April 21, 2015 Military Aviation News

Fortress Crimea

04/21/2015

Before Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the presence of Russian military forces there was strictly defined by a 1997 treaty with Ukraine 1997. The specified that no more than 25,000 Russian military personnel could be present on the peninsula, and only 2,000 of them could be air force and another 2,000 could be marines. Equipment limits also applied. The Russians could have no more than 24 artillery, no more than 142 armored vehicles and 22 military aircraft.

The U.S. Air Force is determined to junk half its best jammers

04/21/2015

The U.S. Air Force is winnowing down its fleet of EC-130H Compass Call electronic attack planes. The 15 high-tech jammers belong to the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. But if the flying branch has its way, it will retire seven at the turn of the fiscal year in October, according to the Pentagon's budget request.

Airlines increase pilot hiring, threaten AF retention

04/21/2015

When commercial airlines look at Air Force pilots, they see aviators with upward of 1,500 flying hours and 10 years or more of flying experience. And they want to hire them. As airlines continue to grow and Vietnam-era pilots retire, the airlines will hire about 20,000 pilots over the next 10 years. United, American, Delta and the rest of the world's aviation companies see the Air Force's 13,000 veteran pilots as a ready way to staff their cockpits.

Video of Islamic State capabilities alarms military experts

04/21/2015

The video opens with high-definition footage shot from a drone flying over an oil refinery in central Iraq, but this video isn’t from a multi-million-dollar American drone. It’s from a drone operated by the Islamic State that likely cost a few thousand dollars. And the refinery – Iraq’s largest – is held by government forces, who have been besieged by the militants for the better part of a year.

Pakistan dispatches 8 fighters to escort Xi's plane on state visit

04/21/2015

Pakistan dispatched eight JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to escort Chinese President Xi Jinping's plane Monday when it entered Pakistani air space for a state visit to the country. It is a diplomatic etiquette commonly adopted by countries to escort a foreign leader's plane with fighters during a state visit, aimed at showing the importance attached by them to the visit and paying homage to their distinguished guests.

Rafale deal: The diplomatic deftness of India’s Modi

04/21/2015

India's Rafale deal is not just purchasing fighter jets. It’s also about facing the challenge of national security, and balancing defense relationships as well as bilateral ties. A diplomatic deftness PM Narendra Modi seems to have lived up to. When India, the world's largest arms importer, makes a defense move it is watched keenly. The recent deal on 36 Rafale jets is no exception.

US Navy Sends Aircraft Carrier 'Theodore Roosevelt' to Waters of Yemen

04/21/2015

The two warships will join seven US warships in the area and come as Iran said it had dispatched nine warships toward Yemen. The aircraft carrier USS “Theodore Roosevelt and [guided-missile cruiser USS] Normandy have joined other US forces conducting maritime security operations in the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb and the Southern Red Sea,” the US Navy said.

Assad Denies Using Devastating Barrel Bombs by Gov’t Forces in Syria

04/21/2015

Earlier in April, human rights activists claimed that the Syrian regime conducted several barrel bomb attacks on Idlib governorate in March, affecting over 200 people. Human Rights Watch (HRW) cited photo and video evidence saying that up to six attacks involving use of toxic chemicals had been made.

US Air Force Consolidates Bomber Fleets Under One Command

04/21/2015

The decision will move the B-1 bomber fleets and Long Range Strike-Bombers under the same command as the B-2 and B-52 bombers. “Consolidating all of our Air Force assets in this critical mission area under a single command will help provide a unified voice to maintain the high standards necessary in stewardship of our nation’s bomber forces,” Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said on Monday.

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