July 11, 2014 Military Aviation News
07/11/2014
British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who concluded his two-day India visit on Wednesday, informed the top Indian leadership that London was ready to supply Eurofighter military aircraft to the South Asian country. He lobbied the Narendra Modi government to purchase the Eurofighter jets from the UK, suggesting that those would be far better compared to combat jets manufactured by France’s Rafale.
(Read More...)
07/11/2014
This is the hi-tech cockpit of America's new $1 trillion fighter jet – which uses Siri style voice control. Manufacturer Lockheed Martin displayed the cockpit of an F-35 fighter jet in Britain for the first time yesterday at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. The F-35 jet cost a staggering $1 trillion to develop and the RAF has ordered 14 at £180 million each.
(Read More...)
07/11/2014
MBDA’s Meteor missile has successfully completed a firing campaign on board the Saab Gripen fighter, marking the complete validation of the integration of the weapon with the aircraft.
The testing of the beyond visual range air-to-air missile was conducted in March in collaboration with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), and was the last major milestone the Meteor had to pass before it could enter operational service on board the Swedish air force's Gripen C/Ds.
(Read More...)
07/11/2014
Britain and France plan to sign a memorandum of understanding for the study of a combat drone, bringing their air forces closer to an advanced fighter program worth billions, defense ministry spokespersons of the two countries said. On July 15, during the Farnborough International Airshow, Defense Ministers Philip Hammond and Jean-Yves Le Drian are due to sign the agreement to launch a two-year feasibility study for the high tech combat drone, the French spokesperson said.
(Read More...)
07/11/2014
The Defense Department said on Thursday it had launched a contest to develop a new long-range bomber, which is expected to pit Northrop Grumman Corp. against a team led by Boeing Co. BA 0.00% and Lockheed Martin Corp. for a contract that analysts value up to $80 billion. A decision is expected next spring on who will build between 80 and 100 bombers that the Pentagon wants to peg at less than $550 million apiece and enter service in the middle of the next decade.
(Read More...)
07/11/2014
The first UK appearance of the combat jet due to be used on Britain's new aircraft carriers has been cancelled. It was hoped the F-35B Lightning IIs would be at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford, Gloucestershire which, starts on Friday. But last week the entire fleet of F-35's was grounded in the US following an engine fire.
(Read More...)
07/11/2014
In its first major military decision since taking office, the new Indian government is backing the completion of India’s first indigenously-built aircraft carrier. According to local media outlets, the Narendra Modi government agreed on Wednesday to release funds to complete the construction of the long-delayed Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), the INS Vikrant.
(Read More...)
07/11/2014
Today, the Department of Defense announced an agreement aimed at reducing the price of an F-35 Lightning II 5th generation fighter to the equivalent of today’s 4th generation fighters by the end of the decade. Designated “The Blueprint for Affordability,” the DoD and F-35 industry partners – Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems signed an agreement to implement cost reduction initiatives to lower the production costs of F-35 aircraft.
(Read More...)
07/11/2014
Russian long-range aviation bases are increasing their presence in the Arctic, the press service of the Eastern Military District reported Thursday. "The crews of Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic bombers at the Arctic long-range aviation base in Amur Region, have tripled their flying rate this year. By performing these tasks, the crews gain valuable experience in offline piloting over featureless terrain for a long period of time," the chief of the press service, Colonel Alexander Gordeyev, said.
(Read More...)
All Articles