June, 2013 Military Aviation News
06/30/2013
Saudi Arabia and South Korea recently ordered over 150 AIM-9X Block 2 air-to-air heat seeking missiles. Both nations have used this missile for decades and are satisfied customers. They are not alone. The AIM-9X Block 2 is the latest version of the Sidewinder, a missile that has come a long way since it first appeared in the 1950s.
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06/30/2013
Flying low over the Jordanian desert, F-16 fighter jets flatten targets in the sand while tanks unleash their deadly firepower and paratroopers dot the late afternoon sky. These were the scenes a fortnight ago in Operation Eager Lion, the United States-led exercise involving 8,000 service personnel that the military insists was only routine. In Jordan, though, the war games now feel like a precursor to the invasion of neighbouring Syria. And not just because live rounds were fired.
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06/30/2013
U.S. Central Command has extended its investigation into the deadly 2012 insurgent attack on Camp Bastion, threatening the potential third star of a Camp Pendleton general who oversaw the base complex in southwestern Afghanistan.
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06/30/2013
One of the major, and little mentioned, revolutions in air combat is the availability of more powerful and reliable helmet mounted displays and sights. This enables a pilot to “look and shoot” as well as keep their heads up more of the time and more quickly make decisions in air-to-air combat.
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06/29/2013
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress today of a possible Foreign Military Sale to France of 16 MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $1.5 billion.
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06/29/2013
Delays to the Joint Strike Fighter program and uncertainty over acquisition and support costs have ruled out one-for-one replacement of inventory fighters in the U.S. fleet for well over a decade. Half of the U.S. Air Force fighter force in 2030 will comprise conventional aircraft, according to current fleet plans outlined to Congress, and slated F-35C numbers and acquisition rates are being questioned at the highest levels of the U.S. Navy.
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06/29/2013
The number of F-35 Lightning II training squadrons coming to Luke Air Force Base has doubled, which should secure the Phoenix-area base's future as it draws down its F-16 jet inventory. The announcement came Thursday with praise from a slate of dignitaries at the base in Glendale and in missives from the state's Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C.
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06/29/2013
Europe’s failure to launch a medium-altitude long-endurance (Male) UAV to compete with long-established offerings from Israel and the U.S. was a major talking point at last week’s Paris Air Show.
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06/29/2013
The Sukhoi PAK FA (Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation), aka the T-50 fighter, a stealthy acrobat, will be seen on Russian airspace later this year. The important phase of engine development has been completed, Sukhoi said at the recently-concluded Paris Air Show.
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06/29/2013
A VICIOUS aerial dog fight involving up to 45 F18 Hornets broke out off Port Stephens this morning before Newcastle Airport was taken out in a simulated ``airfield strike??. But it could be weeks before the fictional body count and collateral damage is known as exercise Aces North – the Air Force's most prestigious and rigorous "Top Gun" training program – wrapped up north of Sydney.
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06/29/2013
Training Afghanistan's soldiers and cops has been tough. But outfitting an Afghan air force special operations unit is proving damn near impossible. The latest evidence: The Pentagon is spending $770 million on Afghan military aircraft that the Afghans have little hope of being able to operate and maintain, according to the U.S. government's Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.
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06/29/2013
The Special US Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction urged the Pentagon on Friday to put on hold its $553 million arms deal with Russia for helicopters for the Afghan Special Mission Wing until the unit is fully recruited and properly trained, the AP reported.
Since May 2011 the Pentagon has bought 33 Mi-17 helicopters from Rosoboronexport, the state-run Russian arms exporter, and signed a contract for 30 more June 17, in the face of fierce opposition from Congress.
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06/29/2013
Russia will supply over 10 fully armed and equipped Mi-28NE Night Hunter attack helicopters to Iraq under a multi-billion dollar agreement, a representative of Russia’s state arms exporter told RIA Novosti on Friday. Russia and Iraq signed a $4.3 billion agreement on cooperation in the defense and technology sector in 2012, and this is the first time the number of Night Hunters under the contract has been disclosed.
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06/28/2013
All of Russia’s military personnel have been successfully evacuated from Syria, including from its Mediterranean naval base at Tartus, Russian media reported Wednesday. Moscow is Syria's sole remaining major ally, other than Iran. “We have neither servicemen nor civilians in Syria anymore. Or Russian military instructors assigned to units of the Syrian regular army, for that matter,” a Russian defense ministry spokesperson told the Vedomosti newspaper in Moscow.
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06/28/2013
Luke Air Force Base officials say early signs indicate a bird strike caused an F-16 jet fighter crash Wednesday. However, until an investigation is complete, they can’t confirm that was the cause, said James “Rusty” Mitchell, director of the Community Initiatives Team for the 56th Fighter Wing he said on Thursday.
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06/28/2013
A freak hailstorm over one of the biggest Nato airbases in Afghanistan grounded more than 80 helicopters, putting several of them out of action for more than three weeks, it has emerged. The half-hour storm in late April split rotor blades, cracked windows, ruptured the choppers' metal skin and damaged other parts. The hail was so intense that after an intensive repair programme eight of the choppers were still inoperable more than three weeks later, according to a Nato spokesman.
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06/28/2013
The Department of Defense awarded contracts worth $1.75 billion Thursday, parceling out the money in 29 separate awards. But one single company - Northrop Grumman - managed to bag the bulk of the loot - $522.3 million, or roughly 30% of the monies on offer.
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06/28/2013
The 352nd Special Operations Group resurrected a key capability when two CV-22B Ospreys touched down June 24 here. The Ospreys are the first of 10 slated to arrive as part of the 352nd SOG expansion, which will last through the end of 2014. The CV-22 fills part of the role previously accomplished by the MH-53 Pave Low helicopter. However, it combines the vertical takeoff, hover and vertical-landing qualities of a helicopter with the long-range, fuel-efficiency and speed of a turboprop aircraft.
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06/28/2013
Though late to sign on to the network of nations purchasing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Israel will be the first international customer to operate the fifth-generation fighter, Aviation Week’s David Eshel reports. “Israel will become the first non-U.S. operator of the F-35 in the world,” said Steve O’Bryan, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for F-35 program integration and business development in an interview at the Paris air show.
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06/28/2013
After joining ‘war against terror’, Pakistan has received $25.91 billion military and economic aid from United States since September 11, 2001. “US has provided approximately $17.22 billion in military and $8.68 billion in economic assistance to Pakistan since September 11, 2001,” a report presented in April this year by Congressional Research Service for the US Congress.
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06/28/2013
US military commanders are examining ways the US could bolster security in Syria’s neighboring countries, and have recommended sending military trainers to Lebanon and Iraq. Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, on Wednesday revealed US plans to strengthen military assistance in Lebanon and Iraq as the conflict in Syria begins to spill over its borders. Dempsey noted that Iraq is suffering the re-emergence of al-Qaeda.
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06/28/2013
From Jennies to jets to stealth bombers, the 131st Bomb Wing's history really began with its co-located flying squadron, now the 110th Bomb Squadron, which traces its roots back to the 110th Observation Squadron.
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06/28/2013
Boeing delivered the first of 15 new CH-147F Chinook helicopters to the Royal Canadian Air Force on June 21, making Canada the operator of one of the most capable Chinook variants delivered to the global market. The aircraft’s features include a modernized airframe with a long-range fuel system, upgraded electrical system, fully integrated Common Avionics Architecture System cockpit, and Digital Automatic Flight Control System.
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06/27/2013
This is what it will look like from the cockpit of an enemy fighter giving chase to a Sukhoi Su-30: travelling at twice the speed of sound (about 2,400 km an hour), it suddenly rears its head and is vertical to the ground. For a split second, it hangs in the air - like a cobra about to strike. And in that time the enemy, also in a supersonic fighter, has gone past him. The Su-30 does a loop. Now it's the enemy's turn to run.
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06/27/2013
The land, sea and skies of West Vancouver Island were the playground for one of the largest military exercises in Canada this year. Exercise Trident Fury, held May 3 to 19, is a biennial joint and often multinational naval exercise hosted and organized by Maritime Forces Pacific in Esquimalt, B.C.
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06/27/2013
To absorb its share of a $500 billion spending cut that will hit the Defense Department over the next decade, the Marine Corps would shed 8,000 troops and forgo purchases of new armored vehicles, trucks, tactical aircraft and helicopters. The Marine Corps is prepared to shoulder its portion of the sequester, said Commandant Gen. James F. Amos.
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06/27/2013
The third Lockheed Martin F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL) Lightning II for the United Kingdom arrived at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., yesterday where it will be used for pilot and maintainer training. U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Roger Hardy piloted the aircraft known as BK-3 (ZM137) on its 90-minute ferry flight from the Lockheed Martin F-35 production facility at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base.
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06/27/2013
Lockheed Martin delivered the State of Israel’s first C-130J Super Hercules airlifter during a ceremony today at its Aeronautics Company’s production facility here. This is first of three C-130Js currently on order for the Israeli Air Force (IAF), which has operated legacy C-130s since 1971.
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06/27/2013
Boeing workers in Everett today loaded the first wing spar for the first U.S. Air Force KC-46A aerial refueling tanker, starting production of that aircraft and achieving another milestone toward delivering 179 tankers during the next 14 years. The KC-46A is based on the commercial 767-200ER, a proven airframe in service as an airliner, freighter and tanker. Boeing has delivered more than 1,050 767s worldwide.
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06/27/2013
The president of the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday signed a bill ordering the closure of a US airbase that serves as the main transit hub for NATO forces in Afghanistan. According to the bill, US forces must abandon the base at Manas International Airport, near the capital Bishkek, by July 2014. The Kyrgyz parliament overwhelmingly approved the legislation last week.
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06/27/2013
Beijing is committed to boosting its defense collaboration with member states of a post-Soviet security group that includes Russia, China’s defense minister said Wednesday. Joint military exercises as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which also includes Kyrgyzstan and neighboring Central Asian states, are a “real necessity” for ensuring regional peace and stability and “enhancing political and strategic confidence.”
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06/27/2013
Russia is opening an airbase in northwestern Belarus, near the Polish and Lithuanian borders, within just a few months, a Russian Air Force general said Wednesday. The airbase, modern Russia’s first on Belarusian soil, will consolidate bilateral defense collaboration as part of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, Russian Air Force chief Lieutenant General Viktor Bondarev told reporters.
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06/26/2013
Rising Indian Ocean rivalries as China seeks to safeguard key energy lifelines loom behind an Australian push for a $3 billion fleet of maritime superdrones, which will likely boost intelligence sharing with the United States. With elections looming and pressure for budget savings, the purchase of up to seven MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft has emerged as rare point of bipartisan agreement between Australia's Labor government and conservative opponents.
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06/26/2013
Even if the McDonnell Douglas F-4 was developed as interceptor in response to the need of the U.S. Navy to protect their aircraft carrier, the ultimate version of the Phantom II was the USAF F-4E, a multi role fighter which was also sold to several air forces around the world. One of the countries to receive the F-4E was Israel that bought the first examples in 1969 and later made the Phantom the mainstay of its Air Power bringing the F-4 in all the major Arab-Israeli conflicts.
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06/26/2013
Azerbaijan celebrates the Day of the Armed Forces on June 26. The Azerbaijani armed forces are highly disciplined, powerful, equipped with modern military machinery, always ready to defend the country and capable of resolving any problem. The Azerbaijani army is professional and the most powerful army in the South Caucasus region.
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06/26/2013
Italy's cash-strapped government plans to go ahead with purchasing 90 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, Defense Minister Mario Mauro said on Tuesday, ahead of a vote that risks splitting the ruling coalition. The lower house of parliament is due to vote on Wednesday on a motion, presented last month by opposition groups and some members of Prime Minister Enrico Letta's centre-left Democratic Party (PD), that calls on Italy to drop the fighter investment.
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06/26/2013
The news media have, by and large, stopped writing about sequestration and Congress has stopped agitating about it. So it stands to reason that it’s not that big of a deal, right? Surely the doomsayers who predicted grave consequences from willy-nilly cutting $1 trillion from the budget over the next decade–including more than $500 billion in defense cuts–have been proven wrong. Not quite. In fact, sequestration is already taking a serious toll on our military readiness.
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06/26/2013
It will be a race against time for the developers of the Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas, as Defence Minister A.K. Antony has set a December 2014 deadline for the final delivery of the homemade fighter. But, going by the amount of work remaining on the aircraft, it will be a rush for the scientists to get the final operational clearance within the allocated time.
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06/26/2013
Over two decades, hundreds of millions of euros spent on European UAV technologies have failed to deliver capabilities sought by regional militaries. Some, like Britain’s Herti, or Harfang, the Franco-German adaptation of Israel’s Heron, have yielded modest capabilities. Others, like EADS’ Talarion, have been long in gestation at tremendous cost but with scant prospects for adoption.
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06/26/2013
Asian powers are outpacing the United States to become the biggest spenders on defense by 2021 and are fuelling an "explosion" in the global arms trade, a study showed. The global arms trade jumped by 30 percent to $73.5 billion between 2008-2012 in spite of the economic downturn, driven by surging exports from China and demand from countries like India, and is set to more than double by 2020, defense and security consultancy IHS Jane's said on Tuesday.
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06/26/2013
Lockheed Martin received an aircraft maintenance and logistics contract with an initial funding value of $5 million from the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., to provide field and sustainment-level maintenance for U.S. Army helicopters. Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will lead the Army’s Regional Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Central Operations at Fort Campbell, Ky., home of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
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06/25/2013
The deal making has officially concluded; the order books are now closed. This year’s Paris Air Show, ended June 23, witnessed a robust roster of sales to airlines that are optimistic about economic growth and willing to spend billions of dollars for new aircraft. The biennial gathering, the world’s largest and most prestigious showcase for commercial and military aircraft, marked its 50th anniversary this year.
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06/25/2013
Search and rescue teams yesterday found debris of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) OV-10 Bronco plane with two pilots that crashed Sunday night in the vicinity of Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. Col. Miguel Okol, PAF spokesman, said that parts of the light attack aircraft with tail No. R630 were found after the aircraft went missing following takeoff at around 6:37 p.m. Sunday to conduct night flying proficiency training mission.
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06/25/2013
Western media called the demonstration flights of the newest Russian Su-35S fighter at the Paris Air Show 2013 the high point of the event. Making its foreign debut, the new combat machine wowed the public with a series of aerobatic maneuvers that no other aircraft can perform — proving yet again that Sukhoi-made fighters are among the best in the world.
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06/25/2013
With the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Dassault Aviation ironing out differences over the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), the supply of the Rafale aircraft is expected to begin in 2016-17.
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06/25/2013
French President Francois Hollande has sought to press the gas-rich Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar to buy 24- to 36 Dassault Rafale combat jets during a weekend visit amid a defense build-up by the region's Arab monarchies to counter Iran.
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06/25/2013
Worried over the long delay in the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project, defence minister A K Antony on Monday asked DRDO and HAL to avoid further time slippage and stick to the schedule of achieving final clearance for the indigenous plane by the end of next year.
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06/25/2013
The first Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II Navy carrier variant (CV) aircraft, CF-6, arrived at Strike Fighter Squadron 101 located at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., on Saturday. The jet is the Navy’s first 5th generation F-35 production aircraft.
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06/25/2013
President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russian weapons exports had grown 15 percent since the start of the year, in comparison with the same period last year. “The first results of the year once again confirm that Russia’s ties abroad in regard to military-technical collaboration are continuing to strengthen,” the president told a gathering of defense industry officials.
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06/25/2013
The Russian Defense Ministry is considering two possible designs for a replacement for the obsolete Antonov An-26 military transport aircraft, a senior ministry official said on Monday.
The ministry is considering development of a light military transport plane based on the Antonov An-140 turboprop airliner made by Aviakor in Samara, or the rival Ilyushin Il-112V transport aircraft to be made by the Voronezh aircraft plant (VASO), Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said.
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06/25/2013
Growing demand supported by strong intent and investment capability is expanding the market for military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Middle East. The region is already considered a lucrative market for defence. UAV development efforts by some Middle East nations coupled with imports from the U.S. will strongly bolster market expansion.
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06/24/2013
THE UK is among the countries that have been briefed on the V-22 as its maker, Bell-Boeing, embarks on an export drive of the innovative aircraft that can transform from a plane into a helicopter. A squadron of the US aircraft is to be based at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk as part of the Special Operations Group, the air force arm of US European command. Is is expected to serve as part of Air Force Special Operations Command.
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06/24/2013
U.S. Navy aircraft experts needed rugged Ethernet switches for the Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). They found their solution from GE Intelligent Platforms in Huntsville, Ala. Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., have announced their intention to issue a new contract to GE for 15 RES-210 rugged Ethernet switches for the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter.
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06/24/2013
Unless the bloodshed in Syria stops, the region could descend into a chaotic sectarian conflict, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday, as he called for an urgent political resolution to the war that has dragged on for two years and claimed 93,000 lives.
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06/24/2013
In June 1943, Lockheed made a bold pitch to the U.S. Army that it could build a jet fighter, and build it fast. Since then, the Skunk Works has conjured up the U-2, the SR-71, the F-117, and more, and it's still going strong.
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06/24/2013
French companies have made offers on supplying military equipment to Qatar, including equipping its air force with Rafale fighter planes made by Dassault , President Francois Hollande said on Sunday. France is the top military supplier to the Gulf state and Hollande said he had discussed future supplies of military equipment with Qatari officials.
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06/24/2013
About a dozen U.S. fighter jets will be flying and conducting training operations in Jordan, poised to respond if needed to protect allies if the war in neighboring Syria spills over the border, U.S. administration officials said Friday.
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06/23/2013
The top drone pilot at the Springfield Air National Guard Base is confident that the controversial unmanned technology saves the lives of American combat troops, despite fears of domestic spying and questions of legality surrounding the CIA’s use of drones to kill as many as 3,350 people in Pakistan.
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06/23/2013
Bidding on South Korea’s US $7.3 billion program to buy 60 new combat jets will end June 28 after 10 days of maneuvering among three competitors. This is the third and final phase of the Asian country’s decadelong “F-X” plan to acquire 120 advanced aircraft before 2020 to replace older F-4 Phantoms.
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06/23/2013
THE air displays may not come with commentary, nor even a short announcement of what aircraft is taking to the skies. But when the four turboprop-powered giant takes to the skies over Le Bourget, there is no mistaking it. The Airbus Military A400M in flight is a sight to behold. For its size, anyone watching it would be impressed by the grace it displays as its pilots takes it through almost aerobatic motions.
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06/23/2013
Due to security concerns in Jordan, which borders the Syrian civil war, a combat-equipped detachment of about 700 U.S. troops will remain in the country following training exercises that ended this week, President Barack Obama told Congress on Friday.
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06/23/2013
Moscow made a new attempt to dodge a $4-billion lawsuit from Tehran over a failed deal to supply S-300 missile systems by offering another type of air defense system to Iran, Kommersant daily said Saturday. The new offer on the table is Antei-2500, aka S-300VM, or SA-23 Gladiator in NATO nomenclature, the newspaper said, citing unnamed sources in the Russian arms trade industry.
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06/22/2013
For people (like me) who worry that the U.S. government is becoming dysfunctional, it’s worth studying the subtle and largely hidden effects of sequestration on the military and other agencies. What’s happening is the slow-motion decay of programs and readiness, which should scare the heck out of most citizens.
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06/22/2013
At the recent Airbus Military Trade Media Briefing 2013, journalists who attended were given the opportunity to fly the aircraft for more than an hour. Francis Tusa, the well-known British journalist and hardly a Euro hugger, underscored what we all felt: The lack of noise within the aircraft was noticeable compared to the C-17, C-130 or other aircraft. The seats are more comfortable as well. I did not hear the engines start up, and so was surprised when the aircraft took off.
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06/22/2013
Ottawa hit the pause but-ton last December on its self-inflicted fiasco agreement to sole-source 65 F-35 combat airplanes from Lockheed Martin Corp., refusing any competitive bidding.
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06/22/2013
China's national aircraft exporter is seeking to expand its market share by selling more advanced planes to foreign clients, according to an executive from the company. "We have started development of the two-seater FC-1 Fierce Dragon and plan to introduce it to the international market in three to four years," Ma Zhiping, general manager of China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp, said at the 50th International Paris Air Show.
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06/22/2013
On June 18, an Iraqi military source confirmed that the air force command will receive “Alligator” combat helicopters from Russia in the coming period. In a statement to Al-Monitor, the source, a senior Iraqi army officer, said that "the aircraft will be of the Ka-52 and Mi-28NE models from the French Le Bourget Air Show.”
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06/22/2013
The United States, keeping a wary eye on Syria's civil war, has left about 700 combat-equipped troops in Jordan after a training exercise, President Barack Obama said today, after previously deciding to leave Patriot missiles and warplanes there. Obama said the deployment was done at the request of the Jordanian government, which fears a spillover of the war into its territory and where an estimated half-million Syrian refugees have fled to escape the bloodshed.
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06/22/2013
The latest version of Russia's Sukhoi-35 fighter jet wowed crowds with gravity-defying demonstrations at the Paris Air Show as the aircraft made its first appearance outside Russia.
In the cockpit was test pilot Sergei Bogdan, who helped to develop and was the first to fly five years ago. "I have worked on the Su-35 from the beginning," he said in Russian to a small group of reporters. "From the first drawings I was associated with engineers in the 'flying group' as the plane's first test pilot
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06/22/2013
The new Airbus military transport plane, much delayed and much needed by European defence forces, flew in to the Paris Air Show on Friday with the French President on board.
The plane, offering an exceptional range of capabilities, was a highlight of the fifth day of the 50th Paris Air Show when the gates were also thrown open to the public.
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06/22/2013
The eleventh C-5M Super Galaxy departed for Dover Air Force Base, Del. from Lockheed Martin facilities here today. The aircraft was flown to Delaware by Maj. Gen. Craig Neil Gourley, vice commander of the Air Force Reserve Command at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
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06/21/2013
At least five countries are negotiating with China on buying its domestically developed Wing Loong drone. "Wing Loong is quite competitive in the international market and we have delivered it to up to three clients," Ma Zhiping, general manager of China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp, said at the 50th International Paris Air Show.
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06/21/2013
It was for several good and solid reasons that U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration long resisted pressures to intervene more forcefully in Syria’s civil war. To start with, there is the sheer complexity of a conflict at the intersection of religious, ethnic, regional and global politics, as illustrated by the plain fact that the most Westernized of Syrians (including its Christians) support the Assad government that the United States seeks to displace.
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06/21/2013
President Barack Obama has expressed scepticism that setting up a no-fly zone in Syria or other major US military action could save lives or tip the balance against President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Speaking to PBS television, Obama said critics urging bold intervention failed to understand there was no simple solution and "if you set up a no-fly zone, that you may not be actually solving the problem".
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06/21/2013
Few places in the aerospace industry are as revered as Lockheed Martin Corp.’s Skunk Works.
For decades, employees at the secretive site have designed and built the some of the most innovative military aircraft ever built.The U-2 spy plane. The SR-71 Blackbird. The F-117 Nighthawk.
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06/21/2013
Ottawa hit the pause button last December on its self-inflicted fiasco agreement to sole-source 65 F-35 combat airplanes from Lockheed Martin Corp., refusing any competitive bidding.
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06/21/2013
The Republic of Korea Air Force’s (ROKAF) first C-130J Super Hercules recently debuted its official tri-color camouflage paint scheme at the Lockheed Martin production facility here. This C-130J (Lockheed Martin aircraft number 5730) now begins its test flight phase and is scheduled for a 2014 delivery. The ROKAF is a legacy C-130 operator.
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06/21/2013
Russia has manufactured several Yak-130 combat trainer jets for Syria as part of a deal signed in 2011, but no final decision on delivery has yet been made, a Russian official source said on Thursday. An unspecified number of the aircraft have been produced by aircraft-builder Irkut as part of the $550 million deal for 36 Yak-130s.
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06/21/2013
AN RAF navigator has been awarded a top French medal for the second time in three years, for heroism under fire while protecting civilians from attack by Colonel Gaddaffi's forces in Libya. Flight Lieutenant Ian Abson was attached to the French Air Force when he took part in the dangerous night-time missions near Tripoli that won him the award.
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06/21/2013
Contracts that the joint venture will pursue are administered by the U.S. government as part of its Foreign Military Sales process. The joint venture will help advance the Kingdom's efforts to diversify its economy, expand the technological expertise of its aerospace and commercial sectors, and create jobs.
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06/21/2013
The RAFO was at the Paris Air Show today to meet with Airbus with a delegation led by Oman’s defence minister Sayyid Badr bin Saood Al Busaidi. The official transfer of the title will take place from Seville immediately after the airshow. The aircraft is the first of eight ordered last year by RAFO and is configured for tactical transport operations. It will be used for initial training at Seville, Spain, where it was assembled, before transferring to Oman later in the year.
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06/20/2013
Saab CEO Håkan Buskhe revealed this week that the company is exploring the idea of an Optional Manned Gripen (OMG). While believing that manned operations will still be needed for at least the next 40 years, Buskhe also recognizes that many “dull and dangerous” missions could be performed better by an unmanned aircraft. Using an OMG for such roles rather than acquiring another type of aircraft would, in essence, halve the logistics costs. OMGs could perhaps operate in a formation under the contr
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06/20/2013
The future of a long-stymied US Air Force effort to buy new combat search-and-rescue helicopters is once again uncertain as top-level generals are intensely debating the type of aircraft and which arm of the service is best suited to conduct this critical mission.
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06/20/2013
Developed and produced by Sagem, Sigma 95 is an autonomous hybrid inertial navigation system combining laser gyros and GPS/Glonass* satellite navigation. It ensures high-precision navigation and broad operational flexibility for both combat and special-mission aircraft.
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06/20/2013
Korea wants to buy 60 new combat fighter jets and the bidding which started today proved fierce among the three frontrunners: Lockheed Martin, the Boeing Company and the European Aerospace Defense and Space Company. And already they've made some aggressive offers to win the multi-billion dollar bid.
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06/20/2013
Swedish aerospace company Saab AB Tuesday said it will develop a version of its Gripen fighter jet that could be flown without a human pilot as a low-cost alternative to specially-developed unmanned combat aircraft.
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06/20/2013
The matt black, almost featureless triangular aircraft is making its first public appearance, and the makers don't want people seeing too much of its advanced features. But this object - the rather awkwardly-named nEUROn - could be the future of combat aircraft. When a jet like the Rafale or the Sukhoi SU-35 shrieks overhead at the show, the watching crowds are left in awe at the skill and daring of the pilot.
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06/20/2013
The 50th International Paris Air Show was launched at the Le Bourget Airport near Paris on June 17, 2013, where the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) showcased in the main exhibition hall a variety of its aircraft models, including a single-seat version and a two-seat version of the Xiaolong Fighter China 1 (FC-1), the Hongdu L-15 "Falcon" advanced jet trainer (AJT), the Yilong/Pterodactyl-1 multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Y-8C transport aircraft, etc.
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06/20/2013
The United States scrambled Wednesday to salvage plans to bring the Taliban into Afghan peace talks while Russia threw its support squarely behind President Hamid Karzai after he angrily cancelled crucial security talks with Washington.
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06/20/2013
Russia is currently delivering up to $1 billion worth of military equipment to Azerbaijan including tanks, artillery systems and infantry fighting vehicles, Vedomosti newspaper reported Tuesday. The shipments are the result of contracts signed in 2011 and 2012, unnamed Russian Defense Ministry sources told the business daily, which also cited photographs posted on milkavkaz.net, a website analyzing the military situation in the Southern Caucasus.
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06/19/2013
Embraer and Boeing are partnering on the sales and marketing of Embraer's KC-390 – a multi-mission mobility and aerial refueling aircraft with advanced capabilities in the medium-sized airlift market. Under the agreement, Boeing is the lead for KC-390 sales, sustainment and training opportunities in select Middle East markets as well as the US and UK.
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06/18/2013
The events in Sabah, Malaysia, this past March, when local forces conducted Operation Daulat used combat jets to quell the resistance of the Filipino gunmen on the island of Borneo, may have prompted a spate of arms sales to that country and her closest neighbors. The armed forces do have a big wish list for weapons, but procurement processes for the most expensive and longest-lead items are likely to be launched properly only after the general elections in Malaysia later this year.
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06/18/2013
Flight hour costs have dropped while readiness rates have improved for the V-22, a rare feat indeed for a modern combat aircraft. Critics have pointed to the V-22's readiness rates and costs as yet another reason to curtail the program, but when I asked Marine Col. Greg Masiello, manager of the Joint Program Office, what their current maintenance costs are, he said they are down to $9,520 an hour at the same time they’ve substantially increased the plane’s readiness rates.
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06/18/2013
A target for criticism over delays in projects in the past, India’s largest defense manufacturer, government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) is undergoing a transformation of its human resource through training and innovative programs. This is focusing on two urgent requirements–the overdue Light Combat Aircraft (LCA); and the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT). HAL (Chalet A 124) has confirmed that the projects will go into production in the next five years.
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06/18/2013
London-based Lockheed Martin UK is bidding to create a new state-of-the-art Polish Air Force pilot and aircrew training centre in Deblin, Poland. The company has submitted a fully compliant response to a Polish Ministry of Defence tender for a new Integrated Aircrew Training Systems (IATS). The aim is to boost Poland’s military aviation safety by introducing a next-generation training programme which will produce pilots for the future.
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06/18/2013
On the first day of the 2013 Paris Air Show, a new alliance between Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and CAE was announced when officials from both companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for F-35 Lightning II training system support and services in Canada. CAE is a global leader in modeling, simulation and training for civil aviation and defence.
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06/18/2013
Boeing subcontractor, Air France Industries (AFI), has begun upgrading the electrical, mechanical and structural systems and mission hardware of the first of four French E-3F Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. The $354M Mid Life Upgrade (MLU) – the largest ever for French AWACS – will provide the fleet a fuller picture of the battle space and more actionable information while reducing aircrew workload.
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06/18/2013
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama admitted Monday they disagreed on how to respond to the civil war in Syria but said they are both committed to ending the violence that has ravaged the country over the past two years.
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06/18/2013
A Russian state high-tech corporation will roll out more than 100 new military and civilian developments at the Paris Air Show, a Russian Technologies (Rostec) top executive said on Monday. These include the advanced Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter and a modernized Mi-171A2 civil helicopter, as well as military and civilian avionics, Rostec deputy head Vladimir Artyakov told RIA Novosti at the show, which opened Monday and runs through Sunday at Le Bourget Airport in France.
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06/18/2013
Russia and the United States have signed a contract for the delivery of Russian Mi-17 helicopters for the Afghan army, a Russian government agency said Monday. The Russian state-owned defense firm Rosoboronexport and the US Department of the Army signed the contract on Sunday in Paris “as part of joint efforts to combat terrorism,” Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said in a statement.
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06/18/2013
Russia will display its Yakovlev Yak-130 Mitten combat trainer, Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E multirole fighter and Kamov Ka-52 Hokum B attack helicopter at the Paris Air Show, the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation reported Monday. The Paris Air Show is an international event that takes place every odd year at Le Bourget Airport in the French capital Paris. This year, it will be held June 17-23.
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06/17/2013
On the civil side, aircraft manufacturers are buoyant, with new products to display and a record backlog of orders. In contrast, the military sector is less confident. Defence budget cuts, particularly in Washington, has meant arms programmes being scaled back or abandoned. Optimism among commercial aircraft makers was underlined last week when Boeing published its closely-watched annual forecast for aircraft demand over the next 20 years.
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06/17/2013
Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon got to fly in a V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft during a US visit Friday, as his country weighs whether to buy the American military plane, AFP reports. Yaalon arrived for talks at the Pentagon in unusual fashion, with the hybrid aircraft -- which hovers like a helicopter -- floating down for a landing outside the steps of the Defense Department.
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06/17/2013
Pakistan has revealed a massive increase in its military budget, the third nuclear power in Asia to unveil a significant increase this year, adding credence to fears of a growing arms race on the continent. China, Pakistan and India were the only countries to increase their nuclear weapons stockpile last year, as the rest of the world reduced its warhead numbers.
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06/17/2013
International orders are set to eclipse U.S. military purchases of Sikorsky Aircraft helicopters in four or five years, the company’s president told Reuters ahead of the Paris air show. Sikorsky Aircraft, a unit of United Technologies Corp , sees bright prospects overall for the global helicopter market, given strong international and commercial demand, as well as Washington’s continued commitment to new U.S. military rotorcraft programs, including a new presidential helicopter.
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06/17/2013
European aerospace industries and defense establishments are promoting pan-European collaboration in launching a collaborative development of Medium Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) drone capability that will rely on the collective knowhow, skills and technologies of member countries. EADS Cassidian, Dassault Aviation and Finmeccanica Alenia Aermacchi declare their readiness to coordinate on such a program supporting the security needs of European governments and armed forces.
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06/17/2013
The first supersonic fighter jet of the Indian Air Force — Russian MiG-21bis —which completed 50 years in service this April despite facing criticism following a substantial number of accidents, is likely to remain operational in its upgraded version until 2019 — two years later than they were originally scheduled to be decommissioned.
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06/17/2013
The use of unmanned drones for surveillance and targeted anti-guerrilla strikes has recently been a focus of ethical and political controversy. Yet for all the criticism, and at a time when austerity budgets are causing deep cuts in orders for manned combat, transport and tanker aircraft, drone builders are thriving.
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06/17/2013
The A400M, a long-awaited new military transport plane, will take to the skies at the upcoming Paris Air Show before finally setting out to conquer markets worldwide after a four-year delay. Built by Airbus Military, the giant plane can carry helicopters, people or armoured vehicles weighing up to 37 tonnes over 3,300 kilometres (2,050 miles) and is able to land directly in combat areas on rough terrain, even on sand.
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06/17/2013
When the U.S. sought to assure Asian allies that it would defend them against potential aggression by North Korea this spring, the Pentagon deployed its top-of-the-line jet fighter, the F-22 Raptor. But only two of the jets were sent screaming through the skies south of Seoul.
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06/17/2013
President Vladimir Putin on Sunday defended Russia’s weapons supplies to Syria saying they are in the framework of the international law. “If we speak calmly, I want to stress that Russia supplies arms to the legitimate government of Syria in full compliance with the norms of international law and we call on our partners to act in the same way,” Putin told reporters after talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Sunday.
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06/16/2013
Sunni Jihadists operating in northern Syria have apparently procured a large supply of portable surface-to-air missiles that will enable the Syrian rebels to shoot down military aircraft of the Syrian Air Force.
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06/16/2013
Syrian artillery and warplanes pounded rebel areas in Damascus on Saturday as President Bashar Assad's foes pleaded for advanced weapons from the United States, which has promised them unspecified military aid. Western powers have been reluctant in the past to arm Syrian insurgents, let alone give them sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles that might fall into the hands of Sunni Islamist insurgents in rebel ranks who have pledged loyalty to al-Qaida.
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06/16/2013
A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft made an unprecedented landing Friday on a Japanese naval vessel off the California coast. The tilt-rotor aircraft flew from San Diego’s Marine Corps Miramar Air Station to the Japanese ship Hyuga as part of an 18-day drill aimed at improving Japan’s amphibious capabilities.
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06/16/2013
Raytheon announced June 15 that it has delivered the 5,000th AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missile, achieving a major milestone in the longtime program. Raytheon revealed the news in Paris, where defense firms and others are preparing to display their wares at the June 17-23 Paris Air Show.
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06/16/2013
With most NATO troops expected to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014, the Afghans are learning how to fight the Taliban without relying on the biggest advantage NATO brings to the table: close-air support. NATO has largely stopped dropping ordnance to support to Afghan troops, said Royal Air Force Brig. Gen. Christopher Brazier, director of air operations for NATO’s day-to-day command in Afghanistan.
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06/16/2013
President Barack Obama's decision to begin arming Syria's rebels deepens U.S. involvement in a regional proxy war that is increasingly being fought along sectarian lines, pitting Sunni against Shiite Muslims, and threatening the stability of Syria's neighbors.
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06/16/2013
Malaysia can produce the Dassault Aviation Rafale jet fighter, should the government accept a proposal by the French company. The offer to begin an assembly line for the Rafale is part of the offset programme proposed by Rafale International in its bid to supply the aircraft for the Royal Malaysian Air Force's multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) replacement programe.
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06/16/2013
Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport is planning to sign a number of export contracts on the delivery of advanced Su-35S fighter aircraft as well as Ka-52 helicopter gunships and Yak-130 combat trainers at the Paris Air Show, the company said. “We are holding negotiations on all three aircraft and hoping to sign contracts at the show,” Rosoboronexport cited head of the company’s delegation at Le Bourget show, Sergei Kornev, as saying.
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06/16/2013
Russian military inspectors will start on Sunday a series of monitoring flights over the United States under the international Open Skies Treaty, Russia’s Defense Ministry has said. Russian experts will carry out two consecutive monitoring missions in a Tupolev Tu-154 M/LK-1 aircraft from June 16 through July 1, the ministry said in a statement.
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06/15/2013
Sequestration probably wouldn’t prevent a U.S. military intervention in Syria, but it could increase the delays, difficulty and costs involved, defense experts said Friday. The White House has pledged to step up its support for the Syrian rebels, but with the Pentagon’s across-the-board restrictions already consuming readiness, a new major operation might amount to burning the candle at both ends.
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06/15/2013
Poland next year plans to pick a company to build as many as 70 military helicopters in a potential $3 billion deal that’s among the biggest opportunities on the international rotorcraft market. The defense ministry wants to buy 70 combat support helicopters, including 48 transports for the army to replace the Soviet-era Mi-8/17-series, plus 12 maritime versions for the navy and 10 search-and-rescue craft for the air force.
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06/15/2013
I am providing this supplemental consolidated report, prepared by my Administration and consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148), as part of my efforts to keep the Congress informed about deployments of U.S. Armed Forces equipped for combat.
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06/15/2013
The Czech Defence Ministry is negotiating with potential bidders who could buy some of the redundant L-159 aircraft from the Czech military, Defence Minister Vlastimil Picek told CTK Thursday. The air force has 72 L-159 combat planes and pilots use one-third of them.
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06/15/2013
ATK and Alenia Aermacchi successfully completed the first phase of ground and flight tests of their MC-27J multi-mission aircraft. A Roll-On/Roll-Off (RORO) Gun System pallet was installed and tested on the Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartan airlifter. The series of tests were conducted by ATK and Alenia personnel at Eglin Air Force base in Florida. The test events were designed and certified by the U.S. Air Force and deemed successful by Air Force Special Operations Command.
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06/15/2013
The U.S. Navy is upgrading its F/A-18 fighter jets to improve the attack and fighter aircraft’s survivability, electronics package and overall performance to better combat potential threats, service officials said. The improvements are taking place across the legacy Hornet fleet as well as the Super Hornet and Growler fleets. They include design work, engineering and enhancements to the avionics, sensors and helmet-mounted displays, weapons, targeting technologies and electronic warfare systems.
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06/15/2013
This year’s Paris Air Show promises to be one of the most lackluster for the defense sector in at least a decade. America is sending virtually no military aircraft to fly the all-important afternoon displays: no F-22s, no F-35s, no C-17s, no C-130s. American companies have scaled back their executives’ participation.
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06/15/2013
Boeing will continue to ensure the availability of U.S. aircraft including the F/A-18 Hornet, AV-8B Harrier, EA-6B Prowler and V-22 Osprey through a $5.5 million U.S. Navy contract to maintain the Reconfigurable Transportable Consolidated Automated Support System (RTCASS).
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06/14/2013
oint Helmet Mounted Cueing System II (JHMCS II), an upgraded and improved version of the classic JHMCS and the world's first high definition, color, smart-visor system that operates in both day and night mode, will be making its debut at the Paris Air Show in Hall 3, Booth E111 from June 17-21.
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06/14/2013
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reaffirmed an Air Force decision to award the Afghan light air support (LAS) contract to contractors Sierra Nevada Corp and Embraer.
The decision, which could mark the end of a long-running legal saga, was announced Thursday afternoon, days before the Monday deadline when the agency would have to rule on competitor Beechcraft’s challenge of the contract.
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06/14/2013
"In the past, you purchased an electronic protection system and installed it onboard the aircraft in order to provide the pilot with alerts pertaining to various threats. Today, electronic warfare resources are a part of the over-all protective suit of the aircraft and are also a part of its weapon systems. They are no longer a stand-alone element – and that has been a quantum leap."
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06/14/2013
The sky over southern Nevada is quieter than they have been in quite some time due to the June 1 Air Combat Command directed stand down of flying operations. Despite the stand down, the 64th Aggressor Squadron remains committed to accomplishing their mission, said Lt. Col. Michael Shepherd, the 64th AGRS academic assistant director of operations.
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06/14/2013
Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee (HAC) approved the FY2014 Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations bill. The HAC bill provides $512.5 billion for the DoD base budget (excluding military construction), almost $3.4 billion below the president’s request.
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06/14/2013
Training to keep the 1968 vintage EA-6B Prowler flying transfers Friday from the Navy to a 2nd Marine Air Wing squadron based at Cherry Point air station. Training for the Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. twin-engine aircraft has previously been conducted for the Navy and Marine Corps by Navy Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129 at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
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06/14/2013
Despite being involved in the fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) joint program with Russia, India is developing a next-generation fighter of its own–the advanced multirole combat aircraft (AMCA).
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06/14/2013
In March 2011, aircraft from Britain’s Royal Air Force joined an international task force patrolling the skies above Libya, enforcing a United Nations-mandated no-fly zone as the regime of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi crumbled.
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06/14/2013
Ethiopia’s initiation of a dam project on the Blue Nile has quickly drawn the ire of Egypt, which is critically dependent on it as a source of much of the country’s freshwater needs. As Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said June 9 following Ethiopia’s refusal to halt construction of the dam and ahead of his trip to Addis Ababa to discuss the project, Egypt will not give up a “single drop of water from the Nile.” ”No Nile, no Egypt,” he said.
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06/14/2013
The LONGBOW Limited Liability Company, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman Corporation [NYSE: NOC], received a $90.6 million contract to provide Saudi Arabia with LONGBOW Fire Control Radars (FCRs) for the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter.
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06/13/2013
srael has dismissed media reports that it exported security equipment to Pakistan over the past five years. “Israel does not export defence equipment to Pakistan. That is our stated policy and is implemented completely,” a senior foreign ministry official said.
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06/13/2013
The U.S defense automatic budget cuts called Sequestration has affected the way U.S military is representing itself in Paris Air Show. Sequestration and a need for careful spending has meant that show organizers are expecting around 10 U.S defense officials, compared with 29 two years ago.
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06/13/2013
France expects to make its first deliveries of Rafale warplanes to India by 2016 or 2017, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was quoted as saying by financial daily Les Echos.
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06/13/2013
The U.S. is sending F-16s to Jordan for an exercise, but they could stay longer to safeguard Jordan from violence in neighboring Syria. The planes will take part in the upcoming exercise, Eager Lion, which runs until June 20, said Defense Department spokesman Air Force Lt. Col. Jack Miller. The U.S. also is sending a Patriot missile battery from Fort Hood, Texas.
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06/13/2013
Israel has exported military equipment, including hi-tech gear used in combat jets, over the past five years to Pakistan and Arab countries with which it has no diplomatic relations, according to a media report on Tuesday.
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06/13/2013
Unmanned Aircraft Systems — previously referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles or remotely operated aircraft/vehicles — come in a variety of shapes and sizes; providing aerial surveillance and security for service members and coalition forces throughout Afghanistan.
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06/13/2013
Interview with Oleg Demchenko, President, IRKUT Corp About The Yak-130 Combat Trainers And Other Programs.
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06/13/2013
With an olive green head scarf poking out from her helmet, Ayesha Farooq flashes a cheeky grin when asked if it is lonely being the only war-ready female fighter pilot in the Islamic republic of Pakistan. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat.
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06/13/2013
Two Russian military aircraft are suspected of having violated Finland’s airspace, the Finnish Defense Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. The incident took place Tuesday morning over the Gulf of Finland, the ministry said on its website. The report did not identify the Russian aircraft, saying only that F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets of the Finnish Air Force were dispatched in order to identify the invaders.
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06/12/2013
The Navy has reached a $6.5 billion deal with a joint venture of Textron Inc.‘s Bell Helicopter unit and Boeing Co. for 99 V-22 Ospreys that likely cements the long-term future of the tilt-rotor aircraft as part of the military’s air inventory.
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06/12/2013
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Tuesday categorically rejected a news report appeared in a section of media which read that Pakistan bought defence equipment from Israel. Earlier, a media report said Israel had exported military equipment, including hi-tech gear used in combat jets over the past five years to Pakistan and Arab countries with which it has no diplomatic relations.
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06/12/2013
Sales of combat aircraft in the Middle East and Asia will more than compensate for cutbacks in U.S. and European spending, Britain's BAE Systems forecast on Tuesday. Europe's largest defence contractor said international markets outside its U.S. and European heartlands would grow to account for around half of turnover at its military air and information unit by 2016, up from around a quarter now.
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06/12/2013
Britain refused to provide Israel with certain types of military equipment in recent years out of fears there was a “risk of their use for internal repression” and a “risk of contributing to internal tensions or conflict in the recipient country.” The equipment, Britain worried, might also damage “regional stability” or be transferred from Israel due to the “risk of diversion or re-export to undesirable end-users.”
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06/12/2013
BAE Systems Plc, Europe’s largest defense company, said South Korea is poised to decide whether to buy Eurofighter Typhoon combat planes, in one of the biggest decisions since the jet lost tenders in India and Japan. South Korea may buy as many as 36 Typhoons in the next two months, Peter Anstiss, BAE’s business development director for military aircraft, told reporters today.
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06/12/2013
Pakistan today said it had scrambled warplanes after two Indian jets allegedly entered three nautical miles into the country's airspace over Punjab province. Officials said the incident occurred over Pakpattan district, 200 km from Lahore, the capital of Punjab. They alleged the jets remained in Pakistani airspace for about two minutes.
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06/12/2013
Lockheed Martin will offer several briefings for journalists at the 2013 Paris Air Show. These events will underscore Lockheed Martin's position as the world’s leading global security company and a trusted partner for governments around the world, delivering innovative and affordable technology to customers in more than 50 countries.
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06/12/2013
Lockheed Martin teams provided exploitation of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities at a level never before achieved during Red Flag, the U.S. Air Force premiere aerial warfare exercise. During the exercise, live imagery from manned and unmanned aircraft was disseminated in near real-time to the Distributed Common Ground Station Imagery (DCGS-I) mobile test bed.
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06/12/2013
The Indian Air Force (IAF) flew its first Boeing [NYSE: BA] C-17 Globemaster III to India today, becoming the newest operator of the leading airlifter. "The C-17 will equip the Indian Air Force with amongst the world's most advanced humanitarian and strategic capabilities," said Air Vice Marshal SRK Nair, Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Transport and Helicopters). "We have looked forward to this day when our Indian Air Force flies the first C-17 to its new home in India."
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06/12/2013
In an agreement that will save the U.S. government more than $800 million, the Army and Boeing [NYSE:BA] have signed a $4 billion multi-year contract for 177 CH-47F Chinook helicopters, with the Army holding options that could increase its total buy to 215 aircraft.
Deliveries from the agreement, which is a cost-effective alternative to annually contracting for the aircraft, begin in 2015.
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06/11/2013
Citing “very volatile” conditions on the northern border with Syria and throughout the region, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted on Monday that the most basic principle guiding Israel is that “whoever hurts Israel, or threatens to hurt it, will get hurt.”
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06/11/2013
Seven Taliban fighters with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns launched a rare assault on NATO’s operational headquarters at the military section of Kabul’s international airport on Monday. All seven militants were killed. Their failed attack showed that despite an asphyxiating security blanket around the capital, Afghanistan’s insurgency is far from defeated after nearly 12 years of war, and militants can still menace the capital.
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06/11/2013
France is apparently not pleased with the performance of its locally developed Harfang UAV and is buying two American RQ-9 Reapers, with the intention getting more and standardizing on this proven UAV design. Currently two Harfang UAVs are present in Mali (operating from neighboring Niger) and some American RQ-9s are helping out as well.
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06/11/2013
Finland has opened a potentially significant dialogue with Russia with the goal of identifying avenues for industrial cooperation. Apart from the potential for weapons purchases and sales, future cooperation could increase Finland’s involvement in providing subcontracting capacity to Russia’s military modernization programs.
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06/11/2013
The year-long golden jubilee celebrations of Central Air Command, Allahabad came to a close on Monday. In the ceremony held at Air Force Station Bamrauli, Governor B L Joshi released the 'First day cover' of Central Air Command. Earlier in the day, Air Marshal J Chauhan Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Air Command laid a wreath at War Memorial to pay tributes to air warriors of CAC who laid down their lives for the nation.
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06/11/2013
The U.S. Navy plans to sign this week a five-year contract valued just under $6.5 billion to buy 99 new V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft built by Boeing Co and Bell Helicopter, a unit of Textron Inc, the program's manager said in an interview on Monday. Marine Corps Colonel Gregory Masiello said the multiyear contract, the second one signed for the program, covers the period from fiscal year 2013 through 2017 and includes options for 22 additional aircraft.
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06/11/2013
A joint-coalition team led by the 451st Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron peers into a dark, moonless sky in preparation for a nighttime helicopter sling load mission. All of their other senses are heightened to compensate for the reduced visibility as a UH-60 Black Hawk flown by Soldiers of the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade approaches the site.
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06/11/2013
Eleven U.S. Air Force Academy cadets learned to operate RQ-11B Raven small unmanned aircraft systems, or SUAS, during an initial qualification training course at Choctaw Airfield, Fla., June 3-14. The RQ-11B Raven is a lightweight and low-altitude, remotely piloted system that provides real-time imagery. Similar in size and shape to a baseball bat, Ravens are designed to be flown beyond a visual line-of-site from a position of cover or concealment.
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06/11/2013
Lockheed Martin received a $34.2 million Foreign Military Sales contract from the U.S. Air Force to support additional integration of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) onto the Finnish Air Force F-18C/D aircraft. Finland is the second international customer for JASSM. This second contract for Finland includes test missiles, software development and engineering documentation.
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06/11/2013
The Russian Air Force has redeployed some 20 combat aircraft and helicopters from their home bases to forward airfields in western Russia as part of a new round of snap combat readiness check of the Russian military, the Defense Ministry said. The drills involve Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer fighter-bombers, Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker fighter jets, Mi-8 combat transport helicopters and Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters based in the Western Military District.
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06/10/2013
Lebanese troops blocked streets in Beirut with tanks and barbed wire for several hours on Sunday after the killing of a protester outside the Iranian embassy raised factional tensions already inflamed by the war in Syria. The man died during a clash between rival groups of Shi'ite Muslims after militiamen from the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement opened fire when protesters drew up at the embassy, the latest sign of Syria's violence spilling over to its neighbours.
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06/10/2013
Japanese troops will converge on California's southern coast in the next two weeks as part of a military exercise with U.S. troops aimed at improving that country's amphibious attack abilities. U.S. and Japanese military officials said the unprecedented training, led by U.S. Marines and sailors, will help Japan's Self-Defense Force operate in stronger coordination with the United States, its main ally, and better respond to crises such as natural disasters.
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06/10/2013
With combat operations winding down in Afghanistan, the U.S. Army is cutting back on purchases of its popular RQ-11B Raven micro-UAV. In the last decade the U.S. has bought most of the 19,000 Ravens produced. But now those purchases are fading to zero. Last year the army bought 1,134, this year it was 234, and next year it is zero.
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06/10/2013
Thunder Over Michigan Air Show officials announced that the World’s only flying Mosquito will perform at the 2013 Thunder Over Michigan Air Show Aug. 10 and 11 at Willow Run Airport. Thunder Over Michigan is produced by the Yankee Air Museum. Proceeds from the event help support the museum and many other charitable organizations.
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06/10/2013
A debate is emerging within the narrative of sequestration that calls into question the military department’s choice to continue funding service demonstration teams like the Blue Angels. In order to properly shape the debate, opponents on both sides of the argument need to broaden their perspectives beyond the current justification of recruiting or the local negative financial impact of air show cancellations.
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06/09/2013
On the eve of US President Barack Obama’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping , the Washington-based Heritage Foundation has released a detailed paper urging the White House to sell F-16C/D jets to Taiwan. Arms sales to Taiwan are thought certain to be raised and condemned by Xi during the two-day California meeting which opened yesterday.
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06/09/2013
Even though China has displayed hostility toward the United States for having its warships into the South China Sea, Beijing has been invited to participate in the 2014 Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC, naval exercise to be held off Hawaii, according to report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin. However, there are concerns about this participation.
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06/09/2013
On May 27, several thousand Russian soldiers were woken at 5:00 in the morning by a surprise alarm. The Russian Ministry of Defense staged its biggest drills in more than twenty years to test the air forces. The aggressor squadrons launched an offensive at all altitudes and from all directions. They also employed jamming systems to impede target engagement by anti-aircraft radars.
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06/08/2013
Three decades in the making, the multinational Airbus Military A400M Atlas is the first new military airlifter to be developed in Europe since the Transall C-160 twin-turboprop in the early 1960s. The completion of basic development and impending first delivery means Europe has its own heavy-lift transport and customers have an alternative to U.S. and Russian aircraft.
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06/08/2013
The Indian air force inducted the first 12 of 75 Swiss-manufactured Pilatus PC-7 Mk-II basic training aircraft at a ceremony at the Dundigal Air Force Academy near Hyderabad. Minister of State for Defense Jitendra Singh unveiled the tandem-seat turboprop aircraft that is capable of aerobatics as well as tactical and night flying, The Hindu reported. "The induction of PC Mk-II is a very important landmark in our nation's quest for modernizing its armed forces," Singh said.
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06/08/2013
During his visit this week to the aircraft base F-16 in Lask near Lodz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Poland needed a deterrent force so that potential enemies do not even think about attacking Poland. Air Force is one of the most important elements of the new military-political doctrine of the country.
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06/08/2013
Russia’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) is expected to be the launch customer for the MiG-35 multi-role fighter. Sergei Korotkov, Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG (RAC MiG) general director, said the company and the MoD are negotiating an initial order for 24 aircraft, with an option that would increase the number to about 40.
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06/08/2013
Each year the Defense Department’s comptroller, the Pentagon’s chief financial officer, publishes a report: Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System. The public and Congress have a right to expect these annual reports to be complete and accurate. These reports have identified spending amounts for research and development and for procurement, plus annual production authorizations, for the F-35, since the public origins of the program in 1994.
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06/08/2013
Iwo Jima is a training site like no other. The rugged volcanic crag was one of the most iconic battlegrounds of World War II, and is so isolated and barren it has almost never been inhabited by anyone other than military troops. But from the perspective of U.S. Navy fighter pilots who regularly train on the island's one functioning airstrip, it is unique in another way.
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06/08/2013
The US missile defense system is no match for the new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that Russia tested this week, a senior Russian official said Friday. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who oversees the defense industry, hailed Thursday’s tests as a success and dubbed the new ICBM a “missile defense killer.”
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06/08/2013
Some 15 warships and auxiliary vessels will take part in Russian-Ukrainian anti-piracy exercises in the Black Sea on June 19-25, a Russian Black Sea Fleet spokesman has said. The Fairway of Peace 2013 drills will focus on joint missions to counter piracy and terrorism threats in the region.
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06/08/2013
A Moscow court has given a four-year suspended sentence to the last defendant in the criminal case over deliveries of low-quality equipment for MiG-29 fighters that were rejected by Algeria in 2007, Russia's business daily Kommersant said Friday. The Moscow city court announced the sentencing for Mikael Kazaryan at a closed session on Thursday. The suspended sentence is a result of a plea bargain between the defendant and the prosecutors.
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06/07/2013
Sixty-nine years ago today, the deadliest war the world had ever seen underwent a pivotal event that changed World War II completely. Today, the Invasion at Normandy, also known as D-Day, remains the largest seaborne invasion in history, involving nearly three million troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy in occupied France.
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06/07/2013
The U.S. Army has shortlisted Bell Helicopter's V-280 tilt-rotor aircraft design for its Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator program. The V-280 is Bell's third-generation, tilt-rotor concept. It reportedly will have a cruising speed of 320 mph, a range of 2,400 miles and a combat range of 580 to 920 miles.
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06/07/2013
Pakistan's new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called Wednesday for an end to US drone strikes in the country's northwest, as he took office for an unprecedented third term. Some 13 years after he was deposed in a coup and sent into exile, the 63-year-old was formally chosen by a vote in the National Assembly and later took the oath of office from President Asif Ali Zardari.
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06/07/2013
Sitting at a long table in Russia's Foreign Ministry, Syrian opposition leaders outlined a plan to protect Moscow's interests if the Kremlin agreed to the removal of its longstanding ally, President Bashar al-Assad. Throughout the meeting last July, one of many since the start of Syria's civil war, Russian officials sat stony-faced. When the Syrians had finished, there was a long silence.
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06/07/2013
The 50th Paris Airshow presents a weeklong celebration for aviation enthusiasts. As the most important annual aerospcace business event, it attracts thousands of companies and trade visitors. On the military side, the airshow takes a lower key, reflecting reduced spending in Europe and the United States. Nevertheless, the Russian impact is growing, demonstrating Moscow’s claim for a leading position in world defense exports.
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06/07/2013
he 451st Flying Training Squadron completed the final step of a long journey when a T-1A Jayhawk modified for electronic warfare training took flight on a training sortie June 4. This is the first time in Air Force history an undergraduate aviation program has formally incorporated the fundamentals of electronic warfare in flight into their combat systems officer training syllabus.
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06/07/2013
An F-35A conventional takeoff and landing aircraft completed the first in-flight missile launch of an AIM-120 over the Point Mugu Sea Test Range, June 5. It was the first launch where the F-35 and AIM-120 demonstrated a successful launch-to-eject communications sequence and fired the rocket motor after launch -- paving the way for targeted launches in support of the Block 2B fleet release capability later this year.
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06/07/2013
Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] recently delivered the first Modernized Day Sensor Assembly (M-DSA) Laser Range Finder Designator (LRFD) to the U.S. Army for the AH-64D/E Apache helicopter. “The new laser is the first component to be fielded in the Modernized Day Sensor Assembly,” said Lt. Col. Steve Van Riper, U.S. Army product manager of Apache Sensors.
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06/06/2013
The exercise spans multiple locations in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and involves approximately 2,000 personnel from 14 countries. To mark the occasion, participants held opening ceremonies at major training areas across the three countries. Lithuania, the host nation for this year’s exercise, held its ceremony at the Pabrade Training Area, with the Chief of Lithuanian Land Forces and exercise co-director, Maj. Gen. Almantas Leika presiding.
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06/06/2013
Syrian government forces and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies seized control of the border town of Qusair on Wednesday, a severe setback to rebel fighters battling to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. Two weeks of heavy fighting reduced much of the town to piles of concrete, whole blocks flattened by shelling, with glass and rubble littering the roads as tired, delighted Syrian soldiers gathered at the bullet-riddled clock tower.
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06/06/2013
The use of unmanned aircraft, so called “drones,” has become a hallmark of 21st century military operations. Such aircraft have become infamous for their use by the United States to hunt terrorists in the mountains of Pakistan and elsewhere, but the US is far from the only user of the technology. Almost every state in Europe has procured some type of drone technology over the past ten years; most notable among them are Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and France.
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06/06/2013
South Korea is set to start the bidding process next week to pick a contractor to provide 60 advanced fighter jets for the country, an official at the state procurement agency said Tuesday. Jets competing for the US$7.5 billion contract are Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle; Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth jet; and the European Aerospace Defense and Space Company (EADS)'s Eurofighter Tranche 3 Typhoon.
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06/06/2013
The suffering from the Syrian civil war is accelerating. António Guterres, United Nations high commissioner, reported to the U.N. Security Council last April that each time he makes a report, it is much worse than the previous report. He said that in December, refugees were fleeing Syria at a rate of about 3,000 per day. Since February, 8,000 persons on average have crossed Syria’s borders every day. Syria is becoming a monumental humanitarian crisis with no sign of abatement.
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06/06/2013
India’s indigenously developed light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas appears to have got a new lease of life, with Defence Minister A. K. Antony stating that final operational clearance would be in place by the end of next year. The LCA programme is meant to boost the country’s aviation industry. Tejas was mooted way back in 1983, at a cost of Rs 560 crore, to replace the Indian Air Force's ageing MiG-21s.
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06/06/2013
On Tuesday May 14th, the US military succeeded in launching a drone from an aircraft carrier off the coast of Virginia, marking a historical first. The aircraft, an "X-47B" produced by Northrop Grumman, is considered to be the first unmanned aircraft that is able to be launched from a ship. The prototype had a successful flight of around 65 minutes, and ultimately landed at a base in Maryland.
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06/06/2013
On 27 May, several thousand Russian soldiers were woken at 5:00 in the morning by a surprise alarm. The Russian Ministry of Defence staged the biggest drills in more than twenty years to test the country’s Aerospace Defence Forces, Long-Range and Military Transport Aviation, the Missile Defence Division in charge of defending the Central Industrial Region and Moscow, as well as the Western Military District’s 1st Air Army.
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06/05/2013
AgustaWestland is making its expectations for success in the North American market very clear. With opportunities in the U.S. government markets expected to top $20 billion over the next 15 years, according to AgustaWestland North America Chairman and CEO R. Scott Rettig, the company seems bullish in the face of sequestration issues and its own internal problems.
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06/05/2013
The Harper Cabinet has until mid-2014 to make a decision on the F-35 fighter jets, either to sign an initial contract for the first batch of four of the stealth fighters for delivery to Canada in 2017, or to delay it, or drop the plan entirely.
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06/05/2013
The United States is sending 200 military planners from the headquarters of the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss to Jordan to assist in long-term planning with Jordanian forces in case a chemical weapons crisis erupts, or if a wide scale humanitarian relief mission is ordered.
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06/05/2013
The storied “Nightmares” are set to deactivate this summer after 69 years of service during which the unit’s Marines saw combat in the Pacific, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Formally designated Marine Attack Squadron 513, the unit which flies AV-8B Harriers out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., will be deactivated July 13, 2013 after their most recent deployment to Asia which concluded with their participation in Exercise Foal Eagle.
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06/05/2013
The U.S. Marine Corps is now preparing to upgrade many of their 140 AV-8B Harrier jet fighters to keep them in service, at least until 2030 (instead of 2027). This is because the replacement for the AV-8B, the F-35B, was supposed to begin replacing AV-8Bs this year, but that has been delayed at least two years. Extending the useful life of the AV-8Bs is possible largely because two years ago Britain sold all its Harrier jet fighters, spare parts, and ancillary gear to the marines.
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06/05/2013
Footage apparently recorded by a German drone shows what looks like a terrifying near-collision between the unmanned craft and an Afghan passenger plane. The video, which is nine years old and was recently rediscovered on YouTube, appears to show an Ariana Afghan Airline's Airbus A300 passenger plane carrying approximately 100 people, approaching the drone, writes English-language German news outlet The Local.
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06/05/2013
Dassault and Thales announced delivery of the first production Rafale to carry the Thales RBE2 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. The companies noted that the aircraft, production number C137 for the French Air Force, is the first AESA-equipped European combat aircraft to enter service. The development was completed on time and budget, they added. Dassault has now delivered 111 Rafales to the French Air Force and Navy.
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06/05/2013
Squadron Leader Jim Schofield became the first Royal Air Force pilot to complete a vertical landing of a Lockheed Martin F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) Lightning II on May 28. Following the flight, Schofield commented on the F-35B’s handling capabilities.
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06/05/2013
Unmanned air vehicles (UAV), ground-based robotic systems and unmanned submersibles which Russian industry is developing for the Defense Ministry, are inferior to foreign analogs, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday. Military robotic systems are under development as part of the state weapons program for 2011-2020, Shoigu said at a ministry conference call on Monday.
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06/04/2013
The decision to deploy a Patriot missile battery and F-16 aircraft to Jordan was made late Friday at a meeting with top military and civilian Defense Department officials to bolster U.S. military support for Jordan - a crucial ally in the Middle East - as the violence from the Syrian civil war spreads, according to a senior U.S. official, CNN has learned.
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06/04/2013
In the late 1960s, the Soviet Union began developing a new 100 km-range surface-to-air system in view of the growing potential of air assault weapons, particularly after the air-launched cruise missile ALKM was introduced in the USSR approximately at the same time the West was working on the design of its Patriot SAM complex. The new weapon, named the S-300, was devised as a universal antiaircraft and antimissile system.
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06/04/2013
It was an ordinary spring day on the southeast coast of Spain when an Israeli-built maritime Heron 1 unmanned aerial vehicle took off at 11 a.m. from San Javier Air Base in Murcia.
Partly cloudy. A slight breeze. Nothing unusual — apart from the presence of the Spanish Air Force chief of staff, representatives from the European Space Agency, the European Defense Agency and more than a dozen industry executives from seven countries gathered to witness the April 24 flight.
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06/04/2013
More than 60 countries on Monday signed a landmark conventional arms trade treaty, but the United States held back from joining the first wave of signatories, while Russia and China are expected to stay out of the accord. The U.N.-brokered treaty is the first covering weaponry of any kind for more than a decade and aims to bring transparency and protection of human rights into the often dubious $85 billion-a-year global trade.
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06/04/2013
Defence minister A K Antony last week expressed the hope that the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft would finally get the final operational clearance (FOC) next year. But a hard-nosed ``internal assessment'' shows Antony's dream will be shattered. The single-engine Tejas, already 30 years in the making, will not become fully combat-worthy anytime before end-2015.
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06/04/2013
On May 27, several thousand Russian soldiers were woken up at 5:00 in the morning by a surprise alarm. The Russian Ministry of Defence staged the biggest drills in more than twenty years to test the country’s Aerospace Defence Forces, Long-Range and Military Transport Aviation, the Missile Defence Division in charge of defending the Central Industrial Region and Moscow, as well as the Western Military District’s 1st Air Army.
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06/04/2013
The X-47B unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) launched last month from the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush off the coast of Virginia in an important test to demonstrate the viability of future carrier-based unmanned fighter-bomber aircraft. Launch of the combat drone occurred at 11:18 a.m. eastern time on 14 May while the carrier was underway off the coast of Virginia, say officials of X-47B designer Northrop Grumman Corp.
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06/04/2013
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] officials joined members of the South African Air Force (SAAF) in commemorating 50 years of continuous C-130 Hercules transport operations during an event near Pretoria, South Africa on June 1. In 1963, a new era of transport operations began in South Africa with the arrival of the original fleet of seven SAAF C-130B Hercules aircraft.
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06/04/2013
Poland is committed to modernizing its armed forces despite prolonged economic woes and will invest about $40 billion in its military within the next decade, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Monday. The modernization program’s priorities include the purchase of guided missiles for F-16 fighters, the development of special purpose forces and the naval missile division on the Baltic Sea, and the provision of a sufficient number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the military, Tusk said.
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06/04/2013
The possibility that America and its allies might impose a no-fly zone over Syria just as they did during previous conflicts in Libya and Iraq is highlighting the importance of having survivable fifth-generation fighters in friendly air forces. Right now those forces consist mainly of older, non-stealthy fighters that Syrian surface-to-air missiles could shoot down in any battle for control of local airspace.
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06/03/2013
A draft Environmental Impact Study released by the U.S. Air Force recommends moving forward with a proposal to transfer a F-16 fighter jet squadron at Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. The study released Friday also recommends keeping Eielson as a temporary base for the aircraft several times per year for training exercises, the Fairbanks Daily New Miner reported.
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06/03/2013
The Russian Navy plans to deploy its single aircraft carrier in support of its newly formed Mediterranean task force, Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov said, a declaration that could further escalate rhetorics over the Syrian conflict. The carrier “Admiral Kuznetsov” will be ready to join the naval task force by the end of 2013. Defense-Update reports.
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06/03/2013
America's combat role in Afghanistan is scheduled to end in 2014. In anticipation of that transition, several media outlets have run stories predicting that without helicopter support from U.S.-led International Security Assistance Forces the morale and combat effectiveness of the Afghan National Army will be seriously degraded. That prediction is spot on. How do I know? I've already seen it come true.
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06/03/2013
Firstly I like to say that I enjoy reading your Defence Watch page very much, as an Australian it is interesting to see the Canadian perspective on defence matters, including the regular reporting of defence matters here in Australia too. But I especially enjoy reading, what appears to be the very very heated public debate that is going on in Canada regarding the F35.
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06/03/2013
The U.S. Navy is facing a cash crisis. Its current fleet is still full of Cold War era ships that are rapidly wearing out. The replacements cost more than the navy can afford, now or in the next decade or so. Looking for ways to manage the inevitable shrinking, some navy officials are saying the unthinkable, that the navy rely less on carriers, if only because it cannot afford to replace the ten it has now.
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06/03/2013
India is all set to get genuine strategic airlift capabilities with the induction of the gigantic C-17 Globemaster-III aircraft, which will allow it to transport heavy armoured vehicles, howitzers and combat troops to distant battlefronts or hotspots at the double. "The Hindon airbase will get the first C-17 aircraft from the US in mid-June, with another two following in July. The aircraft will be a huge strategic asset," IAF chief Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne said.
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06/03/2013
Governments will sign the world's first internationally binding agreement to regulate the trade in conventional weapons on Monday. Adopted by the UN in April after a vote of 154 to three, the arms trade treaty will seek to control the global trade in arms and ammunition. The treaty, which will regulate the sales of battle tanks, large-calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships and small arms and light weapons, will be signed by top arms exporters.
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06/03/2013
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said Saturday that the United States would live up to its promise and deploy more cutting-edge military technology in Asia and the Pacific, even in an age of austerity.
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06/03/2013
US and Canadian military inspectors are expected to complete on Monday their two-day joint monitoring mission over Russian territory under the international Open Skies Treaty, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The NATO inspectors fly on board a refitted C-130 Hercules transport aircraft along a designated route with a total length of 5,500 kilometers (3,417 miles), the ministry said.
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06/02/2013
Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles manufacturers, hailed as the world's leading exporters of military drones a few weeks ago, are grappling with new regulations on defense exports that will limit foreign sales. The Globes business daily reports that compliance by the defense and foreign ministries with the trade laws, which tighten oversight on defense exports, will curtail UAV sales by Israel Aerospace Industries, Aeronautics Defense Systems, Elbit Systems and others.
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06/02/2013
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel today sought to allay concerns among Asia-Pacific nations that steep military spending cuts will prevent the United States from delivering on its promises to place a new emphasis on security in the region. “It is true that the Department of Defense will have fewer resources than in the past,” Hagel said during his much anticipated speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
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06/02/2013
This week, the distance between Barack Obama and the Republican he bested to first become president got a whole lot smaller. John McCain appears to be setting Obama’s foreign policy agenda, and that is plenty of reason to worry. McCain seldom does nuance, and Middle East regime change is his default mode even as less riveting, but vastly more threatening, concerns garner far less of his attention.
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06/02/2013
Airbus Military has launched a new member of the C295 medium transport and surveillance aircraft – the C295W. The company will make its public debut at the Paris Air Show later this month. The new model, equipped with uprated engines and winglets will be available in 2014. Company sources said that the new version will become standard for all Seville assembled CN295 beginning from the fourth quarter of 2014, following the completion of certification, expected by the middle of next year.
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06/02/2013
The reason is obvious: is an absolutely stunning photograph, just released by the U.S. Marine Corps, showing Capt. Christopher Prout with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 232, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing as he shoots an AIM-7 Sparrow missile from an F/A-18C Hornet near Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, on May 16, 2013.
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06/01/2013
The United States and Germany on Friday warned Russia not to endanger a planned peace conference for Syria or alter the balance of power in the Middle East by providing an advanced air defence system to President Bashar al-Assad's embattled regime. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the transfer of S-300 missiles from Russia to Syria would prolong the country's civil war.
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06/01/2013
The U.S. military services today set dates for when the first squadrons of Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 fighter jets, from the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program, will be combat-ready. Congress was notified this morning that the initial short-takeoff and vertical-landing model for the Marine Corps will be ready no later than December 2015. The target for the Air Force’s version of the jet is December 2016, and the date for the Navy model is February 2019.
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06/01/2013
The South Korean government says bidding on a $7.5 billion contract for next-generation fighters is about to start. An official with the Defense Acquisition and Procurement Agency said the bidding process was moved forward one week amid "speculation" that opening the bidding process later in the month could result in prices beyond the country's budget for the purchase, The Korea Herald reported.
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06/01/2013
Swiss-made Pilatus PC-7 Mk-II turbo trainer aircraft was inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in a ceremony held at the Air Force Academy at Dundigal near Hyderabad on Friday. The aircraft, which meets all basic training functions of ab-initio pilots including aerobatics, tactical and night flying, has been customised to meet the requirements of IAF.
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06/01/2013
Even despite criticisms in recent years over the performance and safety of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, Lockheed Martin continues to push for the development and deployment of the fighter plane. Representatives from the company teamed up with Constellium Rolled Products yesterday to celebrate their partnership, which yields one of the military’s most advanced fighter aircraft.
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06/01/2013
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday described as “satisfactory” the results of this week’s snap check of the Aerospace Defense Forces, after hearing that nine out of 11 missiles were intercepted during the drills. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed the president of the results at a meeting in the Kremlin. The exercises checked the combat readiness of aerospace defence units, air force units and air defences in the Western Military District.
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06/01/2013
Russian military aircraft maker MiG is to go ahead with a research-and-development project for an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) based on its Skat prototype, after signing a deal with the Industry and Trade Ministry earlier this month, the firm said Friday. "We signed an R&D contract for UCAVs on May 15," said MiG's head, Sergei Korotkov. "The contract requirements include a mock-up for a future UCAV for the Defense Ministry. We are already ahead on this, based on our Skat program."
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06/01/2013
The Syrian authorities want to revive a contract to purchase MiG-29M/M2 fighter jets from Russia in light of the upcoming expiration of an EU embargo on arms sales to Syria, representatives of aircraft maker MiG said Friday. “A Syrian delegation is currently in Moscow. We’re discussing details and timeframe of a possible contract,” MiG head Sergei Korotkov told journalists, but did not elaborate.
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06/01/2013
Russia has started fulfilling its recent arms exports contract with Iraq after receiving an advance payment from Baghdad, Russian Technologies (Rostech) CEO Sergei Chemezov said.
“The contract is being implemented, the production [of ordered equipment] has started,” Chemezov told RIA Novosti at the opening ceremony of a Russian grenade-launcher assembly facility in Jordan on Thursday.
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