ground attack aircraft.
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02/20/2013
Lockheed Martin completed a successful demonstration at Camp Grayling, Mich., recently in which its Squad Mission Support System (SMSS™) was being controlled via satellite from more than 200 miles away. The SMSS vehicle conducted several battlefield surveillance operations while being controlled beyond line-of-sight via satellite from the U.S. Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center in Warren, Mich.
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02/20/2013
Belarus’ Armed Forces will replace a Russian radar station with an indigenous one and get rid of Russian-made Sukhoi Su-27 fighters, Belarusian Defense Minister Yury Zhadobin said on Tuesday. The Russian P-18 radar station will be replaced with the domestically manufactured Vostok (East) radar, he said.
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02/19/2013
European defense companies are scrambling to re-equip Libya's post-Moammar Gadhafi military forces in an undeclared arms race. British Prime Minister David Cameron, who like traditional rival France maintained an ambiguous relationship with Moammar Gadhafi's rogue regime during his 42-year rule, recently flew to Tripoli to personally promote U.K. weapons systems. France, whose warplanes like Britain's played a key role in driving Gadhafi from power in Libya's 2011 civil war.
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02/19/2013
The deal for importing engines manufactured by the US-based General Electric Aviation for powering India’s indigenously manufactured Light Combat Aircraft Tejas has been finalised. GE won the bid and the contract back in 2010. Defence minister’s scientific adviser and director-general of DRDO Dr V.K. Saraswat said GE will supply the engines initially.
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02/19/2013
Israel has finally agreed to send additional electronic systems to Turkey, which will integrate those systems into its Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) military aircraft purchased from the United States, Turkish daily Today’s Zaman reports. It adds that the systems are now at a Turkish Aerospace Industries facility in Ankara.
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02/19/2013
Since March 1978, for 35 years, the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon, has been monitoring the conflict between Israel and Lebanon the tension, the daring, the mayhem, the killing. The enthusiastic efforts UNIFIL made in the early years soon waned. Perhaps it was the politics, perhaps it was the frustration of an ineffectual mandate, or perhaps it was losing 279 troops to-date. Whatever the cause, public statements from UNIFIL seem to have settled into a laissez-faire yawn.
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02/19/2013
US Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan, who heads the US military's $16 billion JSF program, admits the F-35 Lightning II jet can't fly within 40km of a lightning storm because its fuel tanks could ignite. "Will this problem occur in the future? No, because we have the known fixes for it and we will fix it," Lt-Gen told ABC TV.
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02/19/2013
Modernized S-300 surface-to-air missiles will shoot down “enemy” fighters in an exercise in Russia’s Western Military District, the district's press service said on Monday. The joint tactical exercise involving aviation, antiaircraft and radiotechnical forces, encompasses an area from Russia’s westernmost exclave of Kaliningrad to central Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod and from Murmansk in the north to Belgorod in the south, the Western Military District said.
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02/19/2013
Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments Company (ADASI), a Tawazun subsidiary, today signed a teaming agreement for the two companies to address the growing Middle East market for unmanned systems.
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02/19/2013
Piaggio Aero Industries, together with Selex ES, today presented the Piaggio Aero P.1HH 'HammerHead' - Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) at IDEX 2013. After two years of development, the P.1HH 'HammerHead' UAV has been rolled out after successfully completing its first engine start and run way taxi on February 14 at an Italian Air Force base.
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02/19/2013
BAE Systems received a contract valued at nearly $23 million to provide F-16 support equipment, test systems, and spares to the government of Oman. The contract continues the company’s strong global position to deliver the right systems and expertise to support F-16 aircraft operated by U.S. allies.
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02/19/2013
Performance worries over military and commercial helicopter operations in the harsh conditions of the Middle East deserts could be eased with a new distributorship deal signed today. Honeywell Aerospace has signed the deal — the first of its kind in the Middle East — with Transworld Aviation (TWA) in Dubai to distribute its line of health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS) across the Middle East markets.
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02/18/2013
Fighting breaks out in Liberia. Gunfire and explosions erupt on city streets, and marauders soon turn their fury on Westerners. An SOS goes out that civilians are in peril. But the Navy has scaled back its deployments off the African coast. It has no amphibious assault ship, carrying helicopters, landing craft and Marines, nearby.
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02/18/2013
India will proceed with extreme caution while finalizing its biggest-ever defence deal till now, the almost $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project to acquire 126 fighter jets. It can live with the midway scrapping of the Rs 3,546 crore contract to get 12 VVIP helicopters, with no operational military value. But after spending several years to bring the critical MMRCA project to the verge of finalization.
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02/18/2013
France is deepening its interest in acquiring the Reaper UAV from the U.S., a move that would stir political sensitivities over purchasing a weapons-firing UAV, while Paris readies to cut its defense budget, government and industry sources said. Meanwhile, EADS has submitted an offer to extend the contract for its Harfang medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV, the sources said.
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02/18/2013
The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, and Member of Parliament for Roberval-Lac-Saint-Jean, on behalf of the Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Associate Minister of National Defence and Minister of State , and Member of Parliament for Madawaska-Restigouche, today announced a significant contract to support training for Canada's fighter jet pilots.
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02/18/2013
The UK and the UAE are in talks on Typhoon combat aircraft, Philip Dunne, UK minister of defence equipment, support and technology told the Gulf News. “We are in talks now,” said the British minister, without disclosing any further details about the expected deal and the number of aircraft.
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02/18/2013
Britain is still likely to push for the Eurofighter Typhoon during Prime Minister David Cameron 's India visit, less than a week after French President Francois Hollande left New Delhi without any announcement over the fate of the $10 billion contract for Rafale fighter jets. "The issue of Eurofighter Typhoon jets may come up... But I don't think it will be top on the agenda," a British diplomatic source told IANS Sunday.
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02/18/2013
Malaysian combat pilots will have another opportunity to pit their skills against one of the best fighters in the world in April. A detachment of at least four Eurofighter Typhoons will be deployed to the country for the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition at the end of next month.
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02/18/2013
The commander of US-led forces in Afghanistan has said he would comply with President Hamid Karzai's order banning Afghan security forces from seeking NATO air support. Mr Karzai said on Saturday that he would issue a decree ordering an end to local security forces calling in NATO air strikes amid new tensions over civilian casualties caused by such attacks.
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02/18/2013
A global terror threat of missile attack against fixed wing aircraft or helicopters is being met head on by one exhibitor at IDEX – the defence and security event opening in Abu Dhabi today. Head of state aircraft, passenger jets and the helicopters of high net worth individuals have been targets for advanced Infrared (IR)-guided missiles but Selex ES, a Finmeccanica Company, using IDEX to launch the Miysis Directed InfraRed CounterMeasure (DIRCM) system.
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02/17/2013
Russia delivered a powerful message to the United States just hours before President Obama's State of the Union address, one the American people are only just now beginning to learn about, starting with the conservative blogosphere. Bill Gertz of the Washington Free Beacon reports.
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02/17/2013
The sight of twin jets buzzing low in northwest Louisiana skies soon will be a thing of the past as one of the most historic units in the Air Force readies to furl its flag and stand down once again, the victim of budget cuts.
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02/17/2013
All Finmeccanica companies attending IDEX and NAVDEX have a long track record as suppliers of high-tech products to the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the region, and are acknowledged as reliable industrial partners in the development of growth strategies in international markets.
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02/17/2013
A global video gaming company that funded a high-profile hunt for dozens of World War II-era British fighter jets in Myanmar has some bad news for aviation enthusiasts: It says none of the legendary planes are buried in the Southeast Asian country. Excavation teams carrying out surveys on the ground, however, said Saturday that they would not give up the search.
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02/17/2013
The Indian Air Force (IAF) Saturday asserted that it is going to demonstrate its operational capabilities by day, dusk and night at the sprawling facility of the Pokharan Range, the air –to-ground weapons firing range of training in the delivery of heavy armament, near Jaisalmer, in the arid Rajasthan Sector in an Exercise named – The Iron Fist.
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02/17/2013
It is not quite a steal but the man who purchased New Zealand's grounded Skyhawk fighter aircraft has discovered he got a bargain. Eight A-4K Skyhawks that sat in plastic cocoons at Woodbourne since 2001 will next month return to the air in formation over Florida in the United States.
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02/17/2013
Two Russian Tu-95 bomber aircraft circle Guam on Feb. 12. The aircraft are capable of carrying nuclear cruise missiles. The two bomber aircraft were followed by two U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter aircraft from Andersen Air Force Base, according to Air Force Capt. Kim Bender, a spokeswoman for the Pacific Air Force in Hawaii. She said the jets “scrambled and responded to the aircraft.”
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02/17/2013
A small plane in the flight zone restricted during President Obama's visit was escorted away by two military aircraft shortly after noon today. Resident Isaac Cubillios saw the 12:05 p.m. interception from his home and said: A small Cessna was flying east over the Florida Turnpike at Becker Road had entered a restricted zone where President Barack Obama is staying nearby.
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02/16/2013
The US Air Force is seeking information on a "communications gateway" that would one day be able to digitally link fourth and fifth-generation fighters inside a highly contested threat environment. The US Air Force is seeking information on a "communications gateway" that would one day be able to digitally link fourth and fifth-generation fighters inside a highly contested threat environment.
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02/16/2013
The 57th Wing is preparing for the arrival of four F-35 Lighting IIs Feb. 28. Arrival of the F-35s to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., will mark the first time in the aircraft's history operational tests will be performed on the aircraft. "It's the largest [Department of Defense] acquisition project in history," said Lt. Col. Kevin Wilson, 53rd Wing chief of joint strike fighter integration. "The Air Force's piece of that is the F-35 A model.
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02/16/2013
The integration of the Indo-Russian BrahMos missile on 40 of the Indian air force (IAF) Su-30MKI fleet of combat aircraft is proceeding this year. The land- and ship-launched version of the highly maneuverable, supersonic, anti-ship cruise missile have already been tested successfully.
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02/16/2013
Two Russian nuclear-armed bombers circled the western Pacific island of Guam this week in the latest sign of Moscow’s growing strategic assertiveness toward the United States. The Russian Tu-95 Bear-H strategic bombers were equipped with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and were followed by U.S. jets as they circumnavigated Guam on Feb. 12 local time—hours before President Barack Obama’s state of the union address.
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02/16/2013
Defence and security company Saab has signed an agreement with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for Gripen E. The agreement includes development and modification of Gripen E for Sweden during the period 2013-2026 and a possible order for new production of Gripen E from Switzerland. FMV has today placed an initial development order of SEK 2.5 billion for operations during 2013-2014.
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02/16/2013
Canada has announced it will extend its loan of C-17 transport aircraft for the military mission in Mali by 30 days. It is the second time the Harper government has extended its loan of a C-17 Globemaster to the French military, which is involved in an assault against Islamist rebels in the North African country.
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02/16/2013
Dozens of American states are in a fierce competition, vying to become home to one of six new proposed drone test sites, a major step towards the widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in American skies, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) told RIA Novosti Friday.
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02/15/2013
Syrian opposition fighters appear to be making significant gains on the battlefield this week, following an offer by their top political leader for negotiations with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. This military and diplomatic news may appear positive. But Syrian sources caution that the battlefield advances may accelerate movement toward a breakup of the country, as Alawite supporters of the regime retreat to their ancestral homeland in the northwest region around Latakia.
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02/15/2013
Russia will continue to supply "defensive" weapons to Syria, the head of the state arms exporter said on Wednesday even as the UN said the intensifying civil war has probably killed over 9,000 people since the beginning of the year, taking the toll to nearly 70,000 so far.
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02/15/2013
Eric Trappier, chairman and chief executive officer of Dassault Aviation, the maker of Rafale combat jets, Thursday said he does not see any serious fall out of the Finmeccanica controversy on the Rafale deal.
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02/15/2013
Last month, the U.S. Air Force released a vision statement which proclaimed “America is – and always will be – an aerospace nation. To fully realize the Nation’s aerospace potential, President Truman established an independent Air Force in 1947 to better protect America, its citizens, and its allies.
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02/15/2013
Set to demonstrate its ‘swing-role’ capability by firing both missiles and laser-guided munitions at the Air Force firepower demonstration ‘Iron Fist’ in Pokhran later this month, the long-delayed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will face its biggest ever challenge once it receives complete initial operational clearance, IOC-2 as it is called, hopefully by the end of the year.
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02/15/2013
Afghanistan’s fledgling air force is more like a bicycle than a modern fighting machine, its commander has said, pleading for advanced aircraft to fight the Taliban as US-led Nato forces prepare to withdraw. Air power is crucial in the rugged country where a poor road network is often mined by insurgents, and the Afghan government is pressing hard for the US to boost its air capability before it pulls out next year.
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02/15/2013
India's multibillion-dollar deal to purchase French fighter jets for its air force and a separate agreement to build the world's biggest civilian nuclear power complex in the west of the country were reviewed by the nations' leaders yesterday. The visiting French president, Francois Hollande, and the Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, held talks in New Delhi that also focused on defence, regional security and space exploration.
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02/15/2013
Members of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) boarded the U.S. military’s MV-22 Osprey, the controversial tilt-rotor aircraft, for the first time this week as part of joint exercises. However, Japan’s first use of the transport planes didn’t take place in Okinawa, where the stationing of the potentially unsafe Ospreys has resulted in heavy protest from locals.
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02/15/2013
Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM®) recently completed Reliability Assessment Program (RAP) Lot 6 testing with two final flights.The tests met success criteria and demonstrated the effectiveness of hardware enhancements to Lot 6 missiles.
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02/15/2013
Russian Northern Fleet aircraft have started patrolling the Arctic Ocean on a regular basis, Defense Ministry spokesman Capt. First Rank Vadim Serga said on Thursday. “So far this week, Northern Fleet aircrews have made three flights to the Arctic region,” he said. Two flights were made by an Ilyushin Il-38 May maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft and one by a Tupolev Tu-142 Bear maritime reconnaissance and ASW aircraft, he said.
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02/14/2013
The Pentagon is creating a new high-level military medal that will recognize drone pilots and, in a controversial twist, giving it added clout by placing it above some traditional combat valor medals in the military’s “order of precedence.” The Distinguished Warfare Medal will be awarded to pilots of unmanned aircraft, offensive cyber war experts or others who are directly involved in combat operations but who are not physically in theater.
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02/14/2013
The U.S. military faces devastating losses in troop strength and training, equipment procurement and maintenance, and mission capability if Congress does not avert automatic spending cuts set to begin March 1, top defense officials testified Tuesday."Secretary [Leon E.] Panetta and I have been using the word devastating for 16 months now," said Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who testified with military leaders at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
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02/14/2013
Since January, a detachment of Harfang unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been engaged in Operation Serval, France’s intervention in Mali, where they joined dozens of French air assets, from maritime patrol aircraft to tankers.
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02/14/2013
Afghanistan’s fledgling air force is more like a bicycle than a modern fighting machine, its commander has said, pleading for advanced aircraft to fight the Taliban as US-led Nato forces prepare to withdraw. Air power is crucial in the rugged country where a poor road network is often mined by insurgents, and the Afghan government is pressing hard for the US to boost its air capability before it pulls out next year.
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02/14/2013
The Russian aircraft company “Irkut”, which is located in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, is currently perfecting the combat and training plane “Yakovlev-130”. The new, modified model of this plane will most likely be of great demand both in Russia and in several other countries.
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02/14/2013
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has received two production contracts totaling $161.7 million from the U.S. Army to continue upgrades of the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) program for the Apache attack helicopter.
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02/14/2013
Russia’s state-run arms dealer Rosoboronexport is supplying air-defense missile systems and maintenance and servicing equipment to Syria but not combat aircraft, the company's director Anatoly Isaikin said on Wednesday. Russia and Syria have previously signed a contract for delivery to Damascus of Yak-130 Mitten jet trainers, but it has been suspended, he added.
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02/14/2013
Thales will be participating in IDEX from 17th to 21st February 2013 in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), UAE and will be showcasing its air mission system capabilities, as well as its advanced optronics and communications systems.
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02/13/2013
Israel's air force is preparing to receive the first of 19 Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, which will become its strategic spearhead, and 30 Italian M-346 advanced trainers for a new generation of pilots who will one day fly the U.S. stealth jet.
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02/13/2013
One of America’s largest and most sophisticated unmanned aerial surveillance vehicles, more commonly known as spy drones, is operating in the South Pacific. Last week a Northrop Grumman Global Hawk flew from Edwards Air Force Base in California to a point north of Tahiti and back. During the mission, which lasted almost 24 hours, the drone flew at a height of 65,000ft at a speed of almost 650km/h.
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02/13/2013
In the age of super-sonic fighter jets, cruise missiles, and exo-atmospheric ballistic missiles, carrier fleets must be able to monitor as accurately and far afield as possible to avoid being caught unaware of incoming threats. Odd then, that the duty of watching over the most sophisticated aircraft carriers ever constructed falls to the last propeller-powered planes still allowed to land on them.
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02/13/2013
Unmanned aircraft system passes initial evaluation The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Project Office, under the Program Executive Office for Aviation, oversees four programs of record. Among these is the MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft, which recently completed a successful Initial Operational Test and Evaluation and is nearing completion of a Beyond Low-Rate Initial Production Report.
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02/13/2013
German companies continued to win training contracts in January, with defense giant Cassidian snatching a multi-million dollar contract to deliver a new Maintenance System Trainer (MST) for the Eurofighter combat aircraft. The new system is designed to train German Air Force technical personnel in the aircraft’s systems while minimizing the amount of time they have to spend on the real aircraft.
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02/13/2013
The Pentagon for the first time is considering scaling back the massive buildup of drones it has overseen in the past few years, both to save money and to adapt to changing security threats and an increased focus on Asia as the Afghanistan war winds down.
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02/13/2013
Home-grown military aircraft is a breed that is rarely seen here, except at air shows where they are displayed to convince the public of India's technological prowess. But the fact remains that the country still relies on imported military aircraft for its defense. This makes it vulnerable to international arms embargoes and the whims of foreign powers.
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02/13/2013
Syrian insurgents seized control of a northern military airfield on Tuesday and captured usable warplanes for the first time in the nearly two-year-old conflict, according to rebels and activist groups. The development, if confirmed, would represent the second strategic setback for President Bashar al-Assad’s government this week.
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02/13/2013
Boeing and Elbit Systems Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that supports the growth of both companies through the joint pursuit of opportunities for self-defense solutions for Boeing military aircraft in international markets.
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02/12/2013
The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) team at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., achieved the wing’s first four-turn-four with the 58th Fighter Squadron and 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit. "The pilots flew four F-35As in the morning and the maintainers performed routine maintenance for airworthiness after landing. Then the crew chiefs 'turned' them around so the four jets could be flown in the afternoon," explains Col. Andrew Toth.
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02/12/2013
The Pentagon for the first time is considering scaling back the massive buildup of drones it has overseen in the past few years, both to save money and to adapt to changing security threats and an increased focus on Asia as the Afghanistan war winds down. Air Force leaders are saying the military may already have enough unmanned aircraft systems to wage the wars of the future.
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02/12/2013
The contract between India and France on sale of Rafale fighter aircraft will not be signed during the visit of French President Francois Hollande this week. "There would be no signing of contract for supply of Rafale multi-role fighter aircraft during French President Francois Hollande's visit to India," French Ambassador Fracois Richier said at a panel discussion on India-France relations here today.
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02/12/2013
These observations from 2005 and 2006, found in newly released documents obtained by Postmedia News, are relevant again as the Conservative government has ordered National Defence to conduct a fresh review of the fighter aircraft market. Interestingly, the passage of time may actually end up helping some of the F-35’s competitors, especially the Gripen, Typhoon and Rafale, as officials had a number of outstanding questions about those aircraft when the reviews were done.
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02/12/2013
Aerosonic Corporation, a leading supplier of precision flight products for commercial, business and military aircraft, today announced that it has received new purchase orders in support of the M-346 Master jet trainer sale to Israel. The orders are to supply air data systems that include its Integrated Multifunction Probe ("IMFP(R)") and related equipment for the production of the jet trainer aircraft. These orders are valued at $7.7 million dollars. Shipments will begin in June 2013.
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02/12/2013
While chatter between the US Air Force is spoken exclusively in English, communications between their aircrafts' electronic systems is more akin to the United Nations cafeteria—a "dog's breakfast of different datalinks," according to Lt. Gen. William Lord. Since the numerous competing defense contractors tasked with building military aircraft often install contradicting and incompatible systems, the USAF employs a pair of legacy NASA fliers to act as battlefield interpreters.
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02/12/2013
An F-35A Lightning II conventional takeoff and landing aircraft, known as AF-1, completed its final test mission for clean wing flutter recently. Flutter testing was conducted to ensure the jet’s structure could withstand various aerodynamic loads verifying the F-35A’s design.
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02/12/2013
Lockheed Martin today announced its media briefing schedule for IDEX 2013. At the show, Lockheed Martin will highlight its role as a trusted partner for countries in the Middle East and underscore its commitment to meeting customers' most challenging global security needs. The corporation will also continue its yearlong centennial celebration as it looks forward to another 100 years of innovation.
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02/12/2013
All three crewmembers of a Mi-17 Hip helicopter were killed on Monday when it crashed into the Caspian Sea, the Azerbaijan Defense Ministry said. The body of one crewmember has been recovered and the search for the other two continues, the ministry said.
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02/12/2013
In demonstrating BAE Systems' strengths in working in partnership with other companies, the company's products will not only be showcased on its own stand at IDEX 2013 but also on others, including International Golden Group, Tawazun, Abu Dhabi Mar (NAVDEX) and Military Industries Corporation (AVF).
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02/11/2013
Philippine defence officials said two new frigates acquired by the government would be equipped with naval helicopters that can hunt down submarines. Officials said the government is expecting delivery next year of three new Augusta-Westland AW 109 helicopters equipped with submarine-hunting hardware such as sonar and magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) device and search and rescue hardware.
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02/11/2013
Royal Air Force pilots and engineers from RAF Coningsby have arrived in the United States to begin training with their American colleagues. Approximately 200 personnel from XI Squadron have joined forces with the US Air Force 1st Fighter Wing. This will be the first joint training exercise featuring the Typhoon FGR4 and the F-22 Raptor at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.
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02/11/2013
"Stopping the terrorists, that's done." This was the curt statement given to the media by French minister Laurent Fabius after a successful bombing raid on key terrorist establishments in the Northern Mali town of Gao on January 12. The mission was accomplished by a fleet of four Rafale fighter planes, the winner of India's Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal.
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02/11/2013
After losing the deal for 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft to French company Dassault’s Rafale, US presence at the Aero India 2013 in Bangalore has been quite low key. Its marquee F16, piloted by Chris Nations, flew just once and was later part of the static display at the Aero India. “At all air shows we have been showcasing F-16’s proven capabilities and will certainly attract attention,” Chris Nations, told Business Line on the tarmac at the Yelahanka Air Station.
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02/11/2013
The much-hyped Russian Knights failed to live up to the expectations, despite flying in a formation of five on Sunday, unlike the four-aircraft formation they displayed the previous day. The ‘Barrel Rolls’, ‘Loops’, the ‘eye lug’, the ‘tail dive’, even the ‘vertical climb’, all of which they had showcased on Saturday were as unexciting as on the previous day. The Knights not using the flares, which was the highlight of their performance on Saturday, left the crowd upset.
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02/11/2013
Russian aircraft manufacturer IRKUT has made a case for the Yak-130 advanced combat trainer to be a part of the Indian Air Force (IAF) fleet. The aircraft which has been inducted into the Russian Air Force to offer both basic and advanced jet training for fourth and fifth generation fighter aircraft is considered a good fit for the MiG-29, SU-30 MKI, the Rafale MMRCA and the potential acquisition of the PAK-FA fifth generation fighter.
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02/11/2013
Did Britain go to war in 1939 dangerously unprepared compared to her Nazi German adversary? No. 1930s Britain was the leading arms producer on earth. The British army of 1939, although small, was the most mechanized in the world, with many more tanks per unit than the German Wehrmacht.
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02/11/2013
"The new missile dubbed as Fakour 90 is fired from F14 fighter jets," General Farahi said.
Meantime, he noted that Qader and Nasr air-based cruise missiles will be tested in coming days. Last week, a senior Iranian military commander announced that the Iranian Armed Forces plan to unveil its latest achievements in the production of armored vehicles, missiles and aircraft in the next few days.
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02/11/2013
Russian military inspectors will begin on Monday a surveillance flight over the territory of Italy under the international Open Skies Treaty, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry said. The group of Russian experts will conduct the inspection flight in an Anotonov An-30B aircraft between February 11 and 15, he said. The aircraft will take off from the Ciampino airport to cover a total distance of 2,015 kilometers (1,252 miles).
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02/10/2013
On January 30, a Chinese Jiangwei II-class frigate entered the disputed waters around the Senkaku Islands, a cluster of uninhabited rocks in the East China Sea claimed by China as the Diaoyu Islands. A Japanese destroyer was waiting. When the two warships were only three kilometres apart, the Chinese frigate turned on its fire control radar that aims its 100mm gun and C-802 anti-ship missiles and “painted” the Japanese vessel.
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02/10/2013
Residents in Hampton Roads are more used to the winds from hurricanes, but for the past two weeks, the skies above Hampton have been churning due to Typhoons — the Eurofighter FGR4s, that is. Eight Typhoons from the U.K. Royal Air Force’s XI Squadron joined the 1st Fighter Wing in a training exercise called Western Zephyr to familiarize pilots and maintainers from both countries how to better integrate during a joint mission.
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02/10/2013
International defense giants and domestic companies that want to do business with India face an overloaded bureaucracy, complex defense procedures and a government with protectionist policies designed to favor state-owned entities. But they’re still willing to do business.
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02/10/2013
Thousands Saturday flocked to the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Yelahanka on the outskirts of Bangalore to watch in awe metal birds fly and perform breathtaking aerobatics. Opening up the biennial air show to the public on the fourth day brought frenzied weekend crowds to see a spectacular flying display by fighter jets, choppers and military transport aircraft over the air base.
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02/10/2013
The brigade's reconnaissance battalion, which celebrated its tenth anniversary during the exercise, returned to its roots on its anniversary: for the first time since the First Lebanon War in 1982, the paratroopers managed to "restore" the ability of calling for close air support by fighter aircraft. The commander of the reconnaissance battalion, Lt. Col. Nimrod, can now communicate directly with the pilot of an F-16 fighter circling overhead, and explain to the pilot where he wants him to drop
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02/09/2013
In about three weeks, lawmakers in the U.S. Congress will be at each other’s throats again as they continue playing a favorite Washington parlor game: governing by crisis. This time around, though, it is the military and the safety of the nation that will be at the forefront of those decisions, as sequestration - the capital's buzzword for automatic spending cuts -- is due to begin taking effect March 1.
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02/09/2013
Taking a break from catching drug dealers, Capt. Maria Tejada-Quintana came to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland to attend the Inter-American Squadron Officer School at the Inter-American Air Forces Academy, graduating Dec. 12 with 278 fellow IAAFA students.
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02/09/2013
In a recent air-combat exercise, the drill master pulled a trick on the “Red Team” representing the Chinese air force by having pilots of the enemy “Blue Team” shout orders in English. The tactic surprised the Red Team, which lost its airborne warning-and-control system (AWACS) plane and thus its electronic-warfare capability, resulting in a humiliating loss in the war game.
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02/09/2013
The Indian air force's most senior officer has cast further doubt on the future of the Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) HTT-40 basic trainer, and also criticised the company's HJT-36 Sitara jet trainer during a media briefing at the Aero India show. Although bad relations between HAL and its biggest customer, the Indian air force, have been reported for years, the event at Yelahanka air base, near Bengaluru, gave a unique glimpse into the differences between the two parties.
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02/09/2013
I’ve never been one to shy away from admitting when I’m wrong (why is my good wife laughing?), but Ace Combat Assault Horizon: Enhanced Edition (ACAH:EA) has forced me to correct something I’ve always thought about myself; that I abhor flight games. The idea of being out in the open with no walls to hide behind with my silenced weapon gave me the chills. How would I duck when under fire? Well, being a professional sort, I took one for the team.
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02/09/2013
"Our Istres flight test centre," boasts Charles Edelstenne, outgoing chief executive of Dassault Aviation, "has seen the first flights of more than 100 prototypes over the last 60 years. It is part of the history of French aviation." Most recently, on 1 December 2012, Istres was the location for the maiden sortie of Dassault's most ambitious project yet, the Neuron, an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV).
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02/09/2013
Rolls Royce is attending the 2013 Aero India show with a renewed sense of optimism for its prospects in this key Asian market. At the last show back in 2011, there was some gloom when the UK-based aero engines maker decided to withdraw from the competition for re-engining the Indian Air Force’s Jaguars. Now Rolls-Royce’s main focus in India is the CTS800 turboshaft engine offered in partnership with Honeywell for the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) being developed by HAL.
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02/09/2013
Viktor Komardin, the head of the Russian delegation to India’s military airshow Aero India, alleged that Delhi has bought aircraft, submarines and weapons from western countries at inflated prices “without military logic”. Komardin is also the deputy chief of the Russian state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport.
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02/09/2013
The U.S.-India Business Council coordinated a large U.S. industry delegation to this week’s Aero India show led by Lt.Gen. Jeff Kohler (Retd.), vice president of Boeing Military Aircraft and Vice Admiral (Retd.) Kevin Cosgriff, senior vice president for international business with Textron Systems.
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02/09/2013
Tensions between Russia and Japan have intensified after two Russian warplanes were allegedly spotted flying over Japanese territory. Japan scrambled its own fighter jets in response, claiming the Russian Su-37 planes had entered its air space off the northern tip of Hokkaido island in the South China Sea.
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02/08/2013
Lockheed Martin is claiming that all three versions of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will have kinematic performance better than or equal to any combat-configured fourth-generation fighter. The comparison includes transonic acceleration performance versus an air-to-air configured Eurofighter Typhoon and high angle-of-attack flight performance vis-à-vis the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
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02/08/2013
Two of Lockheed Martin’s top salesmen for the F-35 stealth fighter jet were in Ottawa Thursday for a round of media interviews, in the wake of a recent U.S. government report about development glitches for the trouble-plagued warplane and opposition criticism about high costs, to argue the F-35 is not only the best buy for Canada but also for future protection of Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic.
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02/08/2013
Syria On Jan. 13, bombs dropped by Syrian aircraft destroyed this town’s open-air market and at least five buildings around it. U.S. officials and Syrian opposition leaders say the bombings were part of a Syrian government tactic to target people who’ve fled because of violence in their home cities. Sixty people died and more than 100 were wounded, according to Dr. Bara’a al Nasser, 29, who works in the clinic at the nearby Bab al Salamah camp at Azaz, directly on the Turkish border.
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02/08/2013
Unlike the past few editions that were dominated by aircraft from nations vying for the medium multi role combat aircraft (MMRCA) contract, the opening session of this year saw the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, AWACS, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and the ZM-1 along with the vintage Tiger Moth perform some aerobatic stunts. The much-maligned Tejas, which in the past has been bashed for its performance and inability to enter the service, put up a breathtaking display.
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02/08/2013
Fighter jets from the U.S. and two key allies roared into western Pacific skies in the combat phase of annual exercises that have gained importance as the region responds to the rise of China and other potential threats. The Cope North drills — which could soon swell in participants — are aimed at preparing air forces of the U.S., Japan and Australia to fight together if a military crisis erupts.
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02/08/2013
Europe's Airbus (EAD.PA) wants to sell its C295 military transport aircraft to India, an Airbus Military executive said on Thursday, adding that the company was awaiting a request for proposals from the government. "We are very keen to see the RFP so we can get our proposal in there," said Kieran Daly, press manager for Airbus Military, at the Aero India air show in Bangalore.
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02/08/2013
Boeing's liquid hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye unmanned aircraft system has completed taxi testing at Edwards Air Force Base in California as it progresses toward its second flight.
During the testing, which occurred Feb. 6, the Phantom Eye demonstrator aircraft sitting atop its launch cart reached speeds up to 40 knots, or approximately 46 miles per hour.
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02/08/2013
Japan on Thursday scrambled military jets to intercept two Russian fighter planes believed to have violated its airspace, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported, citing the country’s Defense Ministry. The Russian military denied its aircraft had entered Japanese airspace.Tokyo lodged an official protest with Moscow after the incident, saying two Russian Su-27 fighter jets had spent one minute and 11 seconds in Japanese airspace southwest of the island of Rishiri, not far from Hokkaido, Kyodo report.
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02/08/2013
Modernization of the Antonov An-124-100 strategic heavylift aircraft Ruslan is nearing completion and the plane will soon undergo a series of standard trials, Russia’s Aviastar aircraft plant said on Thursday. The aircraft has been modernized to “improve its performance, enhance its reliability and increase its service life,” the aircraft maker said.
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02/08/2013
Further details are emerging on the new fighter jet unveiled by Iran earlier this week. The F313 “Qaher” – which means conquer in Farsi - is described as a new stealth fighter with short take off and landing capability.
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02/07/2013
It was a routine training flight - 90 minutes out and back to West Bend in one of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's Black Hawk helicopters. The three-person flight crew, though, was unusual. Together the two pilots and crew chief have more than two decades of military experience, but it wasn't their years of service or overseas deployments that attracted attention.
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02/07/2013
As the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) has been in the making for much too long, but despite the delays, the aircraft that slowly moves toward the finish line is ‘born old’. If and when it is announced ‘fully mission capable’ by next year, Tejas will represent a mid-1990s generation platform, but will be ready to deploy with combat systems of the 21st century.
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02/07/2013
China’s saber rattling over the Senkaku Islands started to intensify last month after the United States responded to an airspace intrusion by a Chinese maritime patrol aircraft. Since then, the belligerence has continued. But China, showing heightened fears about U.S. involvement, has also taken action that is pushing the row closer to an actual conflict with Japan.
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02/07/2013
The U.S. military is planning to shrink its aircraft carrier presence in the Persian Gulf from two to one due to looming budget constraints - in a dramatic signal from the Pentagon about the real-world impact of automatic budget cuts that still have not been averted. U.S. military officials confirmed Wednesday that the Navy would reduce its presence. The decision will go into effect immediately.
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02/07/2013
According to the report, the country’s Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi praised the growing military cooperation between Egypt and the U.S. after receiving the four fighter jets.
At a ceremony in honor of the F-16s received from the U.S., Sisi said Egypt looks forward to further cooperation to build and develop the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces. The four aircraft are part of a group of 20 F-16s that are expected to be delivered to Egypt this year.
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02/07/2013
Warplanes thundered and helicopters performed in concert in the skies as they brought up the curtain on Aero India 2013 at the Yelahanka Airbase on Wednesday. Considered Asia’s biggest air extravaganza, the air show that was held in the national aerospace heartland was a display of the country’s military strike power. A coordinated flypast of three MI-8 helicopters, carrying the flags of the Army, Navy and the Air Force, signalled the start of the event on a sunny morning.
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02/07/2013
India’s proposal to buy 126 Dassault Aviation SA fighter jets is being evaluated by a government panel before it goes to the finance ministry and the cabinet for approval, Defense Minister A.K. Antony said. The proposal, being vetted by the cost negotiation panel, has to go through as many as “seven layers” once the contract discussions are completed, Antony told reporters in Bangalore at the Aero India 2013. Dassault declined to comment on the status of the negotiations.
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02/07/2013
US President Barack Obama and his administration may consider themselves capable of correctly determining whether a US citizen can be assassinated for their ties to al-Qaida.
But what about the next American president? “They have to think about whether a future administration may use force in situations that decision-makers today might be uncomfortable with,” former US State Department attorney David Kaye told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
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02/07/2013
India is to equip its Perspective Multirole Fighter (PMF) variant of the Russian T-50 fifth-generation combat aircraft with avionics similar to Russia’s version of the plane, United Aircraft Corporation President Mikhail Pogosyan said on Wednesday. “The future plane (PMF) will have not only the same airframe, but also an integrated system of onboard equipment,” Pogosyan said, stressing this was a requirement of the Indian Air Force.
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02/07/2013
Converted from an Airbus A330 commercial passenger jet by Airbus Military at Getafe near Madrid, the aircraft will serve with the UAE Air Force and Air Defence. The remaining two aircraft are at an advanced stage of conversion and will be delivered by mid-2013. The type has now been delivered to all four current customers – Australia, Saudi Arabia, UAE and the United Kingdom.
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02/06/2013
The head of the General Staff of Brazil, Jose Carlos de Nardi, said that Brazil will buy Igla (Needle) portable air defense systems and Panzer-C1 air defense systems from Russia. Moreover, Brazil will receive the technologies and the right to build a plant for their assembly in the country. It is quite possible that the Russian Federation will take part in a fundamentally new organizational scheme of Brazil's air defense.
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02/06/2013
The much-delayed indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas aircraft is expected to be ready for induction into operational service by 2015, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne said today. Talking to reporters, the IAF chief said the indigenous aircraft will have to be modified further for operating in high-altitude areas as recently during trials in Leh, its engine "did not work".
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02/06/2013
Experts predict that the attention of the visitors will be drawn, first of all, to Russian anti-missile systems, which have no analogue in the world. Within many years, Russia has been the largest exporter of arms and various kinds of military equipment to India. About 70% of the weapons that the Indian army currently has have been made in Russia.
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02/06/2013
Iran is hailing it as one of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world, capable of evading radar, bombing, dog fighting and landing on short airstrips. The jet, known as the 'Qaher 313', was unveiled Saturday at a ceremony involving Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other high-level officials. But aviation experts have expressed doubts about the aircraft based on an analysis of photos released by the Iranian government - not least of which is 'can it actually fly?'.
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02/06/2013
Military and Defence industry leaders are set to meet at Defence IQ's Military Flight Training conference in March to provide a 360 degree perspective of current and future military fixed wing and rotary flight training requirements, capabilities and technologies.
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02/06/2013
Boeing today underscored the strength of its commitment to expand its partnerships in India to become the aerospace company of choice in this important market. Company executives at the Aero India 2013 trade show in Bengaluru further emphasized that local presence, collaboration and integration are key to Boeing’s success in India, and that the company is uniquely positioned to offer Indian customers the best in technology, capability and support.
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02/06/2013
Over 400 organizations from 26 countries will take part in an international aerospace exhibition in India, with Russia’s famed Russkiye Vityazi (Russian Knights) aerobatics team to feature in the event’s demonstration program, Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation said on Wednesday. The service said the Russian exposition at the show that opens Wednesday will be organized by the Rostec state corporation.
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02/06/2013
The Russian Air Force's Military Transport Aviation (MTA) will receive a total of 48 Ilyushin Il-476 heavy transport planes by 2020, rather than the previously stated 39, its commander Col. Gen. Vladimir Benediktov said on Tuesday. The Russian Defense Ministry said last October it had signed a contract worth about 140 billion rubles ($4 billion) with Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) for the delivery of 39 Il-476 planes by 2020.
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02/06/2013
Russia is losing arms markets in Asia and the Middle East, two of its traditional strongholds, but gaining new ones in Latin America and Africa, a Russian arms official said this week ahead of an aviation expo in India, a major buyer of Russian weaponry that has recently been opting for Western hardware.
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02/06/2013
The latest generation CMA-9000 flight management system SparrowHawk from Esterline CMC Electronics which included head-up display (HUD) has been selected by Qatar and Saudi air forces for their new PC-21 turboprop training aircraft.
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02/05/2013
Spain's government has tendered a proposal to its Peruvian counterpart covering the possible sale of 18 Tranche 1 Eurofighter combat aircraft currently in service with its air force. Reportedly valued at €45 million ($61 million) per aircraft, the proposal was submitted at the request of the Peruvian defence ministry. If negotiations go forward, the intention would be to transfer all of the fighters to Peru within one year of a contract signature.
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02/05/2013
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) is expected to unveil an armed variant of its Rudra advanced light helicopter (ALH) at the Aero India show this week. The helicopter will be in the flying display along with the HAL Light Combat Helicopter. Meanwhile, scale models of the Light Utility Helicopter, Hawk, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and Su-30 aircraft in which the Indian group is involved on partnership terms will be on display at the company’s stand.
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02/05/2013
Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilots of the future could be spending almost as much time in a simulator as they do in the cockpit under a revised training regime that has its eyes on the bottom line as much as technology, say internal documents. The idea was just one of a series of options being examined as military planners look towards the eventual replacement of the CF-18 fleet, possibly by the end of the decade.
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02/05/2013
Brazilian defense manufacturer Embraer has added more international partners to its program for marketing KC-390, said to be a cheaper alternative to Lockheed Martin's C-130J. The C-130J updates the internationally renowned tactical transport workhorse C-130 Hercules, the four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft that was originally designed and built by Lockheed, precursor to Lockheed Martin.
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02/05/2013
Not including our purchase of the F-18 Hornet, the approximate total expenditures in 2012 dollars that Canada has spent in purchasing the SAGE/Bomarc missile system, 200- F104 Star fighters, 66 F-101 Voodoos, 138 F-5 Freedom Fighters plus cancellation fees for the CF-105 Arrow as well as the Sparrow/Astra missile systems, is $11.1 Billion in 2012 dollars.
With the exception of the F-18, all of the other weapons system procurements were fiscal fiascos in one way or another.
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02/05/2013
European aerospace major Cassidian designed and developed two avionic products at its Indian centre in this tech hub primarily for military aircraft, a company official said Monday.
"The two avionic products - a 'high accuracy air pressure measurement system' and a 'structurally integrated antenna' have been designed and developed by Indian engineers at our engineering centre here," Cassidian India chief executive Peter Gutsmiedl told reporters here.
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02/05/2013
Even though most of the fighter planes have decided to give the 2013 Bangalore air show a go by following India’s shortlisting of Rafale as the preferred choice for 126 new fighters, the French-origin jets will leave no stone unturned to impress defence ministry officials as the two countries are yet to sign the much-awaited multi billion dollar commercial agreement.
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02/05/2013
Boeing delivered the sixth production P-8A Poseidon aircraft to the U.S. Navy Jan. 31, successfully completing the first group of low-rate initial production aircraft that are dramatically improving the service's maritime patrol capabilities. The delivery is the final aircraft from a contract awarded in January 2011. Boeing is on schedule to build 24 P-8A maritime patrol aircraft as part of contracts awarded in 2011 and 2012.
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02/05/2013
Russia remains a key supplier of weaponry to India with good prospects for future military-technical cooperation, Deputy General Director of Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Viktor Komardin, said. “The country [India] is one of the main importers of defense products on the global scale, and Russia continues to be one of its key suppliers,” Komardin, who heads the Russian delegation at the upcoming AERO INDIA 2013 international aerospace show.
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02/05/2013
Russian military inspectors will begin on Monday a surveillance flight above Greece under the international Open Skies Treaty, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry said. A group of Russian experts will conduct the inspection flight in an Anotonov An-30B aircraft between February 4 and 8, he said. The aircraft will take off from the Nea Anchialos airport to cover a total distance of 1,010 kilometers (628 miles).
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02/04/2013
Even as funding remains uncertain in an era of budget austerity, the Air Force met more than 300 aerospace industry representatives at Wright-Patterson about building a replacement for an aging jet trainer fleet in a future competition.
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02/04/2013
Aiming for a sizable pie of the multi-billion dollar Indian air defence sector, Corporate America is sending one of its largest industry delegations to the Aero India 2013 show in Bangalore where it would put on display the best from the United States.
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02/04/2013
Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi praised the growing military cooperation between Egypt and the US Sunday after receiving four aircraft from the US. At a ceremony for the F-16s received from the US, Sisi said Egypt looks forward to further cooperation to build and develop the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces.
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02/04/2013
The drones can fly around corners and obstacles to identify potential hidden dangers, the Ministry of Defence said. The Norwegian-designed Black Hornet Nano features a tiny camera and relays video and still images to a handheld control terminal. It measures about 10cm by 2.5cm (4in by 1in) and weighs 16g (0.6oz).
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02/04/2013
India's aerospace hub Bangalore will be on full throttle from Wednesday to demonstrate the country's air prowess and display breath-taking aerobatics at the air force station on the outskirts.
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02/04/2013
The Israeli air strike on a convoy weapons and military complex near Damascus, on the night between Jan. 29 and 30 has something in common with a similar air strike. In 2007, Israeli Air Force bombers entered and egressed the Syrian airspace almost completely undetected by the Syrian air defenses.
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02/04/2013
Tennessee's 164th Airlift Wing of the Air National Guard unveiled its newest cargo aircraft Saturday, a plane that costs more than $200 million and can airlift people and supplies for military and disaster relief almost anywhere in the world. "Once you're up in the air it's like flying a two-story apartment building," said wing commander Col. Mark Devine of the C-17 Globemaster III plane.
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02/04/2013
Egypt and the United States held a joint ceremony in Cairo on Sunday to celebrate the delivery of four new fighter jets to the Egyptian Air Force. According to a statement released by the US embassy in Cairo, the delivery of the new F-16 warplanes confirms the two nations’ joint commitment to regional security.
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02/04/2013
Iran has unveiled its newest combat jet, a domestically manufactured fighter-bomber that military officials claim can evade radar. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a ceremony broadcast on state TV that building the Qaher F-313, or Dominant F-313, shows Iran's will to "conquer scientific peaks."
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02/04/2013
Brazil’s Defense Ministry intends to discuss purchasing air defense systems from Russia during talks with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev later this month, the ministry said on Sunday. "We are interested in acquiring three batteries of Pantsir-S1 missiles and two batteries of Igla missiles," General Jose Carlos De Nardi, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Brazilian Armed Forces, said in a statement.
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02/03/2013
Northrop Grumman Corporation will highlight its industry-leading range of capabilities in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) including airborne early warning and control systems for maritime reconnaissance and unmanned aerial vehicles, at the Aero India 2013 exhibition and air show.
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02/03/2013
The past year has been a banner one for the U.S. Navy in at least one unhappy category — major mishaps. The number of major mishaps involving aircraft carriers, ships and submarines was higher than in recent years, and the unbudgeted repair bill is just one more factor squeezing fleet maintenance accounts in the middle of the service’s fiscal crisis.
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02/03/2013
Russia’s decades-old numero uno status in the Indian defence sector is under threat. This triggers questions about the more than half-century-old Indo-Russian ‘strategic partnership’ when the terminology ‘strategic partnership’ had not even entered the international lexicon.
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02/03/2013
With an eye on large business deals, French President Hollande&select=1 target=_blank style=text-decoration:none;cursor:hand;>Francois Hollande is expected to arrive on a two-day visit to India on February 14. This would be his first visit to India since he took charge as president last year.
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02/03/2013
The Pentagon is inspecting other components of the F-35 fighter jet in addition to the faulty fuel lines blamed for the grounding of the Marine Corps version of the warplane, two sources familiar with the program said on Friday. Vice Admiral David Dunaway, head of Naval Air Systems Command, asked for the expanded "material audit" this week after being briefed on plans by the Pentagon's F-35 program to resume training and test flights of the F-35B, the sources said.
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02/03/2013
Iran on Saturday unveiled an advanced fighter-bomber it claimed can evade radars, Iran’ state Press TV reported. Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the domestically manufactured Qaher-313 (Conqueror-313) “has a very low radar cross section” and is capable of conducting operations at low altitudes and carrying advanced weapons.
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02/02/2013
The U.S. Air Force is reaching out to contractors to gather information on support and maintenance for a quartet of C-130H transportation planes earmarked for the Afghani Air Force. On Jan. 31, the Air Force issued a “request for information” on a federal contracting site regarding Contractor Logistics Support in Afghanistan. The RFI will initially cover four C-130H aircraft but leaves the option for “possible growth” in the future.
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02/02/2013
Three MV-22B Ospreys and approximately 30 Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 conducted low-altitude flight training here Jan. 23-24, marking the Marine Corps’ first Osprey training in the Republic of the Philippines. The Marines flew routes approved by the Philippine government and used during previous flight training exercises. The flights also marked the first low-altitude training the squadron has conducted since arriving to Okinawa.
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02/02/2013
The first of two batches of trainer/attack aircraft built for the Angolan air force of Angola has been delivered by Brazil's Embraer Defense and Security. The three aircraft - A-29 Super Tucano turboprops -- were delivered in Brazil to Angolan authorities. "The selection of the Super Tucano by the National Air Force of Angola demonstrates the great potential of this aircraft in Africa," said Luiz Carlos Aguiar, president of Embraer Defense and Security.
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02/02/2013
On both sides of the giant hanger at Warton in Lancashire, work is underway to slot together the pieces of the Typhoon combat aircraft. Craftsmen and technicians have to ensure that the left wing (made in Italy), the right wing (produced in Spain) and the central fuselage (shipped over from Germany) fit perfectly with the other bits of the Eurofighter (made in Britain). After testing, the planes will be ready for take off.
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02/02/2013
The Iowa National Guard is moving full-speed ahead with plans to develop a Des Moines-based attack wing capable of remotely piloting unmanned combat aircraft over Afghanistan, African countries and other war-torn places and suspected terrorist hideouts. Although Iowa’s congressional delegation fought against Pentagon budget cuts resulting in the loss of 21 F-16 aircraft in Des Moines, Air Guard commanders now say they are embracing changes that should provide a solid future for the unit.
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02/02/2013
With five days to go for the Aero India 2013 airshow, 607 companies that includes 352 foreign and 78 official national delegations, have confirmed their participation in the show. Reflecting the growing defence cooperation between India and US, the participation from the US has seen an upswing with 67 companies (63 came in 2011) coming to Bangalore this month.
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02/02/2013
People driving near the town of Tustin, California may soon see something strange in the skies. It looks like something you might see being loaded into the torpedo tube on the starship Enterprise. In reality though it is a new generation of lighter-than-air craft that will soon being carrying cargo for the military
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02/02/2013
Production of the Airbus Military C212 light transport is being transferred to Indonesia. The company signed a “strategic collaboration agreement” with PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) in mid-2011. The last aircraft to be assembled in Spain–a C212-400 version–was delivered to the Vietnam Marine Police in late December.
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02/02/2013
Seven aircrafts of the Turkish Air Force entered the airspace of Greece late Thursday, RIA Novosti reported with reference to the Athens News Agency. Greek military aviation took to the air to intercept the aircrafts. According to the agency, four Turkish aircrafts violated the border north of the island of Chios, the other three - to the east of the island of Rhodes. It is assumed that the Turkish air force was participating in naval exercises.
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02/02/2013
Bahrain and Iraq have requested pricing and availability data for the newly upgraded H-1 utility and attack helicopters built by Bell Helicopter, said two sources familiar with the US firm’s development program. Bahrain is eyeing a possible purchase of 14 AH-1Z attack helicopters, while Iraq is looking at a possible purchase of 24 AH-1Z helicopters for the Iraqi Army and 6-8 UH-1Y Maritime Utility helicopters for its Navy, said the sources.
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02/01/2013
Europe's armed forces can't seem to escape the front lines. French forces, with logistical help from its allies, have moved deep into Mali. Under the auspices of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, European military forces are deeply involved in Afghanistan as the combat mission there is winding down, and in Kosovo.
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02/01/2013
The military's top leaders are warning Congress that automatic spending cuts looming in March would force the Pentagon to slash operating budgets, weakening the armed forces and possibly forcing furloughs of 800,000 civilian employees. The Joint Chiefs say in a letter to Congress that the cuts would create a "hollow force" and would require aircraft to be grounded and warships to return to port.
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02/01/2013
Prime Minister David Cameron refused to rule out further cuts to the British military if his Conservative Party wins power in 2015. He said he stands by his commitment to increase spending on defense equipment by 1 percent a year more than the inflation rate, leaving open the possibility of further reductions to troop numbers when Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announces post-2015 departmental spending plans by June.
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02/01/2013
"It's technologically magnificent and the next big thing. At present, we're gearing up and learning how to deal with this animal. It's like nothing that we've had here in the past, or that they've had anywhere else." Thus a senior Israel Air Force officer brings home the challenge that the Air Force will face in commissioning its first squadron of F-35 stealth fighter jets in the coming years.
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02/01/2013
The United States will continue to top the list of participants at Aero India 2013, the biannual aero show at Bangalore being held from Feb. 6-10. U.S. participation has increased from 63 companies in the 2011 show to 67 this year, followed by 49 participants from France, 33 from the United Kingdom and 29 from Russia. However, Germany has slashed its participation from 43 companies in 2011 to 22 in 2013.
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02/01/2013
India has refocused its homegrown Kaveri engine project, originally intended for its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), to power developmental unmanned attack aircraft, according to a Defence Ministry source. One reason the Kaveri was shifted to power an unmanned strike air vehicle (USAV) was that Missile Technology Control Regime restrictions prevent foreign suppliers from selling India engines that could give unmanned aerial systems a range greater than 300 kilometers, the MoD source said.
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02/01/2013
Experimental test pilots and flight test engineers from Denel Aviation are now offering their skills and experience to the benefit of clients across Africa, the company says. This continental service is reinforced by a mobile telemetry vehicle capable of supporting flight testing at remote locations. Previously such highly specialised test flying could only be conducted in South Africa.
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02/01/2013
Airbus Military’s troubled A400M air- lifter programme is now progressing well, with the first production aircraft set to be delivered to the launch customer within a few months, Airbus group president and CEO Fabrice Brégier reported at the recent Airbus annual press conference. “We were in deep crisis, [but], since 2009, we have worked very hard.” He added: “The A400M programme was progressing very well until midsummer [2012]. Then we had maturity problems with the engine.”
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02/01/2013
Congressman Ed Whitfield and several colleagues in the House of Representatives will send a letter to President Obama and Secretary of State, John Kerry, expressing opposition to the shipment of F-16 fighter aircraft and other military aid to Egypt.
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02/01/2013
The anti-aircraft missiles that were the target of a disputed Israeli airstrike on Syria this week were on a military base outside Damascus and had yet to reach the highway that leads to Lebanon when they were destroyed, two Israeli intelligence officials familiar with the air assault told McClatchy on Thursday.
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