February 15, 2013 Military Aviation News

What path now for Syria?

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.

Russia to continue weapons supply to Syria as death toll nears 70,000

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.

Don't expect Finmeccanica impact on Rafale deal: Dassault CEO

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.

Sequestration and the War on Terror: The U.S. Air Force in crisis

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.

Tejas to be subjected to field conditions soon

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.

Afghan Air Force desperate for aircraft: Official

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.

India and France discuss military, nuclear power deals

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.

SDF troops board US military’s Osprey aircraft for first time

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.

Lockheed Martin's JASSM Completes Lot 6 Reliability Assessment Program Testing

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.

Russian Navy Warplanes Start Arctic Patrols

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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