October 04, 2013 Military Aviation News
10/04/2013
For weeks, Iraqi officials have been publicly floating the idea of using American drones to hit the increasingly lethal al-Qaeda-affiliated militants on their soil. But the ordinarily drone-friendly Obama administration is apparently in no mood to open up a new front in global campaign of unmanned attacks. An administration official tells The Cable that American drone strikes in Iraq are now off the table.
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10/04/2013
Many in the West view China's rapid military expansion as a growing threat to global and regional security. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth, or so writes Ai Zhong-Guo. Beijing has little time for global or regional domination, which it reminds everyone in its 2013 Defence White Paper.
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10/04/2013
The Netherlands recently agreed to buy 37 of the new American F-35 fighter-bombers, and possibly more if money became available. Originally the Dutch were going to buy 85 but the escalating cost of the F-35 forced them to reconsider. Some Dutch leaders wanted to stick with the F-16 and upgrade it or consider another new fighter (Gripen, Eurofighter, or F-18E). Some of the other original F-35 customers (like Canada and Denmark) have begun looking at alternatives again.
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10/04/2013
Last week, two F-16s took off, broke the sound barrier, executed several complex maneuvers including barrel rolls and "Split S" rolls, and landed -- all without a pilot. Ostensibly, these aging jets have been retrofitted by Boeing to be used as unmanned planes for target practice and training, but the implications for the future of drone warfare is clear.
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10/04/2013
The partial shutdown of the federal government notched its largest and loudest impact in this military-centric region Thursday: cancellation of this weekend's air show at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.
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10/04/2013
The military is closely eyeing the V-22 Osprey for a new role as a refueling tanker after a recent successful Texas demonstration trial, Bell Helicopter officials said. In August, experts from Bell Helicopter’s Xworks facility teamed up with military pilots for an aerial trial to demonstrate that the V-22 is capable of refueling strike aircraft and possibly other military platforms, said Ken Karika, a Bell Helicopter business development specialist and former V-22 pilot.
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10/04/2013
A top Indian defence official negotiating a $12 billion deal to buy France's Rafale fighter jets has died of a heart attack, further complicating talks over the delayed contract, officials said Thursday.
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10/04/2013
Entire fighter squadrons are grounded. The Defense Department's Middle East specialists are barred from the Pentagon. Thousands of the Intelligence Community's top geeks are at home playing Minecraft. The shutdown of the United States government is starting to have very real impacts on the American defense and intelligence infrastructure.
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10/04/2013
The prototype of Russia’s first 20-ton combat drone will be unveiled in 2018, a defense industry source said Thursday.
The 20-ton unmanned combat aerial vehicle is being developed by the Sukhoi company, and will be based on the fifth-generation T-50 fighter, United Aircraft Corporation president Mikhail Pogosyan said during the MAKS 2013 airshow near Moscow in August.
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