2017 Military Aviation News
12/30/2017
As we end 2017, the team at Second Line of Defense would like to note that we have focused for MANY years on the re-norming of airpower associated with the coming of the fifth generation aircraft. There have been many opponents along the way, and many of these folks still do not get it.
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12/30/2017
Five companies have formally submitted their interest to participate in the Polish defense ministry’s tender process for a fighter aircraft procurement effort, DefenseNews reported Thursday.
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12/30/2017
An Australian air force base was put on alert while Russian strategic bombers conducted exercises in neutral waters off Indonesia, a move experts said showed Moscow was looking to extend its influence in the Pacific.
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12/30/2017
Orbital ATK would deliver seven armed Cessna AC-208 Caravan aircraft to the Afghan National Army under a pending US Air Force contract award, the US armed service says. An acquisition notice posted by the Air Force late on 27 December invites comments on a plan to award the contract to Orbital ATK without a competition.
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12/30/2017
Israel Aerospace Industries has disclosed that its chief executive Joseph Weiss will step down once a replacement is identified and "an orderly succession process has taken place". Weiss has held managerial positions at IAI for two decades and became its chief in 2012. The manufacturer, which notes that he is now approaching retirement age, credits him with having "led the company to many accomplishments".
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12/28/2017
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel has the strongest air force against threats, with the ability to reach targets at all distances. "Israeli Air Force is at the prime of its capabilities, with the very best technological tools, aircraft, pilots, possessing defensive and offensive capabilities, with immense fire capabilities, which can reach near and far targets," said Netanyahu at a graduation ceremony for air force pilots at the Hatzerim Air Base in southern Is
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12/28/2017
The F-35B, the STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) variant of the Lightning II 5th generation aircraft is expected to deploy to the Pacific and Central Command theaters in 2018, the Marine Corps Times reported. According to Jeff Schogol, the F-35B, that can operate from amphibious assault ships, “is expected to deploy with two Marine expeditionary units to the Pacific and Central Command theaters in the spring and summer.
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12/28/2017
An engine failure caused damage on 21 December to five E-8C JSTARS aircraft, or nearly one-third of the fleet of aerial ground surveillance aircraft, the US Air Force says. Three of the five damaged aircraft returned to flight status at Warner Robins AFB, Georgia within three days, and a fourth aircraft is expected to be repaired shortly after the New Year’s Day, says the 116th Air Control Wing.
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12/28/2017
Qatar’s air force will receive 36 Boeing F-15QA fighters under a $6.17 billion deal announced by the US Department of Defense on 22 December. The order comes after the DOD notified Congress in November 2016 that Qatar could buy up to 72 F-15QAs and associated equipment worth $21 billion over the long-term.
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12/27/2017
Taiwan is facing a new source of pressure from rival China as the communist government increasingly often sends military aircraft to skirt the island, a challenge to the local armed forces. Planes from China flew near Taiwan in November and December, raising concern last week at the presidential office in Taipei. Over the past two years, Chinese military units have sent planes 10 times just outside the Taiwanese air defense zone, former Taiwan defense minister Andrew Yang estimates.
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12/27/2017
Syria's armed forces said insurgents downed a military jet in northern Hama province on Tuesday, killing the pilot, according to Reuters. Militant group Tahrir al Sham – a fighting force dominated by members of Al Qaeda's former branch in Syria – said it hit the plane, Reuters reported. A source said the militants were searching for another pilot they believed had survived the crash.
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12/27/2017
JAPAN can’t have aircraft carriers. And just to be sure, it officially declared several of its latest warships must be called “helicopter destroyers” — even though to all intents and purposes they look like aircraft carriers. They just don’t carry fixed-wing aircraft. Yet. They carry helicopters.
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12/27/2017
The US Air Force has awarded Boeing a $279 million contract to produce Japan's first KC-46 tanker aircraft. The contract is a key step in Tokyo's development of a new tanker capability. The decision to obtain three KC-46s in the 2020 time frame was originally announced in 2015.
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12/27/2017
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has received a request for proposal (RFP) for 83 Tejas Mk-1A light combat aircraft from the Indian air force (IAF). On completion of negotiations, Hindustan Aeronautics is expected to receive a production order in late 2018. India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had cleared the procurement of 83 Tejas Mk-1A aircraft in November 2016.
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12/27/2017
The first US Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to receive service life modification upgrades will arrive at Boeing’s St. Louis facility next April and will leave with an additional 3,000 flight hours of service life, Boeing’s vice president of F/A-18 programmes tells FlightGlobal.
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12/24/2017
The Boeing has received an amended type certificate for the 767-2C that serves as the baseline aircraft for conversion into the US Air Force KC-46A tanker, the company says. Boeing expects to deliver the first KC-46 to the air force next year but first must receive two certifications from the US Federal Aviation Administration. In addition to the amended certification for the 767-2C, the programme is still working on qualifying for a supplemental type certification for the modifications required
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12/24/2017
Boeing reportedly has held talks with Brazilian aircraft and defence services company Embraer to acquire an ownership stake, the Wall Street Journal reports on 21 December. Such a move would further reshape a regional jet market in flux since Boeing filed an anti-dumping and countervailing duty complaint against Bombardier with the US Department of Commerce last May.
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12/20/2017
The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency plans to demonstrate an ability to launch and recover small drones from an Air Force C-130 aircraft as part of its continued development of the Gremlins program — a technical effort designed to deploy groups of small drones carrying 60-pound sensor payloads up to ranges of 300 nautical miles.
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12/20/2017
A missile fired from Yemen at the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, bears the hallmarks of a weapon provided by Iran, the US ambassador to the UN has said. Nikki Haley said Iran's actions threatened to drag the world "deeper into a broadening regional conflict". The missile was shot down by Saudi Arabia's military on Tuesday. There were no reports of any damage.
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12/20/2017
A new US Air Force document released last week outlines the details, timeline and likely competitors for a plan to acquire at least 608 new turbofan engines to replace the eight Pratt & Whitney TF33s on each of 76 Boeing B-52H bombers in the US Air Force fleet.
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12/20/2017
A prototype Bell Helicopter tiltrotor called the V-280 Valor lifted vertically off the ground and hovered in ground effect for the first time this week. The V-280, which denotes the aircraft's 280kt top speed, performed basic handling tests in hover mode outside Bell's tiltrotor production site in Amarillo, Texas, including a rapid pedal turn.
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12/20/2017
Boeing has revealed a narrow, nose-on view of the company’s bid to win a three-way competition to build the MQ-25 Stingray, a carrier-based unmanned air system (UAS) that the US Navy plans to use as an in-flight refueler to extend the range of manned fighters.
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12/19/2017
Chinese air force planes Monday flew through Tsushima Strait for the first time and conducted drills in international airspace over the Sea of Japan, an air force spokesperson said. The drills, involving bombers, fighters, reconnaissance planes and other aircraft, were aimed to examine the high-sea combat ability of the air force, said Shen Jinke, spokesman for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force.
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12/19/2017
A few hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Cairo to meet with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Dec. 11, he ordered the Hmeimim air base in Syria’s Latakia province to begin withdrawing the bulk of Russian troops stationed in Syria, while maintaining a presence at Hmeimim and the Russian naval facility in Tartus.
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12/19/2017
Myanmar has commissioned 10 military aircraft during a ceremony commemorating the 70 anniversary of the nation’s Air Force. A total of 10 airplanes — six Yak-130s, two Fokker-70s and two ATR 42-320s — were put into operation at the morning ceremony, held at the Air Training School in Meiktila Station in Mandalay Region, Eleven Myanmar reported Saturday.
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12/19/2017
China sent several warplanes on a long-range drill to the Sea of Japan on Monday and also conducted drills around rival Taiwan, moved that prompted South Korea to scramble fighter jets and could raise concerns about Beijing's growing military presence in the region.Chinese air force spokesman Shen Jinke said the air force dispatched bombers, fighters and reconnaissance planes through the Tsushima Strait to the Sea of Japan to "test its ocean combat ability."
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12/19/2017
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is in talks to upgrade the Kfir fighter aircrafts of the Sri Lankan air force, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Sri Lanka purchased a total of 16 Kfir jets from Israel between 1995 and 2005; at least seven were lost during the 26-year-long Sri Lankan civil war and IAI is in talks with Colombo to upgrade and return to service its five grounded Kfir jets.
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12/18/2017
A B-52 Stratofortress, a long-range strategic bomber, just set a record for the number of “smart bombs” dropped during a combat mission, Military.com reported. Smart bombs use GPS to guide missiles to their targets. It happened during a November mission in Afghanistan, Air Force Brig. Gen. Lance Bunch, director of NATO’s Resolute Support mission, future operations, told Military.com. The bomber is stationed at the Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.
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12/18/2017
Qatar seeks to spend billions of dollars to increase its military power, particularly its air force capabilities, but the small Gulf state may face a staffing shortage, according to a report by Defense News.
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12/18/2017
After the test-fire of the BrahMos-A supersonic Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) from a Sukhoi-30 jet, Indian Air Force said that BrahMos coupled with Sukhoi's superlative performance would give the IAF a strategic reach, allowing the force to dominate the ocean as well as the battlefields. The complicated process of BrahMos-Sukhoi integration involves electrical, mechanical, and software modifications to the Sukhoi aircraft.
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12/18/2017
Leonardo has continued development work on the attack variant of its M-346 trainer, performing a successful test firing of a Raytheon AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missile from the platform.
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12/18/2017
The US Air Force no longer needs to rob its A-10 fleet’s maintainers to support the incoming Lockheed Martin F-35As, according to a Congressional report. The F-35 delivery plan currently outpaces the number of maintainers the USAF can maintain and recruit until fiscal year 2020. In the interim, the service is hiring contract maintainers through 2019 in non-deploying squadrons to allow the USAF to stand up new F-35 squadrons, but Congress remains wary of a long term gap.
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12/18/2017
Lebanon is to receive MD Helicopters MD530Gs and Boeing Insitu ScanEagle unmanned air vehicles as part of a new military assistance package from the USA. Announced by the US embassy in Beirut on 13 December, the deal is worth more than $120 million.
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12/14/2017
Russia has started testing its new Sukhoi Su-57 PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter with its new next-generation Saturn izdeliye 30 engines. The flight-testing with the new engines will run for several years. In the meantime, the Russians will build a dozen Su-57s equipped with interim Saturn AL-41F1 afterburning turbofans producing 32,500lbs thrust each for operational testing.
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12/14/2017
The Pentagon’s top weapons tester intends to approve limited testing on the Lockheed Martin F-35 while the programme office waits for modifications needed to begin the fighter’s full initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E).
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12/14/2017
Kuwait's future fleet of Typhoons remains on track for introduction from 2019, with the first major parts now in production by the Eurofighter partner companies. "Production activities have begun, in order to comply with the contract and customer expectations," the Eurofighter consortium says. Kuwait signed for 28 of the multirole type – including six two-seat trainers – in 2016 and Italy's Leonardo is lead partner for the sale.
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12/14/2017
Elbit Systems is to provide the Israeli air force with flight simulation services to support operations with its Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules tactical transports until 2030. Announced by the company on 6 December, the $74 million deal covers both the new-generation C-130J and Israel's upgraded C-130H transports.
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12/14/2017
Israel Aerospace Industries has upgraded the Colombian air force's Kfir fighters to its latest C-60 standard, enabling the type to carry an expanded range of weapons and sensors. Benjamin Cohen, general manager of IAI's Lahav division, says the avionics suite at the heart of the upgrade is similar to the one installed in the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 52.
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12/13/2017
The Pentagon is upgrading mission systems avionics as part of a tech refresh effort for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that improves memory, weapons delivery, storage, processing speed, display video and aircraft parametric data, industry developers said.
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12/13/2017
China’s military sent fighter jets, bombers and surveillance aircraft to patrol the self-governed island of Taiwan on Monday. The “island encirclement patrol” took place after a senior Chinese diplomat threatened that Beijing would invade Taiwan if any U.S. warships made port visits there.
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12/13/2017
I had the opportunity to fly the F-16 in the US, Gripen in Sweden and Eurofighter in the UK during official visits to these countries as chief of air staff. I also flew the Rafale in India during ‘Exercise Garuda’ with the French air force. These fighter aircraft are very impressive in their performance, equipped with state-of-the-art systems and weapons to execute operational tasks.
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12/13/2017
Canberra has confirmed that it will sell 18 Boeing F/A-18 A/B Hornet fighters to Canada for an undisclosed amount. The first two "classic" Hornets will delivered to Canada in 2019, when the Royal Australian Air Force's transition to the Lockheed Martin F-35A will be well underway, says defence minister Marise Payne.
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12/13/2017
Canada will hold an open competition to replace its aging CF-18 fighter fleet, but sent a firm warning to any company who might try to hurt Canadian business. That admonition appeared as a not-so-veiled threat toward Boeing, whose commercial arm launched a spat with Bombardier by accusing the Canadian manufacturer of dumping the CSeries on the market.
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12/12/2017
The tortuous Rafale acquisition saga has put a dent in an otherwise robust defense relationship. India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition for 126 aircraft, won by France’s Dassault Rafale, was initiated by the erstwhile United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in August 2007.
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12/12/2017
Qatar has entered a deal to obtain 24 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters just days after confirming an order for 12 additional Dassault Rafales. BAE Systems, the Eurofighter campaign lead for Qatar, says that the deal is valued a £5 billion ($6.7 billion).
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12/10/2017
The Israeli air force on 6 December declared its Lockheed Martin F-35I "Adir" combat aircraft as having achieved initial operational capability. Air force commander Maj Gen Amikam Norkin confirmed the milestone involving the stealthy type, nine of which are assigned to its 140th "Golden Eagle" squadron at Nevatim air base. The declaration followed an inspection performed on five of the unit's jets, after which the service says "the aircraft was found fit for operational activity".
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12/10/2017
Qatar will operate a future fleet of 36 Dassault Rafale fighters, having signed an option to boost a previous commitment for 24 of the type. Announced by the manufacturer on 7 December, the development builds on a contract signed in May 2015 covering the provision of 18 single-seat Rafale EQs and six two-seat DQ-model trainers. Dassault has not disclosed whether the fresh order for 12 units will contain any additional trainers.
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12/10/2017
A Lockheed Martin F-22 grounded since a trainee pilot’s error led to a crash landing in May 2012 could be ready to return to service next March after a nearly six-year-long repair job, according to a new US Air force document. The process to return the aircraft, serial number 4037, to service condition offers a glimpse into the effort the USAF will undertake to keep as many of the limited number of F-22s flying rather than writing them off after extensive damages.
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12/07/2017
Northrop Grumman is partnering with composites manufacturer VX Aerospace on a canister-launched unmanned air vehicle that could fly on the US Navy’s updated Boeing E/A-18G Growler. The Office of Naval Research funded an October flight test that demonstrated the Dash X, a 3.66m (12ft)-long folding UAV, could collect and share electronic warfare information in flight with a manned aircraft.
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12/07/2017
Singapore air show organizer Experia has announced a number of new exhibitors for the show's sixth edition, which will run from 6 to 11 February 2018. At a media briefing, Experia managing director Leck Chet Lam highlighted Boom Supersonic and Honda Aircraft, amongst other new exhibitors including IHSE Asia, WEARE Group and Wright Brothers Science and Technologies Development.
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12/07/2017
Boeing’s first KC-46A tanker slated for the US Air Force operational fleet made its maiden flight this week, pushing the aircraft closer to a newly-delayed, 2018 delivery. While Boeing has flown six other test articles, the newest 767-2C-based aircraft will be one of the first 18 inducted into the service next year. The USAF had expected Boeing to deliver the first KC-46 by the end of 2017.
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12/07/2017
Russia’s latest fighter aircraft flew on 5 December for the first time with the NPO Saturn “Product 30” engine, which will be the production standard for the Sukhoi Su-57. Sukhoi has built and flown nine flight test prototypes of the Su-57 fighter powered by NPO Saturn Product 117 engines, which are derived from the AL-41F-1S afterburning turbofans developed for the Su-35.
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12/07/2017
France has taken delivery of its first Airbus Defence & Space A400M equipped with underwing hose-and-drogue refuelling pods, edging its air force closer to introducing a new tactical tanker capability.
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12/05/2017
North Korea issued a dire warning Monday as a large-scale joint U.S.-South Korean air exercise got underway. Two hundred and thirty U.S. military aircraft and 12,000 American personnel are participating in a five-day annual joint exercise with the South Korean military known as Vigilant Ace 18.
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12/05/2017
The Government of Qatar is expected to soon sign a contract with BAE Systems for the purchase of Typhoon fighter jet and Hawk trainer aircraft. Qatar intends to acquire a total of 24 Typhoon and six Hawk aircraft from the UK firm. In September, Qatar Defence Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with the then-UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon to purchase Typhoon multi-role combat aircraft.
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12/05/2017
Russia has sent Argentina all the necessary materials for taking part in a tender for fighter jets with its Mikoyan MiG-29 aircraft, Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Anatoly Punchuk told TASS on Monday. Punchuk is heading the Russian delegation at the Expodefensa 2017 arms exhibition in Bogota, Colombia. The arms show is being held on December 4-6.
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12/05/2017
On a Sunday morning just outside of Anchorage, Alaska, a group of Hawaii Air National Guard fighter pilots gathered around a desk at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to hear the day's operational briefing after three weeks of training at Red Flag Alaska. As they sipped coffee and listened to the delivery control officer, they learned the mission was not difficult, but it was certainly unique.
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12/05/2017
The U.S. sent its most advanced stealth fighters as part of a massive contingent of air power to the Pacific for a war game this week that may be more about sending a message to North Korea than training with allies. While the jets - made to evade detection from surface-to-air missiles -- have flown in joint exercises before, their addition to the lineup for the Air Force's week-long Vigilant Ace 18 could be seen as changing the play.
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12/04/2017
In the first such initiative, state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is ready to transfer the technology of its advanced light helicopter Dhruv to a domestic defence manufacturer for the commercial production of the chopper, official sources said. HAL is in the process of identifying the private defence major with whom it will share the technology for the production of the twin-engine combat helicopter in India.
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12/04/2017
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalated over the weekend as US stealth fighters moved into the region and official sources from both North Korea and the US said the chances of war are growing. The bellicose rhetoric from North Korea came in two phases: On Saturday, a statement from its Foreign Ministry said US President Donald Trump is “begging for a nuclear war” through what it called an “extremely dangerous nuclear gamble on the Korean Peninsula.”
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12/04/2017
China has showcased its J-11B jet fighters in the disputed South China Sea islands as Beijing seeks to consolidate its hold over the region. Footage aired by state-run China Central Television (CCTV) on Wednesday for the first time confirmed deployment of the fighter aircraft in a hangar on Yongxing island, a Chinese name for Woody Island, which is part of the Paracel islands - also claimed by Vietnam.
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12/03/2017
Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba today said a request for proposal (RFP) is likely to be issued by mid-2018 for the procurement of 57 multi-role combat fighter jets for the Navy's aircraft carrier. "Hopefully we will be able to issue the RFP by middle of next year," he said. Four aircraft manufacturers have shown interest in the project.
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12/03/2017
On August 27, 1939, a stubby-winged airplane made of unpainted steel alloy took off over Germany and soared into history. Instead of a pointy propeller hub in the nose, the Heinkel 178 had an open-mouthed turbojet intake, making it the first operational jet-powered aircraft.
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12/03/2017
A military site near Damascus came under attack just after midnight Saturday by missiles from the Israeli military, according to the Syrian state-run SANA news agency and the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Two of the surface-to-surface missiles launched were intercepted by Syrian air defense, but others caused material damage to the military site, sources told SANA. The Israeli military declined to comment on the incident when asked by CNN about the Syrian claim.
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12/03/2017
Lockheed Martin has cleared the F-35 to accurately deliver a full slate of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons available with go-to-war, Block 3F software. "The F-35 is combat capable and poised for even more weapons capability growth as we evolve into the future," Lockheed's F-35 executive vice-president and general manager Jeff Babione said in a newsletter to employees earlier this month.
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12/03/2017
The US State Department has approved a possible sale of $415 million worth of equipment and services for a Singapore fighter training detachment based in Idaho. The package includes a broad range of items, all to be furnished by the USAF, says the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) in a statement. The package will be sold under the auspices of the US government's foreign military sales programme.
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11/30/2017
A RUSSIAN Su-30 Flanker fighter jet allegedly crossed close in front of a US Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea at the weekend, turning on its afterburner as it did so. The violent wake left by the superheated air tossed the US Poseidon into a 15-degree roll from which the pilots had to urgently recover.
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11/30/2017
One is convinced that as a citizen, like millions of our countrymen, we have virtually reached a stage of “now or never” so far as indigenous production of fighter aircraft is concerned. It is one’s firm belief that the first, foremost, primary objective towards Mission Indigenisation revolves around the capability and capacity or the “power” of the fighter engine and the interface with the fuselage (body) of the flying machine.
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11/30/2017
Lockheed Martin Corp. has won a modification contract for the C-130J center wing box replacement program. This contract has been awarded by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, GA.
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11/30/2017
The South China Sea is more than 6,000 kilometres away from Canberra but Beijing's activities in this contested body of water are causing deep anxiety within Australia's defence and diplomatic circles. At its heart, this is a dispute over competing territorial claims but the South China Sea has become a symbol of China's inexorable rise and a shift in the global axis of power. Here's why Australia is concerned and how it's responding to the issue.
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11/30/2017
Japan's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) is approaching the end of testing with the Mitsubishi X-2 technology demonstrator aircraft. The twin-engined fighter has completed 34 sorties, says Hirofumi Doi, manager of Japan's Future Fighter Program at ATLA. The first two flights were conducted by Mitsubishi, the subsequent 32 by ATLA at Gifu air base. The aircraft's maiden flight occurred on 22 April 2016.
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11/28/2017
Japan has detected radio signals suggesting North Korea may be preparing for another ballistic missile launch, although such signals are not unusual and satellite images did not show fresh activity, a Japanese government source said on Tuesday.
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11/28/2017
A Silicon Valley-based firm will deliver software to predict maintenance activity for US Air Force aircraft, starting with the Boeing E-3 Sentry and Lockheed Martin F-16. The Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) selected the software firm C3 IoT for a multi-year contract aimed at leveraging the technology industry's advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning for aircraft maintenance, the company says.
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11/28/2017
Lockheed Martin is testing one of the most unique modifications to the F-35 Lightning II on icy runways on Eielson AFB, Alaska, this month. US Air Force test pilots are testing that the drag chute, a modification spearheaded by the Royal Norwegian Air Force, slows the aircraft to a stop on icy runways near the Arctic circle, Lockheed says.
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11/28/2017
As three companies continue vying for the contract to develop the MQ-25 Stingray, the US Navy is quietly making progress with the design of the carrier-based, unmanned tanker aircraft’s mission control system.
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11/28/2017
Current Israeli air force F-16C/Ds are now being offered, with the service to retire some of its examples as more Lockheed F-35I Adirs enter use. The Israeli proposal also could include a mix of C/D-model aircraft and already-retired F-16A/Bs which it has previously pitched to the Croatian government.
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11/27/2017
The Air Force is planning an F-35A show of force in the Pacific in coming weeks now that 12 F-35A’s have deployed to Japan for a six-month rotation, service officials said. While service officials describe the move as a routine deployment, called a Theater Security Package, the current tensions with North Korea are by no means lost on the Air Force and other Pentagon planners – who are preparing to demonstrate F-35 power, technology and combat readiness in a series of upcoming exercises.
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11/27/2017
The Indian Air Force, one of the largest in the world, operates a diverse mix of legacy and modern fighter jets, including MiG-21, MiG-27, MiG-29, Jaguar, Mirage 2000, Su-30MKI and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. India sees the possibility of a two-front war — with Pakistan in the west and China in the north — and to be able to tackle it, the IAF has a projected requirement of 44 fighter squadrons.
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11/25/2017
The Indian government’s deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets, first announced during a 2015 state visit to France, is now in the headlines thanks to allegations of overpricing and crony capitalism. The controversy began with the selection of the Rafale fighter jets by the Congress government in 2012 to meet the IAF’s requirement for 123 combat aircraft. As the deal hit a deadlock, the Modi government scrapped the process to purchase 36 Rafale fighters.
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11/25/2017
The Navy and Huntington Ingalls Industries are beginning a massive upgrade and technical adjustment to its USS George Washington Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier -- to enable the ship to operate the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft and serve for 25-more years with newly configured structures, weapons systems, defenses, propulsion, computer automation and advanced digital networking technology.
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11/25/2017
Many a ship has a remarkable tale to tell—but few have survived as many scraps as the aircraft carrier berthed at Pier 86 in Hell’s Kitchen, New York. The Intrepid (CV-11) and its sailors and aviators survived hits from four Kamikaze planes, helped sink the largest battleship ever built, recovered three astronauts from the sea and shot down a MiG jet over Vietnam.
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11/25/2017
The Indian air force test-fired the Mach 2.8 Brahmos cruise missile from an aircraft for the first time on 22 November, moving the anti-ship and land attack capability a step closer to operational use.
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11/25/2017
Sikorsky has confirmed that the CH-53K King Stallion will make its air show debut at next year's ILA Berlin event, as the airframer pursues a lucrative export contract with Germany. The manufacturer had previously expressed an ambition to take the new heavy-lift helicopter to the biennial exhibition, but has now been given the go-ahead by the US Marine Corps, Sikorsky's domestic customer for the CH-53K.
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11/22/2017
The chair of the US Senate Appropriations committee has approved the chamber’s version of the fiscal year 2018 defence spending bill this week, a move that pushes the legislation closer to final passage.
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11/22/2017
The US Air Force has released a request for proposals for a contract to beef up the structures on on a subset of the Lockheed Martin F-16 fleet to keep the single-engined fighter in service for at least 30 more years.
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11/22/2017
The US Air Force does not believe recapitalising the Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) fleet will give the service the capability it needs for contested environments, the head of Air Combat Command says.
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11/22/2017
In a sign that testing activity has resumed since an incident six weeks ago, Embraer’s KC-390 arrived at the company’s US base in Jacksonville, Florida on 20 November to begin a series of flight tests before certification.
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11/22/2017
Two United Technologies competitors – Rolls-Royce and Honeywell – teamed up in 2015 to design and build the 1MW-class hybrid-electric propulsion system for the Aurora Flight Sciences’ XV-24A Lightning Strike, a pioneering unmanned air system funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
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11/21/2017
Purchasing used F-18 Hornets cannot close Canada’s fighter capability gap. It’s simply more of the same problem. Replacing an old aircraft with more old aircraft is not the answer. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initially took the right steps to protect our borders and defend North America.
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11/21/2017
U.S. and Afghan warplanes bombed 10 Taliban-controlled opium production facilities in Helmand province Sunday in the first major use of new White House-approved authorities to target the insurgents’ revenue stream, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan said Monday.
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11/21/2017
Beyond the politics of last week's Congress-BJP squabble over the deal to purchase Rafale fighters for the IAF lies the grim reality of an emaciated force that is well short of the strength required to face up to a two-front threat.
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11/21/2017
Tupolev on 16 November rolled out the first new-build Tu-160 strategic bomber from the Kazan Aviation plant, with first flight of the supersonic aircraft scheduled for February 2018. The Tu-160 was last produced in 2007 and the latest example is a key test of Tupolev's ability to restore final assembly, as well as modernising the type with new Kuznetsov NK-32-02 engines.
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11/21/2017
Leonardo Helicopters has delivered the first of an eventual 16 search and rescue-configured AW101s to Norway. Acquired under the Norwegian all-weather search and rescue helicopter (NAWSARH) programme, the AW101 departed Leonardo's Yeovil, UK, manufacturing facility on 17 November for Sola air base in southern Norway.
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11/18/2017
At the start of this century, the then-EADS began exploring the potential for its A330 widebody to deliver air-to-air refuelling (AAR) services for military operators. In doing so the European company replicated its strategy for the airliner market, by going head to head for international sales with Boeing, which held a virtual monopoly in the tanker sector.
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11/18/2017
Northrop Grumman has performed the first flight of Japan's E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning and surveillance aircraft. Completed in early October from the US airframer's facility in St Augustine, Florida, the milestone was announced by the company on 15 November.
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11/18/2017
Being developed for the US Army's future vertical lift programme, the V-280 is due to make its maiden sortie before year-end. But, says Vince Tobin, Bell's vice-president of military business, the manufacturer is now considering possible future applications for the tiltrotor. "With the help of the US government, we hope to look at flying the V-280 autonomously, hopefully in the next year or so," he says.
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11/18/2017
A Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and a Sukhoi Su-35 shared a common runway ramp for the first time at the Dubai air show. As reports heat up of a budding competition between the Su-35 and the Lockheed F-35 for a United Arab Emirates air force contract, that unlikely pairing at Al Maktoum International seemed appropriate.
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11/16/2017
London-based BAE Systems Ltd. announced an agreement on Wednesday to maintain and support Hawk training planes in the United Arab Emirates. BAE will contract with the UAE-based Advanced Military Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Center, or AMMROC, to provide repairs and upgrades to Hawk Mk61, Mk102 and Mk63 aircraft at a facility in Abu Dhabi until 2020.
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11/16/2017
Airmen from multiple Air National Guard units of Texas, New York, Iowa, Ohio, California, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, and North Dakota supported and flew MQ-9 Reaper aircraft during Operation Combat Hammer, the first operational air-to-ground weapons evaluation for the Air National Guard to be a part of as the sole MQ-9 Reaper mission set.
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11/16/2017
I have dealt with the F-22 for many years and first visited the First Fighter Wing in 2007 as the plane was being stood up and introduced to the force. What was anticipated and hoped for with the introduction of the first fifth generation aircraft is clearly now being realized, although, unfortunately, at much lower numbers than the USAF desired or needed.
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11/16/2017
While its years-long search for a future fighter continues, the United Arab Emirates has revealed a plan to modernise its in-service fleet of French-supplied combat aircraft. During the Dubai air show on 14 November, Dassault confirmed that the UAE's armed forces "have announced their intention to sign a contract for the upgrade of their Mirage 2000-9 fleet."
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11/16/2017
The United Arab Emirates air force is to update its medium transport capabilities, with a new fleet of Airbus Defence & Space C295s to enter service from late next year. Announced at the Dubai air show on 15 November, the deal will deliver five of the twin-turboprop aircraft from the fourth quarter of 2018, Airbus says.
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11/16/2017
The Royal Norwegian Air Force has conducted its first domestic flights with the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II, after a trio of the fifth-generation type touched down at its Ørland air base early this month.
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11/16/2017
The internationalisation of the Italian air force’s jet pilot training school and advances in its Integrated Pilot Training System (IPTS) are combining with the advent of full capability for Leonardo’s M-346 lead-in-fighter trainer and the upcoming introduction of its M-345 basic/advanced trainer to propel Italy to the leading edge of fighter pilot training.
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11/16/2017
Bell Helicopter's immediate attentions at Dubai may be centred on the sale of AH-1Z attack helicopters, but back at its Amarillo, Texas facility the focus is on first flight of its latest rotorcraft.
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11/13/2017
The United States may be in talks with the United Arab Emirates over a potential Lockheed Martin F-35 sale, but the US Air Force’s head of Central Command doubts the UAE would be able to operate the Joint Strike Fighter alongside a fifth-generation Russian fighter.
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11/13/2017
The Kawasaki Heavy Industries C-2 is making its debut outside of Japan at the air show, as the country pushes for export sales of the military transport. Powered by General Electric CF6 engines, the aircraft has been developed as a successor to the Kawasaki C-1 in both strategic and tactical airlift missions.
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11/13/2017
The Royal Canadian Air Force expects to release a new request for proposals for its fifth-generation fighter competition by 2019 with a contract award by 2021, the RCAF’s commander says this week.
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11/11/2017
The unemployment rate for veterans is the lowest it has ever been since September 2001, and it continuing to fall. This achievement is due in part to the employers who have made a commitment to hire those who have served in our armed forces. In advance of Veterans Day, job site Monster worked with a panel of veteran hiring experts and Military.com to gather a list of the 10 best companies for veterans.
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11/11/2017
China will now be able to move ahead with its third aircraft carrier, after it announced a breakthrough on technology for launching aircraft. The new technology would be the most advanced jet launch system in the world that doesn’t use nuclear power, China's military said. The new developments on its integrated propulsion system would create more power for an electromagnetic catapult.
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11/11/2017
Norway on Friday received the first three of the 40 F-35 fighter jets it ordered from Lockheed-Martin as part of efforts to beef up its air force. Norway is the fourth country after the United States, Israel and Italy to receive the planes. “These warplanes will improve the entire Norwegian defense,” General Major Tonje Skinnarland, head of the Norwegian airforce, told broadcaster TV2. Their main task was to secure air control, to allow other parts of Norwegian defense to operate safely, she sai
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11/11/2017
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is no longer seeking a multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) and is evaluating light combat aircraft (LCA) instead. In another change of policy, the service has grounded its remaining airworthy MiG-29s instead of upgrading them, although the government has not made a final decision about their future. The RMAF is also now seeking four-to-six new maritime patrol aircraft (MPA).
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11/11/2017
The Indian Air Force has said that the domestically manufactured Tejas Light Combat Aircraft is not fit enough to protect the Indian skies. The IAF said the Tejas is far behind its competitors like the JAS 39 Gripen manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab and the US made F-16 manufactured by Lockheed Martin, sources were quoted as saying by India Today Friday.
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11/10/2017
Known for an ability to keep flying after taking multiple rounds of enemy machine gun fire, land and operate in rugged terrain, destroy groups of enemy fighters with a 30mm cannon and unleash a wide arsenal of attack weapons, the A-10 is described by pilots as a “flying tank” in the sky - able to hover over ground war and provide life-saving close air support in high-threat combat environments.
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11/10/2017
Develop it faster, build it cheaper and make it more available. From electronics to automobiles, the Asian doctrine of the 20th century. With the rush toward globalization and the blurring of borders in the internet age, manufactured products in every category move across borders and subvert political boundaries with impunity.
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11/10/2017
The US Navy’s commander of Naval Air Forces is sending a dire warning to Congress this week over the rampant cannibalisation of its fighter fleet could threaten the service’s ability to go to war.
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11/10/2017
State news agency Bernama reports that the Royal Malaysian Air Force has set up a team to evaluate MPAs. This follows a provision for the acquisition four aircraft in the government's 2018 budget. The report, quoting air force chief Affendi Buang, adds that the participation of local industry will be a key factor.
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11/09/2017
In an attempt to address this operational limitation and establish a sustainable aerial refueling program of its own, the PLAAF initiated an indigenous aerial refueling program via the Xi’an Y-20 “Kunpeng” (named after an ancient Chinese mythical bird that can fly for thousands of miles) heavy transport aircraft platform with the first Y-20 prototype, successfully making its first flight at Shaanxi Yanliang Aviation Base in January 2013.
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11/09/2017
India could be about to re-examine its decision to acquire fifth-generation fighters from Russia, after the Indian Air Force (IAF) produced a report questioning the reasoning behind the program. A number of Russian media reports in late October stated that India will decide not to press forward with participation in the Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program.
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11/09/2017
Despite a plan to jointly develop its own fifth generation fighter jet with France, Germany is still very interested in joining the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. The German Air Force, or Luftwaffe, is looking hard at the American jet as it presses for purchases of an already in production or development design to replace its aging Panavia Tornado swing-wing combat aircraft.
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11/09/2017
Malaysia is seeking lightweight multi-role fighter options to complement its fleet of twin-engine medium and heavyweight fighters, an air force official said. “The Royal Malaysian Air Force [RMAF] is looking at its capabilities for the next 15-years-or-so, and how best we can suit our requirements,” the official was quoted as saying by IHS Jane's, adding that the new Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) procurement programme is looking to have some air-to-air and a full air-to-ground capability.
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11/09/2017
The House and Senate armed services committees released details of a conference report on a $700 billion National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) that boosts the number of Lockheed Martin F-35s and maintains the Northrop Grumman E-8C JSTARS recapitalisation programme.
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11/09/2017
A communications system that can translate messages between the US Air Force’s most advanced and oldest fighters is back on the service’s expedited shopping list, according to a recent acquisition notice.
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11/09/2017
A flight-test campaign involving nine live firings of MBDA's Brimstone air-to-surface missile from the Eurofighter Typhoon has been completed in the UK, with the combination on track to enter operational use with the Royal Air Force by March 2019.
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11/09/2017
In a third-quarter results statement issued on 27 October, Embraer said it "will be ramping up production of the KC-390" next year, "with first delivery of this jet expected in the second half of 2018". The Brazilian air force is its only confirmed buyer for the twinjet to date, with the service to field an eventually 28-strong fleet. The company has previously outlined a plan to hand over its first two customer aircraft in 2018.
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11/08/2017
Unmanned air giant General Atomics scored the contract for the first phase of the Missile Defense Agency’s low power laser demonstration contract this week, marking the first step on the road toward a high-altitude, long-endurance UAV with a high-energy laser.
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11/08/2017
Lockheed Martin will demonstrate an airborne laser generating tens of kilowatts of power for the US Air Force Research Laboratory’s podded electric laser concept for fifth- and sixth-generation fighter jets.
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11/08/2017
Israel's air force is due to receive its next two Lockheed Martin F-35Is before the end of this week, boosting its fleet of the type to nine. The aircraft will touch down at Nevatim air base in the south of the country.
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11/07/2017
Two years ago, the Dubai air show’s surprise deal followed the appearance of a nondescript press notice, which pointed simply to an “announcement” between the United Arab Emirates air force and Saab.
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11/07/2017
Lockheed Martin has received a $26.3 million contract to develop and produce a laser than can be tested on a fighter jet by 2021. The initiative will see Lockheed develop a high power fiber laser as part of US Air Force's Research Lab's Self-protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) programme, says Lockheed in a statement.
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11/04/2017
Textron AirLand's production-standard Scorpion light-attack aircraft appears set to make a debut appearance at the Dubai air show from 12-16 November, with the aircraft currently being flown in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
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11/04/2017
The existence of a two-year-old project to develop a new air-to-air missile capable of intercepting targets at great distances has emerged in US budget documents. The Office of the Secretary Defense (OSD) launched a two-year engineering assessment of a new long-range engagement weapon (LREW) designed with the goal of “maintaining air dominance”, according to budget documents released last March.
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11/04/2017
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the US Navy to jointly develop the of the Raytheon AN/ALQ-249 next generation jammer mid-band capability (NGJ-MB).
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11/03/2017
Pairing the Su-30 with the Brahmos missile will also drastically expand the striking power of the air leg of India’s nuclear triad. The Su-30 itself has a range of up to 1,800 kilometers while the Brahmos missile can strike targets nearly 300 kilometers away. Thus, the newly modified Su-30s will allow India’s nuclear aircraft to strike deep in the heart of China or Pakistan, Delhi’s two main adversaries.
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11/02/2017
A batch of helicopters delivered years late and allegedly with parts missing and broken has led to a second legal dispute between MD Helicopters (MDHI) and Boeing, two acrimonious neighbours and former corporate partners in Mesa, Arizona.
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11/02/2017
The US Air Force’s latest batch of six Sierra Nevada/Embraer A-29 Super Tucanos for Afghanistan cost $174.5 million, a price tag includes aircraft transportation, maintenance spares and advanced sensors, the service tells FlightGlobal.
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11/02/2017
Lockheed Martin halted all F-35 deliveries for a month after discovering excessive corrosion on fasteners under an F-35A’s fuselage panels during maintenance at Hill AFB, Utah, the Defense Department confirmed this week.
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11/01/2017
The United States Air Force held a ceremony earlier this month to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor’s first flight. The ceremony was held at Edwards Air Force Base in California on October 19. However, the actual 20th anniversary of the Raptor’s was on September 7.
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11/01/2017
Private red air contractor TacAir is the purchaser of the ex-Jordanian F-5Es that we wrote about being pulled off a 747-400F in Florida last February. The aircraft were going to be overhauled by the Northrop Grumman plant located in St. Augustine that also supports the Navy and Marine Corps' F-5Ns, and has upgraded other air arms' aging Tiger IIs with structural and avionics enhancements over the years. These aircraft were the only four delivered from Jordan to the U.S. via air.
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11/01/2017
A JF-17 Fierce Dragon fighter aircraft with the insignia of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) on its tail has been conducting test flights in China's Chengdu airport, indicating that plans to induct them into MAF by end of this year may be on course. That will make Pakistan a military hardware exporter because the Fierce Dragon has been jointly developed by Pakistan and China.
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11/01/2017
The United States delivered two A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to Lebanon's army on Tuesday, a sign of continued US support despite Israeli accusations that the Lebanese military is controlled by Hezbollah. The planes will be used as armed observation aircraft, a security source in Lebanon said, and represent a big upgrade for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
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10/31/2017
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (PLAAF) first fifth-generation fighter aircraft, the Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (CAC) J-20 multirole fighter, will soon move into serial production, according to a October 23 broadcast on China Central TV’s (CCTV) Channel 4, IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly reports. The broadcast showed five J-20s flying in formation.
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10/31/2017
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and U.S. Air Force (USAF) scrambled fighter jets to intercept two nuclear-capable Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Force on October 30, the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced in a statement. JASDF and USAF aircraft escorted the Russian bombers as they skirted the Japanese islands of Hoshu and Hokkaido on Monday.
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10/31/2017
Last week, Japan disclosed that, following a change in Japanese law, it will now be donating five aircraft to the Philippines rather than leasing them as previously agreed. Though the move represents just one change in a broader relationship that has already been deepening in the defense realm, its significance for both sides and the wider region ought not to be underestimated.
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10/31/2017
The US Air Force believes a software reprogramming could solve some deficiencies discovered earlier this year on the Boeing KC-46 tanker, following initial findings from testing earlier this month.
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10/31/2017
The Defense Department plans to ramp up production of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter despite serious sustainment issues that have drawn out repair times and grounded jets, according to a recent government watchdog report.
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10/28/2017
At the recent ADEX defense expo in Seoul, South Korea was showing off its KF-X next-generation fighter jet. Although just a large plastic model for now, a lot is riding on this program. The KF-X embodies the future of South Korean aerospace, and if it succeeds, it will cement the country’s place as a frontrunner in the global aviation industry.
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10/28/2017
North Korea stepped up its defiant rhetoric against the U.S. on Friday and said the U.S. is making "criminal moves for igniting a war of aggression," according to a state-run outlet. The communist state also chided calls for negotiations for denuclearization and again slammed President Donald Trump as seeking "extinction" of North Korea through "pressures and sanctioning," said the propaganda site DPRK Today.
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10/27/2017
Pro-Russian media are claiming that an Israeli F-35I was hit and damaged by a Russian-made S-200 surface-to-air missile during an Israeli air strike in Syria earlier this month. Israel says one of its F-35s was damaged—after colliding with a bird. The story begins on October 16, when Israel announced that its aircraft had struck [3] a Syrian SAM battery near Damascus that had fired two hours earlier on Israeli reconnaissance planes flying over Lebanon.
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10/27/2017
Under a contract previously awarded by the Ministry of Defense of Iraq, Aero Vodochody has completed the L-159 conversion training of the third group of the Iraqi Air Force pilots. The conversion training of the L-159 pilots, ground staff and instructors included theoretical part and flight training. It also included basic conversion and weapon training, as well as emergency procedures, according to the company.
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10/27/2017
The relationship between the U.S. Air Force and a Jacksonville aircraft manufacturer continued Wednesday with an order for six A-29 Super Tucanos to be used by Afghan pilots for counterinsurgency operations and airborne self-defense for their government.
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10/27/2017
McEntire has been knocked out of the next two rounds of F-35 deployments because of the relatively young age of its current F-16 fighter jets, a Pentagon spokeswoman told The State. Also, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-Seneca, who arranged Goldfein’s visit, acknowledged Thursday that the Air Force’s top officer would make no announcements regarding the F-35.
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10/27/2017
We have been talking a lot lately about some cutting-edge technologies that could be incorporated into the upcoming B-21 Raider stealth bomber or in other future stealthy aircraft designs. Seeing as evolving integrated air defense system technology will continue to slowly erode some of stealth's current advantages, electronic warfare, laser defenses, advanced decoys, and even high speed are potential applications that will bolster the survivability of future American air combat assets.
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10/26/2017
Northrop Grumman has withdrawn from participating in the US Navy’s competition to develop the MQ-25 Stingray, saying the company would have been unable to execute the programme under the terms of the service’s request for proposals.
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10/26/2017
Although Belgrade paid nothing for the aircraft, it will still spend €180 million ($212 million) on maintenance with the Russian manufacturer – a deal that includes the examples in its current inventory. Discussions between the two nations will also take place on a potential future upgrade of the MiG-29s, to include new avionics and weapons.
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10/26/2017
The USS Nimitz, which is the largest warships in the world, is the supercarrier of the United States Navy and the lead ship of her class. The US Navy has announced that the nuclear powered aircraft carrier Nimitz and other warships had entered the Asia-Pacific region to join the US 7th Fleet.
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10/25/2017
srael has returned its air force's fleet of Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to full operational status following a fatal crash earlier this year.
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10/25/2017
The People’s Liberation Army-Navy’s South Sea Fleet has deployed a squadron of submarines to the disputed waters of the South China Sea to increase battle readiness, the South China Morning Post reported Saturday.
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10/25/2017
India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has termed the Indo-Russia Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft project as the best technology offer India has ever received, and that it is a great opportunity for India as a country and for the defense industry as well. HAL Chairman T Suvarna Raju said he hoped India's Ministry of Defense would soon sanction the project while claiming that the first aircraft would be ready in three years from the date of approval.
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10/25/2017
The United States, South Korea and Japan have started the fifth cross-navy exercise off the Japanese and South Korean coasts since June 2016, where the sides will jointly practice detecting and tracking missiles launched in North Korea, the NHK broadcaster reported Tuesday, citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the South Korean Armed Forces.
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10/25/2017
Indian Air Force's most formidable fleet of fighter jet Su-30MKI is gearing up for a complete overhaul of weapons and avionics which will lend the aircraft unmatched stealth features. The upgrade is being carried out by Russian agencies in collaboration with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
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10/24/2017
Terma has introduced the self-protection capability of the F-16 for the T-50 light-combat aircraft (LCA) at Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX 2017) this year.
The T-50 LCA family has been equipped with a modified wing weapon pylon (ACE-Pylon) to increase the aircraft’s chaff/flare payload capacity. The LCA’s self-protection capability upgrade is similar to the self-protection system fitted on the F-16, Terma stated.
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10/24/2017
The Indian Air Force (IAF) reportedly wants to discontinue work on one of the most ambitious joint Indo-Russian defense programs to date: the co-development and production of the Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), known in India as the Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF).
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10/24/2017
Crew on an Embraer KC-390 requested an early return to base after the aircraft completing a stall test earlier this month, the Brazilian manufacturer says. As part of Embraer’s flight certification efforts, a prototype KC-390 transport aircraft conducted a stall speed test on 12 October. But decreased lift force caused an altitude loss that would prematurely call the KC-390 crew back to base, Embraer tells FlightGlobal in a 23 October email.
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10/24/2017
India is developing its own armed drones which should be available to the armed forces in the next five-seven years. Experts say American drones could be purchased for deep surveillance into Pakistani and Chinese territory. But, there is no pressing need for armed drones as of now.
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10/23/2017
The US has been deploying THAAD systems in South Korea since 2016 in response to the continuing missile and nuclear tests performed by the North. US Forces Korea (USFK) officially confirmed on Sunday that it had deployed a unit in South Korea charged with operating the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, the Yonhap news agency reported Sunday.
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10/23/2017
Nearly one year after a B-52H Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, the U.S. Air Force has finally identified the culprit: a flock of goddamn birds. Well, sort of. An investigation by Air Force Global Strike Command concluded that the crash, which took place during a routine training mission on May 19, 2016, was caused by a mechanical failure during an aborted takeoff, military officials announced Monday.
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10/21/2017
The US Navy is upgrading its Boeing F/A-18E/F fighters with an improved Lockheed Martin IRST21 sensor system, allowing the Super Hornet fleet to see and detect farther. Lockheed received two contracts worth $100 million through prime contractor Boeing and will provide advanced software development, hardware upgrades and prototype deliveries as part of the Block 2 IRST package.
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10/21/2017
The South Korean Air Force has announced the purchase of four Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles, advanced drones built on US military contract for surveillance missions. The drones, which cost $223 million apiece, are being purchased as part of ROKAF's new program of airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). ROKAF told lawmakers in Seoul that the acquisition of the first two drones is set to take place in December, with two more to arrive in 2019.
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10/21/2017
Speaking at the 19th Congress of China's Communist Party, General Secretary Xi Jinping pledged to complete the modernization of the country's military by 2035, and to transform it into a world-class fighting force by 2050. Military observer Andrei Kotz takes a closer look at the People's Liberation Army's plans for the future.
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10/20/2017
Boeing will invest and partner with a commercial spin-off of Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute that specialises in in developing sensors for unmanned aircraft to avoid collisions.
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10/20/2017
Sikorsky believes a more complicated security environment bodes well for its MH-60R helicopter in South Korea's second Maritime Operations Helicopter (MOH) competition. Christophe Nurit, vice president-Asia at Sikorsky, a unit of Lockheed Martin, says the submarine threat facing South Korea has grown since the country's last MOH competition early this decade.
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10/20/2017
The USS Ronald Reagan’s presence off the coast of the Korean Peninsula in the Sea of Japan as part of previously reported naval and air force exercises with the South Korean navy is designed to persuade North Korea from taking military action, Reuters reported from aboard the ship Thursday.
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10/19/2017
North Korea’s nuclear testing site may be literally falling apart, with geologists claiming that repeated underground nuclear tests have fractured and perforated the rock beneath the mountainous testing ground that has hosted six nuclear tests in the last 11 years.
(Read More...)
10/19/2017
The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) to help jets take off from aircraft carriers - which has only just been tested on the US Navy’s brand new USS Gerald Ford - will now find its way onto India’s aircraft carriers.
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10/18/2017
Greece has moved a step closer upgrading a fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16s with new radars, software-defined radios and other equipment. The US State Department has approved a package of upgrades valued at $2.4 billion to raise the Hellenic Air Force's fleet to the F-16V standard, a Defense Security Cooperation Agency notice says.
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10/18/2017
Embraer has announced a new order for six of its armed A-29 Super Tucano, but declines to identify the latest customer to have committed to the type. Listing potential applications as including "tactical and advanced training, as well as light attack and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance", the Brazilian airframer says deliveries to the undisclosed buyer will conclude during 2018.
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10/18/2017
Despite troubles at home, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is as committed as ever to international sales, and expects an order for up to 12 FA-50s in the first half of 2018. Sang Choi, vice-president and general manager of KAI’s international marketing division, says that while international customers have asked the company about its domestic travails, they have not expressed deep concerns about KAI. Choi spoke to FlightGlobal at the company’s chalet at the Seoul ADEX defence show.
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10/18/2017
The US Air Force has made an impressive show of force at this year's Seoul ADEX defence show, bringing four stealth fighters and several other aircraft. The stars of the USAF contingent at the show are two Lockheed Martin F-22s and two Lockheed F-35As. All four aircraft appeared in the static display, with an F-22 also performing a high-g aerial display.
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10/18/2017
The US and South Korean navies have kicked off a five-day round of military drills, the type of exercise that North Korea has previously responded with ballistic missile tests. Guided-missile destroyers USS Stetham and USS Mustin and supercarrier USS Ronald Reagan will join several South Korean ships as part of the Maritime Counter Special Operations Exercise (MCSOFEX), the commander of the US Navy’s Seventh fleet said.
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10/18/2017
French firm Thales has made a strong pitch for India's $1.8 billion global tender for the state-of-the-art active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar systems that were successfully tested on the Tejas MK1A light combat aircraft at the Cazaux airbase in France. The flight test conducted a few weeks ago mainly focused on metrological analyses of the radar performance.
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10/11/2017
Despite the ramshackle nature of North Korea's military, allied air forces would have a long, tough fight. In addition to eliminating North Korea's obsolete air force, they will be tasked with several urgent missions in what will probably be a fast escalating conflict. The list includes “decapitation” missions against senior leaders, shutting down North Korea's bristling air defence network and destroying artillery hidden in mountainous terrain north of Seoul.
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10/11/2017
BAE Systems has revealed a tentative order from Qatar for six examples of its Hawk trainer, but the manufacturer is cutting output of the type, as well as of the Eurofighter Typhoon, in a bid to maintain production into the next decade.
(Read More...)
10/11/2017
This week, the Finnish Air Force is carrying out its biggest tactical training event of the year, the Ruska 17 drills. This year's Ruska also marks the first time that the Swedish Air Force will practice defending its neighbor.
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10/10/2017
Fighter, assault and army aircraft of the Southern Military District and of Armenia’s Armed Forces have taken part in joint drills for the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces (CRRF) dubbed "Interaction - 2017," the Southern Military District’s press service reported on Tuesday.
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10/10/2017
Sky News has learnt that BAE will announce that many of the job cuts will affect its Warton plant in Preston, Lancashire, with the company's new chief executive, Charles Woodburn, also "trimming" its workforce at other locations. Insiders said the number of jobs being axed would number "well over 1,000", although the precise figure was unclear on Monday.
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10/10/2017
Canada has formally expressed interest in Australia’s used Boeing F/A-18A/B Hornets, marking a significant development in the Royal Canadian Air Force’s search for a fighter that could temporarily fill the CF-18’s mission.
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10/10/2017
A military official in Seoul said that although there is no sign of any impending “provocation” by Pyongyang, South Korea had detected “some movement from the North’s missile facilities and bases” and maintained ”the heightened reconnaissance and preparedness posture."
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10/10/2017
India's first three women air combatants will be given the Russian made MiG-21 Bison to fly after they are officially inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) next month. Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa considers the aircraft as the most potent to sharpen the skill of new fighter pilots.
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10/10/2017
Russia and Saudi Arabia reached agreements on the supply of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as Kornet-EM anti-tank missile systems, TOS-1A "Buratino" heavy flame systems, AGS-30 grenade launchers and Kalashnikov AK-103 assault rifles, Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation spokeswoman Maria Vorobyova told Sputnik.
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10/08/2017
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission is now reviewing expert proposals to provide a one-time unclassified report on China’s development of advanced weapons. The Request for Proposals seeks unclassified, open-source assessments of specific Chinese weapons systems and areas of ongoing technological inquiry.
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10/08/2017
The recent standoff between the Indian and Chinese Armies at Doklam reinforced India’s need to develop and maintain the capability of fighting a two-front war. The two fronts, of course, being China and Pakistan, with which India has had long-standing border disputes.
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10/08/2017
With a just-delivered Black Hawk helicopter sitting on a military runway behind him, Gen. John W. Nicholson Jr., the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, vowed Saturday that “a tidal wave of air power is on the horizon” in the war against Taliban insurgents and that “this is the beginning of the end for the Taliban.”
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10/08/2017
The Indian Air Force says it is focussing on the immediate purchase of single-engine aircraft despite the pressing need for twin-engine fighter jets too as the former costs less and they would make up for the shortage at the moment.
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10/07/2017
Comprised of active-duty, Guard and Reserve aircrew service members, the men and women of the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron help project combat power by providing agile, effective air refueling in line with the objectives of the Combined Forces Air Component Command and Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component.
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10/07/2017
The Indian Air Force has been operating at its lowest combat strength in more than a decade. It is down to 33 squadrons as against a mandated 42 squadrons needed for a simultaneous and collusive two-front war scenario with Pakistan and China.
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10/07/2017
This IAF claim comes in response to Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's statement that Islamabad can use nuclear weapons to thwart any Indian attempt to enter Pakistani territory.
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10/06/2017
The US Air Force could have a decision on the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) recapitalisation programme by the end of the October, the service’s top civilian hinted during a 5 October event in Washington.
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10/06/2017
South Africa's Paramount Group has acquired four twin-seat Dassault Mirage F1s from the French government to support aggressor training. The surplus French air force fighters will be operated by its Paramount Aerospace Systems subsidiary. Paramount declines to disclose the purchase price, but says it is a "multimillion-euro" transaction.
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10/06/2017
France's bid to offer the Dassault Rafale to Belgium appears increasingly doomed following comments from the latter's defence minister. Under questioning from fellow lawmakers in the Belgian parliament, defence minister Steven Vandeput said Paris had not responded correctly to a request for proposals (RfP) covering the replacement of its Lockheed Martin F-16 fleet.
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10/06/2017
"Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, San Diego, California, has been awarded a $130,469,576 contract for the Japan Global Hawk program," the release said. "This contract includes long lead material to initiate the program for three global hawk block 30 (I) air vehicles, two ground control elements, enhanced integrated sensor suite, spares, and a site survey."
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10/06/2017
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has officially commissioned the Chengdu J-20 fifth-gen stealth fighter into military service, with testing underway to make the plane fully operational. In an exclusive analysis for Sputnik, Russian military observer Vasily Kashin outlines the capabilities that the new plane provides.
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10/05/2017
India’s first female combat aircraft pilots are likely to fly supersonic fighter jets after they finish the last leg of their training later this month, Indian Air Force officials told Hindustan Times on Tuesday. Three women are currently training on British Hawk advanced jet trainers at an IAF facility at Kalaikunda in West Bengal. Bhawana Kanth, Mohana Singh and Avani Chaturvedi were commissioned as flying officers in the IAF in June 2016.
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10/05/2017
The $50 million base opened on Saturday and is staffed with 200 Turkish personnel. However, they will soon be joined by over 10,000 Somali and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) soldiers participating in the fight against Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, or al-Shabaab for short. A branch of al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab has fought the Somali government in an eight-year civil war that has killed thousands and displaced millions.
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10/05/2017
A Russian Long-Range Aviation unit has started exercises involving over 20 aircraft, airfields and ranges from Kaluga Region in central Russia to the Kamchatka Peninsula in the country's Far East, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
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10/04/2017
The United States Air Force should consider shifting its balance of its strike forces from fighters to long-range bombers. At the end of the Cold War, the Air Force’s combat aircraft inventory included 411 bombers. Today, it has a total of 158 B-1, B-52, and B-2 bombers, of which only 96 are designated as Primary Mission Aircraft Inventory assigned to operational squadrons to support wartime missions.
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10/04/2017
The Russian News Agency TASS reports (citing an unnamed source) that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is planning to sign a contract for “over a squadron” of Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E multi-role fighters from the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) in 2017. “They want a lot, over a squadron but the exact number will be specified in the course of negotiations that may be held in November during an air show in Dubai,” said a source speaking to TASS.
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10/04/2017
The US State Department has approved the sale of 3,900 Raytheon GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bombs Increment II (SDB II) weapons to Australia for use with its Lockheed Martin F-35As.
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10/04/2017
Bell Helicopter did not reach first flight with its V-280 Valor on 30 September as originally announced and instead projects the tiltrotor aircraft will meet that milestone in November, V-280’s programme manager tells FlightGlobal this week.
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10/03/2017
The US Air Force and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are ramping up their efforts to thwart small unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), with two recent requests out looking for sensors and lasers to shoot down or disable them.
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10/03/2017
The service reported the trainer aircraft missing after the T-45 departed from Knoxville, Tennessee for NAS Meridian, Mississippi on Sunday. At about 6 p.m. 1 October, NAS Meridian received reports of a jet crash near Tellico Plains, Tennessee, about 112km (70mi) south of Knoxville. The training wing had a T-45C flying near Tellico Plains that had not returned to the air station, the navy says in a 2 October statement.
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10/03/2017
The Chengdu J-20 fighter has entered service with the Chinese air force, as reports of emerge of progress with indigenous engines. A brief, three-line statement from the Chinese ministry of defence said the devleopmental type had entered service, but added little else. It is not clear exactly how many have entered service, but Chinese defence chatrooms suggest the number of in-service examples could be six.
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10/03/2017
Joint Russian-Serbian BARS (Brotherhood of Aviators of Russia and Serbia) tactical flight drills have kicked off in the Russian central city of Lipetsk, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Monday. The drills are carried out in accordance with the international military cooperation plan and will conclude at the end of next week, according to the ministry.
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10/03/2017
On Monday, Russia has started the first delivery of six Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets to Serbia, a source in the sphere of military-technical cooperation told Sputnik. The first An-124 military transport aircraft, loaded with disassembled Russian Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets, was scheduled to take off from Tretyakovo airport in the Moscow Region, which is operated by Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG, at noon on Monday.
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10/01/2017
After a large army, the second most important arm of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces has historically been the country’s air force. The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) is the most powerful air force on the Korean Peninsula, with a capability far greater than its northern rival, providing air cover and support to ground forces defending south of the thirty-eighth parallel. Recently, the air force has taken on a new task as Seoul shapes a conventional force to deter North Korea’s nuclear we
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10/01/2017
During the Paris Air Show, on June 19, the company announced a coproduction agreement with the Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TATA), and now it has disclosed that in anticipation of a contract from the Indian Air Force (IAF) for a single engine aircraft manufacturing facility, it has already initiated steps to create the required ecosystem in the country.
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10/01/2017
While airstrikes by the US-led coalition in Syria have only resulted in terrorists seizing ever new chunks of Syrian territory, the Russian military operation, launched in 2016 , has led to a huge military shift turning the tables against the jihadists, an independent British journalist told Sputnik.
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09/30/2017
A Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey crashed on a coalition base in Syria early Friday morning, injuring two American troops in a combat zone where the United States maintains Special Operations forces and artillery support. The aircraft is a “total loss,” having experienced what the military refers to as a hard landing before catching fire on the ground, a U.S. defense official told The Washington Post. Officials have not said what caused the crash, only that it’s possible the fire was somehow related.
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09/30/2017
The US Navy has cleared the Boeing T-45 Goshawk fleet to resume regular flights after a five-month grounding caused by contamination concerns over the system that generates and supplies oxygen to the training jet's pilots.
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09/30/2017
A lead cadre of Afghan air force pilots is poised to commence training on the service's first two Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk utility helicopters, following their delivery on 18 September. The rotorcraft arrived at Kandahar airfield aboard a US Air Force Boeing C-17 strategic transport, following a flight from Huntsville, Alabama.
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09/30/2017
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLA-AF) of China has officially commissioned its very first stealth aircraft, Chengdu’s J-20 fighter, a Chinese military spokesman said September 28, making it only one of three operational stealth aircraft models in the world.
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09/29/2017
Leonardo Helicopters has performed the maiden sortie of the first of eight upgraded Super Lynx Mk21A rotorcraft for the Brazilian navy. Each helicopter will receive new CTS800 engines, made by the Honeywell-Rolls-Royce joint venture LHTEC, as well as new glass cockpits and an advanced avionics suite.
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09/29/2017
For the first time ever, a Pakistani fighter pilot has flown a Chinese warplane during joint combat exercises between the two Asian nations. The exercises, which lasted through most of September, took place in Xinjiang, the westernmost province of China that borders Pakistan.
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09/29/2017
Moscow will take adequate retaliatory steps if observation flights over the US under the Open Skies treaty are limited, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated. Russia will evaluate the US intentions reportedly aimed to impede observation flights under the Treaty on Open Skies, spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said during a press briefing.
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09/28/2017
The U.S. Air Force is sending two of the four aircraft involved in its OA-X light attack aircraft competition to the battlefield. The move, likely unprecedented, will allow the service to evaluate both airplanes in combat missions before a final purchase decision is made.
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09/28/2017
In August, Indonesia announced that state-owned trading company PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia and Russia’s state-owned defence holding company Rostec had signed a memorandum of understanding, on a countertrade deal for the procurement of 11 Russian Sukhoi SU-35 Flanker E combat aircraft.
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09/28/2017
Today the greatest threat to U.S. air superiority may be something entirely different and, until recently, almost unrecognized by the military. This is the danger of hypoxia, a deprivation of adequate oxygen for the human body to function. Hypoxia can cause dizziness, disorientation, decreased mental functions, a slowing of reflexes, heart palpitations and, in very severe cases, death.
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09/28/2017
The chief technologist of BAE Systems is optimistic about fighter aircraft carrying directed energy weapons in the not-too-distant future, as he also discusses other emergent technologies.
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09/28/2017
Seoul looks likely obtain additional Korea Aerospace Industries T-50 advanced jet trainers (AJT) to support its future fleet of advanced fighter aircraft. The new aircraft are necessary owing to incoming types such as the Lockheed Martin F-35 and, in the 2020s, of the KAI KFX fighter, says the defence ministry. It did not state the number of aircraft to be acquired, or the type, but requires that they be domestically acquired. The only AJT produced in south Korea is the T-50.
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09/27/2017
The service has not had a dedicated air-to-air combat aircraft since it retired the Grumman F-14 Tomcat in 2006. But even the Tomcat was adapted into a strike aircraft during its last years in service after the Soviet threat evaporated. Now, as new threats to the carrier emerge and adversaries start to field new fighters that can challenge the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin F-35C Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), attention is starting to shift back to this oft-neglected Navy mission
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09/27/2017
Israel’s Defense Minister on Tuesday confirmed his country was in discussions with Croatia over supplying combat aircraft and military cooperation. Croatia will close a tender for the purchase of a squadron of combat aircraft, which was announced in July this year to replace its existing MIG combat fleet that does not meet NATO standards. Defense Minister Damir Krsticevic said Greece, Sweden, the U.S., Israel and South Korea had submitted offers, which were now being evaluated.
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09/27/2017
Germany has lifted a flight ban on the fleet of Airbus Helicopters Tiger attack rotorcraft operated by its army, but has yet to restart operations with the type. Berlin grounded the Tiger, except for operational emergencies, following a late-July fatal crash near Gao in Mali in which two servicemen were killed.
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09/27/2017
Germany and Norway have formally added a further five Airbus Defence & Space A330 multirole tanker transports to a multinational programme launched earlier this year by Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
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09/27/2017
Bulgaria is to restart its fighter procurement initiative, following recommendations made by a parliamentary investigation board after its review of the decision to name Saab's Gripen C/D as preferred candidate. The review board – which completed its work on 20 September – indicates that a combined offer of used Lockheed Martin F-16s submitted by the governments of Portugal and the USA was disqualified in an improper manner, preventing a fair evaluation of all submitted bids.
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09/27/2017
Coinciding with the Pentagon’s contemplation of whether it is prudent to retire 100 F-35s from combat operations rather than give them costly upgrades of their outdated software, the Israeli Parliament will explore whether alternatives might be more effective than the expensive Lockheed Martin jets.
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09/26/2017
Minutes ago, the Syrian Air Defense fired a surface-to-air missile above the Mezzeh Military Airport, striking an unknown target in the night sky. According to Al-Masdar’s Ibrahim Joudeh in Damascus, a powerful explosion was seen over the night-sky in the nation’s capital after a surface-to-air missile struck the target. While the target remains unknown, some sources have speculated the explosion was a result of the missile striking an unmanned aircraft (UAV) that was traveling over the Mezzeh A
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09/26/2017
North Korea threatened on Monday to shoot down American warplanes even if they were not in the country’s airspace, stating that President Trump’s comments suggesting he would eradicate North Korea and its leaders were “a declaration of war.”
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09/26/2017
A retired U.S. general said a Pentagon war scenario showed a conventional war with North Korea could result in about 20,000 deaths per day in South Korea, according to the Los Angeles Times. Meanwhile, a retired U.S. Navy admiral sees a 50/50 chance of a conventional conflict with North Korea although much less likelihood of a nuclear war.
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09/26/2017
An investigation committee has delivered its final report into the 7 August 2017 accident, which killed one crew member and injured a second. It attributes the mishap to an incorrect installation of the tail rotor component, which resulted in rapid wear and control rod disengagement.
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09/26/2017
Israel's air force and navy have identified the intended sensor fit for a planned fleet of second-hand Sikorsky SH-60F Seahawk maritime helicopters. The proposed acquisition of eight ex-US Navy rotorcraft is still in its early stages, but the type is expected to enter use aboard the Israeli navy's future fleet of four Saar-6 corvettes. The USA has already approved the transfer.
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09/26/2017
Israeli sources expect Berlin's planned introduction of the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron TP unmanned air system to be advanced following German Chancellor Angela Merkel's re-election.
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09/25/2017
On Sunday Sept. 24, 2017, an Italian Air Force Eurofighter F-2000A Typhoon (most probably MM7278/RS-23) belonging to the Reparto Sperimentale Volo (Test Wing) has crashed into the sea at Terracina, 76 kilometres south of Rome. Based on the several videos that have already emerged on social media, the pilot Capt. Gabriele Orlandi was unable to /did not recover the aircraft at the end of a looping and didn’t attempt to eject from the jet.
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09/25/2017
The United States has substantial air, land, and sea forces stationed in South Korea, as well as several units based in Japan and the western Pacific earmarked for a Korean contingency. Together, these forces far exceed the firepower of North Korea’s armed forces and represent a powerful deterrent not just against Pyongyang but any potential adversary in the region.
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09/25/2017
The F-15 Eagle rightfully boasts of one of the most successful runs in air-to-air combat of all time. In fact, the F-15 Eagle is undefeated when the air-to-air combat has been for real, with over 100 kills. But believe it or not, it has lacked something — something that its arch-rival, the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker, has had from day one.
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09/25/2017
Over the past two decades, the term “modernization” has been widely used by foreign affairs experts, military and political leaders, and intelligence analysts to describe the startling rapidity of the Chinese military’s rise from an arguably primitive force to one of the most technologically-advanced militaries in the world.
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09/25/2017
When it comes to news about aircraft carriers, the US Navy has a virtual monopoly. Its fleet of Nimitz- and Gerald R. Ford-class supercarriers outclasses pretty much anything other naval powers, including near-competitors Russia and China, have to throw at them in terms of numbers, pure tonnage, and power projection capabilities.
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09/24/2017
U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers and F-15 jets, flying in international waters, carried out a show of force Saturday off the coast of North Korea aimed at countering what the Pentagon called Pyongyang's "reckless behavior." The Pentagon said the operation was taking place at the farthest point north of the Demilitarized Zone, which separates North and South Korea, that any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft has flown this century.
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09/23/2017
US Air Forces Central Command, Southwest Asia Commander Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian stated that in the recent months the US-led coalition against the Daesh has shot down unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in Syria and one Syrian combat aircraft 'all in defense of our troops'.
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09/23/2017
The US Air Force’s Boeing KC-46 tanker is facing three outstanding issues as it moves through testing, including a boom scraping problem that could pose serious risk to the tanker’s aircrew.
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09/23/2017
In Ottawa, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces a dilemma. He postponed selection of a permanent replacement for a fleet of ageing Boeing CF-18s last year, partly over concerns about the cost of buying 65 Lockheed Martin F-35As. Then, Boeing brought an anti-dumping case against the Bombardier CSeries to the US Commerce Department, forcing him to shelve a planned interim buy of 18 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.
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09/23/2017
The Trump administration’s counterterrorism operations may start to include more and more drone strikes and commando raids on "foot-soldier jihadists," according to a new report. Former President Barack Obama required overseas Predator MQ-1 and Reaper MQ-9 attacks on terrorist elements to adhere to a pre-approved plan demonstrating that “the individual’s activities pose a continuing, imminent threat to US persons,”.
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09/23/2017
The 100,000-ton USS Ronald Reagan convened with one Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) helicopter carrier and two destroyers off the Korean Peninsula to conduct military exercises, the Japanese military said Friday.
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09/22/2017
The moment a Syrian Su-22 “Fitter” combat jet was shot down by US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets has been revealed with the release of gun camera footage. It was the first time a fighter had been shot down by US combat jets since May 4, 1999, when a Serbian MiG-29 was destroyed by a US F-16. Now a detailed account of the June incident has been given by one of the pilots involved.
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09/22/2017
The US secretary of defence, retired Lieutenant General James Mattis, has a two-point agenda for his trip starting September 25: get New Delhi to commit to purchasing the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 combat aircraft along with its assembly line under the aegis of the bilateral Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), and to give assurances that India’s Afghanistan policy will not undercut the American strategy to prevent the restoration of Taliban rule in Kabul.
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09/22/2017
The US Air Force has selected Lockheed Martin’s Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system for its Boeing F-15C, but a potential freeze on Pentagon dollars could delay delivery.
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09/22/2017
Canada's plans to buy the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet may be off the table, but details of the originally requested configuration show a Raytheon-made targeting pod's grip on the Boeing fighter is under pressure from a Lockheed Martin alternative that was long considered incompatible.
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09/21/2017
Saab is exploring the burgeoning red air market with its Gripen Aggressor, but the new adversary aircraft could face a tough competition against cheaper, former military jets.
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09/21/2017
France appears to have accelerated the delivery of 17 Pilatus PC-21 high-speed turboprops which will operate as trainer aircraft for its air force.
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09/21/2017
The US Air Force will next month unveil the results of a study into survivability gaps on its fleet of tankers and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, the service’s head of Air Mobility Command (AMC) says.
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09/21/2017
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bombers have carried out a routine flight over international waters in the Baltic and Norwegian seas.
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09/21/2017
The Russian Helicopters company exported the first Mi-28NE "Night Hunter" modern attack helicopter with an onboard defense system (ODS) protecting it from guided anti-aircraft missiles with infrared homing heads, the company's CEO Andrey Boginsky said Wednesday.
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09/21/2017
Russia will fulfill the contracted delivery of 12 modernized Su-30K fighter jets to Angola by early 2018, Aleksandr Vorobei, the deputy CEO of the 558 Aviation Repair Plant in Belarus, told Sputnik on Tuesday.
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09/19/2017
On 6 September, Swiss Defence Minister Guy Parmelin presented the Bundesrat (the Swiss Governmental Ministerial Council) with a proposal for the complete replacement of the Swiss Air Force's (SwAF's) 26 F-5E/Fs and 31 F/A-18C/Ds. The plan foresees the replacement of both aircraft types to begin in 2023, in addition to the SwAF's current 35mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft artillery and Rapier surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) with a new ground based air defence system.
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09/19/2017
The Qatari and British governments have signed an agreement for the potential sale of 24 Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets worth several billion dollars in another move by Doha to bolster its military amid a spat with four of its Arab neighbours. The deal is also a boost for planemaker BAE Systems, which is seeking to keep Typhoon fighter plane production humming.
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09/19/2017
The successful completion of final development trials of ‘Astra’ missile not only paves way for its induction in Indian Air Force but also signifies the beginning of a new era for the domestic defence industry. Astra, the indigenously developed state of the art Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) has been developed by DRDO, with Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) as the lead laboratory.
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09/19/2017
Scores of US-owned Lockheed Martin F-35s would remain in the fleet with a software operating system rated below combat-grade under one of several cost-saving proposals under review by the Joint Programme Office.
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09/19/2017
In an attempt to shed its foreign brand in the US Air Force trainer replacement competition, Saab will establish manufacturing and production in the United States for its Boeing/Saab T-X advanced trainer aircraft.
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09/17/2017
The Korean People's Army Air Force is perhaps the least threatening branch of Pyongyang’s military forces. However, while technologically backwards and often lacking the level of proficiency of Western air forces (with pilots often receiving fewer than 20 annual flight hours), the KPAAF does have a few strong points. As with many North Korean facilities, most KPAAF air bases are hardened to withstand air attacks and the country has a large number of aircraft available.
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09/16/2017
Triumph Aerospace Structures will supply the wing, vertical tail and horizontal tail structures for the Boeing T-X trainer aircraft, Boeing announced this week. Triumph Aerostructures, which inherits its composite and metal airframe heritage from the former Vought Aircraft, would build the structures at its Red Oak, Texas facility. Previously, Triumph has teamed up with Boeing as a supplier for the V-22 Osprey and C-17 Globemaster.
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09/16/2017
Israel's latest pair of Lockheed Martin F-35s landed at Nevatim air base on 14 September. The arrivals brought the total number of "Adir" jets operated by the nation's air force to seven.
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09/16/2017
The 3.8 meter long Astra Mark-1 is a single-stage, solid-propellant missile that can hit a target at a range of 75 kilometers with a speed of more than four times the speed of sound at Mach 4.5. Its advanced version is expected to match the caliber of the French Meteor BVRAAM.
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09/15/2017
A RSAF Typhoon combat aircraft involved in a mission against Houthi fighters over Yemen crashed into a mountain in Al Wade’a district on Sept. 13, 2017. The pilot, identified as Mahna al-Biz, died in the incident that follows the one of a UAE pilot, who was also reportedly killed in another crash in Yemen last week, said Yemen’s Saba news agency.
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09/15/2017
Rolls-Royce is pitching the BR725 for the US Air Force’s B-52 bomber re-engine effort, though the service has yet to establish a programme of record or release a request for proposals.
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09/15/2017
One of the UK's key intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) types is to receive a major upgrade, under the terms of a long-term arrangement between the Royal Air Force and prime contractor Raytheon UK.
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09/15/2017
Leonardo has joined forces with Discovery Air Defence Services and Inzpire in pursuit of a major UK aggressor aircraft requirement, making it the latest company to target the air support to defence operational training (ASDOT) opportunity.
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09/15/2017
North Korea has fired a ballistic missile across Japan, its second such provocative move in weeks. South Korea's military said the missile reached an estimated altitude of about 770km (478 miles) and travelled 3,700km before landing in the sea off Hokkaido. Japan's PM Shinzo Abe said his country would "never tolerate" North Korea's dangerous actions.
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09/14/2017
The Russian Air Force has deployed some MiG-29SMT multirole combat aircraft to Hmeymim airbase, near Latakia, in western Syria, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed on Sept. 13, 2017. It’s the first time the modernized version of the baseline Fulcrum jet is deployed to take part in the Syrian Air War.
(Read More...)
09/14/2017
The US Air Force awarded Boeing a $600 million contract to begin preliminary design work to modify two 747-8s to replace the Air Force One fleet, the service announces on 13 September.
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09/14/2017
South Korean warplanes tested the precision and efficacy of German and Swedish made air-launched cruise missiles Wednesday morning as the standoff on the Korean Peninsula continues.
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09/14/2017
India would immensely benefit from military cooperation with Belarus as it would ensure transfer of high-end Belarusian technology for upgrading Soviet-era tanks and military equipment.
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09/14/2017
Amid talk of Beijing and Moscow playing a role to defuse the confrontation with North Korea, actions by China and Russia’s air forces around Japan would seem to be adding pressure on Tokyo to boost military spending. Russian and Chinese military aircraft are probing Japanese air defenses at a rate not seen in over a decade, causing repeated scrambling of Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) jets.
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09/13/2017
The US State Department has approved a potential sale of Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to Canada, but bad blood between the Canadian government and Boeing may have already spoiled the deal.
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09/13/2017
The US Air Force could scrap its business jet strategy in favor of an alternative platform for its Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) recapitalisation, according to a recent letter sent from Congressional members to the US defense secretary.
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09/13/2017
Saab has launched a new derivative of its Gripen C, which it believes is ideally suited to meeting the future adversary training needs of the UK and USA. Unveiled as a full-scale replica at the DSEI exhibition in London on 12 September, the Gripen Aggressor is the Swedish manufacturer's proposed solution for the UK's air support to defence operational training (ASDOT) requirement, and part of the US Air Force's adversary air (ADAIR) opportunity.
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09/13/2017
The Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said in a statement that Russia and Turkey had reached an agreement on Russian S-400 missile systems deliveries to Turkey.
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09/12/2017
The US State Department has approved the sale of 19 Lockheed Martin F-16V aircraft to Bahrain, offering a critical lifeline to the Falcon’s production line. The possible $2.78 billion sale would include 19 aircraft equipped with Northrop Grumman APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. Bahrain plans to integrate the new aircraft into their existing fleet of 20 Block 40 F-16s.
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09/12/2017
The UK is considering a fresh acquisition of Boeing CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to replace the oldest examples in its current inventory. Rear Adm Jon Pentreath, chief of Joint Helicopter Command, speaking at the Future of Military Rotorcraft conference in London on 11 September, said further "modernisation of the Chinook fleet" is being contemplated.
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09/12/2017
As the US Air Force approaches production on its Northrop Grumman B-21 bomber and eyes full operational capability for its Lockheed Martin F-35A, the service is examining the future of air superiority with its next-generation air dominance (NGAD) concept.
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09/12/2017
On Sunday, Israeli Air Force F-15 fighters zipped over Saida, the third-largest city in Lebanon, while breaking the sound barrier. The sonic boom created by the fast, low-flying Israeli warplanes caused the foundations of buildings to shake and broke windows, Lebanese security officials told Reuters.
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09/08/2017
The Syrian army says Israeli jets have attacked a site in the west of the country where Western powers suspect chemical weapons are being produced. An army statement says rockets fired from Lebanese airspace hit a military post near Masyaf, killing two soldiers. A monitoring group says they struck a scientific research centre and base storing surface-to-surface missiles.
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09/07/2017
India’s army and navy have signed combined orders for 41 Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) Dhruv advanced light helicopters (ALH). The deal will see the army take 40 of the helicopters, and the navy a single aircraft, under a contract valued at Rs61 billion ($976 million). This will be executed over a 60 month period.
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09/07/2017
Two Russian strategic bombers carried out planned flights over neutral waters of the Arctic Ocean.
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09/07/2017
Pentagon announced that the US Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin almost $26 million for more upgrading work on its F-22 Raptor interceptors.
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09/07/2017
Details have emerged about the gradual increase in air wing numbers on board the UK Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier. Britain's Ministry of Defense plans to have 42 F-35 aircraft on board the Royal Navy's new carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth by 2023, with 24 being "frontline fighters," and 18 to be held in reserve or used for training.
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09/06/2017
The F-22 Raptor is already the most lethal fighter jet ever built, severely outclassing virtually every other aircraft of a similar class fielded by the rest of the world’s air forces. But with the advent of newer anti-aircraft defense systems, stealth-defeating tracking technologies and the entrance of countries such as China and Russia into the stealth fighter foray, the F-22 will eventually need to be replaced with something even more powerful.
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09/06/2017
Dubbed Warthog, Hog or just Hawg, the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the “airplane built around the GAU-8 Avenger 30-mm hydraulically driven seven-barrel Gatling-type cannon” to fight the Soviet tanks in the European battlefields during the Cold War, is considered one of the most durable and lethal combat plane in the CAS (Close Air Support) mission.
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09/06/2017
F-35As are flying high again at Luke AFB, Arizona, though the US Air Force has not identified the root cause of physiological events that provoked the base’s decision to restrict its F-35 squadron’s flying operations.
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09/06/2017
France announced its intention to start using armed drones on Tuesday, joining several states that use the deadly unmanned aircraft in various military conflicts. rench Defense Minister Florence Parly said that France is going to start the process of arming its drones in the near future. The move will involve six US-made unmanned aircraft, which will be equipped with "precision guided" weapons from 2019.
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09/05/2017
The Lithuanian military has again reported NATO fighter intercepts of Russian warplanes in international airspace over the Baltic region despite the fact that Russia's flights are being conducted routinely and in accordance with international law and other agreements.
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09/05/2017
North Korea has announced that it is now in possession of a miniaturized hydrogen bomb that can be mounted on an ICBM, according to Yonhap News. The People's Republic of North Korea (DPRK) has announced that it now has a miniaturized hydrogen bomb and is able to mount the deadly weapon on it's newly-built intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), according to a Sunday announcement by Pyongyang state media.
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09/03/2017
Russian Mi-28N 'Night Hunter' choppers have struck at Daesh targets surrounded by the Syrian Army in an area near the Shaer gas field in central Syria. Zvezda television channel has released fresh video of the gunship in action.
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08/30/2017
Lockheed Martin Corp. is closing in on an international deal for F-16 fighter planes, and has offered to eventually build all the jets at a proposed plant in India if it wins a bigger order to supply the Indian Air Force, a top executive said. The US defence giant and Sweden’s Saab are in a two horse-race to equip the Indian military with at least 100 single-engine jets that have to be produced locally under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make-in-India’ plan.
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08/30/2017
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is interested in placing a follow-up order for 36 additional fourth-generation Dassault Rafale multirole fighter jets, according to Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD) sources.
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08/30/2017
Boeing is actively promoting its F/A-18 E/F fighter for a future Indian naval requirement, with promise of a major industrial programme. The US airframer recently discussed its bid for an Indian navy requirement for 57 fighters at a media event in New Delhi.
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08/30/2017
Normally fierce rivals, Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries are co-operating on an upgrade package for elderly Lockheed Martin F-16As. Israel retired its "Netz" fighters earlier this year and is now looking to sell the 40-strong inventory, which would be extensively modernised by the partners.
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08/30/2017
Elbit Systems has won a $93 million contract from an undisclosed customer in the Asia-Pacific region for the upgrade of its Northrop F-5 fighters. To be conducted over a three-year period, the modification will see the Israeli firm install a number of systems to the legacy type.
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08/30/2017
Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has commenced production of the initial 15 Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) for the Indian army. At a ceremony at HAL's helicopter production centre in Bengaluru, minister of finance, defence and corporate affairs Arun Jaitley oversaw the launch of LCH production.
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08/29/2017
The U.S. Department of Defence has notified its Congress of the sale of 12 Super Tucano A-29 planes and weapons worth $593 million to Nigeria for the fight against Boko Haram. The move on the sale, which included thousands of bombs and rockets and was originally agreed by former President Barack Obama’s administration, was announced by the Pentagon’s Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on August 2.
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08/29/2017
Bell Helicopter is pitching the in-development 525 Relentless to military customers as a 20-passenger troop transport or search and rescue (SAR) platform. Although Bell has previously identified civil SAR and VIP transport missions as alternatives to the depressed oil and gas segment it initially aimed the 525 at, the airframer has so far not pursued military customers.
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08/29/2017
New Delhi has issued a new request for information for 111 naval utility helicopters (NUH) and 123 naval multi-role helicopters (NMRH). A request for proposal is likely to be issued in the second quarter of 2018 for both acquisitions. India’s navy has been struggling to acquire modern helicopters to replace an almost obsolescent rotorcraft fleet since 2010, without any success.
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08/29/2017
A North Korean ballistic missile that passed over Japan early Tuesday morning has broken into three pieces and fallen into the sea 733 miles from Cape Erimo in northern Japan into the waters off Hokkaido, state broadcaster NHK reports.
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08/29/2017
Israel has officially signed an agreement to buy 17 additional F-35 jets as part of an even larger deal to purchase a total of 50 stealth fighters. Signed by Major General (Res) Udi Adam, the director-general of Israel's Defense Ministry, this move will give the 69-year-old state two squadrons of the once-troubled jet after the delivery is made December 2024, the Jerusalem Post reported.
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08/17/2017
A quiet, rural highway in northern Estonia transformed into a bustling military airfield as combat controllers guided A-10C Thunderbolt IIs onto the 50-foot-wide freeway during a flying training deployment, Aug. 10, 2017. A small force of eight 321st Special Tactics Squadron combat controllers surveyed the two-lane highway, deconflicted airspace and exercised command and control on the ground and in the air to land A-10s from the Maryland ANG's 104th Fighter Squadron on the Jägala -Käravete High
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08/16/2017
The Syrian military said on Tuesday that one of its jets crashed in southern Syria, state television reported, hours after Western-backed rebels said they had shot it down and captured the pilot. State-owned Ikhbariya television quoted a Syrian army source as saying an investigation was under way to determine what caused the crash. It did not mention the fate of the pilot.
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08/16/2017
On a steamy May afternoon at Anderson Air Force Base in Guam, military air traffic converges from all over the world: gray B-52s from North Dakota, KC-130 tankers from Pennsylvania and C-130s from South Korea.
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08/16/2017
The appointment of Maj Gen Amikam Norkin as the Israeli air force's new commander could expedite some of its procurement plans, including for the Boeing KC-46A tanker, Lockheed Martin F-35 and longer-endurance unmanned air vehicles.
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08/16/2017
Argentina has stopped negotiations about a possible purchase of upgraded Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Kfir fighters, despite indications earlier this year that a deal for 12-14 aircraft could be finalised.
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08/16/2017
Investigations are ongoing into the late July accident involving a German army-operated example that came down in unexplained circumstances around 44nm (82km) northeast of Gao.
Berlin immediately withdrew its Tigers from service, although its four aircraft remaining in Mali – deployed as part of a multinational fight against an Islamic insurgency – will be allowed to perform missions in emergency situations, says its defence ministry.
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08/15/2017
The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will take part in this year's Exercise Red Flag - Nellis air combat exercise in the United States, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said in a press release on Monday (Aug 14). The RSAF will deploy eight F-15SG fighter aircraft and more than 100 personnel from its Peace Carvin V detachment in Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, to participate in the large-scale exercise.
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08/15/2017
Exercise Mobility Guardian highlighted the close relationship between Mobility and Combat Air Forces, who teamed up to execute approximately 90 sorties together, July 31 to Aug. 12, 2017.
The exercise provided the MAF and CAF opportunities to integrate combat capabilities in a dynamic, highly contested environment to help ensure future mission success at both the tactical and strategic level.
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08/15/2017
Indian state-owned airframer Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has performed the maiden flight of an upgraded two-seat, maritime-strike Sepecat Jaguar fitted with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.
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08/15/2017
Moscow and Islamabad will increase cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including the energy and defense industries, Pakistani Ambassador to Russia Qazi Khalilullah said Monday at a gala evening held to mark the 70th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence from the then-British Empire.
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08/15/2017
For the second time in less than seven days an Iranian military drone buzzed a US Navy aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, creating a “dangerous situation with the potential for collision” with US jets, the US Navy said Monday.
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08/15/2017
A US airman in Michigan was forced to make the least-worst decision out of a set of bad options after radio communication died, the plane’s canopy flew off, and the landing gear wouldn’t release.
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08/13/2017
Russia has officially unveiled the Sukhoi-57, its next-generation supersonic stealth combat jet set to rival the U.S. F-22 and the Chinese Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang J-31, Ministry of Defense TV channel Zvezda reported Friday.
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08/13/2017
As the US Air Force wraps up its OA-X light attack demonstration this week, US Special Operations Command released its own solicitation for a separate special operations light attack aircraft.
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08/13/2017
A recent report claiming the US denied critical F-16 technology to the government of India is erroneous, the US Air Force and F-16 manufacturer Lockheed Martin say. New Delhi is searching for a new single-engine fighter to recapitalise the Indian air force’s aging fighter fleet. The report from Defenseworld.net quoted the Indian Minister of State for Defence saying the US has not agreed to transfer F-16 technology and production to India.
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08/13/2017
Through a shimmering heat haze, the pilots of two sleek combat aircraft run to their jets, armed and ready beneath makeshift sun shelters on a Romanian base near the Black Sea coast. These are not the crews of the home nation's Aerostar-adapted MiG-21 Lancer interceptors, however, but of Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4s, deployed to help safeguard NATO territory.
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08/13/2017
A US F-18 fighter jet experiencing an engine malfunction made a crash landing Saturday at Bahrain International Airport, briefly interfering with commercial flight schedules. The pilot, who ejected from the aircraft after it ran off the runway, escaped unharmed.
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08/13/2017
The aviation technologies such as planes and helicopters for the Russian Aerospace Forces will be unmanned in the future, Aerospace Forces Commander Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Saturday. The commander added that the Aerospace Forces had achieved excellent results in combat training as the annual flight time of each pilot amounted to no less than 120 hours and that figure would increase.
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08/13/2017
Russia’s fifth-generation fighter jet, formerly known as the Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation (PAK FA), or Sukhoi T-50, has officially been named the Su-57. RIA Novosti contributor Andrei Kots takes a look at the evolution of Russia’s premier fighter jet.
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08/13/2017
A UK Royal Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft may be on its way to the Korean Peninsula as tensions mount between North Korea and the allied forces of the US, Japan and South Korea, the UK Defence Journal reported Friday.
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08/13/2017
US Air Force B-1B Lancers returned to Andersen Air Force base on Guam this week after completing a 10-hour joint flight missions with South Korean and Japanese aircraft near North Korea.
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08/11/2017
Air Force officials and international observers have flocked to Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico for the service's Light Attack Experiment, going on throughout August. The exercise has been planned for months, after Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said in January the branch was looking for an inexpensive fighter with the ability to do close-air-support missions.
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08/11/2017
The US Air Force has taken a Lockheed Martin F-22A out of storage and plans to return the Raptor to flying status by the end of this year, the service confirms to FlightGlobal. The service’s fiscal year 2018 budget justification documents states the F-22 programme will add another operational test aircraft to the fleet by taking one aircraft out of flyable storage.
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08/11/2017
A US Marine Corps Bell Boeing MV-22 struck the flight deck of an amphibious transport dock before crashing into waters off the coast of East Australia on 5 August, a US Navy document shows.
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08/11/2017
Italy wants to move its four Lockheed Martin F-35As allocated to an international training school in the USA to Europe, to support its operational preparations with the type, according to an audit office report published on 7 August.
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08/11/2017
South Korea and Japan reaffirmed their support for the US on Thursday following North Korea’s announcement that they are considering a ballistic missile attack against Andersen Air Force Base on the US island territory of Guam in Micronesia.
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08/11/2017
Indian Army was to receive its first tranche of eleven AH-64E Apache helicopters under the options clause of an earlier deal; but government says it has no immediate plans to place the order.
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08/10/2017
U.S. military officials say an Iranian drone harassed and nearly collided with a Navy attack jet Tuesday as it prepared to land on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. The drone approached the F/A-18E Super Hornet as it circled above the USS Nimitz, officials said. The Hornet’s pilot was forced to make a sudden maneuver to avoid striking the unmanned aircraft, and they passed within 100 feet of each other.
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08/10/2017
India is going ahead with the acquisition of a fifth-generation fighter aircraft with Russia after an internal committee of the Ministry of Defence recommended that the purchase of the aircraft will duplicate India’s plan to develop a homegrown advanced medium combat aircraft, according to an MoD official.
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08/10/2017
According to the information released by The Jakarta Post on Aug. 4., Indonesia is going to barter its resources, including coffee, to acquire the Russian Su-35 supermaneuverable fighter aircraft. The whole deal is to be directed by an Indonesian state-owned company – PT Perusahaan Perdagangan, collaborating with Rostec.
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08/10/2017
India’s state-owned aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) continues to fall behind schedule in delivering the country’s first domestically designed and produced light fighter aircraft, the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), according to information released by India’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) last week.
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08/10/2017
The Thai Royal Air Force (TRAF) is enhancing the readiness of its fleet via an upgrade package that will transform four F-5E Tigers into bonafide F-5T Super Tigers. The warplanes will receive Python-4 and I Derby beyond-visual-range air-to-air weapons, new radar systems, electronic warfare capabilities and "network-centric capabilities for disaster preparedness," the Air Force said in an August 2 announcement.
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08/10/2017
China’s first homemade aircraft carrier will likely enter mooring trials next month ahead of schedule, said Hu Wenming, general director of construction of the aircraft carrier, CCTV.com reported on Aug. 3.
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08/10/2017
On August 8, two supersonic US B1-B Lancer bombers flanked by Japanese and South Korean jets conducted a pair of air drills over the course of 10 hours off the Korean peninsula, near southern Kyushu island, in an apparent show of force against Pyongyang. The provocative act could mark a dangerous new stage in the ongoing fracas.
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08/10/2017
outh Korea must urgently and completely reform its defense system in view of the threat of North Korea, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday.
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08/09/2017
The US Air Force has awarded Boeing a contract for two commercial 747-8 aircraft to replace an aging fleet of 747-200s serving as presidential transports. The latest contract modifies an existing deal with Boeing awarded in 2016 to analyse options for reducing the risk of technical glitches in development of the new Air Force One fleet, as well assess classified requirements.
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08/09/2017
As the AH-64A "Peten" approached Ramon air base, its pilot reported a technical problem. Seconds later, it crashed between the two runways, killing its pilot. The second crew member was taken to hospital after sustaining serious injuries.
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08/09/2017
The Israeli Air Forces targeted two posts of the Hamas movement in Gaza Strip, responding to a projectile launched at Israel shortly before, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday.
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08/09/2017
A US defense contractor won more than $18 million to supply Egypt and Iraq with infrared countermeasure flares to protect aircraft, the Defense Department said in a press release. "Armtec Countermeasures Company [of] Coachella, California has been awarded an $18,033,583… Foreign Military Sales (Egypt and Iraq) contract for the procurement of the infrared countermeasure flares," the release stated on Tuesday.
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08/08/2017
Known for an ability to keep flying after taking multiple rounds of enemy machine gun fire, land and operate in rugged terrain, destroy groups of enemy fighters with a 30mm cannon and unleash a wide arsenal of attack weapons, the A-10 is described by pilots as a “flying tank” in the sky -- able to hover over ground war and provide life-saving close air support in high-threat combat environments.
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08/07/2017
In 2008, India’s Aeronautical Development Agency began developing a multirole fighter to replace its large fleet of aging Jaguar, Mirage and MiG-23 fighters. The new project was tentatively dubbed the Medium Combat Aircraft (later revised to the Advanced MCA, or AMCA), to be produced domestically by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
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08/07/2017
The U.S. State Department has greenlit a proposed $593 million U.S. sale of 12 Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) A-29 Super Tucano close air support (CAS) aircraft to Nigeria. According to the news release provided by the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the proposal includes the dozen aircraft as well as “all associated training, spare parts, aviation and ground support equipment, and hangar, facilities, and infrastructure required to support the program.”
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08/05/2017
As the first director for the Navy’s F-35C Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Fleet Integration Office, I have enjoyed the opportunities and challenges of bringing fifth-generation strike-fighter capabilities to the fleet. As this highly advanced weapons system matures, I am convinced the F-35C will be a cornerstone platform that plays a crucial role in mission success for Carrier Air Wings (CVW), Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) and numbered fleets. The F-35C will be a game-changer for the Navy.
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08/05/2017
The government has said there is no proposal to buy Lockheed Martin’s F-16 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force at the moment. “There is no immediate proposal to procure F-16 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force. Details of agreements entered into by Indian companies in this regard are not held by the government,” minister of state for defence Subhash Bhamre said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
(Read More...)
08/05/2017
The US Air Force Research Laboratory is funding advanced technologies for Lockheed Martin’s Desert Hawk Extended Endurance and Range (DH EER) unmanned air vehicle, including upgrades that will allow maritime operations.
(Read More...)
08/05/2017
A future European rival to the US Air Force’s MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air system (UAS) will feature a twin-engined turboprop configuration, says a multi-national weapons development agency.
(Read More...)
08/05/2017
Four platforms are flying this week at Holloman AFB, New Mexico for the US Air Force’s light attack OA-X experiment, but the makeup of those aircraft might have turned out differently had more contractors come forward to participate.
(Read More...)
08/05/2017
The US president's next helicopter, the Sikorsky VH-92A, flew for the first time on 28 July in Stratford, Connecticut, Lockheed Martin announces in a 3 August news release. The presidential transport variant of the S-92 took off from Sikorsky headquarters in Stratford, Connecticut. In two sorties, the aircraft completed checked off several test points, including hover control, low-speed forward flight, and a pass over the airfield.
(Read More...)
08/04/2017
New threats faced by Israel have placed the potential purchase of short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant Lockheed Martin F-35Bs as a high priority. Discussions are under way, with Israel's defence ministry hoping to reach a decision before a new 10-year Foreign Military Financing agreement with the USA comes into effect in 2019.
(Read More...)
08/04/2017
A report by India’s comptroller and auditor general (CAG) has highlighted the poor serviceability of 14 Ilyushin Il-76MD heavy transports and six Il-78 tankers operated by the nation's air force. According to a CAG report, average serviceability of the Il-76 and Il-78 fleet in the period from 2010-2016 was 38% and 49%, respectively. The required average figure for both types is set at 70%.
(Read More...)
08/04/2017
The upgrade will involve converting the cockpit from analogue to digital, and integrating a glass cockpit that includes touch screen displays, says the country's air force in a statement.
Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that the Philippines operates five C-130s: one C-130B, two C-130Hs, and two C-130Ts. The average age of these aircraft is 40.2 years.
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08/04/2017
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said that the Department of State has approved the sale of a dozen A-29 Super-Turcano aircraft to Nigeria to fight terrorists’ movements.
(Read More...)
08/04/2017
The Russian Helicopters company said it has finished the overhaul of four Mi-17 military helicopters for the Hungarian Ministry of Defense, planning on repairing one more chopper on a separate agreement.
(Read More...)
08/03/2017
Bids are due within a month for a US Air Force contract to build an improved version of the 2,000lb BLU-109 penetrator and deliver at least 12,000 of the bunker-busting bombs over the next five years. The improved BLU-109, which will be redesignated the BLU-137, and should correct known deficiencies and make the weapon more reliable against targets such as bunkers and hardened aircraft shelters, the service tells FlightGlobal.
(Read More...)
08/03/2017
BAE Systems delivered 10 Eurofighter Typhoons in the first half of this year, as the UK company and its European partners wait for further international sales to safeguard long-term production of the type.
(Read More...)
08/03/2017
Light-attack aircraft come in many forms: purpose-built turboprops such as the Embraer A-29, converted turboprop trainers like the Beechcraft AT-6 and Korea Aerospace Industries KT-1, and even jet-powered trainers modified to carry weapons and surveillance equipment.
(Read More...)
08/03/2017
South Korea has tested the Hyunmoo-II, a missile able to penetrate thickly protected fortifications, The Diplomat’s Ankit Panda tweeted on July 30. The demonstration is widely seen as a show of force in response to North Korea’s relentless pursuit of a nuclear weapon along with an effective delivery method, as exemplified by the country’s latest ballistic missile test. Friday’s launch was the 18th such missile to be tested by North Korea this year.
(Read More...)
08/03/2017
Pentagon announced that Lockheed Martin won a contract worth more than $158 million to upgrade mission computers, acoustic equipment, armament systems on eight P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft for Germany.
(Read More...)
08/02/2017
A total of 37 defence aircraft and helicopters have crashed since May 2014 in which 55 people were killed, the government told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. According to details provided by the minister of state for defence, the armed forces lost 25 aircraft and 12 helicopters during the period.
(Read More...)
08/02/2017
Recent satellite images (dated July 15, 2017) of the Khmeimim Airbase in Syria’s Latakia Governorate have surfaced on social media. The pictures reveal the presence of a total of thirty-three (33) combat aircraft belonging to the Russian Aerospace Forces at the military installation.
(Read More...)
08/02/2017
In 1968, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff needed an answer. The US Air Force then operated two vastly different types of aircraft to attack North Vietnamese trucks moving reinforcements and supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The Joint Chiefs wanted to know how well each type of aircraft –the fast, modern jets with high wing loadings and slow propeller-driven fighters with lightly loaded wings – performed that mission.
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08/02/2017
Even if North Korea has successfully constructed an ICBM that can fly into low earth orbit en route to hitting targets like the continental United States, American and South Korean experts have expressed doubts that the missile will be an effective weapon by the time it completes the journey.
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08/02/2017
Two Russian MiG-31 Foxhound fighter jets and an An-26 Curl military transport aircraft carried out a planned training flight over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea on Tuesday when they were intercepted by two NATO fighters, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
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08/01/2017
As month-long demonstration begins today, a newly-released acquisition document reveals a potential path for the US Air Force to acquire a light air support capability for special operations forces.
(Read More...)
08/01/2017
An avionics upgrade will enable France's Boeing E-3F airborne warning and control system (AWACS) fleet to remain operationally relevant until at least 2035, the nation's DGA defence procurement agency says.
(Read More...)
08/01/2017
Military release to service for the Grob Aircraft G120TP was achieved on 11 July, and the elementary trainer will be followed into use by the Embraer Phenom 100 and Beechcraft T-6C. The Elbit Systems/KBR joint venture company Affinity Flying Training Services is responsible for acquiring, introducing and supporting an eventual combined fleet of at least 38 aircraft.
(Read More...)
08/01/2017
Boeing has received a three-year, $267 million contract from the US Army that will see it build three modernised CH-47 Chinook transport helicopters. The rotorcraft will be built to a CH-47F Block II standard, the company says. The primary objective is boosting the CH-47's lifting power.
(Read More...)
08/01/2017
An American airstrike in Somalia on Saturday killed a militant with the al-Qaeda aligned al-Shabaab Mogadishu Attack Network. This is the third US airstrike in Somalia as part of the renewed bombing campaign that began in June.
(Read More...)
08/01/2017
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Monday that North Korea will likely conduct its sixth nuclear test and and another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launch, in the wake of two controversial launches in July.
(Read More...)
07/31/2017
The US Marine Corps is grounding 12 of its Marine Forces Reserve-operated Lockheed Martin KC-130T tanker/transports indefinitely, following a 10 July crash which left 16 service members dead.
(Read More...)
07/31/2017
Japan and the United States held joint aviation drills as a response to the recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile carried out by North Korea, Fumio Kishida, Japanese Defense and Foreign Minister, told reporters on Monday.
(Read More...)
07/31/2017
Composite materials are all the rage today with Russia’s fifth-generation T-50 fighters and, Ka-52 and Ka-62 helicopters making extensive use of polymeric carbon plastics and other high-strength materials, rendering them virtually invisible to enemy radar. Sputnik looked at the way composites can help planes fly better and dodge enemy radar.
(Read More...)
07/29/2017
The US government obligated $2.18 billion in funding from foreign military sales customers and international partners in the Joint Strike Fighter programme for an interim contract to Lockheed Martin to continue F-35 production.
(Read More...)
07/29/2017
Boeing, the US Air Force and US Navy completed electromagnetic effects (EME) testing on the KC-46A tanker during July, checking off another step before the manufacturer can deliver its first of the 767-based aircraft to the USAF at the end of this year.
(Read More...)
07/29/2017
As it follows the elevation from Western Front trenches to air corps fame – or infamy – of German corporal Bruno Stachel, the 1966 film The Blue Max debunks many myths of chivalry and aerial combat. By means fair and foul, Stachel (George Peppard) tramples friend and foe alike in relentless pursuit of the 20 “kills” that would secure him the medal of the film’s title.
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07/29/2017
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has announced that a new set of missile interception launch platforms will be deployed at a US military base in South Korea, according to public news outlet Yonhap. The interceptor is part of the US' Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile interception system. President Moon delayed the deployment of the THAAD shortly after assuming office in May, citing environmental concerns.
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07/29/2017
The Pentagon said on Friday it had detected a North Korean ballistic missile launch and was carrying out assessments to gather further information. According to Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis, the launch occurred at about 10:45 ET (14:45 GMT).
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07/28/2017
Boeing said Thursday it has completed electromagnetic testing for its troubled KC-46 air refueling tanker, the militarized version of its 767 wide body jet. The successful tests, conducted by a Boeing-led team that included U.S. Air Force and Naval Air Systems Command employees, cuts outstanding risks to the KC-46 tanker program, the jet maker said.
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07/28/2017
The pact between France and Germany to develop a next-generation fighter does not threaten the Franco-British unmanned combat air vehicle project on which Dassault and BAE Systems are partnered, the French company’s chief executive insists.
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07/28/2017
With India stepping up its ties with Israel, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will take part in the Blue Flag exercise to be held during November this year in Israel. This will be the largest multi-national exercise in Israel where the US, Italy, France, Germany, Greece, and Poland will take part.
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07/26/2017
No matter which company wins the Air Force contract to build the Compass Call successor, warfighters who fly the EC-130H are hoping for the new jamming plane to sport similar if not smaller airborne electronic equipment — and sooner rather than later. “There’s always a requirement to improve,” Lt. Col. Matthew, mission commander with the 43rd Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron, said during a recent interview.
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07/26/2017
The Croatian Ministry of Defense has submitted requests for proposals to acquire “multi-purpose combat aircraft” to the U.S., Israel, South Korea, Sweden and Greece, the ministry said in a statement. Zagreb is considering to purchase new or second-hand F-16s from either the U.S., Israel or Greece, acquire South Korean FA-50s, or buy Sweden’s Saab JAS-39 Gripens. Contrary to earlier reports by the local media, France’s Mirage and Israeli Kfir were not included in the RFP.
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07/26/2017
Textron’s CEO Scott Donnelly told investors that the company is in preliminary talks with Saudi Arabia for the sale of Scorpion light combat aircraft. Flight Global reported that the information was disclosed during Textron’s second-quarter results call with shareholders. The procurement of “light close air support” (CAS) aircraft was among the armaments Riyadh intended to procure from the U.S. as part of its $110 billion U.S. weapons deal with Washington.
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07/26/2017
The US Air Force has narrowed its search for a new hypersonic strike weapon for bombers and fighters to five vendors. The service intends to award an engineering, manufacturing and development contract in early fiscal year 2018 to either Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Orbital ATK or Raytheon. Only those companies could produce the weapon within the USAF’s timeframe, according to a 21 July notice of contract action on the US Federal Business Opportunities website.
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07/26/2017
The US Department of Defense has awarded Textron Aviation a contract worth almost $8.8 million for the "reconstitution" of 15 Beechcraft T-6A basic trainers for the Iraqi air force. Placed via Washington's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, the deal "provides the purchase of long-lead supplies required to reconstitute the aircraft for Iraq training," the DoD says. Textron will undertake the work at the nation's Imam Ali/Tallil air base.
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07/26/2017
Repsol, the Spanish oil firm cooperating with Hanoi on the project, had spent $300 million developing an oil field near the disputed waters. While Repsol seems to have wanted to make Block 136-03 commercially viable, Beijing reportedly vowed to Vietnam that drilling would lead to an attack.
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07/26/2017
The Boeing Company [of] St. Louis, Missouri has been awarded a maximum $122,800,001 delivery order against a five-year base contract with one five-year option period for aircraft spare parts," the release stated on Tuesday.
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07/25/2017
One of the aircraft now preparing for a live-fly experiment to be the Air Forces’ new Light Attack aircraft may soon be sent to perform missions in a live combat scenario as part of the evaluation process, senior service leaders said. The emerging OA-X Light Attack aircraft is envisioned as a low-cost, commercially-built, combat-capable plane able to perform a wide range of missions in a less challenging or more permissive environment where the US Air Force already has air supremacy.
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07/25/2017
As Lucas Tomlinson reports at Fox News, this weekend, two J-10 Chinese Air Force jets came close to downing a U.S. Navy EP-3 reconnaissance plane this weekend. Flying erratically, they nearly crashed into the 24-person crewed U.S. aircraft. Let's be clear, this is a warning shot from the Chinese military. The Chinese remember full well what happened in April 2001, when a U.S. EP-3 was forced to land on Chinese-held Hainan island after a Chinese jet crashed into it. That incident sparked a major
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07/25/2017
Seven foreign air forces have so far confirmed their participation in the "Blue Flag" exercise to be held in Israel during November. According to the commander of the Israeli air force's Uvda air base, identified only as Col I, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Poland and the USA will take part in the exercise; making it the largest multinational event to be staged in the country.
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07/25/2017
Elbit Systems has performed a series of demonstration flights with its Hermes 900 unmanned air vehicle for the Philippine air force, as the service evaluates the medium-altitude, long-endurance type.
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07/25/2017
US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin won more than $8 million for logistics support for F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters for Israel under the Foreign Military Sales program, the Department of Defense said in a press release.
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07/24/2017
A pilot operating a Michigan Air National Guard A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing Thursday afternoon at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center.
According to a news release from the 127th Wing Public Affairs at Selfridge, the pilot was conducting training activities about 1:40 p.m. at the Grayling Training Complex when the aircraft malfunctioned, forcing him to divert and land at Alpena.
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07/24/2017
According to several reports, two Russian Air Force Yak-130 Trainer/Light Attack (LA) Aircraft (Tail number 43white/RF-44496 from Borisoglebsk airbase and 55red/RF-44583 from Armavir) crashed almost simultaneously in two different places on Wednesday June 21, 2017. Information about incident has not released by the RuAF (Russian Air Force). The Yakovlev Yak-130 is a subsonic two-seat advanced trainer originally developed by Yakovlev and Aermacchi (now Leonardo).
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07/24/2017
Russia is keen on selling its new fighter jet MiG-35 to India with the MiG corporation's chief saying the country has evinced interest in the aircraft and talks were on to understand its requirements. Director General of Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG Ilya Tarasenko said the MiG-35 was "the best" and definitely better than Lockheed Martin's fifth-generation combat aircraft F-35. He claimed that the MiG-35 would beat the American jet in air to air combat.
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07/24/2017
According to a warning notice from the US Coast Guard for mariners who intend to traverse the thousands of miles between Kodiak Island, Alaska, and the Hawaiian islands next weekend, a live-fire THAAD missile test has been scheduled by the US military.
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07/24/2017
Russia has adopted a new Navy Policy Framework up to the year 2030. The document devotes considerable attention to creating high-precision long-range cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, robotics, and more, but does not elaborate much on plans to build a new aircraft carrier. Military observer Vladimir Tuchkov explains why this may be a good thing.
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07/23/2017
America’s largest aviation gathering begins on Monday as aerobatic performances by top civilian and military aircraft — including the Navy’s Blue Angels — highlight the seven day EAA AirVenture Airshow.
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07/23/2017
United States President Donald Trump urged Congress to pass a budget that provides for higher, stable and predictable funding for the US military. "Call that congressman and call that senator, and make sure you get it," Trump said Saturday (July 22) at the commissioning of the Gerald R. Ford, the Navy's newest aircraft carrier. "We must end the defense sequester once and for all."
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07/23/2017
The aircraft arrayed around the spacious lawn of Maxwell Air Force Base, home of the Air University, mostly represent long-retired types. The largest, however, is a glistening B-52 bomber, which represents a still-employed component of the Air Force’s aging fleet: The youngest B-52 entered service in 1962. Sons have flown the same plane their fathers and grandfathers flew.
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07/22/2017
Japan and Taiwan scrambled fighter jets on Thursday after China flew a squadron of strategic bombers over the western Pacific, according to a Taiwanese press report. The Liberty Times reported Friday the Chinese bombers flew from the East China Sea to the western Pacific, an exercise that may have been conducted to warn Taiwan and Japan.
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07/22/2017
Embraer’s KC-390 wrapped its 40-day demonstration tour this week after stops in 18 countries throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. The Brazilian transport tanker made its flight display debut at the Paris air show this June and went on to a series of flight demonstrations before returning to Brazil.
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07/21/2017
Russia has developed a new modernized version of the Sukhoi Su-30SM Flanker-H that features upgraded avionics and weapons. Designated as the Su-30SM1, the aircraft leverages the operational lessons that Russia has learned during its operations over Syria, according to a report in the Russian-language newspaper Izvestia.
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07/21/2017
Saudi Arabia is considering acquiring the Textron AirLand Scorpion light attack aircraft, with initial discussions under way. Scott Donnelly, chief executive of parent company Textron, says Riyadh is one of a number of customers it is in talks with over the developmental aircraft.
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07/21/2017
Dubbed the Typhoon total availability enterprise, or Tytan, the new, 10-year arrangement between the RAF and industry partners BAE Systems and Leonardo is expected to reduce the Typhoon's per-hour operating cost by 30-40%. This should equate to a saving of at least £550 million ($712 million), which "will be recycled into the programme", according to BAE Systems Military Air & Information managing director Chris Boardman.
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07/21/2017
France and Germany have signalled their intention to co-operate on the development of a future combat aircraft to be produced after the Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon.Part of a broader move to increase military co-operation and enhance export prospects for European products, the fighter initiative was referred to during a press conference involving French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris on 13 July.
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07/21/2017
Delhi has issued a request for information (RFI) for seven signals intelligence (SIGINT) and communications jamming aircraft. As per the RFI, two aircraft in SIGINT configuration will be acquired for the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) - India’s technical intelligence agency. Five SIGINT and communications jamming configured aircraft are to be operated by the air force.
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07/20/2017
Gulfstream’s proposal for the US Air Force’s JSTARS recapitalisation project will include a refuelling nozzle mounted on the nose of its G550 business jet, the company’s vice-president of special mission sales has revealed.
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07/20/2017
A Chinese military expert says China should develop counter technologies after the U.S. and Australia jointly tested at least one flight for their Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HiFIRE) program.
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07/20/2017
The Russian Defense Ministry and the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) are discussing the delivery of first 12 Sukhoi T-50 (PAK FA) fifth-generation fighter aircraft in 2019, UAC President Yury Slyusar said on Wednesday.
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07/20/2017
The Russian Defense Ministry has received about one hundred Su-34 aircraft equipped with Khibiny aircraft electronic countermeasure systems, a representative of Russia's concern Radio-Electronic Technologies (KRET), a part of the Rostec state corporation, said at MAKS-2017 International Aviation and Space Salon on Wednesday.
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07/19/2017
Iran’s military plans to field a new light attack and training jet called the Kosar within 2.5 years, industry officials tell FlightGlobal on 18 July at the MAKS air show outside Moscow. After a public roll-out last month, Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) displayed a scale model of the twin-engined, two-seat Kosar jet to an international audience for the first time in the MAKS exhibit halls.
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07/19/2017
The UK Royal Air Force will continue operating its remaining Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transports until 2035, with their service-life extension to be supported by a key structural upgrade programme.
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07/19/2017
The Russian Defense Ministry will begin purchasing MiG-35 fighters from 2018 as part of the new state armament program, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said Tuesday. The MiG-35 is a multipurpose fighter and an advanced derivative of the original MiG-29?/?2 fighter, featuring improved combat capabilities and flight performance characteristics. It is capable of reaching speeds of up to 2,700 kilometers per hour (1,700 miles per hour) and having a combat radius of 1,000 kilometers.
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07/19/2017
The contract on creation of a Russia-India fifth-generation FGFA fighter will be signed shortly, the general director of Russia's Rostec state corporation said Tuesday. The Russian-Indian Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) has stealth capabilities and is based on the Russian T-50 prototype jet.
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07/19/2017
The Russian Defense Ministry is planning to buy some 50 modernized Tu-160 bombers the serial production of which will begin in 2012, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said Tuesday.
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07/19/2017
The Russian Defense Ministry is considering the development of a vertical takeoff (VTOL) plane for aircraft carriers based on the Yak-family, Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said Tuesday.ZHUKOVSKY (Sputnik) — The VTOL aircraft would be based on the Yak-family jets.
"The Defense Ministry is discussing with our aircraft manufacturers the development of an aircraft with a short take-off and landing, possibly with a vertical take-off and landing, this is the development of the Yak line," Boris
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07/18/2017
India is about to sign a contract to equip its Dassault Rafales with Rafael's Litening targeting pod, according to Yuval Miller, head of the Israeli company's air and C4I systems division. Miller says the advanced sensors will be manufactured by a local company that is jointly owned by Rafael and an Indian partner. "The Rafale is a multi-role aircraft, and the Litening gives it the flexibility to deal with ground and air targets with the same efficiency," he notes.
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07/18/2017
The Israeli air force has enhanced the capabilities of its Leonardo Aermacchi M-346 "Lavi" advanced jet trainers by adding external fuel tanks. The enhancement was made possible after the aircraft's software was upgraded following a long series of test flights performed by the service's flight test squadron.
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07/18/2017
One day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced his opposition to the Russia-US brokered ceasefire in parts of Syria, the nation’s former National Security Council chief called for Israel to examine military options that would keep Iran and Hezbollah from setting up permanent bases in the country.
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07/18/2017
The newest Russian missile Zircon, which has already been tested, leaves no chance for any warship and cannot be destroyed by existing air defense systems. Sputnik explains why. According to numerous reports, the Zircon is actually a modified version of the BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missile – a joint Russian-Indian design based on the P-800 Onyx missile. Therefore, the Zircon could have an effective range of about 400 kilometers.
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07/18/2017
A Russian MiG-31 interceptor has successfully intercepted and destroyed a simulated supersonic cruise missile flying in the stratosphere during a drill in the Russian Far East. The press service of Russian Pacific Fleet reported that a pair of MiG-31s, stationed in Kamchatka, successfully locked onto and destroyed a simulated cruise missile target launched from a ship in the Sea of Okhotsk at an altitude of over 12,000 meters at over three times the speed of sound.
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07/18/2017
Russia's MiG-35S multipurpose generation 4++ fighter jet, which will be displayed at the MAKS-2017 airshow, will certainly be remembered as one of the highlights of the event. July 18 will see the opening of the MAKS-2017 International Aviation and Space Salon in the town of Zhukovsky outside Moscow; the presentation of the advanced Russian fighter jet MiG-35S is almost sure to become one of the highlights of the airshow.
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07/17/2017
Pyongyang has stepped up its manufacture of nuclear weapons fuel, according to a US group’s interpretation of recent satellite surveillance data. According to satellite imagery recorded between September 2106 and June 2017, North Korea has stepped up its production of weapons-grade plutonium at a faster rate than previously asserted by military experts.
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07/16/2017
The Indian Navy's only fighter aircraft MiG-29K continues to face problems as the maritime force feels that the fighter jet needs to be further ruggedised for carrying out operations from aircraft carriers which is supposed to be its main role. "The plane needs to be ruggedised further as very frequently after landings, the settings of the plane change and they have to be re-set," sources in the Navy told Mail Today.
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07/14/2017
Malaysia has put on hold a $2 billion plan to replace its aging fleet of combat aircraft, looking instead to upgrade its aerial surveillance capabilities to confront the growing threat of militancy inspired by the Islamic State group, a source with knowledge of the matter said.
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07/14/2017
France and Germany have announced their intention to work together to develop a new advanced "European" fighter jet. Though the final plan is still in the works, the decision appears to be wrapped up in a number of political and economic considerations and could potentially see the end the German military’s interest in the controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
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07/14/2017
The US State Department has approved a potential electronics upgarde for Canberra's fleet of 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter aircraft. The contractor for the deal is Harris Corporation, which would provide 32 MIDS JTRS tactical radio systems, and 39 AN/ALS-214A (V)4 countermeasures systems, says the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
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07/14/2017
Russia's Radio-Electronic Technologies Concern, part of the Rostec state corporation, says it would hand over new electronic warfare complexes to the country's Aerospace Forces at the International Aviation and Space Salon next week.
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07/14/2017
India’s Tejas light combat aircraft is armed and ready with I-Derby missiles for downing other aircraft, according to The Diplomat. The missiles have been integrated into the plane’s weapons suite but have yet to finish testing, which is slated to happen by year’s end, Flight Global reported.
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07/13/2017
A US Air Force investigation blames a Lockheed Martin F-35A engine fire last September at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, on strong tailwinds, according to an accident report released by the service this week.
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07/13/2017
The United States and Australia have concluded a series of hypersonic test flights at the Woomera test range in South Australia. The tests were conducted under the auspices of the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HiFIRE) programme, says Australia's Department of Defence in a statement.
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07/13/2017
The United Kingdom will invest 40 million pounds [$50 million] in the development of a technology, which will enhance the defenses of Typhoon fighter jets, according to UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon.
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07/13/2017
The Soviet-built carrier left Hong Kong early Wednesday morning before crossing over into the western side of the Taiwan Strait. Taiwanese defense officials said the ship didn’t present a concern, as there was no suspicious activity, but the situation is being closely watched, according to Channel News Asia.
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07/12/2017
Small, civilian-owned drones can buzz past the US Air Force’s stealthy fighter fleet sitting at domestic bases and the service’s head of Air Combat Command (ACC) has no way to deal with them.
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07/12/2017
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said Tuesday that Bangkok has approved a plan to buy eight additional South Korea-made T-50 trainer jets. Chan-ocha made the announcement following a cabinet meeting in which members endorsed the $257 million dollar plan. The jets are being purchased in addition to four other South Korean jets Thailand agreed to buy in a $110-million deal signed in September 2015, with deliveries set for 2018.
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07/12/2017
Russia's Foundation for Advanced Research Projects (FPI) has completed the development of the advanced control system of aircraft structures state, which is based on the principles of the nervous system of living organisms and is expected to significantly improve flight safety, head of the project Dmitry Uspensky told Sputnik on Tuesday.
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07/11/2017
The latest version of the MQ-9 Reaper, the Block 5 variant, flew its first successful combat mission June 23, 2017, in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The aircrew flew a sortie of more than 16 hours with a full payload of weapons including GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. During the mission, the crew employed one GBU-38 and two Hellfires while providing hours of armed reconnaissance for supported ground forces.
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07/11/2017
A military refueling aircraft crashed Monday afternoon in a soybean field in Leflore County, killing at least 16 and leaving a debris field five miles in radius, officials said. Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Director Lee Smithson said the plane crashed on the Sunflower-Leflore county line. Leflore County EMA Director Frank Randle confirmed that 16 are dead in the crash.
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07/09/2017
Think of the North Korean problem as a set of two dangerous streams of activity, moving rapidly toward each other. One is the increasing range of the Kim Jong Un regime’s intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are now verifiably in the 3,000- to 4,000-mile range — probably far enough to strike the continental United States.
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07/09/2017
Hundreds of people in Hong Kong lined up on Saturday to visit China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which is making a five-day port call here to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule.
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07/09/2017
Upon overseeing the launch of a domestically-built corvette in July 2017, Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced his country’s goal of building “our own aircraft carriers” as part of Ankara’s efforts to “become independent in the field of defense by 2023.” “We must move even faster,” Erdogan declared. “We are proud of our ability to build military ships, especially construction of submarines.”
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07/09/2017
Sikorsky hosted German aerospace companies during a recent two-day event at in West Palm Beach, Florida, discussing the US Marine Corps CH-53K and the German Air Force “Schwerer Transporthubschrauber” (STH) heavy-lift helicopter programme.
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07/09/2017
Austria is to phase out its fleet of 15 Tranche 1 Eurofighter Typhoons from 2020, amid a deepening row with the four-nation consortium over the cost and capability of its aircraft. Vienna in February began legal proceedings against Airbus Defence & Space and Eurofighter over alleged fraud and deception related to its near €2 billion ($2.28 billion) acquisition of the Typhoons in 2003. Airbus and the consortium deny the accusations.
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07/06/2017
India's planned acquisition of an additional Boeing C-17 strategic transport would boost its air force's fleet of the type to 11 examples, and the proposed purchase would be worth around $366 million.
(Read More...)
07/06/2017
UK Royal Navy AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin helicopters performed the first deck landings aboard the service's new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, just four days after the 65,000t vessel embarked on its maiden voyage.
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07/05/2017
The US government’s decision to grant India the licence for the export of 22 Guardian drones through the US foreign military sales programme will address gaps in India’s maritime surveillance capabilities. However, India’s quest for armed drones in the absence of a defined strategy for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has created misconceptions about their utility for India in conducting cross-border strikes or “surgical strikes” against Pakistan-based terrorists.
(Read More...)
07/05/2017
The Trump administration on Tuesday confirmed North Korea’s claim that it had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, and it told Pyongyang that the United States would use “the full range of capabilities at our disposal against the growing threat.”
(Read More...)
07/05/2017
Sikorsky has agreed to a new multi-year contract with the US Department of Defense, which will lead to it delivering up to 360 UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters to the US Army and overseas customers by 2022.
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07/05/2017
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the latest Pyongyang’s missile launch, which violated the resolution of the UN Security Council, the statement read. North Korea announced on Tuesday that it had successfully launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-14, at 00:30 GMT. It said the missile traveled 580 miles and reached an altitude of 1,740 miles during its 39-minute flight before "accurately hitting the target waters" in the Sea of Japan.
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07/05/2017
North Korea is capable of attacking any target on Earth with its intercontinental ballistic missiles, Pyongyang said in an official statement Tuesday. Published by the North Korean Academy of Defense Science as cited by the Korean Central News Agency, the statement claims its new capabilities would "reliably defend the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and the region."
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07/04/2017
North Korea has reportedly launched a ballistic missile Tuesday morning, just days after the South's new President Moon Jae-In and US President Donald Trump focused on de-escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula in their first summit.
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07/04/2017
With tensions rising with its neighbors, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has once again asked India’s defense ministry to approve funding for building next generation hardened shelters designed by state-owned research organization DRDO for every aircraft deployed in eastern and north-eastern airfields.
(Read More...)
07/01/2017
China has built new military facilities on islands in the South China Sea, a U.S. think tank reported on Thursday, a move that could raise tensions with Washington, which has accused Beijing of militarizing the vital waterway.
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07/01/2017
Norway will embark one of its NH Industries NH90 NFH helicopters for the first time later this summer, but has again offered thinly veiled criticism of the 11t-class rotorcraft, deliveries of which are running 10 years behind schedule.
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06/30/2017
The Air Force recently grounded some of its newest aircraft, F-35A strike fighters, due to incidents in which pilots became physiologically impaired with symptoms of oxygen deficiency while flying. Although the root cause of the F-35 incidents has not yet been established, the grounding has renewed attention on hypoxia, a physical condition caused by oxygen deficiency that may result in temporary cognitive and physiological impairment and possible loss of consciousness.
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06/30/2017
Germany and Norway have officially signed up to an effort led by European NATO members to jointly acquire and operate a pool of up to 11 Airbus Defence & Space A330 multi-role tanker transports (MRTT).
(Read More...)
06/30/2017
Airbus Group chief executive Tom Enders says the company is making progress in negotiations with users of the A400M, while propulsion system supplier Europrop International (EPI) has released further details of its essential "Pack 2" update.
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06/30/2017
Oman's first pair of Eurofighter Typhoons has arrived in the country, with the nation's air force staging a welcoming ceremony at its Adam air base on 21 June. The aircraft arrived following a ferry flight from BAE Systems' Warton final assembly site, having left the UK on 19 June.
(Read More...)
06/30/2017
The US Department of Defense said that US defense supplier Lockheed Martin won more than $18 million in foreign military sales to provide the United Arab Emirates with ground components for its THAAD system.
(Read More...)
06/28/2017
A missile defence role is emerging after 2023 for an unmanned air system (UAS) with the payload and range capability of today’s manned Lockheed Martin U-2S. The US Missile Defense Agency has released specifications for its next top priority: a high-altitude, long-endurance UAS that uses a high-energy laser weapon to shoot down ballistic missiles within seconds of launching.
(Read More...)
06/28/2017
With the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen – plus Lockheed Martin's incoming F-35 – dominating the fleets of many European nations, it would be easy to overlook the multiple other sales opportunities the continent holds for combat aircraft manufacturers.
(Read More...)
06/28/2017
Textron is demonstrating a 20mm cannon on its Scorpion twin-jet ahead of the US Air Force’s light attack OA-X experiment later this summer. In May, Textron Aviation confirmed the US Air Force invited its Beechcraft AT-6 turboprop and Scorpion jet to participate in the close air support demonstration this August at Holloman Air Force Base, Nevada. Sierra Nevada and Embraer will also fly the A-29 Super Tucano in the OA-X experiment, which will assess off-the-shelf options to fill a low-end fighter
(Read More...)
06/28/2017
China is sending its only aircraft carrier on a training mission to mark the 20th anniversary of Beijing’s takeover of Hong Kong. The Liaoning, China's sole aircraft carrier, has departed from its homeport of Qingdao for a training deployment that is projected to include a stop in Hong Kong, to observe the 20th anniversary of the handover of the former British territory to Beijing, according to a report from The Diplomat.
(Read More...)
06/28/2017
A lucrative aviation deal between US-India firms to manufacture F-16 fighter jets in the south Asian nation has attracted criticism that old technology is being "dumped." US defense contractor Lockheed Martin has taken further steps to secure a deal which would relocate the manufacture of F-16 fighter jets to India. News of the multi-billion dollar agreement with Indian industry giant Tata Group came as Indian Prime Minister Modi met with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday.
(Read More...)
06/23/2017
Textron is demonstrating a 20mm cannon on its Scorpion twin-jet ahead of the US Air Force’s light attack OA-X experiment later this summer. In May, Textron Aviation confirmed the US Air Force invited its Beechcraft AT-6 turboprop and Scorpion jet to participate in the close air support demonstration this August at Holloman Air Force Base, Nevada. Sierra Nevada and Embraer will also fly the A-29 Super Tucano in the OA-X experiment, which will assess off-the-shelf options to fill a low-end fighter
(Read More...)
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06/23/2017
Commenting on Russia winning the bid to supply its ship-based helicopters to Egypt, Russian military expert Viktor Litovkin said that the supply of the Ka-52Ks is part of Russia's large-scale return to the Egyptian market for military orders.
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06/23/2017
Indian authorities are planning to enhance the capabilities of the country's Air Force's Su-30 fighter jets with new weapons, including advanced missiles able to hit targets at longer range, local media reported Thursday.
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06/22/2017
While the Lockheed Martin F-35B will inevitably be the main attraction of the Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth-class carrier, the service is expecting the rotary fleet to really come into its own through the deployment of the AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin, plus other possible rotorcraft in the future.
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06/22/2017
Lockheed Martin recently tested a prototype from Rockwell Collins that could solve the F-35’s helmet-mounted display “green glow” issue, F-35 programme Jeff Babione told reporters at the Paris air show this week.
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06/22/2017
US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) is mulling a shorter test schedule for its Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion helicopter programme in an effort to save money, Sikorsky’s president said this week.
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06/22/2017
Embraer says flight testing is going well with its KC-390 tactical transport, as it gears up to deliver the first production aircraft to the Brazilian air force in 2018. The first two KC-390s, prototypes 001 and 002, have clocked over 1,000 flight hours, says Paulo Gastão Silva, vice-president of the KC-390 programme.
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06/22/2017
Boeing could put forward its Block 3 F/A-18 Super Hornet for the Finnish air force competition, assuming the recapitalisation lines up with Boeing’s Block 3 production for the US Navy. Earlier this month, the US Navy signed an agreement to upgrade the service’s Super Hornet fleet to the Block 3 configuration. The potential configuration could include conformal fuel tanks, infrared search and track (IRST21), a centreline pod with an infrared telescope, and advanced cockpit, Boeing says.
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06/22/2017
An unusual uptick in activity at North Korea’s underground nuclear testing facilities picked up by US foreign signals intelligence may mean another nuclear test is imminent. According to Jerusalem Online, Washington is growing concerned that the Strategic Rocket Forces of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) will launch yet another test of its nuclear weapons when senior Chinese leaders arrive in Washington for meetings with US leadership on Wednesday.
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06/21/2017
The Eurofighter programme hit a new high at the Paris air show, with the Typhoon having its busiest ever operational year and further sales prospects coming into view. Raffael Klaschka, Eurofighter's head of marketing, announced at the show that Eurofighter operators have exceeded a combined 400,000 flight hours with the multirole aircraft.
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06/21/2017
MiG is pressing ahead with testing of its MiG-35 fighter, and expects the programme to be completed by the end of 2017. "Flight tests are going well, and the Russian government is satisfied with progress," says Anastasia Kravchenko, publications director of RAC MiG.
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06/21/2017
The US Air Force is continuing its investigation into oxygen issues on its F-35As at Luke AFB, Arizona, including examining why the problem appears to be confined to one air base. Luke AFB’s F-35As have been grounded since 9 June, after five pilots experienced “hypoxia-like symptoms” over the previous month.
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06/21/2017
Previous low availability of South African Air Force (SAAF) Saab Gripen C/Ds has been overcome by bringing stored aircraft back into service, says Lt Col Josias Mashaba, commanding officer of the service's 2 Sqn.
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06/21/2017
A Russian Su-27 fighter jet flew within five feet of a US Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft on Monday over the Baltic Sea, according to a US official, an encounter that was assessed to be "unsafe." The Russian plane was armed and flew "erratically," the official added, noting that the maneuvers were deemed unsafe due in part to the proximity of the aircraft.
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06/21/2017
The U.S. military shot down an armed Syrian government–operated drone Tuesday after it was seen “advancing on coalition forces” and displaying “hostile intent,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The drone, downed near a combat outpost in the town of At-Tanf, was the second one shot down by U.S. forces in 12 days; the downing comes as Pentagon officials are working to defuse heightened tensions in southeastern Syria.
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06/20/2017
Lockheed Martin has committed to manufacturing the F-16 in India should it win the air force’s single-engined fighter competition, and has signed a deal with Tata Advanced Systems to carry out this work in-country.
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06/20/2017
A US Navy Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet shot down a Syrian air force Sukhoi Su-22 in an engagement over Syria on 18 June. The US aircraft had been supporting Syrian opposition forces near Ja'Din, south of Tabqah, when the Su-22 released bombs against them.
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06/20/2017
Israeli defence firm Rafael is reaching the end of the development process for its Spice 250 air-to-ground weapons system. The first units will be delivered to customers early next year, says Yuval Miller, general manager of the company's Air & C4ISR Systems division. The weapon carries a warhead in the 250kg (550lb) class and, using winglets, can glide to targets up to 54nm (100km) away from the launch platform.
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06/20/2017
Bell Helicopter will this year deliver its military rotorcraft to international customers for the first time in 20 years, a move the US airframer believes will mark its return to the global stage. "I hate to use the phrase 'we are back', but we are back," says Bell vice-president of military sales Rich Harris.
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06/20/2017
The Wing Loong II is an updated version of the Wing Loong I. According to AVIC, the Wing Loong II has a maximum take-off weight of 4,200kg (9,260lb), nearly four times greater than its predecessor. It also has six hard points, compared with just two for its sibling.
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06/20/2017
Reports that Moscow demanded an additional $7 billion from Deli for the Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) joint project are not true, the head of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) said Monday.
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06/19/2017
Russia on Monday condemned the American military’s downing of a Syrian warplane, suspending the use of a military hotline that Washington and Moscow have used to avoid collisions in Syrian airspace and threatening to target aircraft flown by the United States and its allies over Syria. The moves were the most recent example of an intensifying clash of words and interests between the two powers, which support different sides in the yearslong war in Syria.
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06/19/2017
China has ended production on the J-7, meaning that we have seen the last MiG-21 variant roll the assembly line. Croatia and Romania will dispose of their Fishbeds in the next five years. After a spate of accidents, India is finally retiring its MiG-21s (assuming it can ever actually acquire or produce a replacement). Chinese J-7s have been relegated to local defense and training duties.
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06/19/2017
Russian jet fighters, missiles racing through the sky and great plumes of smoke. Thankfully, this is not the beginning of World War Three but, rather, an aerial tournament, known as Aviadarts. The self-styled 'military Olympics' competition is designed to test flight skills and precision shooting and is being held this year at the Pogonovo range in the Voronezh region, south of Moscow.
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06/19/2017
Italian defence group Leonardo SpA on Sunday unveiled the new fighter attack version of its M-346 advanced trainer, saying many air forces had already expressed interest in the planes, especially in Asia and South America. Leonardo, which presented the new fighter variant at the Paris Air Show, said the M-346 fighter would be equipped with the Grifo multi-mode fire control radar, also built by Leonardo.
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06/19/2017
German Tornado fighter jets will resume their flights over Syria in October after the relocation of the Bundeswehr military detachment from Incirlik base in Turkey to Jordan, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview with German newspaper BILD am SONNTAG.
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06/19/2017
A few days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US, the Indian defense ministry has scrapped a naval multi-role helicopter deal with US firm Sikorsky after failing to reach an agreement on price since 2014.
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06/19/2017
The US-led international anti-terrorist coalition confirmed bringing down the Syrian government forces aircraft earlier, adding that the plane had been bombing US-backed opposition forces' troops. The coalition claims that it prevented the Syrian forces from advancing to the positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) south of Tabqah by shooting down the aircraft.
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06/17/2017
Although its combined defence spending is dwarfed by the USA’s fiscal might, Europe currently has an embarrassment of riches in the fighter sector, with three models toughing it out for export deals.
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06/17/2017
Qatar has signed a deal for 36 Boeing F-15QA fighter aircraft. The deal is reportedly worth $12 billion, according to media reports quoting official Qatari sources. The deal was finalised in Washington DC by Qatari defence minister Khalid Al Attiyah and US defence secretary Jim Mattis.
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06/17/2017
The US Navy and industry will pursue a next-generation on board oxygen generator system (OBOGS) while the service implements fixes to mitigate persistent oxygen and pressurization issues on its Boeing/BAE Systems T-45 trainers and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.
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06/17/2017
The alleged death of Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a Russian Aerospace Forces strike could help facilitate the liberation of its stronghold of Raqqa in northern Syria, a senior Russian senator told Sputnik.
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06/15/2017
US Navy pilots flying T-45 Goshawk trainers and F/A-18E/F Super Hornets continue to struggle with oxygen problems, yet the service has found no root cause to date. The navy grounded its T-45s indefinitely after pilots reported oxygen deprivation. T-45 instructors, but not students, were allowed returned to flying in April but under restrictions.
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06/15/2017
After testing a beach landing capability with a Royal Air Force A400M earlier this month, Airbus Defence & Space says it is on track to qualify a redesigned helicopter refuelling system, roll-out a final solution to a power gearbox problem and resolve a dispute over penalties caused by delivery delays.
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06/15/2017
Israel's air force has temporarily grounded its Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, after a crack was found in one of their tail rotors during a routine check. The decision was made by air force commander Maj Gen Amir Eshel, pending an investigation. The cracked tail rotor has been sent to the service's central maintenance unit to undergo a series of tests.
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06/15/2017
The Department of Defense announced that Raytheon has been awarded a more than $82-million contract to produce AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and supporting equipment. Raytheon has been awarded a more than $82-million contract to produce AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and supporting equipment for the US Navy as well as for Poland, Romania, Belgium and Indonesia, the Department of Defense announced in a press release.
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06/15/2017
According to Russian Defense Ministry, tactical and naval aviation exercises kicked off in the Western Military District. "The joint flight and tactical exercise of the operational-tactical aviation of the Baltic Fleet's Air Force and Air Defense and naval aviation units kicked off in the Western Military District. Pilots of the operational-tactical aviation from [Russia's western] Voronezh Region started practicing joint actions with fighters of the Baltic Sea Fleet's naval aviation over the Ba
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06/14/2017
The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) inked an order for five Mil Mi-171Sh helicopters from Russian Helicopters on Monday, June 12. In a statement released by Bangladesh’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the agreement was signed at the BAF Air Headquarters with the BAF leadership and Russian Embassy officials in attendance. In December, Bangladesh’s Minister of Law Anisul Huq disclosed that several big-ticket acquisitions will be finalized in the fiscal year of 2016-2017.
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06/14/2017
After more than two months, the Navy still has no idea what is causing serious problems with the oxygen systems in its training aircraft and fighters. “We’re not doing well on the diagnosis,” Vice Adm. Paul A. Grosklags, commander of Naval Air Systems, told lawmakers on Tuesday. “To date, we have been unable to find any smoking gun.”
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06/14/2017
About a quarter of the F-35 fighter jets made by Lockheed Martin Corp., or 55 planes, have stopped flying until further notice because of irregularities in pilots’ oxygen supplies, US Air Force spokesman Capt. Mark Graff said Monday.
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06/14/2017
Boeing is eliminating 50 executive positions from its defence, space and security security as part of an effort to limit a layer of bureaucratic management. Boeing executive vice-president Leanne Caret announced the move 13 June but the reorganization will take effect 1 July. Boeing military aircraft and network and space systems will be broken up into four smaller entities reporting directly to Caret.
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06/14/2017
The first F-35 fighter jet assembled in Japan completed its maiden flight, local media reported Tuesday. The aircraft's test flight from an airport in Japan's central Aichi prefecture took about two hours, Japan's NHK broadcaster reported. The Japanese Defense Ministry officials who checked the plane's functions, noted the aircraft's ability to maneuver and said everything was functioning normally, the reports added.
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06/13/2017
Russia will modernize its Su-35S fighter jets with due account for their performance in the ongoing operation in Syria, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said. Aviation expert Viktor Pryadka told Sputnik what remains to be done to make the Su-35S “perfect for export.”
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06/12/2017
The United Arab Emirates has violated a United Nations arms embargo by providing attack helicopters, attack aircraft and armoured vehicles to forces loyal to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, Middle East Eye can reveal.
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06/12/2017
Unspecified American military aircraft struck a terrorist nerve center in Somalia on Sunday, an operation believed to have killed eight al-Qaida loyalists who've staged repeated attacks on U.S. allies in the region.
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06/12/2017
The Indian Air Force will hold limited trials of the American F-16 and Swedish Saab Gripen fighter aircraft for selecting the foreign partner to build 120 combat planes under the Make in India project. The total worth of the deal is estimated to be around $20 billion (Rs 1.3 lakh crore).
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06/10/2017
The first export variant of China's new FTC-2000 pilot trainer/fighter aircraft has rolled off an assembly line and will be shipped to Sudan after testing. The FTC-2000 Shanying was developed by the Guizhou Aviation Industry Corporation under the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China. It is the main advanced trainer used by the PLA Air Force and the PLA Navy.
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06/10/2017
After five oxygen deprivation incidents, the US Air Force has temporarily canceled Lockheed Martin F-35A flying operations at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. Since 2 May, five F-35A pilots at Luke have reported “hypoxia-like symptoms,” said the USAF on 9 June.
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06/10/2017
The Portuguese government has started formal negotiations with Embraer to buy five KC-390 twinjet tanker-transports with an option for a sixth aircraft. The talks are expected to last for the next three months, defining the detailed configuration for the Portuguese air force, delivery dates and payment schedules. Also included in the negotiations is a full flight simulator, spares and other support services.
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06/10/2017
A week before the Paris air show, the head of Airbus Defence & Space's military aircraft division has called on France to participate in the development of a new airborne weapon system proposed by Germany and Spain to succeed the Eurofighter Typhoon.
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06/10/2017
Today's air show in Helsinki will become one of the most exciting and ambitious events of Finland's centenary, as fighter jets will fly over the Finnish capital. However, the air show will also serve as a demonstration, as the Finnish air force is currently in the process of choosing a new fighter jet.
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06/09/2017
The incidents are part of a steady escalation of the U.S. military’s role in Syria — one that runs the risk of putting American forces on a collision course with Iran, a close Syrian ally. The Pentagon is not sure Iranian military piloted the aircraft. “It was clearly meant as an attack,” U.S. Army Col. Ryan Dillon, the Baghdad-based spokesman for the campaign against Islamic State, told reporters at the Pentagon via teleconference. “We do not see it as a warning shot.”
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06/09/2017
The US Air Force expects Boeing to deliver the first of its KC-46A tankers in the "late spring" of 2018, several months after a previously planned date during September 2017. Following an annual KC-46A schedule risk assessment earlier this week, the USAF determined that slower-than-expected progress in the flight test programme and Boeing’s ability to achieve US Federal Aviation Administration certifications would delay the first delivery by several months.
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06/09/2017
BAE Systems has performed the first flight of its Advanced Hawk trainer, testing a series of enhancements which could equip new-build examples or be added as upgrades to in-service aircraft. The debut was performed from the company's Warton, Lancashire site on 7 June.
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06/09/2017
A Shaanxi Y-8 transport aircraft operated by the Myanmar air force has crashed, with around 100 persons likely to have perished. Media reports indicate that about 120 were aboard when the four-engined aircraft crashed in the Andaman Sea about 70km off the coast. The aircraft had departed Myeik at 13:06 local time, and lost contact about half an hour later.
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06/09/2017
The German Defense Ministry plans to move its 260 military personnel, Tornado jet fighters and a flying tank from the Incirlik airbase in Turkey to the Al Arzak airbase in Jordan. The current deployment of a German military contingent at the Konya air force base in Turkey will not be affected by the planned pullout from Incirlik though.
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06/09/2017
A new report from the Pentagon suggests China’s ongoing military expansion into friendly nations may reach Pakistan. The report also notes that instead of acquiring new land for man-made islands in the South China Sea, Beijing is opting to build up reefs with military facilities and extend existing runways.
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06/06/2017
The U.S. military's Central Command says it has "no plans to change our posture in Qatar" amid a Gulf diplomatic crisis. Maj. Adrian J.T. Rankine-Galloway told The Associated Press in a statement Monday that U.S. military aircraft continue to fly missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria despite the rift. "We encourage all our partners in the region to reduce tensions and work towards common solutions that enable regional security," the major said.
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06/06/2017
Lockheed Martin’s overseas production facility has dropped the curtain on its first $100-million F-35A Joint Strike Fighter. The fifth-generation fighter jet was displayed on Monday in Toyoyama, Japan, a city about 6,483 miles from the US F-35 manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries plant assembled the aircraft, according to Jiji Press.
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06/06/2017
Three members of the Gulf Cooperation Council - Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates – have severed diplomatic relations with Doha in response to allegations revelations Qatar finances terrorist groups. Egypt, the Maldives and Yemen have followed suit. However, a regional expert has told Sputnik the move is be a smokescreen.
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06/06/2017
Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Holding Company will produce two modifications of the T-50 (PAK FA) fifth-generation fighter aircraft in 2017, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said.
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06/05/2017
The U.S. Air Force is slated to get a more than 150 percent boost of $600 million in the Pentagon's proposed 2018 budget for operations in Europe, the sharpest increase among the services as the military seeks to intensify efforts aimed at countering Russia.
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06/05/2017
Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies,. has announced the successful completion of performance testing of its Fuel Burn Reduction Demonstrator Engine, which could ultimately improve the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) F-35.
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06/05/2017
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to buy only brand-new military equipment to fight terrorism, rather than accepting second-hand weapons from the United States.
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06/04/2017
Russia is resuming the production of the famous Tu-160 strategic bomber in a modernized version - the Tu-160M2, with the first engines and other structural elements already being built, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during a teleconference in Moscow.
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06/04/2017
Russia’s Defense Ministry will get 14 Ka-52 Alligator combat helicopters by the end of this year. The choppers have been tested during the operation in Syria. Russia’s Defense Ministry will get 14 Ka-52 Alligator combat helicopters by the end of this year, with a total of 50 choppers entering service by 2020, the deputy defense minister said Saturday.
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06/03/2017
Ask Garry Venman and he’ll tell you that it’s an exciting time to be an air combat training provider. Venman, who is the executive vice-president of business development and government relations at Discovery Air Defence (DA Defence), spoke to Skies during the 2017 CANSEC tradeshow in Ottawa, hosted by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI).
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06/03/2017
The Navy has asked lawmakers for additional aircraft, warfighting capability improvements and facilities upgrades if more money were to become available to the service, with the release of its Fiscal Year 2018 Unfunded Priorities List.
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06/03/2017
The US Air Force’s unfunded priorities list includes $1.7 billion for 14 additional Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft, as well as additional funds for increased Boeing KC-46 tanker procurement.
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06/03/2017
Pratt & Whitney has verified that an unfunded upgrade for the 40,000lb-thrust-class F135 engine could increase the thrust of the Lockheed Martin F-35 by 6-10% and reduce fuel consumption by 5-6%, the company announces on 31 May.
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06/03/2017
The 2017 iteration of the NATO Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) will include a US E-3 Sentry aircraft, better known as the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), which has not participated in the exercise in 20 years, the Air Force said in a press release.
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05/31/2017
German chancellor Angela Merkel has reaffirmed her position as the unlikely superhero of Europe’s liberal elites. Twelve years in power and facing a difficult election in September, she struck out at the least popular man in Europe: Donald Trump.
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05/31/2017
An Antonov An-26 aircraft has crash landed during a flight training mission, Russia’s Defense Ministry has confirmed. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, “the aircraft failed to maintain the parameters of descent during the final approach and went below the glide path.”
“Six crew were on board the plane, which caught fire after the crash landing. One serviceman died and five crew members were evacuated to the hospital by rescue helicopter.”
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05/31/2017
A source with knowledge of the acquisition says the aircraft will be equipped with the Swedish firm's Erieye radar system, which can track both air and surface targets. On 15 May, Saab released a statement that it had signed a contract with an undisclosed customer in the airborne early warning & control segment valued at SEK1.35 billion ($155 million). It said that deliveries would run from 2017 to 2020, with the order to be booked within the next six months.
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05/31/2017
Commander of Russian Military Transport Aviation, Lt. Gen. Vladimir Benediktov, said that it plans to receive three bland new Il-76MD-90A military transport aircraft in 2017.
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05/31/2017
Deputy Defense Minister said that Russian military is expecting to complete the final tests and commission the advanced Su-35S fighter jet by the end of 2017.
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05/30/2017
Aircraft-launched laser weapons from fighter jets could eventually be engineered for a wide range of potential uses, including air-to-air combat, close air support, counter-UAS(drone), counter-boat, ground attack and even missile defense, officials said. Low cost is another key advantage of laser weapons, as they can prevent the need for high-cost missiles in many combat scenarios.
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05/30/2017
The NATO fighter aircraft supporting BAP (Baltic Air Policing) mission in the Baltic States conducted six alert scrambles to identify and escort Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea in one week. The Ministry of National Defence Republic of Lithuania has just released some interesting data about the activities conducted by the NATO fighter aircraft deployed to the Baltic States in support of NATO BAP mission.
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05/30/2017
On Monday, the second week of Europe’s largest air force exercise this year takes off from the airports in Bodø (Norway), Luleå (Sweden) and Rovaniemi (Finland). More than 100 aircraft from 12 nations continue with training sorties in the skies over northern Scandinavia.
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05/30/2017
China's Defense Ministry on Sunday denied intercepting a US Navy surveillance aircraft, saying its fighter jets were verifying the US aircraft and that the operation was lawful, professional and safe. Two Chinese J-10 fighter jets tried to intercept a US Navy surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea on Thursday, US officials said.
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05/30/2017
It’s starting to get crowded about the South China Sea, and US surveillance planes in the area could result in a civilian air tragedy, a security expert warns. After Chinese fighters intercepted a US plane earlier this week, fears are growing that military aircraft in the area could jeopardize the safety of civil air traffic.
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05/28/2017
President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would add funding to buy up to 74 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets through 2022, or 60 more than planned in previous budget forecasts.
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05/28/2017
The US Navy is taking one of the final steps before sending out a request for proposals for its unmanned carrier-based tanker programme, with the release of a notice informing the industry that the competition for the MQ-25 development contract will be limited to four companies.
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05/28/2017
Elta Systems will develop an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for South Korea's KF-X fighter, under a contract signed with the state-run Agency for Defense Development.
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05/28/2017
The second prototype of the Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) Light Utility Heicopter (LUH) has conducted its first flight. The aircraft, LUH PT2, made its maiden sortie on 22 May, eight months after first prototype, PT1, flew in September 2017, says HAL.
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05/26/2017
The Air Force expects to operationalize the F-35’s latest “3F” software iteration by October or September of this year, a development which will integrate additional technology and equip the stealth aircraft with a wider range of weapons such as the Small Diameter Bomb and AIM-9X, service leaders said.
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05/26/2017
Boeing has become the second competitor to file a protest against the US Air Force’s acquisition strategy for the Compass Call recapitalisation programme, alleging L-3 Communications’ lead on the cross-deck effort will hand the award to Gulfstream’s G550.
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05/26/2017
Sikorsky hopes it can secure at least 200 export orders for its CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter, with Germany and Israel its clearest near-term prospects. Both nations are seeking to replace elderly fleets of legacy CH-53s delivered in the 1970s and late 1960s, respectively.
Frank Crisafulli, sales director international, heavy-lift helicopters at Sikorsky, describes Germany as the "closest opportunity, provided it stays on schedule".
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05/26/2017
The Pentagon has tasked US aerospace giant Boeing with the Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornets with Infrared Search and Track System to give pilots ability to view multiple targets at higher resolutions and longer ranges compared to radars.
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05/26/2017
Pictures on Chinese social media of battleship parts have led to frenzied discussion as to whether China’s Type 002 aircraft carrier is underway ahead of schedule, but analysts say the engineering chops for the ship simply aren’t there yet.
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05/25/2017
The release of president Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2018 budget, which continues millions of dollars in funding for ongoing upgrades to the Boeing F-15C – as well as a new service life-extension programme (SLEP) for the aircraft’s longerons – has allowed the US Air Force to officially quash rumours of a near-term retirement for the fighter.
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05/25/2017
The US Air Force has no near-term plans to retire two of its most iconic aircraft: the Fairchild Republic A-10 and Lockheed Martin U-2. President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2018 budget request ensures that both the close-air support specialist and high-flying surveillance aircraft will remain in the USAF’s inventory – although it is unclear for how long, given the Department of Defense’s shaky overview of its future years' programme budget.
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05/25/2017
Israel's air force will take delivery of an additional Lockheed Martin F-35 in 2020 with a special suite of test instrumentation. "This unique aircraft, which was not part of any other F-35 contract, will enable us to begin the work of upgrading the capabilities of this aircraft so that it answers our special operational requirements," says the commander of the air force's test centre, identified only as Lt Col Shlomy.
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05/25/2017
The Israeli air force is upgrading the capabilities of its Leonardo M-346 advanced jet trainers, to equip the "Lavi" with inert training bombs and external fuel tanks. "We work closely with the manufacturer, and this may lead to offering the same upgrades to other customers," says the commander of the air force's flight test centre, identified only as Lt Col Shlomy. The unit is tasked with overseeing the modifications, as well as opening the trainer's full flight envelope.
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05/25/2017
Sweden is changing. After a lengthy period of shrinking investment in its armed forces and a tactical shift from national defence to developing expeditionary capabilities, Stockholm's focus has reverted to protecting its population against invasion.
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05/25/2017
The Pentagon announced Wednesday it had awarded $76 million worth of foreign military sales contract for logistics support of the Afghanistan Air Force's helicopters. US contractor MD Helicopters won more than $76 million to provide logistics support for the Afghan Air Force’s chopper fleet, the Department of Defense said in a press release.
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05/25/2017
As threats of military conflict continue unabated from its northern neighbor, South Korea’s military officials have signaled the need to upgrade their nation’s ability to quickly determine whether incoming aircraft are friend or foe.
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05/24/2017
The Air Force wants to add 4,000 airmen, buy 46 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and keep bonuses relatively unchanged despite a pilot shortage, according to its fiscal 2018 budget request.
The service is requesting to boost end-strength by slightly more than 1 percent from 321,000 active-duty airmen in the current fiscal year to 325,000 airmen in the next -- part of a modest increase since reaching a low in 2015, according to budget documents released Tuesday.
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05/24/2017
China is determined to close that gap, but it has not yet succeeded in doing so. Last year, Beijing setup the Aero Engine Corp. of China (AECC) as part of its efforts to solve the problem. The firm has $7.5 billion in capital and 96,000 employees. According to a CNN report, Beijing's most recent five-year development plan states that developing and producing indigenous engines is one of China’s most important goals.
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05/24/2017
With a Defense Department review of Lockheed Martin F-35 and Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet still ongoing, procurement for the Joint Strike Fighter remained steady in the president’s fiscal year 2018 budget request.
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05/24/2017
In his first international trip as US president, Donald Trump arrived in Riyadh bearing a record-setting arms deal for Saudi Arabia that features integrated air defense systems, Black Hawk helicopters - including local assembly - and precision-guided munitions, in a multi-billion contract bonanza for Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
(Read More...)
05/24/2017
As a decision on acquiring new tankers for the Israeli air force becomes time-critical, two options are the subject of a heated debate within the nation's defence ministry.
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05/24/2017
Israel's air force has formally split its "Knights of the Yellow Bird" squadron into two separate units: one operating upgraded Lockheed Martin C-130Hs; and the other equipped with the new-generation J-model Hercules.
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05/24/2017
US Navy has awarded a $7.5 million contract to test and integrate new technology into a carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning aircraft that is designed to provide real-time tactical intelligence in maritime combat zones.
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05/24/2017
South Korean experts managed to establish the type of missile that the DPRK military launched on May 21. According to sources in the Defense Ministry of the Republic of Korea, it was a Pukykson-2 type missile. In the West, it is known as KN-15.
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05/24/2017
A Sukhoi-30MKI jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has gone missing on Tuesday morning near the Tezpur IAF base in the north-eastern state of Assam while on a routine sortie near the China border.
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05/22/2017
An Israeli-American aerial coalition squared off against enemy forces in southern Israel, sustaining heavy (mock) losses, but learning invaluable lessons along the way, an IDF official said Sunday, speaking to reporters at the end of a two-week exercise.
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05/22/2017
The Trump administration sees no good military options in North Korea. The rogue regime’s missile tests are growing more frequent, and Kim Jong-Un is closer than ever to being able to deliver a nuclear-tipped missile to the United States’ West Coast. Yet given Seoul’s proximity to the border, military leaders fear that any preemptive strike would almost certainly set in motion a cataclysmic chain of events resulting in profound loss of life.
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05/22/2017
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered on Monday to deploy Pukguksong-2 ballistic missile for combat use. Earlier on Monday media reported, that Pyongyang announced the successful launch of the intermediate-range ballistic missile. "This type of missile should be rapidly mass-produced in a serial way," Kim said as quoted by Yonhap news agency.
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05/21/2017
An ambitious Indo-Russian project to co-develop fifth generation fighter planes has hit major roadblocks over the issues of price and technology even as New Delhi has scrapped a programme to jointly produce multirole transport aircraft with Moscow over similar issues.
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05/21/2017
Saab is counting down to performing the first flight of its Gripen E combat aircraft before the end of June, as it also strives to finalise a slew of potential new sales of the earlier C/D version in Europe and Africa.
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05/21/2017
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi in a Saturday phone call affirmed that the two countries must work more closely to use diplomatic dialogue to counter the threat posed by Pyongyang's unbridled ballistic missile and nuclear weapon testing, as well as on other international issues.
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05/21/2017
Russia's latest achievements in the construction of state-of-the art helicopters will be presented at the 10th HeliRussia exhibition, which is due to kick off in Moscow on May 25, according to the news network Zvezda.
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05/21/2017
Ottawa is dispatching its CF-18 combat aircraft to Iceland as part of Operation Reassurance to contribute to NATO deterrence efforts, the Canadian Armed Forces announced in a statement on Friday.
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05/19/2017
As India struggles to beef up its fighter aircraft fleet due to slow induction of new jets, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is narrowing the gap with the Indian Air Force. The IAF has 33 fighter squadrons compared with almost 25 units, including those for training, of the neighbouring country, translating into a combat ratio of 1.3 to 1, defence experts say. A squadron usually has 16 to 18 fighters.
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05/19/2017
On May 17, two Russian Su-24M Fencer attack jets flew quite close to the Royal Netherlands Navy Frigate HNLMS Evertsen, operating in the Baltic Sea. The two unarmed aircraft, escorted by Swedish JAS-39 Gripen jets in QRA (Quick Reaction Alert), come within 200 meters of the ship.
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05/19/2017
The 2026 delivery date is dependent upon Boeing achieving full-rate production approval from the US Army in 2023 and its first full-rate production delivery in 2025, Randy Rotte says this week. The upgrade is also only available to countries with CH-47Fs in their inventory, such as Australia, since Boeing does not currently have the ability to transition a CH-47D to the CH-47F Block II configuration.
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05/19/2017
Finland is continuing to analyse responses to a request for information it issued last year as part of the HX programme to replace its air force’s fleet of Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornets. It anticipates beginning the formal selection process in early 2018, when it will send a request for quotation (RFQ) to five manufacturers. These are Boeing, BAE Systems (representing Eurofighter), Dassault, Lockheed Martin and Saab, for their respective F/A-18E/F, Typhoon, Rafale, F-35 and Gripen E.
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05/19/2017
General Atomics will manufacture and install the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) for the third next-generation Ford-class aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN 80) under a $195 million contract, the US Department of Defense said in a press release.
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05/19/2017
China’s latest domestically produced military vehicle has made its first flight. The Z-19 helicopter conducted its maiden flight Thursday morning over the city of Harbin in northeastern China. State-owned AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry developed the Z-19E attack chopper with the intention of selling it to foreign clients. The Z-19E is “the first export-oriented helicopter made especially for attack purposes,” Chinese media reported.
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05/18/2017
The US Department of Defense announced that BP has received a nearly quarter billion dollar contract from the US Defense Logistics Agency to supply jet fuel to air bases in Turkey and possibly along the Central European pipeline system.
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05/18/2017
Following the deployment of the cutting-edge US-built THAAD missile system in South Korea and Sunday’s successful launch of Pyongyang’s most powerful ballistic missile to date, newly elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in has declared that war with the North is a "high possibility."
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05/18/2017
A British RAF drone strike has managed to stop a public execution by Daesh in eastern Syria. The drone which is known as a General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, spotted the group of jihadists mustering a large crowd in the town of Abu Kamal in eastern Syria.
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05/17/2017
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratories and Lockheed Martin have demonstrated a mixed formation of manned and unmanned F-16s in a simulated combat environment. The Have Raider demonstration at Edwards Air Force Base in California included two phases, Lockheed announced on April 10, 2017. The first phase, Have Raider I, focused on formation-flying. Have Raider II sent the pilotless F-16 on a mock bombing run through “dynamic” enemy defenses.
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05/17/2017
French plane-maker Dassault Aviation SA sees a new sale contract for its Rafale fighter jet in 2018, Chief Executive Eric Trappier said in an interview with French regional newspaper Sud-Ouest on Sunday. "After a contract signed in India, regarding the delivery of 36 Rafale jets, and the order of 24 of these aircraft by Egypt and 24 other by Qatar, we should soon conclude a fourth contract abroad, but it will rather be in 2018," Trappier said in the interview.
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05/17/2017
Faced with a two-front war scenario against Pakistan and China, the Indian Air Force is set to deploy its latest Rafale combat aircraft at Ambala in Haryana and Hasimara in West Bengal. In September 2016, India signed a deal with French Dassault Aviation to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets for close to Rs 60,000 crore to meet the urgent requirements on the eastern and western fronts.
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05/17/2017
The US Air Force has removed a nearly two-year-old restriction in the Lockheed Martin F-35A cockpit that banned pilots lighter than 61.9kg (136lb) over concerns that an ejection could cause a severe neck injury.
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05/17/2017
Textron Aviation has confirmed the US Air Force will invite the AT-6 turboprop and Scorpion twin-jet to face off against the Sierra Nevada/Embraer A-29 Super Tucano in a demonstration of close air support capabililty in August called the Light Attack Experiment.
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05/16/2017
The Hindustan Aernautics (HAL) Tejas light combat aircraft has successfully fired the Rafael Derby beyond-visual-range (BVR) missile. The aircraft released the weapon in "lock-on after launch" mode, and successfully destroyed an aerial target, says India's defence ministry in a statement.
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05/16/2017
Oman will take delivery of its first Eurofighter Typhoon later this year, with BAE Systems having rolled out a lead example for the customer at its Warton final assembly site in Lancashire, the UK.
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05/16/2017
Sweden is to further extend the operational use of its Saab 105 (SK60) jet trainers until the middle of the next decade, to enable it to consider the Boeing/Saab T-X platform as a potential replacement.
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05/16/2017
The UK's project to field Boeing AH-64E attack helicopters has been advanced, under a contract modification detailed by the US Department of Defense on 11 May. At the Farnborough air show last July, the UK Ministry of Defence announced that 50 new-build examples of the Apache would be acquired under a foreign military sales deal agreed with Washington. These would replace an in-service inventory of Boeing/AgustaWestland-built Apache AH1s flown by the British Army.
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05/16/2017
In what could be a turning point in China’s foreign policy toward North Korea, Beijing may be ready to support an increase in economic pressure against the isolated state to end ballistic missile and nuclear bomb testing.
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05/16/2017
In an interview with Sputnik, expert on combat aviation Makar Aksenenko said that Vietnam may be considering bringing back the “Vietnamese Tigers” or the F-5E/F Tiger II fighter jets. What could be the possible reasons behind this decision and how might these jets come in handy?
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05/15/2017
The Tejas Mk 1 had delivered an agile performance at Aero India 2017 last February. The smallest combat aircraft in its class, it keeps costs down and its small size contributes to its agility — a vital capability for an interceptor. It can turn circles around other larger and less agile aircraft.
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05/14/2017
The RAF is positioning itself for a triple transition. The first transition is from the Tornado to Typhoon. The second is the transition is to a fifth generation enabled air combat force. The third transition is the deployment of F-35s aboard the new Queen Elizabeth class carriers and shaping their operational integration with land based Typhoons into an air-sea-land combat package.
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05/14/2017
The US Air Force has invited Sierra Nevada Corp (SNC) and its Brazilian partner, Embraer Defense and Security, to participate in the OA-X light attack experiment, SNC announced 12 May.
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05/14/2017
Canadian politicians have recommended that the country cancel its proposed acquisition of 18 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, describing the plan as a "political decision" that fails to serve either the air force or taxpayers.
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05/14/2017
North Korea has fired what appears to be a ballistic missile from its west coast, the South Korean military reported early Sunday. According to a South Korean military official, the type of projectile is not yet known, but South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported early on that it appears to be a ballistic missile. US Pacific Command has also announced that it tracked the missile and that its flight did not appear consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile.
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05/14/2017
China has extended its surveillance and monitoring operations to include the deployment of a new early warning system- and radar-equipped aircraft. The KJ-500 recently took off joined older patrol aircraft at the Jialaishi Air Base on Hainan Island, the southernmost province of China that sits prominently in the disputed South China Sea, according to satellite image from DigitalGlobe.
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05/12/2017
The construction of aircraft carriers will not stop after the commissioning of China's recently-launched second carrier, experts say, assuming that the third carrier will likely still be conventionally powered but will use steam launch catapults, whereas the fourth carrier could be nuclear powered and use advanced launch and lacing systems.
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05/12/2017
The Turkish Undersecretary for Defense Industries (SSM) has awarded Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) a contract for the sale of 52 MFI-395 Super Mushshak military training aircraft. According to media reports, the deal was concluded on May 10 at the sidelines of this year’s International Defense Industry Fair, which is taking place in Istanbul.
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05/12/2017
Saab has dramatically enhanced its Swordfish maritime patrol aircraft, adding increased capability for the anti-submarine warfare and maritime-strike roles. Revealing the company's updated Swordfish design on 10 May, head of marketing and sales for airborne ISR Emilien Saindon said the heavily adapted business jet – using Bombardier's Global 6000 airframe – would have greater weapons carrying ability than the design announced in February 2016.
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05/11/2017
Airbus’ A310 MRTT company development aircraft performed six automatic contacts with an F-16 of the Portuguese Air Force in a demonstration of a technique which the company believes holds great promise for enhancing in-service AAR operations.
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05/11/2017
US manufactured combat aircraft are being used in Libya in violation of a UN arms embargo on the war-torn country, an American magazine has revealed. The supply of at least six American-made turboprop planes to an eastern authority - the chief rival to the UN-backed government in Tripoli - could thwart US interests in Libya, according to a report published in TIME magazine.
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05/11/2017
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems will deliver the extended range MQ-1C Gray Eagle to the US Army by 2018, the army’s medium altitude and endurance office product manager says this week.
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05/11/2017
Talks with Russia on deliveries of S-400 air defense systems to Turkey are at final stages, but Ankara still aims to manufacture its own components for such systems, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said Wednesday.
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05/11/2017
NATO has received a request from its military authorities to increase its military presence in Afghanistan with a few thousand troops, and is assessing it, a decision is expected in coming weeks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday.
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05/10/2017
Turkish Aerospace Industries plans to soon begin the TF-X combat aircraft alongside British counterparts, with the goal of developing its own “5th generation” fighter which will replace the currently-used Lockheed Martin F-16. “The building of the TF-X fighter jet will be the most important technology project developed in Turkey within the last 30-40 years,” Temel Kotil, general director of Turkish Aerospace Industries told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.
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05/10/2017
The Navy has been training with and testing high-tech adjustments to the stealthy carrier-launched F-35C’s Helmet Mounted Display to better enable targeting, sensor data viewing and pilot awareness of flight information such as airspeed, heading and altitude, service and industry developers explained. Development and operational pilot training of the aircraft is underway after four F-35C Lightning II aircraft arrived several months ago at Naval Air Station Lemoore in Southern Calif.
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05/10/2017
Airbus has demonstrated the ability to perform an automated air-to-air refueling of a combat aircraft by an airborne tanker with a refueling boom, the company announces on 9 May. With the refueling boom set on automatic mode, an Airbus Defence and Space A310 flying testbed made six contacts with a Portuguese Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16 flying at 270kt and 25,000ft over the Atlantic Ocean on 21 March during a 1h15min test period.
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05/10/2017
The Pentagon has awarded a contract to provide original equipment manufacturer engineering and logistics support for the KC-130J aircraft engines for the Marine Corps and Kuwait's military. The Rolls-Royce Corporation has received a close to $80 million US Navy contract to provide engineering support for KC-130J Hercules military air transport aircraft engines supplied to Kuwait, the Department of Defense announced.
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05/10/2017
Satellite images captured on Monday show Chinese military installments being placed on a crucial islet in the contested waterway. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has previously called China’s island building in the South China Sea “illegal.”
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05/09/2017
In a rapid reversal, the US Air Force plans to take the stealthy Lockheed Martin F-35 to the Paris Air Show after all. Only two weeks after the Joint Programme Office declared the F-35 would not make a debut appearance at the international marketing event, the air force announced on 6 May that the stealthy strike fighter will participate in the Paris air show next month.
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05/09/2017
The US Army has confirmed that Israeli and US pilots will be engaging joint drills this week at Uvda Air Force Base near the Israeli city of Eliat. Aircrews will be trained in a number of exercises at the base’s advance facilities while other squadrons train in the Negev Desert.
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05/09/2017
A total of 72 military helicopters and planes will fly over the Red Square and Kremlin in Moscow on May 9 as part of the WWII Victory Day Parade. The country’s famous aerobatic team the Russian Knights scheduled to demonstrate their aerobatic skills flying the brand-new Su-30SM jets, Russian Aerospace Forces Commander Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Monday.
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05/08/2017
The US military’s experimental X-37B space plane landed on Sunday at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, completing a classified mission that lasted nearly two years, the US air force said. The unmanned X-37B, which resembles a miniature space shuttle, touched down at 7.47am ET on a runway formerly used for landings of the now-mothballed space shuttles, the air force said in an email.
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05/08/2017
Military analysts are raising questions about the potential strategic impact of two weapons systems Kenya has been cleared to purchase in the US for use against Al-Shabaab in Somalia.
The Kenyan government could spend up to $671 million (Sh67.1 billion) in a pair of pending deals involving a dozen attack helicopters and the same number of weaponised agricultural aircraft.
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05/08/2017
The U.S. Navy has not yet selected the design of its new carrier based UAV (the MQ-25A) but it is already testing new software developed so carrier capable UAVs can be communicated with using the same software used for manned carrier aircraft. Called UMCS (Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System) this uses existing software modified to communicate with UAVs on the carrier deck as well as the air.
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05/08/2017
Many believe that Russia’s veteran Tu-95 strategic bomber is hopelessly passé, but more than sixty years after it hit the skies in 1952, Tupolev’s legendary “Bear” still remains a formidable weapon to be reckoned with.
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05/06/2017
Russia’s fifth-generation T-50 (PAK FA) multi-role fighter jet will be armed with an extended range Kh-35UE tactical cruise missile, according to Russian media reports citing the missile’s developer, Russian defense contractor Tactical Missile’s Corporation JSC. Russian defense experts speaking to Izvestia newspaper claim that the potential new armament will turn the new fighter jet into a “multi-functional fighting machine.”
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05/06/2017
Russia has made a lot of noise about the modern weapons it has used during combat in Syria and how effective these new weapons are. Fresh Su-34 attack jets scream through the skies, while the latest in small arms test their mettle. But the reality is most of what Russia has used is not as shiny and advanced as Moscow would like you to believe. The vast majority of aircraft carrying out airstrikes are among the oldest in the Russian military, and it only gets worse from there.
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05/06/2017
Atlantic Trident 17 brought together the United States Air Force, British Royal Air Force and French Armée de l'Air best fighter aircraft to train together. The idea was to integrate fifth-generation stealth fighters like the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter with fourth-generation fighters like the British Eurofighter Typhoon and the French Dassault Rafale.
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05/06/2017
The first short take-off vertical landing Lockheed Martin F-35B assembled outside Fort Worth, Texas, rolled off the final assembly and check out (FACO) facility 5 May in Cameri, Italy. Lockheed and Leonardo operate the Cameri FACO, owned by the Italian Ministry of Defense, which will complete full assembly of both the conventional take-off landing F-35A variant and F-35B. Leonardo also assembles wings for the F-35A at the Cameri site, as a second-source supplier to Lockheed.
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05/06/2017
Safe zones across Syria have officially gone into effect as of midnight tonight in the country.
Diplomatic efforts in Astana, Kazakhstan, between Russian, Turkish and Iranian delegations have resulted in an agreement to enact safe zones in Syria in what observers hope will be a big step toward peace in the war-torn country. Moscow, Ankara and Tehran emerged as the guarantors of the strategy and authorized the memo creating the safe zones.
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05/05/2017
The US Army is upgrading a fleet of Sikorsky UH-60Ls with a glass cockpit layout similar to the UH-60M, but the newly-minted UH-60V fleet's mission computers are still restricted to a single-core processor.
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05/05/2017
Boeing will deliver two more CH-47F Chinooks to the Netherlands under an ongoing $541 million contract with the US Army. Under the current multi-year buy, the US Army ordered 12 CH-47Fs last year as part of an effort to replace the Dutch CH-47Ds. The recent contract award adds two more Chinooks for the Dutch, raising the total new aircraft purchased to 14, a Boeing spokesman says in an email to FlightGlobal.
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05/05/2017
MD Helicopters could supply Kenya with 12 armed MD530 rotorcraft, under a Foreign Military Sales deal worth $253 million. Outlined by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 2 May, the potential deal would also cover the provision of armaments including pod-housed cannons, unguided rockets and .50cal machine guns.
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05/05/2017
Boeing has bolstered its flight-test fleet for the KC-46A programme to six aircraft, as the company strives to complete a development campaign with the 767-based tanker. The latest addition – Boeing's second low-rate initial production example – made its debut flight from the company's Everett site in Washington on 29 April. The new asset will be dedicated to tasks including electromagnetic testing, the company says.
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05/05/2017
Two US F-22 fighter jets intercepted and visually identified two Russian Tu-95 bombers as well as two Su-35 fighter jets that entered Alaska’s Air Defense identification zone. The flight of Russian bombers and fighter jets off the west coast off Alaska on Wednesday was conducted in a safe and professional manner, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) spokesperson Capt. Ashleigh Peck told Sputnik.
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05/03/2017
As the United States Air Force continues its struggle with fielding enough aggressor aircraft for its combat aircraft crews to train against, contractors are stepping up to the plate. In some cases, contractors are able to field remarkable aircraft that provide an exceptionally authentic replication of enemy aircraft. Such is case of Air USA—the company has managed to acquire three two-seat trainer versions of the Mikoyan MiG-29UB Fulcrum.
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05/03/2017
The U.S. Air Force’s Atlantic Trident 17 exercise brought together some of the NATO alliance’s most capable combat aircraft including the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter as well as the British Eurofighter Typhoon and the French Dassault Rafale at Joint Base Langley Eustis in Virginia.
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05/03/2017
Boeing and Leonardo Helicopters, along with their rotorcraft competitors, are baffled by the US Air Force’s requirements for the UH-1N Huey replacement programme but are pressing ahead with a bid based on the MH-139, a militarised version of the commercial AW139 medium-twin.
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05/03/2017
NATO staged the two-day "Ramstein Alloy 4" exercise in late April over Lithuania, giving locally deployed air forces the opportunity to practise quick reaction alert procedures and boost interoperability.
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05/03/2017
The US State Department has approved the possible sale of four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to New Zealand. The deal is estimated at $1.46 billion, says the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) in a statement. It follows a request from New Zealand about the Poseidon.
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05/03/2017
The two-seat variant of the Chengdu/Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17 Thunder fighter has conducted its first flight. Reports and images on Chinese defence sites indicate that the jet conducted its maiden sortie on 27 April at 11:04 a.m. from Chengdu.
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05/03/2017
The scheduled delivery of 179 next generation aerial tankers is critical for the air campaign in the Middle East and Afghanistan, as well as other theaters, the Commander of US Transportation Command Gen. Darren McDew told Congress on Tuesday.
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05/03/2017
Amid heightened tension at its western border, the Indian Army has successfully test-fired an extended-range version of the BRAHMOS land-attack cruise missile in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
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05/02/2017
North Korea is surging to the brink. Advancements in their missile technology and nuclear weapons program will soon put the United States in the crosshairs. As Senator John McCain recently remarked: “A North Korean missile tipped with a nuclear warhead, capable of reaching our homeland is no longer a distant hypothetical, but an imminent danger.”
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05/02/2017
The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) is marketed its growing portfolio of combat aircraft in Latin American by attending Feria Aeroespacial Mexico (FAMEX), which concluded on April 29. The newly revealed Wing Loong II was also in attendance at FAMEX. The Wing Loong II is an update to the Chengdu Wing Loong, also known as the Pterodactyl-I. The Wing Loong II was revealed in November at Air Show China 2016 and had its first flight in February 2017.
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05/02/2017
US Forces Korea spokesman Col. Rob Manning said that the THAAD missile defense system is currently operational and ready to defend South Korea if Pyongyang launches an attack.
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05/02/2017
A keel-laying ceremony for the 14,500-ton amphibious landing ship was held in Busan Friday at the Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. shipyard. The vessel is set to be launched in April 2018.
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05/02/2017
Head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov said that the joint mission of Canada, the United Kingdom and Ukraine will carry out an observation flight over Russia and Belarus on May 2 – 6 under the Open Skies Treaty.
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04/30/2017
In keeping with changing military needs, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been asked by its chief to maintain a state of combat readiness for a possible 10-day war with Pakistan. The force has also been told to be ready for a possible 15-day conflict with China.
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04/30/2017
Sweden's offer to supply Gripen combat aircraft to Bulgaria's Air Force has been ranked first, public radio broadcaster BNR reported on Wednesday. The offers submitted by Portugal (with a logistics package sourced from the USA) and Italy were ranked second and third, respectively, BNR said following a meeting of the caretaker government which endorsed the conclusions of the working group in charge of assessing the offers.
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04/30/2017
A ballistic missile launched early Saturday by North Korea in defiance of international pressure and at a time of heightened regional tensions appears to have failed. The missile blew up over land in North Korean territory, said US Navy Cmdr. Dave Benham, a spokesman for the US Pacific Command
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04/30/2017
Another ballistic missile launch carried out by Pyongyang has increased the probability of a military conflict in the region, Victor Ozerov, the chairman of the Russian upper house of parliament’s committee on defense and security, told Sputnik Saturday.
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04/30/2017
The US government approved the sale of more than 100 supersonic anti-radar missiles to the Australian government, the Department of State said in a press release. "The proposed sale of this equipment and support does not alter the basic military balance in the region," the release stated.
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04/28/2017
China on Thursday launched an upgraded version of a fighter jet manufactured jointly with Pakistan that can be used for training in peacetime and for combat missions during wartime.
The dual-seat fighter trainer JF-17B is an upgraded version of the military aircraft JF-17. The JF-17B was developed by Aviation Industry Corporation of China to meet the requirements of international customers and the global market, according to AVIC.
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04/28/2017
On August 26, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) launched its first domestically constructed aircraft carrier from a shipyard in Dailan. The as-yet-unnamed carrier still requires much more additional work before it joins PLAN's fleet. But the ship's construction began less than five years ago (in November of 2012), and it only moved into full dry-dock construction in 2015.
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04/28/2017
Syria’s military said Israel struck a military installation southwest of Damascus International Airport before dawn Thursday, setting off a series of explosions and raising tensions further between the two neighbors. Apparently seeking to interrupt weapons transfers to the Hezbollah group in Lebanon, Israel has struck inside Syria with increasing frequency in recent weeks, making the war-torn country a proxy theater for Israel’s wider war with Iran.
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04/28/2017
Bulgaria's government has announced the Saab Gripen C/D as the preferred candidate in the country’s new combat aircraft competition. Sofia late last year issued a request for proposals for the purchase of eight multirole fighters, to be delivered by 2020. Another eight of the selected type would be contracted in 2022 under current plans.
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04/28/2017
In an effort to upgrade its air force and to bolster the nation’s military, Poland is considering the possibility of replacing its aging fleet of Soviet military aircraft with US-manufactured warplanes. According to RIA Novosti, the Polish military seeks to do away with the Su-22 and MiG-29 military aircraft currently employed by Poland’s Air Force, and has currently set its eyes on theF-16 and F-35 multirole fighters, which may eventually replace the aging Soviet planes.
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04/27/2017
The Boeing/Saab team which is vying to win the US Air Force's T-X advanced jet trainer recapitalisation contest is on track to accumulate all required information by the end of this quarter, according to the Swedish manufacturer.
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04/27/2017
The Lockheed Martin F-35 will skip an appearance in June at the Paris air show, the joint programme office confirms. With the event less than two months away, the JPO has not received an invitation to attend and is not aware of any F-35 participation in the show, a JPO spokesman tells FlightGlobal.
(Read More...)
04/27/2017
Israel's air force is negotiating the purchase of Lockheed Martin's automatic ground collision avoidance system (AGCAS) for its F-16 fleet. The system was developed to address the problem of accidents caused by distracted or incapacitated pilots flying into the ground in an otherwise fully functioning aircraft.
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04/27/2017
MBDA has been awarded a £41 million ($52.6 million) contract to begin preparing its Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile for integration with Lockheed Martin's F-35B for the UK. The European company – which will perform the activity at its Stevenage facility in Hertfordshire, England – says its funding allocation includes "test assets, productionisation and engineering work needed to support Meteor's compatibility and use from F-35".
(Read More...)
04/27/2017
A top US Navy admiral and former F/A-18 fighter pilot will lead a comprehensive review of recent reports of pilots suffering oxygen deprivation or cockpit pressurisation issues on Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and T-45 Goshawk trainers.
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04/26/2017
The U.S. Air Force’s F-35A Joint Strike Fighter has made its first trip to Estonia. Though small, the deployment is an important statement to Russia, America’s NATO allies, and critics of the often vexing aircraft. On April 25, 2017, U.S. Air Forces in Europe formally announced that two F-35As stealthy fighter jets and approximately 20 airmen had arrived at Ämari Air Base in the Baltic country’s Harjumaa County.
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04/26/2017
Bulgarian working group has completed the analysis on offers for the supply of new combat aircraft to replace its ageing fleet of Russian-made MiG fighter aircraft. The working group set up by the defence ministry and led by Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tsanko Stoykov has analysed and assessed the offers and will submit its conclusions to the government which is to make a decision on the next step in the procurement procedure, the defence ministry said in a statement Monday.
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04/26/2017
For US Army aviation, the future is spelled FVL, as in Future Vertical Lift, and it is being explored by bold prototype models: Bell V-280 Valor, Karem ATR36, Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant. To power that future, the service and industry are grappling with another Herculean project, ITEP – the improved turbine engine programme, to replace the GE T700 engine that powers the Boeing AH-64 Apache and Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky UH-60.
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04/26/2017
An aircraft factory in Kazan is expected to become the birthplace of a new generation of Russian Tu-160 long-range supersonic bomber aircraft known throughout the world as the White Swan.
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04/26/2017
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed Sukhoi-30MKIs at the Halwara base station, close to the India-Pakistan border. The Sukhois have been inducted into the IAF’s 221 Squadron, Valiants, which used to fly MiG-23 aircraft till 2009.
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04/24/2017
In a military that operates Raptor stealth fighters, A-10 tank busters, B-52 bombers and Harrier jump jets, the U.S. Navy’s placid-looking E-6 Mercury, based on the 707 airliner, seems particularly inoffensive. But don’t be deceived by appearances. Though the Mercury doesn’t carry any weapons of its own, it may be in a sense the deadliest aircraft operated by the Pentagon, as its job is to command the launch of land-based and sea-based nuclear ballistic missiles.
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04/24/2017
The head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Nuclear Risk Reduction Center said that Russian military experts will carry out observation flights over the territory of such Balkan states as Croatia and Slovenia.
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04/24/2017
Three new Lockheed F-35 joint strike fighters have arrived at Nevatim air base in Israel, to enter service along with another two that were purchased late last year. They are the first five of 50 expected to be delivered by 2021.
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04/24/2017
Pyongyang vowed to sink the USS Carl Vinson in what it described as a "show of military force," Reuters reported citing the the newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party. The news comes as Japan sent two destroyers for drills with the US carrier group. Two Maritime Self-Defense Force ships have left the Sasebo naval base in Nagasaki to meet up with the USS Carl Vinson-led group for joint drills following fresh ballistic missile tests in North Korea, The Japan Times reported.
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04/24/2017
In an interview with Sputnik, Syrian President Bashar Assad said that Damascus is interested in buying Russian advanced air defense system. Currently, the Syrian Army has in service Soviet-made S-200 air defense systems.
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04/23/2017
The Korean People's Army Air Force is perhaps the least threatening branch of Pyongyang’s military forces. However, while technologically backwards and often lacking the level of proficiency of Western air forces (with pilots often receiving fewer than 20 annual flight hours), the KPAAF does have a few strong points. As with many North Korean facilities, most KPAAF air bases are hardened to withstand air attacks and the country has a large number of aircraft available.
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04/23/2017
Over the next 10 years, US-made F-35 fifth-generation fighter jets delivered to the UK will be modified to carry English air-to-air Meteor missiles. Citing a need to integrate European armament with US-built military aircraft, Lockheed-Martin F-35s delivered to the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy will be equipped with English-built ‘Meteor' Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) weapons, according to defense-update.com.
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04/23/2017
The fighter jets of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) followed US Air Force in intercepting two Russian Tu-95MS military planes that were flying in the neutral airspace around the northern coast of Canada, local media reported, citing the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) spokeswoman.
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04/23/2017
Raytheon has been awarded $79 million for engineering services and training for AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II tactical missiles for the US Navy, Air Force and the governments of 20 nations, the US Department of Defense said in a press release.
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04/22/2017
The pilot of a strike fighter on final approach to the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson safely ejected in the Celebes Sea early Friday morning and was recovered, Navy officials said. The incident occurred as the pilot of the F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Carrier Air Wing 2 was trying to land. The Navy didn’t identify the person publicly.
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04/22/2017
CNN reports that the Syrian government has relocated the majority of its combat planes to protect them from potential U.S. strikes. CNN bases its report on comments by two U.S. defense officials. The aircraft in question reportedly were moved to an airfield close to a base where the majority of Russian air forces helping the Assad regime are located. The theory is that President Trump is unlikely to launch an attack that might strike Russian assets.
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04/22/2017
Sikorsky-Boeing’s SB-1 Defiant has fallen months behind its scheduled first flight in the US Army’s Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstration (JMR-TD), even as Bell Helicopter’s V-280 Valor marches toward its first flight in September.
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04/22/2017
It has not been a great week for the US Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme. The Sikorsky-Boeing team has acknowledged that its SB-1 Defiant will not fly until next year, or several months after its rival in the army’s joint multi-role technology demonstration (JMR-TD) effort – the Bell Helicopter V-280 Valor – completes its first flight in September (assuming that programme runs to schedule, of course).
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04/22/2017
The Chinese Defense Ministry denied on Friday media reports alleging escalated activity of state military aircraft. On Thursday, Reuters news agency reported on an increased level of activity of Chinese bombers, citing US officials who wished to remain anonymous and did not specify the reason for the activity. The news outlet suggested that the move might be linked to concerns over the threat of North Korea.
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04/20/2017
The Royal Canadian Air Force and Sikorsky appear no closer to finding the root cause of a failure with a flight control computer that has left its fleet of CH-148 Cyclone maritime patrol helicopters grounded since 10 March.
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04/20/2017
Boeing will not compete its F/A-18 Super Hornet to replace Belgium’s fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16s, the company informed the nation's government this week. In a statement, the airframer says it will not participate in a 19 April bidders' conference, nor respond to Brussels' request for proposals for the new fighter.
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04/20/2017
Two of the six Lockheed Martin F-35As deployed by the US Force Lakenheath AB last week were left behind in the UK as their squadron mates made the return trip. An USAF pilot noticed a possible refueling issue on one F-35A and decided to hold back deploying both that aircraft and its wingman, says Lt Col George Watkins, commander of the 34th fighter squadron. Watkins called the check a routine safety precaution.
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04/20/2017
US military has tracked two Russian nuclear-capable bombers near the coast of Alaska for a second night in row, according Fox News. Following a similar incident on April 17, the Russian planes appeared close to the Aleutian Islands on Tuesday night, Fox News reported citing US officials.
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04/20/2017
Carrier Strike Group One Commander Rear Adm. Jim Kilby said that supercarrier Carl Vinson will spend additional 30 days at sea to ensure US military presence off the Korean Peninsula.
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04/19/2017
U.S. Marine Corps Fighter Attack Squadron 121, the service’s first overseas-deployed F-35B squadron, has conducted a hot-reload exercise at an airbase in Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture on April 6. It was the first time that ordnance was loaded onto a running F-35B, the U.S. Marine Corps variant of the supersonic fifth-generation F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, capable of vertical or short takeoffs and vertical landings without requiring a catapult launcher.
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04/19/2017
Two Russian TU-95 Bear bombers were intercepted in international airspace off the coast of Alaska by two US F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft on Monday, the Pentagon confirmed to CNN. The intercept, which was described by a US military official as safe and professional, took place about 100 miles from Kodiak Island after the Russian aircraft flew into the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone.
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04/19/2017
Norway has begun testing of the braking parachute it will employ on its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35As. Initial efforts at Edwards AFB in California will focus on how the Joint Strike Fighter handles with the parachute fitted, as well as braking on both dry and wet runways. A later phase, running until early 2018 at Eielson AFB in Alaska, will evaluate its performance on icy runways.
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04/19/2017
Maintenance and support facilities for US helicopters are being expanding in the Asia-Pacific region with the opening of a center in Thailand, the Lockheed-Martin subsidiary Sikorsky announced in a press release on Tuesday. "This support center will represent Sikorsky’s seventh in the Asia-Pacific region and add to the growing network of 20 Sikorsky support centers world-wide," the release stated.
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04/19/2017
Observers worldwide took note of the array of weapons put on display during Saturday's military parade in Pyongyang, including mockups of new long-range missiles. In a special commentary for Sputnik, analyst Vasily Kashin said that while the country's ICBM program is still far from the test phase, its leaders certainly aren't lacking in ambition.
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04/18/2017
A new version of Iran’s ridiculous Qaher F-313 stealth fighter has made an appearance complete with a video of the aircraft performing taxi trials. While Iran’s latest effort shows improvement over the last iteration of the Qaher, this new version of the alleged stealth fighter is probably just a model.
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04/18/2017
The U.S. and South Korea deployed numerous air assets for a massive air combat drill one day after North Korea’s latest ballistic provocation, the U.S. military reports. Around 1,000 U.S. airmen and fighter jets will train alongside the South Korean Air Force in the two-week Max Thunder exercise, one of the largest military flying exercises held in South Korea, U.S. Pacific Command revealed. The joint combat exercises began Monday and will last until the end of April.
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04/18/2017
As part of the international Open Skies Treaty … a group of member states, the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, plans to carry out an observation flight on the Russian An-30B jet over the territory of the French Republic. An observation flight over France will be carried out in the period from April 18 to April 22, 2017, from the Open Skies airfield Orleans Bricy with a maximum range of up to 2,078 kilometers [over 1,291 miles]," Ryzhkov said.
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04/18/2017
As parties continue to beat the drums of war in the Korean Peninsula, defense officials from Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington will convene in Japan on Wednesday to hold the Defense Trilateral Talks (DTT).
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04/18/2017
The US Navy’s commander of Naval Air Forces allowed the service’s T-45 Goshawk trainer jets to return to flight 17 April, after US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) temporarily grounded the fleet in light of persistent oxygen issues on the aircraft.
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04/18/2017
Squadrons across the Air Force will be grounded. Moves will be put on hold, throwing families into turmoil. New recruits won’t be able to start basic training. Bonuses for critical personnel could be deferred. And that’s just the beginning. More than halfway through fiscal 2017, Congress still hasn’t gotten its act together enough to pass a budget that funds the Air Force and other government agencies.
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04/17/2017
U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy personnel and aircraft will train with the Republic of Korea Air Forces in the annual, bilateral training Exercise MAX THUNDER 17, which will be hosted at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, April 17-28, 2017. Exercise Max Thunder is part of a continuous exercise program to enhance interoperability between U.S. and ROK forces.
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04/17/2017
According to our partner defenceWeb, the US government will approve the sale of Super Tucano to Nigeria. US lawmakers are expected to approve the sale of Super Tucano light attack and trainer aircraft to Nigeria in the coming weeks. Former President Barack Obama’s administration originally agreed on the sale, but delayed it after incidents including the Nigerian Air Force’s bombing of a refugee camp in January that killed 90 to 170 civilians.
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04/17/2017
Beijing and Moscow have launched intelligence-gathering vessels to follow the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier as it travels toward the Korean Peninsula, according to numerous sources in the Japanese government.
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04/17/2017
As China’s second aircraft carrier is being prepared for launch in late April, experts are predicting what kind of technological breakthroughs the third China-made carrier may have. During an interview with BTV, a Chinese military, expert Xu Guangyu made his forecast suggesting that the third aircraft carrier may be nuclear-powered.
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04/16/2017
Footage and photographs showing a new prototype (marked “08”) of the famous Qaher F-313 stealth fighter jet have just emerged as Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani participated Saturday in an exhibition displaying the achievements of the Defense Ministry Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan gained during the past two years.
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04/16/2017
Combat-ready F-35A Lightning II multi-role fighter aircraft arrived today at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, demonstrating U.S. commitment to NATO allies and European territorial integrity. “The forward presence of F-35s support my priority of having ready and postured forces here in Europe,” said Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, the commander of U.S. European Command and NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe.
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04/16/2017
With the kind of fanfare that only a totalitarian state can muster, North Korea on Saturday flaunted missiles that can theoretically reach the United States and defiantly stated that it was prepared to counter any U.S. attack with “a nuclear war of our own.” But it soon looked like a case of style over substance. North Korea somewhat ruined the impression created with the parade, which took place on the most important day of the year for Kim Jong Un’s regime, with a failed missile launch Sunday.
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04/16/2017
Chinese engineers from the Beijing Research Institute of Machinery are set to test a prototype combined-cycle hypersonic aircraft engine and first-stage carrier rockets later this year, Aviation Week reported. That will pave the way for the first demonstration flight of a full-scale propulsion system by 2025.
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04/15/2017
Early in the morning on Tuesday, April 4, bombs filled with sarin gas began falling from Syrian military aircraft on the town of Khan Shaykhun, and soon thereafter images of dying men, women and children gasping their final breaths flooded the global media. By the end of the day, two Navy destroyers – the Porter and the Ross – were racing across the Mediterranean, scrambling to get into position to launch.
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04/15/2017
The U.S. Air Force acknowledges "optical warfare" operations will be essential to future aerial victories and has accelerated the development of airborne "optical radiation weapons" for both offensive and defensive operations. Developing new offensive and defensive weapons that advance the air force's optical warfare capabilities will be the task of Virginia-based defense contractor Engility Corporation.
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04/15/2017
The American government is “stonewalling” on the details of a proposed multibillion-shilling arms sale to Kenya, a congressional critic of the deal charged. “On March 30, I asked for the offer the United States government had made to the Kenyan Ministry of Defence, just so we could make sure that everything was above board,” Congressman Ted Budd said in a statement. “That was 12 days ago.
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04/15/2017
A small squadron of the US Air Force’s F-35As will fly to Europe this weekend for training with NATO allies, marking the F-35A’s first international deployment. As part of a long-planned effort within the European Reassurance Initiative, the squadron will train for several weeks with other US and NATO aircraft in Europe, the US Defense Department says in a 14 April statement.
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04/15/2017
“Once a war really happens, the result will be nothing but loss all around,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday, emphasizing that “no one will be a winner.” "Tensions have risen," Wang said in Friday’s joint news conference with French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault. "One has the feeling that a conflict could break out at any moment," he added.
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04/14/2017
HAMPTON — American, British and French fighter pilots have been battling together since the first generation of fighter aircraft flew over Europe during World War I. One hundred years later, that tradition is continuing at Langley Air Force Base with pilots of fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft training for what the future will bring.
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04/14/2017
The US military has just dropped a big bomb in Afghanistan. The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, also called the “mother of all bombs” or MOAB for short, is the largest non-nuclear bomb ever used by the US military on the battlefield. The 11-ton weapon was first tested in 2003 but had never been used in combat prior to Thursday — when a US MC-130 aircraft dropped one on what it claims was a network of ISIS tunnels.
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04/14/2017
The Italian Air Force has received a new Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft from Leonardo Aircraft Division. The latest Eurofighter Typhoon delivered is the 500th aircraft produced by the company so far. Leonardo delivered the first and 100th Eurofighter to the UK Royal Air Force in 2003 and 2006 respectively.
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04/14/2017
It was, as chief executive Volker Paltzo put it, a very special day as the Eurofighter consortium delivered its 500th production example of the Typhoon in Turin. Resplendent with its commemorative red tail livery, Italy’s latest example joins a global fleet which includes jets operated by partner nations Germany, Spain and the UK, plus export customers Austria and Saudi Arabia. The first Typhoons for Kuwait and Oman are now in production.
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04/14/2017
As China seeks to move deeper into the Western Pacific, Japan’s Defense Ministry reports that the country’s fighter jets intercepted foreign aircraft in record numbers in the fiscal year that ended March 30.
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04/13/2017
Frisian Flag 2017 was a large scale exercise organised by the Royal Netherlands Air Force. From Mar. 27 to Apr. 7, Leeuwarden Air Base in the Netherlands hosted the tactical aircraft taking part in Ex. Frisian Flag 2017. The purpose of the drills was preparing the participating units for a modern conflict or crisis support operation by strengthening cooperation between air arms of multiple NATO countries called to undertake joint training missions twice a day.
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04/13/2017
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has secured a contract with Embraer to supply panels for the E2 and KC-390 programmes. KAI will supply wing bottom panels for the E-190 E2 and E-195 E2 regional jets, and panels for both top and bottom of the KC-390 tactical airlifter.
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04/13/2017
The F-16 Falcon will live to fight another day, or at least another 4,000 hours, according to the US Air Force and Lockheed Martin. The USAF authorized extending the F-16’s service life from its original 8,000 flight hours to 12,000 flight hours, a 12 April Lockheed release states. After performing SLEP modifications, the service will be able to operate the Block 40 through 52 aircraft beyond 2048, according to Lockheed.
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04/13/2017
The US Air Force’s chief of staff is not counting out retiring the F-15C/D fleet, but can’t make any solid plans for the aircraft until the service has funding in place. The air force is examining the cost it would take to retire its fleet of Boeing F-15C/Ds and replace them with Lockheed Martin F-16s, but that’s not unlike the analysis the service executes across all its weapons systems, USAF chief Gen David Goldfein told reporters 12 April.
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04/13/2017
As the US Navy’s Carrier Strike Group One makes its rounds through the Korean Peninsula with the Nimitz class Carl Vinson aircraft carrier flanked by two destroyers and a guided missile cruiser, the Vinson will practice helicopter landings with Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force.
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04/13/2017
Singapore’s Air Force and the US Air Force will collaborate in exercises aimed at enhancing security at a US air base in Guam. The tag-team marks the first sign of cooperation between Washington and Singapore’s air crews, according to Singapore’s Ministry of Defense. On Tuesday, Defense News reported that six RSAF F-15 fighters had been deployed to US’s island territory to conduct joint exercises.
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04/13/2017
As tensions continue to simmer on the Korean Peninsula, due in part to North Korea’s continuous nuclear weapons development, a “nuke sniffing” US aircraft arrived at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan on Friday.
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04/13/2017
The success of Russia's fleet of warplanes in Syria has added to an increase in demand among foreign customers for advanced Russian combat aircraft such as the Su-30SM, Su-34 and Su-35, according to Russian United Aircraft Corporation President Yury Slyusar.
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04/13/2017
A delivery of two additional FA-50PH advanced light attack and jet trainer aircraft by Korea Aerospace Industries arrived at Clark Base near Manila in late March, according to a statement released by the Philippine Air Force (PAF).
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04/12/2017
The U.S. Air Force, working with Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works (which, as its name suggests, is its skunkworks operation) have demonstrated another round of flight capabilities for an autonomous F-16 fighter jet, which is meant to show what an eventual “Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle” (UCAV) could do using technology they’ve developed.
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04/12/2017
US lawmakers are expected to approve the sale of Super Tucano light attack and trainer aircraft to Nigeria in the coming weeks. Former President Barack Obama's administration originally agreed on the sale, but delayed it after incidents including the Nigerian Air Force's bombing of a refugee camp in January that killed 90 to 170 civilians.
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04/12/2017
A US maritime strike group armed with 90 aircraft and more than 300 Tomahawk cruise missiles will arrive off the Korean peninsula in the next 24 hours. The USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class carrier, accompanied by a cruiser, two destroyers and a Los Angeles-class attack submarine, all with a maximum payload of Tomahawks, received orders on Saturday to head at 30 knots (35mph) towards the Sea of Japan.
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04/12/2017
Just how much remains of the Syrian Arab Air Force? The Pentagon is claiming that the U.S. Navy’s Tomahawk cruise missile strike on April 7 destroyed some 20 percent of the Assad regime’s remaining operational aircraft. The U.S. Navy launched some 61 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian airbase at al-Shayrat in response to an Assad regime Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter strike aircraft dropping chemical weapons—thought to be Sarin—on civilians on April 4.
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04/12/2017
Eurofighter has delivered to the Italian air force its 500th Typhoon, 14 years after it handed over the first example to the UK Royal Air Force. The aircraft will become operational at the end of April, following an acceptance flight by Eurofighter and a number of key assessments by the customer.
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04/11/2017
Egypt appears to be close to receiving the first of its RAC MiG-35 fighters, with a lead example having been photographed during flight testing near Moscow late last month. Flight Fleets Analyzer records Egypt as having signed a production order for 46 MiG-35s. The nation's air force also is modernising its capabilities via a 24-aircraft deal with Dassault for the Rafale fighter.
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04/11/2017
The jets were accepted at Clark Air Base in the north of Manila, says the Philippine air force in a statement. The final four aircraft will be delivered by the end of 2017, bringing the fleet to 12 units.
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04/11/2017
Head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov said that Russian experts will carry out an observation flights over the United States and over Canada.
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04/11/2017
Head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov said that experts from the United States and the Czech Republic will carry out an observation flight on a US plane OC-135B over the Russian territory under the Open Skies Treaty on April 10-14.
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04/11/2017
The S-500 Prometey isn't merely a next-generation Russian missile system; it can be seen as as a whole set of measures to turn the Russian air defense system into a single information space, according to the Russian news network Zvezda.
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04/08/2017
US cruise missile strikes launched against a Syrian air base in the early hours of 7 April have delivered a significant blow to the nation's air force. A total of 59 Raytheon Tomahawk land-attack missiles were launched from US Navy vessels in the eastern Mediterranean during the action, which was conducted in response to a chemical weapons attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province on 4 April, which killed at least 86 people.
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04/08/2017
A senior US military official told reporters that some 20 Syrian waplanes have been destroyed by US cruise missiles launched on an airbase in the Homs province. On Thursday night, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Sha’irat, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the city of Homs. US President Donald Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Syria's Idlib on Tuesday.
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04/08/2017
The Russian Aerospace Forces held long-range aviation exercises in western Russia involving more than 20 combat aircrew, the Defense Ministry said Friday.
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04/08/2017
The experts believe that the Aerospace Forces will likewise be spared the cuts with the focus being on the tried-and-true Su-30SM, Su-34, Su-35 fighter planes, Mi-8AMTSh, Mi-28N and Ka-52 helicopters and the S-400 air defense missile systems. As for the top-of the-line S-500s, they will have to wait.
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04/07/2017
SNP MP George Kerevan is to call for an inquiry into the policy in the light of last year's attempted coup in Turkey and tensions with its Nato partners. Major repairs to RAF combat jets have previously been carried out in the UK. The Ministry of Defence said the F-35 was an international project with a global support network.
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04/07/2017
The Trump White House is mulling a new package of arms sales to Taiwan, according to unconfirmed media reports. The weapons could allegedly be sold as early as this summer and may include fifth generation Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft and advanced air defense systems.
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04/07/2017
An F-22 has a combat radius of some five hundred miles on internal fuel. The F-35 can fly 875 miles when loaded for air-to-air combat. Now consider the thousands of kilometers lying between U.S. bases in the Pacific and Europe and various potential conflict zones.
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04/07/2017
Malaysia is looking for a replacement for its twenty-two year old MiG-29 fleet. France wants to sell its Rafale medium fighter to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF). Having tasted success in the Malaysian market by bagging an order for four A400M military transport aircraft and two Scorpene submarines, France believes it is on a roll.
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04/07/2017
The US Air Force is conducting market research for a next-generation ejection seat for fighters and bombers, according to a 5 April notice posted on the Federal Business Opportunities web site. The service plans to release a draft request for proposals in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2017 and a final RFP in the second quarter of FY18, programme schedule slides state. The air force will select two qualified sources and award contracts at the beginning of FY19.
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04/07/2017
US Marines deployed to Australia will soon be joined by a group of MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft for their annual six-month rotation. More than 1,200 of the California-based troops will use the versatile aircraft as they move across Australia’s Northern Territory.
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04/07/2017
Brazil is interested in buying an additional batch of Russian Mi-35 helicopters, and negotiations are underway, Deputy Director of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) Anatoliy Punchuk said on Thursday.
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04/07/2017
Venezuela is interested in purchasing a new batch of Russia's Su-30 fighter aircraft despite difficult political and economic situation in the Latin American county, Deputy Director of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) Anatoliy Punchuk said Thursday.
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04/07/2017
A Pentagon official said about 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from US Navy destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean at a Syrian air base. In a televised address, President Donald Trump said the base was where Tuesday's attack was launched from. He called on "all civilised nations" to help end the conflict in Syria.
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04/06/2017
The Vietnam People’s Air Force (VPAF) is shopping for a new training jet and it appears they are going to purchase the Russian Yak-130. The Yak-130 first flew in 1996 and has been marketed as a light attack aircraft. There have been over 100 of the twin engine, tandem seat jets built at an estimated cost of $15 million each.
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04/06/2017
China's first stealth fighter, the Chengdu J-20, "has the potential to provide China with a variety of previously unavailable air combat options and enhance its capability to project power." That's the conclusion of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington D.C.-based security think tank. CSIS also concludes that the fighter, first flown in 2011, could enter service as soon as 2018.
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04/06/2017
Despite having the highest accident rate of any U.S. Marine Corps fixed-wing aircraft, the Marines will keep the AV-8B Harrier around longer than planned. The reason is simple: Marine F/A-18 Hornets are in far worse shape and need to be replaced sooner. In 2014, the Marines were committed to retiring the Harrier earlier than planned and extending the Hornet fleet, however, after an intensive review of the Harrier fleet and the rapid aging of Marine Hornets, the Harrier will be around longer.
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04/06/2017
A fighter pilot on a training mission ditched his jet in a wooded area of a suburban Washington neighborhood early Wednesday so that the plane would avoid crashing into a suburban Washington neighborhood, military officials said. The F-16C, which military officials said was at least 30 years old and worth $20 million, went down about 200 yards behind a small subdivision of two-story brick homes in the middle-class suburban community of Clinton, about 3 miles southwest of Joint Base Andrews.
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04/06/2017
Compared to a Lockheed Martin F-35C, a Block III Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet will be able to detect and track stealth aircraft at long range by their heat emissions and carry a full load of external weapons for significantly longer distances, says Boeing programme manager Dan Gillian.
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04/06/2017
The US Navy has ordered a three-day grounding of its T-45 Goshawk trainer jets while US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) looks for ways to correct persistent oxygen issues on the aircraft.
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04/06/2017
North Korea’s latest missile launch has caused more concern than usual, as experts suspect it may have been a second trial run of a worrisome new technology. Wednesday’s launch came a day ahead of US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, and some think the timing may not be coincidental.
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04/06/2017
According to Chinese news portal Sina, “At the moment, the aircraft carrier being prepared for launch is optimized in terms of load which compared to the Liaoning aircraft carrier can reach from 28 to 36 units of J-15 fighters.” Currently, the Chinese Navy arsenal consists of the Liaoning aircraft carrier, created on the basis of the Soviet cruiser Varyag. Liaoning can base 24 J-15 fighters.
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04/06/2017
The US-led coalition carried out 15 strikes consisting of 22 engagements against the Daesh terror group (outlawed in numerous countries) in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday, and destroyed a Daesh media center near the Iraqi city of Al Qaim, Operation Inherent Resolve said in a press release.
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04/05/2017
Government-controlled Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is looking to aggressively market the upgraded Advanced Hawk trainer jets — jointly developed by HAL and BAE Systems of the UK — to foreign buyers, given the “rather tepid response” from the Indian Air Force for which the jets were initially intended. “We are looking to target friendly countries of both India and the UK, with India (HAL) priming the orders,” official sources said.
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04/05/2017
The biggest challenge in preparing pilots to fly remote-piloted aircraft is not one of technological skills and expertise. It’s one of mental and environmental preparedness, as pilots go from a training environment to immediately flying combat missions solo, often with limited live flying with manned aircraft.
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04/05/2017
Embraer subsidiaries Bradar and Savis announced beginning of global cooperation with Rockwell Collins on the opening day of the Latin American Aerospace and Defence (LAAD) in Rio de Janeiro on 4 April.
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04/05/2017
Aero Vodochody is in early negotiations to provide its L-159 light-attack aircraft to Argentina, after the company officially re-established its manufacturing of the type following a 13-year production hiatus.
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04/05/2017
Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said trat the government of South Korea has condemned a new missile test carried out by North Korea as a challenge to peace and security of the international community.
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04/04/2017
Boeing received a $41 million contract modification to provide services for F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft operated by U.S. foreign military sales customers. Under the agreement, tasks will include engineering services, provisioning, information systems, training and technical data updates. The contract supports planes operated by the governments of Australia, Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Switzerland, Canada and Spain.
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04/04/2017
International peace researchers have warned Botswana to reconsider its decision to purchase Gripen fighter jets from Swedish manufacturers, saying the move could trigger a regional arms race. However, Botswana’s Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Shaw Kgathi, defended the country’ s high military expenditure, following accusations by the opposition that it could spark an arms race in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
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04/04/2017
Now-retired Dr Michael Gilmore, until recently the Director of Test and Evaluation for the US military, has published his final evaluation of the F-35 program, and it's a treat. In his parting report (PDF), deliciously dated April 1*, Gilmore details a host of issues remaining with the US$391 billion-and-counting project, with everything from its combat-readiness to its wing design under the microscope.
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04/04/2017
Boeing has secured a $2.2 billion contract covering 17 P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft destined for the US Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the Royal Air Force. The deal includes options for 32 additional aircraft, and money for long-lead parts for future orders, says Boeing. Overall, the entire contract could be worth $6.8 billion if all options are exercised.
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04/04/2017
Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) generated revenues of Rs174 billion ($2.6 billion) in the financial year ended 31 March 2017, while receiving orders of Rs210 billion. The government-owned airframer revealed the performances figures in a brief statement. Sales for the 12 months to 31 March were Rs167 billion.
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04/04/2017
A set of mid-life updates to the US Navy’s MH-60R Seahawk helicopter will likely appear in the Future Vertical Lift rotorcraft, along with the service’s next MH-XX maritime helicopter, according to the H-60 programme manager.
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04/04/2017
The US Air Force completed electromagnetic environmental effects (EEE) testing on the Lockheed Martin F-35’s escape system 23 March, marking the last round of testing on the Martin-Baker US16E (MKk16) ejection seat.
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04/04/2017
Two of the US Air Force’s premier fifth-generation fighters, the Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II and F-22A Raptor, still can’t transmit data back and forth but the service’s plan to fix the communication gap is undetermined.
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04/04/2017
China’s first domestically constructed aircraft carrier is slated to take on the high seas for the first time within the next three weeks. The Shandong will be the second aircraft carrier to join the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s rapidly growing fleet.
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04/02/2017
The Soviet Union had extraordinarily lengthy borders that were difficult to patrol against American nuclear bombers and spy planes. New ground-based surface-to-air missiles simply could not cover such a vast area. Confronted with a sizeable problem, the Soviets in typical fashion produced a gargantuan solution: the Tupolev Tu-128 jet fighter, which measured thirty meters long and grossed forty-three tons fully loaded—roughly half over the weight and size of the famously large F-4 Phantom.
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04/02/2017
After conducting all its ground tests, the Saudi-Ukrainian military aircraft Antonov AN-132 completed its first flight. The AN-132 was first launched last December. Video of the aircraft’s first flight showed Antonov AN-132’s first maneuvers in Ukraine under the supervision of an engineering committee from the Saudi and Ukrainian sides.
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04/02/2017
BAE Systems has been awarded a sub-contracted work worth £40 million by Lockheed Martin to work together on speeding up delivery of Royal Air Force’s F-35 Lightning II fleet. Awarded under the main contract worth more than £80m (US$102.2m), sub-contract work will bring together Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems to form a team of more than 100 skilled technicians at RAF Marham, which will provide engineering and technical expertise, deliver air-crew and ground-crew training, facilitate routine main
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04/02/2017
State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) posted sales of Rs 17,406 crore in the just-concluded fiscal 2016-17, registering 4 per cent annual growth from Rs 16,736 crore in the previous fiscal, the defence behemoth said on Saturday.
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04/01/2017
Imagery released earlier this month indicates that China has nearly completed construction of several facilities in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Fiery Cross Reef has hangars, mobile missile shelters, and radar arrays. Mischief and Subi reefs house similar structures. In total, the Spratly Islands can now accommodate 72 combat aircraft and about 15 larger planes including bombers, transporters, and refueling aircraft.
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04/01/2017
Since its inception nearly 40 years ago, the F/A-18 fighter family has come to dominate Navy carrier decks — and supported a base of more than 200 military contractors in Southern California. With a stealthy replacement rolling off assembly lines, though, its days seemed to be numbered.
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04/01/2017
Sweden will equip its future fleet of Gripen E fighters with an extended-range version of the Saab/Diehl Defence-produced RBS15 anti-ship missile, under a project worth SKr3.2 billion ($358 million).
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04/01/2017
Under the project, the Canadian company will equip 22 locally designated CT-156 Harvard IIs with a traffic advisory system, automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) transponder and wide area augmentation system GPS receiver. The enhancements will enable the single-engined turboprop to comply with the US Federal Aviation Administration’s incoming ADS-B Out regulations.
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04/01/2017
A military acquisition manager has a tough job. There are schedules to meet and budgets to keep, fickle politicians to placate, penny-pinching from bureaucrats and relentless finagling by contractors.
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04/01/2017
As part of an endless effort to modernize and enhance the capabilities of the US armed forces, the US Marine Corps is considering upgrading the multirole V-22 Osprey with high intensity directed energy weaponry – or, more simply, lasers.
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04/01/2017
The Czech Republic's Aero Vodochody aircraft company has unveiled its first upgraded Aero L-159 ALCA light attack jet after an almost 15-year pause in production, local media said Friday.
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04/01/2017
The discussion about whether Serbia can become a regional center for the repair of Russian Mi helicopters has been ongoing for over a year. Recently the Serbian Defense Ministry stated that Russia has expressed interest in such a center.
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04/01/2017
UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon on Friday announced a 90 million pound ($112 million) contract for UK-based BAE Systems to support the upkeep of F-35 fighter jets.
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03/31/2017
Governor Robert Bentley announced today that Leonardo, a global aerospace and defense firm, will create 750 jobs at an advanced assembly center at Tuskegee’s Moton Field if the company’s T-100 jet trainer wins a U.S. Air Force competition for a next-generation training aircraft.
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03/31/2017
The Philippine government said it is yet to verify the completion of Chinese military assets in the Spratly (Kalayaan) Islands in the South China Sea, the country's top diplomat said Thursday. This is despite Washington-based think tank CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative's (AMTI) recently released satellite images showing the nearly complete construction of infrastructures on Subi (Zamora), Mischief (Panganiban) and Fiery Cross (Kagitingan) Reefs.
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03/31/2017
Hindustan Aeronautics has secured an INR80 billion ($1.2 billion) order for 32 Dhruv helicopters for use by the Indian navy and coast guard. Each maritime arm will receive 16 examples of the 5.5t Dhruv, says HAL in a statement.
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03/31/2017
The prospect of an F-15C/D fleet retirement cropped up during a House Armed Services Committee hearing last week, when members of Congress asked USAF leadership whether the Boeing aircraft could be replaced with Lockheed Martin F-16s. While the director of the Air National Guard entertained that concept as a possibility, the air force’s public affairs quickly pushed back on the idea, saying it was “pre-decisional.”
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03/31/2017
The US Navy is still struggling to find the root cause of the hypoxia issue plaguing the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and E/A-18G Growler, service leadership told House Armed Services Committee members this week. The service’s Boeing F/A-18s are experiencing a dangerous crew cabin pressure issue, while the newer variants may have possible oxygen contamination.
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03/31/2017
The LOI was signed with Pelita Air Services, which represents a consortium of state-owned companies involved in aerospace, says Airbus in an email to FlightGlobal. “We believe that the A400M will be an outstanding asset to support Indonesia´s vision of creating an air bridge to help redistribute wealth and resources across the archipelago as well as providing the basis for the expansion of our long-standing industrial cooperation,” says Fernando Alonso, head of military aircraft at the airframer
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03/31/2017
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is showing interest in the procurement of Russia's Ka-226 and Ansat helicopters, CEO of Russian Helicopters, a Moscow-based helicopter manufacturer, Andrey Boginsky said Thursday.
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03/31/2017
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif indicated that Tehran could allow Russia to use its military bases to carry out counterterrorism missions in Syria, saying the decisions would be made "on a case-by-case basis." Political analyst Vladimir Sazhin told Radio Sputnik that Iran's statement is meant to test the waters.
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03/31/2017
According to the Kyodo news agency, the Miho airbase has become the first place of deployment of these aircraft. Three Kawasaki C-2 jets were delivered to the airbase on Tuesday, while the solemn ceremony of the deployment took place earlier on Thursday, the news outlet said.
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03/30/2017
China's rapid development of new destroyers, amphibs, stealth fighters and long-range weapons is quickly increasing its ability to threaten the United States and massively expand expeditionary military operations around the globe, according to a Congressional report.
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03/30/2017
In a move that will surely make the volatile Black Sea region even more interesting, NATO will begin basing fighter jets in Romania in May, the United Kingdom announced this week. While it may not seem like much, it means NATO will further expand its reach into Russia’s southern flank, basing jets minutes from the Black Sea and sending one of the clearest messages yet to the increasingly aggressive country.
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03/30/2017
Satellite images published this week confirm that China has almost completed the construction of a variety of military assets in the Philippine and Vietnamese South China Sea, assets that allow it to deploy fighter jets and missile launchers at a moment’s notice and provide it expanded surveillance capabilities.
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03/30/2017
The US Air Force could field its Penetrating Counterair platform on a fast track, according to the service’s head of Air Combat Command. The USAF will likely purchase its next standoff aircraft in batches and add capabilities along the way, rather than wait for years for an exquisite aircraft, Lt Gen Mike Holmes told reporters 29 March.
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03/30/2017
The UK Royal Air Force has received the first of its Boeing CH-47 Chinooks upgraded to the HC5 standard. Delivered to the service’s Odiham base in Hampshire on 22 March, the tandem-rotor helicopter is the first of eight HC3 models to undergo modernisation by Boeing under the Ministry of Defence’s Project Julius initiative.
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03/30/2017
The Saudis’ recent business tour through East and Southeast Asia, intended to increase the kingdom’s revenues, landed a new project for the oil-rich nation: China will set up a drone manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia.
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03/30/2017
On Wednesday, South Korean news outlets reported that a sixth nuclear test by North Korea is imminent, and could take place as early as next week. An unnamed source within the South Korean military told Korea Joongang Daily, "We have intelligence that North Korea may conduct its sixth nuclear test in the first week of April and are in the process of confirming this…We have determined that North Korea is expected to finish all preparations for a nuclear test by March 31."
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03/30/2017
Norway struck a deal with the United States on Wednesday to buy five Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, the Nordic nation’s Defense Ministry announced.
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03/30/2017
The Finnish Air Force has without unnecessary publicity formed a new US-style special unit called Raven. The newly-formed unit will, in line with their US prototype, handle the protection of aircraft and VIP passengers in hazardous locations.
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03/29/2017
The last three weeks of airstrikes in Mosul have been “the most kinetic three weeks in the campaign in Iraq” against the Islamic State, the top Air Force general in Iraq said Thursday. Brig. Gen. Matthew Isler, deputy commanding general for Air, Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command, said in an interview that coalition aircraft above Mosul have dropped more than 500 precision-guided munitions a week so far in March even hitting as high as 605 weapons in one week.
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03/29/2017
As President Donald Trump pushes for the Pentagon to buy more of Boeing Co.’s F-18 aircraft, the U.S. Navy is grappling with an escalating problem: Pilots suffering potentially dangerous oxygen deprivation or a loss of cabin pressure in the fighter jets.
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03/29/2017
The Air Force’s stealthy long-range bomber will have the endurance and next-generation stealth capability to elude the most advanced existing air defenses and attack anywhere in the world, if needed, senior service officials said. When the Air Force revealed its first artist rendering of what its new Long Range Strike – Bomber looks like, former Air Force Secretary Deborah James made reference to plans to engineer a bomber able elude detection from even the best, most cutting-edge air defenses.
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03/29/2017
Dozens of aircraft hangars and high-end radar capabilities on China's man-made islands in the South China Sea are almost operational, according to new satellite imagery released by a US-based think tank. The new facilities will further establish China's military dominance over the highly contested region, experts told CNN, and could help China establish a controversial Air Defense Identification Zone in the area.
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03/29/2017
A Lebanese pilot trainee has flown an A-29 Super Tucano light-attack aircraft for the first time, as part of a training programme conducted by the US Air Force (USAF). The first ‘in seat’ training sortie was conducted at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, on 22 March this year. The training programme is being conducted to ensure that the Lebanese Air Force receives the support and training needed to safely and effectively employ the A-29 aircraft, the USAF stated.
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03/29/2017
The 64th Aggressor Squadron, based out of Nellis Air Force Base, is one of only two USAF units that provide dedicated adversary support. The 64th aims to take the whole threat presentation mission to an extreme level. This doesn't just include emulating potential adversaries' tactics and procedures, as well as their weapons and aircraft capabilities, but also presenting front-line pilots with some of the same camouflage paint jobs they could see on enemy planes in battle.
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03/29/2017
A new torpedo upgrade that will fundamentally change the way US Navy airmen hunt submarines is on track to seek approval to begin low-rate initial production later this year, Boeing and Navy officials say on 28 March.
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03/29/2017
The US Air Force’s arming of the fifth-generation F-22 stealth fighter jet with new Air Intercept Missile-9X sidewinder missiles is causing excitement among the war plane’s pilots. Last year the weapon was integrated into the Raptor fleet, but it has been featured on the F-15, F-16, F/A-18 and other aircraft since the early 2000s.
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03/29/2017
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has joined the Iniohos 2017 multinational air drills hosted by Greece and involving pilots from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), local media reported Tuesday.
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03/28/2017
Germany has advanced the program to build its own sixth generation stealth jet fighter from its concept to the initial working stage. A sixth-generation jet fighter is a conceptualized class of fighter aircraft design more advanced than the fifth-generation jet fighters that are currently in service in the United States and in development in other countries.
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03/28/2017
For the first time, an important United States military base, one where a great deal of highly classified communications, intelligence and operations occur, sits within a few miles of a military competitor. Where? Djibouti, the tiny African state that sits on the Horn of Africa across from Yemen and sits astride the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. It is one of the world’s most strategic locations.
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03/28/2017
China appears to have largely completed major construction of military infrastructure on artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea and can now deploy combat planes and other military hardware there at any time, a US think tank said on Monday.
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03/28/2017
Japan and the UK have agreed to explore options for co-developing a future fighter aircraft, but Tokyo will also continue discussions on developing a next-generation combat jet with other countries, the Japanese Ministry of Defense says.
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03/28/2017
Indonesia has received 18 of 24 Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 25 fighters that have been refurbished after USAF use. The aircraft were delivered from the USAF’s Ogden Air Logistics Complex, says a statement from the USAF. The four most recent aircraft include three single seat ‘C’ jets and one tandem seat ‘D’ aircraft.
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03/27/2017
When the F-22 Raptor production line ceased in 2011, Air Force Lt. Col. Daniel thought the Pentagon had made a huge mistake. He was driving in his car in 2009 when he found out "the Raptor fleet is done at 187, and I remember thinking, 'This is not great.' I thought it was an error."
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03/27/2017
With the return of spring weather, the Selfridge Military Museum and Air Park will soon once again be open to the general public. The museum and air park will be open from noon to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from April 1 to Oct. 29. It will also be open on Independence Day and Memorial Day. Visitors to the museum and air park will see more than $7 million worth of displays. The site features more than 30 military aircraft, all with a Michigan connection, and thousands of artifacts.
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03/27/2017
Malaysia’s defence minister Hishamuddin Hussain has squashed reports that the Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon had been shortlisted for the Malaysian air force’s multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) requirement. Asked if the ministry would settle for Eurofighter Typhoon by BAE Systems or the Rafale by Dassault Aviation, he said the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the Saab Gripen “are still in the running”.
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03/27/2017
Sudan said on Sunday that it will begin military air operations with Saudi Arabia this week, the first exercises of its kind since the breakdown in 2015 of the links between Khartoum and Tehran. The maneuvers will take place from 29 March to 12 April in Meroe, north of Khartoum, and will involve hundreds of air force personnel from both countries.
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03/27/2017
In the midst of ongoing joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has stated that it may attack without warning against what it claims are preparations for an enemy invasion by the West.
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03/27/2017
In his program Vesti Nedeli (News of the Week), broadcast by Russia's Rossiya 1 news network, TV host Dmitry Kiselev specifically focused on Russia's air and missile defense systems, which he said have been bolstered considerably over the past several years. Kiselev recalled that "in the early 2000s, Russia's air defenses were locally installed, with only major economic and military facilities being protected by these systems at the time."
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03/26/2017
Down the road, the Navy’s pursuit of a sixth-generation fighter will hopefully keep the carrier air wing vital and effective, even against strongly defended targets.
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03/26/2017
The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba , in a wide-ranging interview with The Hindu , clarifies that the Navy has only taken a purely technical decision in turning down the naval version of the light combat aircraft developed by the DRDO despite its strong commitment to indigenisation. He highlights the need to step up training facilities to meet personnel shortage and the Navy’s strong ‘Act East’ focus.
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03/26/2017
Irkut Corporation, manufacturer of Russia's Sukhoi brand of fighter aircraft, has offered the Indian Air Force a proposal to carry out a 'major modernization' of India's fleet of Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole air superiority fighters. What benefits will the upgrade mean for the Indian Air Force? Sputnik investigates.
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03/26/2017
The Indian Navy successfully conducted the maiden trial-firing of a newly installed surface-to-air missile system from its Russian-origin aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The missile system, the Israel-made Barak 8, was taken out from a decommissioned warship and fitted into the Vikramaditya, the former Admiral Gorshkov, in 2015. The missile system has been fitted on the warship by cutting the deck.
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03/26/2017
The Indian Navy's three Tupolev Tu-142M aircraft will be decommissioned on March 29. The aircraft will be converted into a museum in collaboration with an Indian state. The navy had already begun gradually phasing out the Tupolevs, nicknamed Albatross, which were key in anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol roles.
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03/26/2017
The Department of Defense announced that the United States awarded a $909 million contract to AAR Supply Chain for the Air Force’s landing gear logistical program.“AAR Supply Chain Inc., Wood Dale, Illinois, has been awarded a $909,394,297 firm-fixed-price with economic price adjustment requirements contract for the Landing Gear Performance Based Logistics One program,” the release stated on Friday.
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03/25/2017
Britain is not buying V-22 Osprey aircraft to fly from its new aircraft carriers, the government has confirmed. “The V-22 Osprey is not part of the resourced plan to deliver the UK Carrier Strike capability,” said junior defence minister Earl Howe. “However, the Ministry of Defence will continue to explore a variety of options to augment the capabilities of the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers in future.”
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03/25/2017
The Philippines is set to have additional six new FA-50 fighter jets from South Korea in the following weeks, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Thursday. On Wednesday, two of the six Philippine FA-50 fighter jets (tail numbers 007 and 008) would arrive in the country. Two more would land in April and the last two in May, according to Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla.
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03/25/2017
The plane can stop dramatically in mid-air, turn on a dime, and rapidly accelerate. The Russian Knights, the elite aerobatic demonstration team of the Russian Air Force, is showcasing the new Sukhoi Su-30 fighters at the LIMA 2017 maritime and aerospace exhibition in Malaysia, March 21-25.
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03/25/2017
India and Russia have failed to make progress on one of their most prestigious defense deals—the co-development and production of the Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), known in India as the Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF).
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03/25/2017
France is overhauling its popular Rafale multi-role fighter jet to better serve in combat missions, the French defense ministry said this week. The makeover comes as France is pouring millions of new dollars into defense spending to bolster national security. France has directed contractor Dassault Aviation to upgrade the Rafale with changes to its missiles, engines and new capabilities.
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03/25/2017
Germany and Airbus Defense and Space are working on the initial stages of a new program to replace Berlin’s long-serving fleet of the Panavia Tornado bombers and complement the Luftwaffe’s Eurofighter Typhoon air superiority fighters. The Future Combat Air System (FCAS)—as the Bundeswehr program is called—would likely be a system of systems that combines manned and unmanned elements.
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03/25/2017
The Boeing KC-46A tanker’s costs have decreased by $7.3 billion, or about 14%, since its initial estimate but the programme could see future delays, according to a Government Accountability Report released this week.
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03/25/2017
Afghanistan has bolstered to a dozen its in-country fleet of Embraer/Sierra Nevada A-29 Super Tucano light-attack aircraft, with the arrival of its latest four examples in Kabul. Flown from the US Air Force’s Moody AFB in Georgia, the A-29s arrived in Afghanistan on 20 March. They will undergo “a brief reconfiguration, after which they will be ready for combat operations in the 2017 fighting season”, according to the USAF.
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03/25/2017
Military strategists in Poland are torn as to whether to bolster the country’s aerial arsenal with more beleaguered F-35 Joint Strike Fighters or upgraded F-16 Fighting Falcons. "I can say that, regarding the F-16 and F-35 aircraft, there is an ongoing discussion on which one to select," Deputy Defense Minister Bartosz Kownacki recently told the Polish Parliament.
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03/23/2017
Lockheed Martin is considering whether it has a plane in its inventory that can meet the U.S. Air Force’s nascent light attack aircraft requirement, but may subvert expectations by not offering the T-50, a top company executive tells Defense News.
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03/23/2017
France's Rafale fighter jet is emerging as the frontrunner as Malaysia looks to replace its aging fleet of combat aircraft, a source in the Southeast Asian nation's defence ministry said on Wednesday, despite narrowing its defence spending this year. French President Francois Hollande was expected to make a pitch for the Rafale, made by Dassault Aviation SA, when he and his team visit Malaysia next week, the source said.
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03/23/2017
Belgian Defence Minister Steven Vandeput has announced plans to replace its existing fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, in a bid to improve its air combat capability. The 54 F-16s currently in service with Belgium will be replaced by 34 new multi-role combat aircraft. Vandeput said: "The government has made the courageous decision to renew our air combat capability and to replace the F-16s fleet, and with this capability we are making an important contribution to Nato's collective defence.
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03/23/2017
The US Air Force says it’s too soon to say whether the service will swap out retired Boeing F-15C and F-15Ds for updated Lockheed Martin F-16. During a 22 House Armed Services Committee, Representative Joe Wilson asked the director of the Air National Guard whether replacing the F-15C and F-15D fleet would have a negative impact on air superiority. Lt Gen Scott Rice answered that updated F-16s could fill the gaps left by the retired F-15s.
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03/23/2017
Korea Aerospace Industies (KAI) is promoting its T-50 advanced jet trainer, light attack aircraft to Kuala Lumpur. KAI had a large stand at this year’s show at the Langkawi Internationa Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition. Its appearancec was also in support of the South Korean air force’s Black Eagles display team, which performed daily in the show’s flying display.
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03/23/2017
Swiss aerospace firm Ruag is working on opportunities to sell its Do228NG aircraft in Malaysia, as it also increases its MRO presence in the country. The company is in discussions with two local operators to sell up to three Do288NGs for chartered passenger services to island resorts, says David Jones, Ruag’s general manager in Malaysia.
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03/23/2017
At a ceremony at the Langkawi Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (LIMA), defence minister Hishamuddin Hussein recieved a plaque from the European firm’s chief executive, Fernando Alonso. “With this delivery, the RMAF now has a fleet of four aircraft, and can start to fully benefit from the A400M’s unique capabilities,” says Alonso.
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03/23/2017
US defense contractor Elbit Systems won nearly $50 million for 126 helmet display tracker systems (HDTS) to concentrate fire power on targets delivered by MH-60 Sikorsky Seahawk maritime combat helicopters, the Department of Defense said in a press release.
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03/23/2017
The PLA put the US on notice Wednesday after issuing a warning to the Pentagon for sending a military aircraft over the disputed East China Sea, a pair of US officials told Fox News. The East China Sea is bordered by Shanghai to the west, South Korea to the North, and Japan to the east. A US military official confirmed the presence of the B-1 near South Korea while corroborating the report that Chinese officials let the US Air Force know that Beijing was not pleased with the mission.
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03/23/2017
Efficiency of Russian weapons was proved by fight against terrorism, for example, in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday, adding that the analysis of practical use of defense technologies would improve the quality of military equipment.
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03/22/2017
With the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) replacement programme seemingly back on track, Rafale International believes its jet is well-placed to be the best bet for Malaysia. With fighter aircraft undoubtedly being the most strategic weapon of any air force today, it said, both in terms of combat effectiveness and critical technologies, the Rafale is the right answer to conduct modern warfare safely and efficiently, thanks to its multi-role capabilities.
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03/22/2017
Ukraine is developing a new indigenous lightweight fighter aircraft fighter according to a new report. However, the project has existed in some form for more than ten years. According to a report in Jane’s, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced that Kiev would develop its own twin-engine, multirole fighter during a visit to the Ivchenko-Progress engine design bureau.
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03/22/2017
As the United States continues to place tremendous time, energy and resources into its “rebalance” to the Asia-Pacific, many are questioning the military and strategic aspects of this effort. Specifically, many analysts are concerned over the emphasis China has placed on its ballistic- and cruise-missile platforms.
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03/22/2017
As part of its aggressive military designs India has undertaken the development of an unmanned combat version of the home-grown light combat aircraft (LCA), and has undertaken a study to convert the fighter for a futuristic role. A team is already working on the project to convert the LCA into a drone and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) India's premier aircraft manufacturer is confident to complete the project within a short time frame.
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03/22/2017
Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation has offered to modernize Malaysia’s MiG-29N fighter jets to MiG-29SM. Russia also intends to deliver repair services, Sputnik news reported today.
"We are ready to provide full repair for these fighter jets and modernize them to MiG-29SM. We have brought a MiG-29SM simulator to this exhibition," a representative of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) told Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
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03/22/2017
Lockheed Martin should complete a preliminary design review of its quiet supersonic X-plane by June and will move onto a critical design review with NASA, a Skunk Works programme lead says.
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03/22/2017
As the battle for the US Air Force’s T-X trainer programme heats up, Italy’s Leonardo fears that its T-100 will be overlooked due to political considerations. The T-100 – a variant of the Aermacchi M-346 – faces opposition from a combined Boeing/Saab team, which is offering a clean-sheet design, and the Lockheed Martin/Korea Aerospace Industries T-50.
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03/22/2017
Honeywell sees an opportunity to offer key systems upgrades to help extend the life of Malaysia’s ageing military aircraft fleet. Derek Lockett, director of sales Asia-Pacific for Honeywell, says the firm is expanding its presence in the region, mainly through the addition of sales staff.
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03/22/2017
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is set to host one of the most complex air exercises ever later this year, featuring 100 aircraft and hundreds of airmen. India, Greece, Poland, France, Italy, the US and Germany will participate in the two-week Blue Flag air exercises, held every other year.
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03/21/2017
After six years of fighting, the chances that Israel may wade into the maelstrom that is the Syrian civil war is increasing after two more Israeli airstrikes rocked Syria over the weekend. One of the strikes was delivered Sunday via drone against a truck traveling between the Golan Heights and Damascus. One of the two people killed supposedly had close military ties to the Assad regime. The other strike came overnight and was rumored to have been aimed at another Hezbollah weapons convoy.
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03/21/2017
The U.S. Air Force is preparing to extend the service life of the U-2S Dragon Lady for several more years. Under previous budget plans, the evergreen spyplane was due to be retired in 2019-20, leaving only the unmanned RQ-4B Global Hawk to perform the high-altitude reconnaissance mission. Managers at the Lockheed Martin (LM) Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, are preparing upgrade proposals for the U-2’s sensors and communications fit.
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03/21/2017
Small, inexpensive, easy to operate combat aircraft with precision strike capability and long loiter times to provide close air support. Versatile, scalable rotary wing assets that do double duty as gunships and utility/rescue helicopters. Aircraft that can be disbursed to unimproved airfields and operated from roadways or even fields while being concealed on the ground.
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03/21/2017
India has outsourced Part-production of its home-made Light Combat Aircraft, ‘Tejas’ to Indian private companies by Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) as part of ‘three pronged program’ to speed up production of the fighter jets.
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03/21/2017
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has received a more than $12 million US Air Force contract to boost the range of 10 MQ-9 Reaper drones, the Department of Defense announced.
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03/21/2017
Four A-29 Super Tucano aircraft for the Afghanistan Air Force (AAF) have arrived in Kabul from a base in the US state of Georgia, raising the fledgling air force’s inventory of the light-attack aircraft from eight to 12, the US Department of Defense said in a press release on Monday.
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03/21/2017
The Turkish leadership has indicated that Ankara is interested in purchasing the S-400 Triumf, one of the most advanced air defense systems designed and manufactured in Russia. Both nations stand to gain from the deal if it is finalized.
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03/20/2017
In what will come as bad news for India, ‘all-weather friends’ China and Pakistan are set to not just increase weapons exchanges, the former is also expected to ‘authorise’ the latter to produce ballistic, cruise, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, and battle tanks, China’s state-run media reported on March 16.
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03/20/2017
It wasn’t long ago that the V-22 Osprey program seemed to be mired by constant criticized. A 2012 report in Wired’s Danger Room by David Axe called it “an aircraft with a reputation for falling from the sky.” That report detailed a series of mishaps that caused injury and millions of dollars in damage, as well as the fraught development of the V-22, a tilt-rotor aircraft that can land and takeoff like a helicopter, and then fly forward like a propeller-driven airplane.
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03/20/2017
Upgrades to the EA-18G aircraft’s airborne electronic attack (AEA) system will take the Navy’s implementation of electronic warfare to the next level with improved radar jamming, target location and destruction, and air defense suppression capabilities.
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03/20/2017
If the present development and capacity enhancement plans go as per schedule, the Indian Air Force will have 123 indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas fighter jets in its fleet by 2024-25.
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03/18/2017
According to a Syrian Army statement, an Israeli jet involved in a raid over Syria was shot down. The Israeli Air Force denies. Early in the morning on Mar. 17, the Israeli Air Force carried out an air strike near Damascus, in Syria. The Israeli jets hit Mezzeh Military Airport, an airbase located south-west of the old centre of Damascus, where a local ammunition depot and a few other military installation were reportedly hit with a surgical strike.
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03/18/2017
China plans to step up military cooperation with "all weather" friend Pakistan to produce ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and a multi-role combat aircraft, official media here reported as Pakistan's new army chief held talks with top Chinese officials.
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03/18/2017
Negotiations about a possible follow-on purchase of advanced Boeing F-15s for the Israeli air force are continuing, as the nation’s cabinet seeks a possible alternative to acquiring additional Lockheed Martin F-35s.
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03/18/2017
US-based aerospace firm Boeing received a contract worth $3.2 billion to help facilitate the foreign military sale of US Apache helicopters to the Saudi government. Full-rate production for both current and new AH-64E aircraft is included in the deal, along with training crews, ground support equipment, the construction of new helicopters, engineering services, spares and logistics.
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03/18/2017
In a landmark step to correct the tardy supply of spares for the Sukhoi-30MKI frontline Indian fighter jet, India and Russia have signed a long-term supply contract during the India-Russia Military Industrial Conference in New Delhi. The Conference is part of the celebrations of the 70th Anniversary of India-Russia Diplomatic Relations.
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03/18/2017
Earlier, an Israeli military source told Sputnik that its warplanes were targeted by Syrian missiles during an attack on targets on Syrian territory, but said that no Israeli planes had been damaged or lost in the attack. An Israel Defense Forces spokesman later again denied the Syrian claim that an IDF aircraft had been lost.
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03/17/2017
The U.S. Air Force has begun to update weapons software and hardware systems as well as sensors aboard the Lockheed Martin-built F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft, Defense Systems reported Tuesday. Kris Osborn writes that 1st Lt. Carrie Volpe, action officer for the Air Combat Command Public Affairs, said the service branch will begin to integrate the Increment 3.2B software upgrade to its fleet of F-22s in the summer of 2019.
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03/17/2017
The Air Force on Friday is expected to formally invite companies to participate in a light-attack aircraft demonstration this summer, the service’s top uniformed acquisition official said. “This is … the innovative spirit of trial and error,” Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, the service’s military deputy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Acquisition at the Pentagon, said during a defense breakfast outside Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
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03/17/2017
The Indo-Russian fifth-generation fighter aircraft under joint development and production by the two countries has taken a hit, with Russia showing reluctance to fully transfer the aircraft technology, particularly stealth capabilities, despite repeated reminders, according to a top Indian Air Force official.
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03/17/2017
The US Air Force’s B-21 bomber passed an additional preliminary design review, service’s military deputy for the assistant secretary of the air force for acquisition says this week. The air force conducted a PDR during the programme’s technology maturation and risk reduction phase before the service chose between Northrop Grumman and the Boeing/Lockheed team.
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03/17/2017
Lockheed Martin F-35s have fired their first non-US-produced missiles in testing, with the activity providing a boost to MBDA’s sales efforts for the ASRAAM. Announcing the development on 15 March, MBDA said flight trials and air-launched firings have taken place using test aircraft operating from Edwards AFB, California and NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.
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03/17/2017
Bulgaria’s defence ministry announced on 13 March that it had opened three proposals to equip the nation’s air force with modern fighters. These were submitted by the Swedish government, offering newly produced Saab Gripen C/Ds; the US and Portuguese governments, jointly offering ex-US Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs to be upgraded to the mid-life update standard by Ogma; and an Italian bid using second-hand Tranche 1-standard Eurofighter Typhoons.
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03/17/2017
On Thursday, North Korea denounced the US and South Korea for conducting joint military drills near the divided peninsula using the USS Carl Vinson and US strategic bombers, accusing the two nations of "escalating nuclear attack threats" against Pyongyang.
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03/17/2017
Tests of Russia’s Beriev A-100 airborne early warning and control (AWACS) prototype aircraft are set to begin in July 2017, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said Thursday. The A-100 is based on the Il-76MD-90A transport aircraft, and it is expected to replace the Beriev A-50 Mainstay AWACS aircraft currently in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces.
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03/17/2017
During his visit to Colombia, Swedish Industry Minister Mikael Damberg signed off on a defense cooperation agreement. Sweden's Saab is particularly enthusiastic about the agreement, which may help the troubled airplane manufacturer sell some of its vaunted Gripen fighter jets.
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03/16/2017
Northrop Grumman won a contract to provide the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) with pods containing a multi-sensor targeting and surveillance system known as LITENING for use on F-16 aircraft. LITENING allows coordinated air-to-ground and air-to-air capabilities, data links for cooperative targeting, laser spot search and track, laser markers and J-series weapons employment capabilities.
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03/16/2017
It can fly as high as 6km in the sky, cruise at speeds as fast as 130kmh, and can be deployed up to 200km away from a remote location. This drone - or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) - can also fly for more than 24 hours continuously, and take off and land automatically.
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03/16/2017
China is taking a page from the Pentagon's playbook under the Obama administration: it's partnering with tech companies to develop more cutting-edge weapons. But China's innovation-focused strategy could elevate the espionage risk to the U.S. Ironically, this new threat emerges as the Trump administration is expected to slow its outreach to the tech firms.
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03/16/2017
Saab’s Gripen E remains on course to make its flight debut during the second quarter of this year, as the Swedish manufacturer steps up its sales efforts for the new-generation fighter and its earlier C/D-standard variant.
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03/16/2017
On a frigid February day, there is no sanctuary from the biting winds at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio. Yet even as the Midwestern gusts whip across vast fields and over immense hangars, the US Air Force’s colossal C-17 Globemasters soar over the base with ease.
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03/16/2017
Boeing has scored a $371 million contract to modify supply chain services for the F-15 fighter aircraft used by the US Air Force, the Department of Defense announced in a press release.
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03/16/2017
Satellite footage taken on March 6 reveals the construction of a port that analysts believe could turn out to be a military installation on the North Island of the Paracels Island group. Focus, a Taiwanese news agency, reported that leaders in Taipei are "keeping close tabs" on the construction work, which has so far included land-clearing and "preparation for a harbor."
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03/16/2017
The Russian Navy has begun overhauling its fleet of shipborne helicopters as part of a state arms procurement program running into 2025, the Russian Defense Ministry’s press office said Wednesday.
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03/16/2017
The US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson will join the annual US-South Korean military exercises following a port call in the South Korean city of Busan, the US Navy announced in a press release on Wednesday.
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03/16/2017
BAE Systems recently completed a series of trials with the Eurofighter Typhoon, testing its high precision MBDA Brimstone air-to-surface weapon. The trials were held at BAE Systems' facility in Warton, Lancashire, as part of the Phase 3 Enhancement package for the Typhoon aircraft. The effort supports the Centurion program, which aims to transition the U.K. Royal Air Force from Tornado capabilities to the Typhoon by the end of 2018.
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03/16/2017
Tailhook landings by land-based aircraft are used in emergency situations to arrest planes experiencing failures that could imply a braking or steering malfunction. Like the one shown in the video.
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03/15/2017
Dassault’s 2016 is perfectly summed up by its chief executive Éric Trappier: “I would prefer that besides the Rafale’s success that we also had more Falcon orders.” But the French airframer, it seems, cannot have both: either the Rafale multirole fighter is struggling and its Falcon business jets are soaring, so to speak, or the opposite is true.
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03/15/2017
On 13 March, the Canadian government sent the letter outlining capabilities, schedule and economic benefit requirements for the interim acquisition of 18 Super Hornets. Canada expects a response from the US as early as this fall, a 14 March government press release states. The US Department of Defense will then develop an official proposal with Boeing and sub-tier suppliers, including a notification to Congress on the potential Super Hornet sale to Canada.
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03/15/2017
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) cited PLA air force aviation expert Fu Qianshao saying that Beijing would send planes near THAAD to obstruct the system’s long-range radar signals. China has been particularly vocal in decrying THAAD, prompting US Defense Secretary James Mattis to address both their and Moscow’s complaints in February, saying, "there is no other nation that needs to be concerned about THAAD other than North Korea," according to CNN.
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03/14/2017
The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft takes center stage this week during Pacific Air Forces’ inaugural F-35 Symposium. The two-day conference, which starts tomorrow, marks the largest gathering of the region’s F-35 experts, including senior officers and warfighters from Japan, Australia and South Korea as well as the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force, PACAF officials said.
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03/14/2017
Bulgaria will start assessing the offers it has received for the supply of a new type of combat aircraft on March 14, the defence ministry said on Monday. The defence ministry sent a request for proposal for the procurement of a new type of combat aircraft to Italy, Portugal and the United States, and Sweden in December 2016 to replace the Bulgarian Air Force's ageing fleet of Russian-made MiG fighter jets.
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03/14/2017
The Royal Malaysian Air Force faces an uncertain future for its capability development plans, given the government’s budgetary limitations, constrained by slow economic growth and falling oil revenues.
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03/14/2017
Iran may find itself at the forefront of drone warfare, after deploying a jamming device that not only seizes control of a remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), but can use the compromised aircraft against its operator.
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03/14/2017
The Chinese fifth-generation stealth fighter Chengdu J-20 will be equipped with domestically manufactured engines soon, Chen Xiangbao, vice-president of the Aero Engine Corp of China (AECC), said on Monday.
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03/13/2017
The United States will deploy an unmanned attack aircraft to its military unit in South Korea to enhance its strike capabilities against ground targets in North Korea, a military official said Monday. The U.S. Army has begun the process to dispatch a squadron, which will operate the Grey Eagle unmanned aircraft, to a U.S. unit in Gunsan (274 kilometers south of Seoul)," the official told Yonhap News Agency asking not to be identified.
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03/13/2017
According to the military hardware experts at BGA-Aeroweb, the average flyaway cost on a Boeing F/A-18-E/F Super Hornet fighter jet is $60.9 million. Upgrade that warbird to an electronic warfare specialist like Boeing's EA-18G Growler, and you can expect to pay much more - $80.4 million per copy.
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03/13/2017
A squadron of advanced South Korean T-50 training planes and C-130 military transport aircraft landed in Taiwan's southern city Kaohsiung for refueling last Saturday. The squadron is comprised of six T-50 training planes and two military transport aircraft C-130. Three of the training planes departed Taiwan on Sunday afternoon, while the remaining planes will leave the country on March 13, 2017, said Deputy Director of Kaohsiung International Airport Yi-chung Sun.
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03/13/2017
Liu Kui, of the Naval Equipment Research Institute of the PLA Navy, said that the recent decommissioning of INS Viraat, which left India with one aircraft carrier, had shown that India's long-time strategy to dominate the Indian Ocean with three aircraft carriers was "falling flat".
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03/13/2017
Nairobi’s envoy to Washington met with the American politician seeking to block Kenya’s $418 million (Sh42 billion) purchase of military aircraft to fight Al-Shabaab. United States Congressman Ted Budd and Kenya’s Ambassador to the US Robinson Njeru Githae had a “productive conversation” that lasted 45-minutes in the congressman’s office on Capitol Hill, said Mr James Braid, Mr Budd’s deputy chief of staff. Mr Githae was not available for comment.
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03/13/2017
Boeing has won a five year contract to sustain Seoul’s fleet of F-15K fighter aircraft. The contract involves both materials and technical support, and will see Boeing use local suppliers to maintain and manufacture F-15K components, says the US airframer. Boeing’s initial support deal was signed in 2012. The US company did not provide a value for the contract renewal.
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03/13/2017
Head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov said that a group of US and German specialists will carry out an observation flight over the Russian territory under the Open Skies Treaty on March 13-18, while Russian experts will carry out observation flights over Germany and the Benelux Union states.
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03/13/2017
Russia’s Su-34 fighter-bombers, which proved highly effective in the fight against terrorists in Syria, will be upgraded with new avionics, military expert Boris Rozhin told Sputnik. “The share of modern weapons systems in our Aerospace Forces is about 66 percent now, and is slated to reach 70 percent by 2020,” Rozhin said.
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03/12/2017
A force of several dozen armed private security contractors from Russia operated until last month in a part of Libya that is under the control of regional leader Khalifa Haftar, the head of the firm that hired the contractors told Reuters. It is the clearest signal to date that Moscow is prepared to back up its public diplomatic support for Haftar – even at the risk of alarming Western governments already irked at Russia’s intervention in Syria to prop up President Bashar al-Assad.
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03/12/2017
The military has completed its after-action review of the controversial raid in Yemen in January, with several defense officials providing details of the findings to CNN Friday. They described why the raid was launched, how the battle became so intense, what led to the death of a Navy SEAL and several civilians, and the usefulness of the intelligence gained.
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03/12/2017
Women have redefined gender roles in the workplace, and the Philippine Air Force (PAF), the air unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, is no exception. The sight of women working in the military — where physical prowess and aggression are expected — is both a breakthrough and a continuing challenge for women who find themselves in male-dominated and male-identified jobs.
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03/12/2017
Iran wants to increase its defense tech cooperation with Russia, including the joint development of more anti-missile defense systems and fighter aircraft, Emad Abshenass of Iran Press told Sputnik.
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03/12/2017
An upgraded version of Russia's Su-34 fighter bomber will be equipped with a sophisticated electronic countermeasures system that will allow one such warplane to protect a squadron of other strike fighters from enemy radar, Russian military expert Viktor Murakhovsky told Sputnik.
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03/11/2017
With the decommissioning of INS Viraat -- world’s oldest aircraft carrier -- on Monday, India is left with a single carrier, the INS Vikramaditya. Now it is steadily pacing towards having a second carrier, an indigenous one, which will be called the Vikrant like the first ever Indian carrier.
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03/11/2017
A major issue for U.S. defense planners looking to an intensifying competition for military overmatch vis-à-vis prospective high-end adversaries, is the shrinking U.S. aerospace and defense sector. Decades of consolidation, driven by declining defense budgets, increasingly onerous regulations, the scarcity of major new programs, the war on profits and an unpredictable customer, has reduced the number of competitors in the major product lines to less than a handful of prime contractors.
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03/11/2017
New Delhi was the only export customer for the type, which has been used primarily in the anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol roles, in addition to performing photographic and radio reconnaissance missions. Increasing maintenance costs, obsolescence-related issues and the induction of India’s new Boeing P-8I maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft have been cited as reasons for the decision to phase out the aged type.
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03/11/2017
Concerns over the future of an Anglo-French project to develop an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) in the wake of the UK’s decision to leave the EU are real but not insurmountable, believes one of the two companies spearheading the programme.
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03/11/2017
China has put its new Chengdu J20 stealth fighter jet in service, in efforts to develop a marine corps and a “first class” Navy, while simultaneously narrowing the military gap with US. Beijing’s military is undergoing major upgrades, complete with advanced submarines and anti-satellite missiles, all under the supervision of President Xi Jinping.
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03/11/2017
Sources from the Indian Defense Ministry have told The Times of India that Delhi would participate in the joint development of a new PAK FA-derived fifth gen fighter in cooperation with Russia only if the Russian side included full-scale technology transfer as part of the deal. Russian experts are divided over the implications of this ultimatum.
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03/11/2017
The loss of two fighter jets from the aircraft wing of Russia's Admiral Kuznetsov cruiser during the operation in Syria in 2016 was caused by the break of the carrier's arresting wire, a defense industry source told Sputnik on Friday.
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03/10/2017
Some F-35B STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) are taking part in Exercise Foal Eagle in South Korea, according to U.S. military sources who talked to Yonhap News Agency. The aircraft Lightning II will carry out “ground attack” tasks during the two-month drills. “The addition of the F-35B is meant to deliver a strong message to the North that they could be used against the rogue state in case of a conflict breaking out on the Korean Peninsula”.
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03/10/2017
China’s cyber capabilities are continuously evolving in parallel with the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) ongoing military reforms and modernization drives. As the PLA invests in the development of comprehensive cyber capabilities, the character of future conflicts in East Asia will increasingly reflect cyber-kinetic strategic interactions.
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03/10/2017
The Kremlin plans to buy 10 new Sukhoi Su-35S fighter aircraft in 2017, a top Russian defense official disclosed to state-controlled media. Russia's aircraft procurement plans for the year were discussed by First Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov during an interview with the TASS news agency.
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03/10/2017
China has put into service its new generation J-20 stealth fighter, a warplane it hopes will narrow the military gap with the United States, as senior naval officers said the country was building a "first class" navy and developing a marine corps. Chinese President Xi Jinping is overseeing a sweeping modernization of the country's armed forces, the largest in the world, including anti-satellite missiles and advanced submarines, seeking to project power far from its shores.
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03/10/2017
Georgia is to get rid of its fleet of 12 combat aircraft and replace them with drones, Eurasianet reported on March 7 citing Brigadier General Vladimir Chichibaia. Only one of the dozen Russian-made Sukhoi Su-25 jets has flown recently because the supplier of parts - Russia - has declined to provide them to Georgia.
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03/10/2017
After parting ways with Raytheon, Leonardo is flying solo in the US Air Force’s T-X trainer competition but still plans to establish final assembly for the M-346 trainer derivative in the USA.. The Italian company will announce the location of the manufacturing facility soon, DRS chief executive Bill Lynn told FlightGlobal in a 9 March interview. The T-100 will maintain the M-346’s two Honeywell F124 engines, which are manufactured in Arizona, and its CAE simulators will be built in Florida.
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03/10/2017
The aircraft carrier last sailed under her own power in July 2016, and the fighter compliment of British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS51 fighters were phased out in May 2016. Apart from the Sea Harrier, the integral airborne compliment of the ship comprised Sea King Mk 42Bs, Mk 42 Cs and the Hindustan Aeronautics-built Chetak (SA316 Alouette III). The Dhruv ALH and Kamov Ka-31 were also operated from the aircraft carrier.
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03/10/2017
The US government is working on a plan to replace Afghanistan’s Russian-made fleet of Mi-17 transport helicopters, US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Gen. Joseph Votel told Congress on Thursday.
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03/10/2017
In what could aggravate concern in India, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), China's largest missile maker, is developing a stealth military drone that can evade anti-aircraft weapons."The company is focusing on the development of a long-endurance stealth drone and a near-space drone," said Wei Yiyin, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp's deputy general manager and a member of the CPPCC National Committee, to China Daily.
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03/08/2017
Fifteen years after the Australian government signed on to the Joint Strike Fighter program to deliver a fifth-generation fighter, the F-35 was the star of the recent Avalon Airshow. The appearance of the Lockheed Martin stealth fighters in Australia has long been anticipated and comes in advance of their official delivery to the Australian government in 2018.
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03/08/2017
The MiG-35 is the favourite to win the recently announced tender for 8 multi-role fighters for the Bangladesh Air Force, the official representative of the Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade (CAWAT) told RIA Novosti on Mar. 3. Russia’s Su-35, MiG-35 and Su-30SM are the leading contenders in the tender, the CAWAT official said. The MiG-35 is the only Russian platform equipped with an active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar, he added.
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03/08/2017
Eight of the world’s 20 biggest military forces by troop numbers are in East Asia, with Japan coming 21st, but the Military Strength Index compiled by Credit Suisse gives only a 5 per cent weighting to personnel on the ground, placing greater importance on a country’s access to military hardware such as tanks, aircraft and warships.
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03/08/2017
For some time now, various news outlets have claimed that Israel is already using its pair of recently-delivered F-35I Adirs in a combat role even before they've been declared operational by the Israeli Air Force. But today, military aviation journalist Thomas Newdick conveyed a report by a French journalist that not only claimed the F-35Is have been active over Syria, but also details what targets they specifically took out on their mission there.
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03/08/2017
The Indian Navy has launched a global search for maritime fighter jets it plans to operate from future aircraft carriers and is awaiting response from top military contractors on what they have to offer. The navy wants 57 multi-role carrier-borne fighters (MRCBF) and the potential order could get bigger with an option clause to buy more jets. The hunt for new deck-based fighters comes at a time when the navy is left with just a solitary aircraft carrier.
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03/08/2017
BlueBird chief executive Ronen Nadir reveals that the new version will not use the flying wing shape of the original MicroB. “We came to the conclusion that this shape limits the aerodynamic capabilities of this small UAV,” he says.
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03/08/2017
In a move analysts expect will inflame tensions between regional powers in the East and South China Seas, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called on the National People’s Congress for reinforcements to increase manpower in waters Beijing claims are integral to the country’s destiny, Chinese media reported.
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03/08/2017
Germany will purchase three MQ-4C Triton aerial surveillance drones manufactured in the United States instead of its initial plans to acquire RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance aircraft because of their high price, local media reported Tuesday, citing sources from the German Defense Ministry.
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03/07/2017
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen is risking a new showdown with Beijing by stepping up military capabilities to protect holdings in the widely contested South China Sea. The navy of Taiwan, a diplomatically isolated government that claims the entire sea and controls its largest land feature, will increase patrols in the 3.5 million-square-kilometer body of water because of China's own growing military might, Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan told parliament in Taipei last week.
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03/07/2017
The USS Carl Vinson, which is steaming through the South China Sea, is just one of several high-profile displays of U.S. naval power as President Donald Trump's administration weighs options of how to reassure allies and respond to an assertive China.
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03/07/2017
The modernization of the flagship of the Russian Navy, the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, will commence before July 2017 at the Zvezdochka shipyard in Severodvinsk in Northern Russia and will take two and a half years, according to a Russian defense industry source.
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03/07/2017
As the Trump administration's budget plans come into sharper focus, it is increasingly clear that the Pentagon will not be getting enough money to recover from the depressed investment levels of the Obama years. Trump's proposed defense spending level for next year is only 3% above what Obama planned, and there is no guarantee that Congress will repeal budget caps precluding robust investment in new weapons.
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03/07/2017
Missile launches by North Korea confirm that the decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to South Korea was right, US Department of Defense spokesman Navy Commander Gary Ross told Sputnik.
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03/06/2017
A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves.
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03/06/2017
The ship — dubbed Project 001A, or CV17, is likely to be launched within weeks. Adding to the atmosphere of expectation is a Beijing state-media video ‘infographic’ outlining the modular design and advanced construction of the as yet unnamed aircraft carrier being built in the Chinese port city of Dalian.
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03/06/2017
A Syrian air force pilot who bailed out as his warplane crashed on Turkish territory told a Turkish rescue team his MiG-23 had been shot down, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Sunday. The 56-year-old pilot was identified as Mehmet Sufhan, and medical staff said he was not in critical condition despite some fractures in his spine. He is being treated at a hospital in the Hatay region, a hospital spokeswoman said on Sunday.
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03/06/2017
Although combat aircraft such as the J-31 stealth fighter and J-15 aircraft carrier strike aircraft have made most of the headlines, China has made significant accomplishments in the realm of military transport, long range maritime patrol and carrier borne AEW&C aircraft over the past year. First operational in 2016, the Y-20 military transport is now the largest such aircraft in production in the world.
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03/06/2017
According to the Tasnim news agency, Iranian experts conducted a number of tests of the Russian missile systems. The tests included all phases, namely, detection, identification, interception and target shooting.
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03/04/2017
An official representative of Russia’s Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade said that Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation with its advanced MiG-35 fighter jets is one of the key candidates to win a contract to deliver eight multi-role combat aircraft to the Bangladesh Air Force.
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03/04/2017
Of the 16 Orion surveillance planes in the RAAF's fleet, there are two they do not talk about. These special Orions are effectively flying electronic spies, with state-of-the-art, intelligence-gathering equipment allowing them to hoover up electronic signals from other planes and ships as they quietly perform routine patrols over the waters to Australia's north.
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03/04/2017
The US Air Force is planning a light attack aircraft experiment at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico this summer, marking the service’s first step to introduce a new, low-cost fighter. The USAF chief and acting secretary will direct the experiment this week, which would continue work from a previous US Special Operations Command effort known as Combat Dragon.
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03/04/2017
Northrop Grumman changed leadership at its JSTARS sustainment facility after the US Air Force grounded almost a quarter of the E-8C fleet for inspection. Last September, the USAF initiated an investigation for safety of flight issues on four of the 17 JSTARS delivered from depot maintenance at Northrop’s sustainment facility in Lake Charles, Georgia. Northrop has since assigned new executive leadership and implemented operational improvements at Lake Charles, according to a Northrop spokesman.
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03/04/2017
Leonardo has built on its recent sales success with the French military by adding another contract for its unmanned air system-carried PicoSAR surveillance payload.
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03/04/2017
Boeing has received a $46.3 million contract to provide support services for the fleet of F-15SA Eagle fighter-bombers operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force, the Department of Defense said in a press release.
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03/04/2017
All Russian aviation flights are carried out in accordance with international safety standards, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday in response to the US military's accusations of four close calls with Russian planes last month.
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03/03/2017
Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Defence Purchases (DGDP) has issued a global tender for eight multi-role combat aircraft plus four options for the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF). The new fighters are being sought for fortifying Bangladesh’s defensibility against aerial threats as well as providing it with a platform for anti-surface, maritime and offensive counter-air operations, Quwa reported Wednesday.
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03/03/2017
US aircraft manufacturer Boeing is suing the government for rejecting its bid to produce Denmark’s new fighter aircraft. Boeing’s Super Hornet lost out to a competitor, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter, which will become Denmark’s new fighter. Boeing is bringing the suit against the Defence Ministry because it wants to see the documents that led to the government choosing the F-35 over the Super Hornet – material the government has thus far failed to deliver.
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03/03/2017
The US Air Force’s KC-Z tanker may not be stealthy, but should be persistent and able to change its waveform signature management, according to the service’s head of air mobility command. Gen Carlton Everhart clarified earlier comments he made last September, when he told reporters the USAF was considering whether the next-generation tanker should include standoff, stealth or penetrating capabilities.
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03/03/2017
Boeing and Leonardo’s joint bid for the US Air Force’s UH-1N Huey helicopter recapitalisation did not take off last week after a system aboard the AW139 failed. Though an impending thunderstorm had threatened to cancel the 25 February media flight, reporters were waiting on the ground next to the helicopter after one of its modular avionics units malfunctioned.
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03/03/2017
Vietnam is considering a purchase of advanced weapon systems from Israel, with the nation’s air force eyeing an advanced version of the Israel Military Industries (IMI) Delilah standoff-range air-to-surface missile.
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03/03/2017
Chinese aircraft and seagoing vessels have increased the level of military operations being conducted near Taiwan in recent days, prompting the self-governing island to warn the world of a growing Chinese threat. Japanese jets have also scrambled to observe Chinese maritime military movements.
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03/03/2017
The US military has carried out 20 airstrikes in Yemen against the positions of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (banned in Russia), US Department of Defense Spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said in a press release on Thursday.
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03/03/2017
The naval aircraft of Russia's Black Sea Fleet have expanded their operational range to the entire perimeter of the Black Sea, Lt. Col. Andrei Kogut, deputy commander of the fleet's naval aviation regiment, told Sputnik on Thursday.
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03/03/2017
In a follow up to recent reports that Russian designers have made the first full-size model of the Russia's next-generation strategic bomber, known as the Advanced Long-Range Aviation Complex (PAK DA), Russian defense analysts explained why the country needs such an advanced aircraft.
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03/02/2017
U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
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03/02/2017
China has for years been whittling away at the US military's asymmetrical advantage in conventional military strength with a naval buildup, building and militarizing artificial islands in the South China Sea, and creating systems and weapons custom built to negate the US's technological advantage.
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03/02/2017
The U.S. Air Force, faced with a potentially protracted war against the Islamic State, aging fighter jets and a shrinking force of pilots, is examining the adoption of a new fleet of “light-attack” planes that are both a throwback to earlier U.S. operations and a current staple of militaries in South America and the Middle East.
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03/02/2017
It isn’t an aircraft that will redefine the rules of air-warfare. However, the Tejas LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) is far better as a package, than merely being a safer and reliable replacement for the aging Mig-21. Sure it spent almost 33 years inside a womb, but now that it has come out, it isn’t late. It’s just a late bloomer whose umbilical cord is still connected to the National Flight Test Center in Bangalore.
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03/02/2017
British aircraft have participated in the campaign against ISIS in Iraq, which is currently moving on the terror group's last urban stronghold in the country. Dozens of countries have committed personnel and resources to the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. While the US had assumed a leading role in the coalition, the British military has assisted the campaign on both the ground and in the air.
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03/02/2017
In a recent press release, the private contract air support company Draken International praised the Aero Vodochody L-159 advanced light combat aircraft for its role as an aggressor fighter platform during the U.S. Marine Corps’ recent air exercises, Agile Lightning and Wing Fury, which took place in January 2017. As per Draken International, the Aero L-159 is configured with subsystems found in contemporary combat aircraft, such as modern pulse-Doppler radars.
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03/02/2017
The Royal Australian Air Force has achieved final operational capability for its fleet of Airbus Defence & Space A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft. Designated as the KC-30A in RAAF service, the milestone signifies that the full capability of the aircraft, including using its refueling boom, is now available.
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03/02/2017
In a sign that Israel and India are strengthening ties, the two nations have agreed to a huge weapons deal to jointly expand India’s aerial defense systems. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to a deal for a medium-range surface-to-air (MRSAM) missile system to be produced by Israeli Aerospace Industries and India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the Mail Today reports.
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03/02/2017
This Wednesday marked the start of annual military exercises by the United States and South Korea, described by the North as preparation for an invasion, South Korean media reported.
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03/01/2017
Aircraft major The Boeing CompanyBA clinched a contract for the procurement of seven EA-18G and five F/A 18E aircraft. Per the terms of the agreement, the company will also obtain airborne electronic attack kits associated with the EA-18G jets. Valued at $678.7 million, this contract was awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD.
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03/01/2017
The US Navy awarded Lockheed Martin more than $1 billion in logistics and sustainment services for the F-35 Lightning II programme, according to a Defense Department contract announced this week.
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03/01/2017
Sikorsky and its parent company, Lockheed Martin, would add 84 HH-60Us to the USAF’s existing inventory of three U-model Black Hawks, according to a 28 February Sikorsky press release. “The Air Force previously assigned the HH-60U designation to three UH-60M Black Hawk aircraft, adding among other modifications an electro-optical sensor and a rescue hoist,” the release states. “Air Force pilots and special mission aviators began flying the HH-60U in 2011.”
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03/01/2017
An influential think-tank has unveiled a vision of a future US Navy strike group composed of two aircraft carriers and supporting ships with 110 aircraft, including new requirements for a stealthy attack unmanned air system (UAS) and a manned fighter optimised for the air-to-air mission.
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03/01/2017
Warsaw launched negotiations in late February linked to a planned eight-aircraft deal to support special forces operations, for which the S-70i is competing with the Leonardo Helicopters AgustaWestland AW149 and Airbus Helicopters H225M. It is expected to issue a further request linked to a larger acquisition of utility helicopters, and later will advance a Kruk programme requirement to replace its assault-roled Mil Mi-24s.
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03/01/2017
The Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft has made its air show debut in Royal Australian Air Force livery, as Canberra pitches in funds to develop the next generation jammer. Two EA-18Gs arrived at Airshow Australia following a transit from the US Navy air station on Whidbey Island, says Australia’s Department of Defence.
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03/01/2017
Textron believes that Canberra could be on the verge of issuing a request for proposals for an electronic warfare training jet, says Tom Webster, who heads sales for the US company in the Asia-Pacific. The requirement would be small, for about three aircraft, and would likely see Textron team with a local partner. Textron also believes that Canberra would not obtain the aircraft itself, but rather outsource the work to industry partners, possibly on a “pay by the hour” basis.
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03/01/2017
“We’ve got a real winner on our hands,” says USMC Lt. Gen. John Davis in a media briefing. He states that exercises have shown the short-takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 to be a potent “killing machine.” The Marines have three squadrons equipped with the aircraft. VMFA-121 and VMFA-211 have achieved initial operating capability. VMFAT-501 is a training squadron.
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03/01/2017
Russian President Putin and Turkish President Erdogan will discuss the purchase of S-400 air defense missile systems during their upcoming meeting in Moscow, Turkish chief presidential adviser Ilnur Cevik said Tuesday.
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02/28/2017
The F-35C is a key part of the evolving carrier air wing. Its importance was highlighted in an interview we did with the current Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Systems (OPNAV N9) when he was head of Naval Air Warfare at N98.
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02/28/2017
Boeing is firing back at a group of former Canadian air force commanders who are asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reconsider a plan to buy Super Hornet aircraft as an interim measure for Canada’s fighter jet capability gap.
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02/28/2017
Airbus says the company has moved a senior manager to help the troubled A400M program amid reports of tension between the airlifter's prime contractor and engine supplier Safran. “We confirm that Michael Menking, currently (head of) Earth observation, navigation and science in Airbus Defence and Space, will be the new (head of) A400M program from March 1,” an Airbus Defence and Space spokesman said.
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02/28/2017
Draken International, operator of the largest privately-owned fleet of ex-military aircraft in the world, marked another milestone providing adversary “Red Air” support for the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in support of Agile Lightning and Wing Fury from 26 to 31 January 2017.
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02/28/2017
Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Elta North America subsidiary has been awarded a $15.5 million, fixed-price contract to provide the US Air Force with counter-unmanned air system equipment.
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02/28/2017
Air Marshall Leo Davies says that progress has been made under the auspices of Project Jericho, an initiative launched by his predecessor to more tightly network the nation’s air force, and also strengthen connectivity with the country’s army and navy. Still, more needs to be done.
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02/28/2017
India is planning to develop its own long-range airborne early warning and control system (AEW&C) in six years in order to fill the gaps in its aerial surveillance not covered by the recently developed Indian Netra system, Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said Monday.
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02/27/2017
Japan's Defense Ministry has doubled the number of fighter jets scrambled in each response to foreign airplanes approaching its airspace on the back of China's intensifying military activities around the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, government sources said Saturday. Japan's Air Self-Defense Force began scrambling four fighter jets since last year in each case of potential airspace violation by foreign aircraft, they said.
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02/27/2017
The RAAF’s first F-35’s will be making their debut Australian appearance at the Avalon air show this week. It’s not a combat-capable aircraft, yet, though the first partially operational US squadron of the type was deployed to Japan earlier this year. But Beijing state media has boasted its scientists have successfully tested a new type of radar capable of defeating stealth technology at ranges out to 100km.
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02/27/2017
The Navy has carried out a mega exercise which saw participation of its strategic assets including nuclear-powered submarine and aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, besides Su-30 and Jaguar fighter jets of IAF. The Theatre-level Readiness and Operational Exercise (TROPEX) was conducted to test combat readiness of the combined fleets of the Navy, the Air Force, the Army and the Coast Guard.
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02/27/2017
CEO of Russia's Rostec State Corporation Sergey Chemezov claims that Russia's counter-terrorist campaign in Syria has given a boost to global demand for Russian arms.
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02/27/2017
US and French inspectors will conduct an aerial surveillance flight over Russia under the Treaty on Open Skies between February 27 and March 4, the head of Russia's Nuclear Risk Reduction Center said Monday.
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02/27/2017
Russian inspectors will conduct an aerial surveillance flight over Turkey between February 27 and March 3 within the scope of the Treaty on Open Skies, the head of Russia's Nuclear Risk Reduction Center said Monday.
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02/27/2017
In its effort to boost the country’s air defense, Vietnam is choosing between Russian Yak-130 and Czech L-39 New Generation planes for its future center for training pilots of supersonic fighter aircraft.
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02/27/2017
Russia’s Aerospace Forces and naval aviation will have their air fleets boosted this year by a total of 160 planes and helicopters, Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev announced on Sunday.
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02/26/2017
Local officials are implementing a full-scale effort to garner community support for Selfridge Air National Guard Base to secure a fleet of the next-generation fighter jet. Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel and Brig. Gen. John D. Slocum, commander of the 127th Wing at SANG, conducted a news conference Feb. 21 to announce a campaign to tout the benefits of attracting a squadron of the F-35 Lightening II, a fifth-generation fighter, to the base.
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02/26/2017
In World War II, the U.S. Navy made extensive use of small aircraft carriers, ranging from very small carriers escorting convoys (CVEs) to light aircraft carriers (CVLs) that were essentially downsized models of the iconic big carriers (CVs). CVLs could handle post-WWII jets. However, the Navy concluded super carriers made more sense strategically and economically.
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02/26/2017
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets yesterday successfully intercepted a group of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) moving in an Hilux vehicle mounted with anti-aircraft gun. The armed vehicle was sighted at Talala in Northern Borno by an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft on patrol, which then called for strike by combat platform.
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02/26/2017
Activity at North Korea's Punggye-ri Nuclear Test facility indicates that the country could conduct another nuclear test at any time, a North Korean watchdog warns. The website 38 North, which monitors commercial satellite imagery for clues to North Korea's actions, says the continued activity in many areas of the Punggye-ri site shown by images from February 18 indicate that work is underway at many of the site's tunnels.
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02/26/2017
The Russian State Scientific Research Institute of Aviation Systems (GosNIIAS) is working on an extremely long-range cruise missile as part of efforts aimed at modernizing the Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported, citing GosNIIAS' First Deputy of the General Director and Supervisor of Studies Evgeny Fedosov.
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02/25/2017
The US Air Force’s F-35A will fight ISIS in the near future, but don’t expect to see the Lockheed Martin Lightning II flying over Iraq or Syria this year. The F-35A’s Middle East deployment is not imminent and is planned a few years out, USAF Air Combat Command chief Gen Herbert Carlisle told reporters 24 February.
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02/25/2017
The US Air Force announced in a press release on Friday it is retiring the 21-year-old MQ-1 Predator drone and is transitioning to the MQ-9 Reaper. "The MQ-9 is better equipped than the MQ-1 due to its high definition sensors and increased speed," the release stated. "The fresh MQ-9 design picked up where the MQ-1 left off, boasting a nearly 4,000-pound payload and the ability to carry missiles and bombs."
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02/25/2017
The US Air Force has equipped its fleet of 20 B-2 Spirit stealth bombers with flight-management-control processors that officials say enhance the performance of onboard computer systems by a factor of 1,000, Scout reports.
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02/25/2017
Developers of the Russian new-generation strategic bomber, known as the Advanced Long-Range Aviation Complex (PAK DA), have defended the preliminary design of the project, according to Evgeniy Fedorov, scientific director of the Russian State Research Institute of Aviation Systems.
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02/25/2017
Ankara has expressed interest in purchasing the S-400 Triumf mobile surface-to-air missile systems from Russia to develop its own air defense system, Turkish MP Ahmet Berat Conkar of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) told Sputnik Turkey.
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02/24/2017
Kenya's bid to buy $418 million attack aircraft from an American firm was on Wednesday facing an uncertain future after five US legislators asked Congress to stop the deal because it was "inflated", saying the cost was doubled. Congressman Ted Budd is leading four of his colleagues in a bid to block the sale of 12 attack aircraft and two trainer planes to the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), which plans to use them in the war on the Al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia.
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02/24/2017
As the US starts to forward-deploy more of its F-35 Lightning, China and Russia have been putting the finishing touches on their own batches of fifth-generation aircraft — and they all express vastly different ideas about what the future of air combat will look like.
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02/24/2017
Now Dan Gillian, who heads the Boeing fighter-jet program, is plotting upgrades to keep the F/A-18 flying through the 2040s -- and even looking at increasing the production rate. The U.S. Navy may need at least 100 of the Super Hornets over the next five years while it waits for Lockheed’s next version of the F-35. Boeing also sees opportunities for additional sales from India, Finland and Switzerland.
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02/24/2017
Team Spartan filed a 6 January application for judicial review before the Federal Court challenging the Public Services and Procurement Canada’s award decision, according to a 23 February Team Spartan press release. During the protracted competition, Airbus had pitted their C295 turboprop against Leonardo’s C-27J Spartan. Brazilian-based Embraer also put forth its KC-390 twinjet and Lockheed Martin ultimately backed out of its HC-130J proposal.
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02/24/2017
During a 23 February speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, USAF chief Gen David Goldfein told the audience the experiment would not cost much money. In January, Goldfein said the USAF would run an experiment in the spring assessing off-the-shelf options to fill a low-end fighter role.
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02/24/2017
Italy has received the first of 10 NH Industries NH90 troop transport helicopters destined for its navy, which will be used to perform special forces and amphibious support missions.
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02/24/2017
Following a request from India’s Defense Ministry, New Delhi’s Air Force has decided not to make an acquisition request for the British Advanced Hawk trainer aircraft, due to a recent bribery scandal.
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02/24/2017
US officials are reporting that China has almost completed constructing two dozen buildings on its artificial islands in the South China Sea. The structures, according to reports, are intended to contain long-range surface-to-air missiles.
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02/24/2017
?apt. 1st Rank Sergey Artamonov, the commander of the Russian Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, stated that he was looking forward to the introduction of Kamov Ka-52 Alligator helicopters into service.
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02/24/2017
Ship commander Sergey Artamonov said that the crew of Russia's Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier is prepared for further missions after completing the tour to Syria.
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02/23/2017
The age of the strike carrier is over. As the United States enters an era where the potential for modern great-power war is increasing dramatically in Eurasia, a return to the traditional roles of the aircraft carrier is required to maintain maritime access. Carrier-borne over-land strike warfare has not proved decisive in previous conflicts in heavily contested air defense environments, and will not prove so in the future.
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02/23/2017
The U.S. Air Force’s WC-135 Constant Phoenix aircraft, capable of detecting nuclear explosions, deployed to the United Kingdom last week for a routine mission, the service said Wednesday. The “nuke hunter” plane, also known as the “sniffer,” is on a “pre-planned rotational deployment scheduled in advance,” Air Force spokeswoman Erika Yepsen told Military.com.
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02/23/2017
Russia's next-generation Sukhoi T-50 stealth fighters are being tested for integration with missiles and bombs, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said Tuesday. "Aviation weapons including guided air-to-air, air-to-surface missiles and bombs are being integrated on the fighter T-50, and the aircraft systems are being evaluated," Borisov told the state-run Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily.
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02/23/2017
China's stealthy J-20 fighter-interceptor program continues to gain steam, with deep avionics integration work underway and even reports the jet is already deployed in a semi-operational state. Now the aircraft has appeared in a totally new configuration, toting a quartet of massive auxiliary fuel tanks (aka, drop tanks or "bags") under its usually clean wings.
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02/23/2017
Pakistan has reportedly upped the ante in its ongoing campaign to sell eight Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to Sri Lanka. According to ANI News Service, Islamabad has purportedly offered Colombo an F-7 fighter for free for each JF-17 the Sri Lankan Air Force purchases from Pakistan. (The F-7 is China’s license-built version of the MiG-21, a supersonic third-generation fighter jet.)
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02/23/2017
Leonardo has used the IDEX exhibition in Abu Dhabi to unveil plans to produce a new fighter/attack (FA) version of Aermacchi M-346, to be available from next year. “The new version has been conceived to take advantage of the performances and the introduction of an enhanced mission configuration, based on the proven Grifo-346 multimode radar, to accomplish air-to-air and air-to-surface operations,".
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02/23/2017
Airbus has written to its customers for the A400M military transport in a bid to reduce its financial exposure to programme delays, after the company’s charges on the programme hit €2.2 billion ($2.3 billion) last year.
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02/23/2017
The Naval Research Laboratory has tested its Tactical Battle Manager (TBM) software system that guides drones to serve as "wingmen" to human piloted aircraft, the US Navy announced in a press release.
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02/23/2017
The latest Russian advanced MiG-35 multirole fighter jets could be in demand in the Middle East and may soon be presented to a number of potential buyers from the region, Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) Deputy Director Alexei Frolkin said Wednesday.
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02/22/2017
Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel hosted a news conference Tuesday to discuss how officials are working to bring the F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township. The news conference was at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Zuccaro's Banquet Center in Chesterfield Township. Watch the whole conference below. Hackel's office announced an educational website to promote the effort to get the F-35 to Selfridge - MI35.org
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02/22/2017
NATO jets intercepted a skein of Russian combat aircraft, flying alongside Russian bomber planes above the Baltic Sea last Tuesday and Thursday—twice in a week, Lithuania’s government reports. The uptick of Russian approaches to the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania since Moscow’s annexation of another former Soviet territory—Crimea in 2014—has unnerved and convinced them that the Kremlin may harbor similar designs for their lands.
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02/22/2017
Australian special forces are within 50 kilometres of the frontline of the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul as the ground offensive shifts to liberating the city's west. Australian soldiers are at forward operating bases advising and assisting Iraqi soldiers and providing medical treatment to the wounded. Schools and markets have reopened and life is starting to return to normal for civilians in East Mosul.
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02/22/2017
The United Arab Emirates has agreed to purchase a batch of advanced Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E fighters from Russia. The Flanker-E is the most capable operational Russian combat aircraft would add to the UAE’s already formidable fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16E/F Block 60 Fighting Falcons. More troubling for the United States, the deal is an indication that the UAE—a long-time U.S. ally—is drifting into Moscow’s orbit.
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02/22/2017
Russia and the UAE signed an agreement this week to develop a fifth-generation fighter jet.
The deal was announced by Sergei Chemezov, the CEO of the Rostec State Corporation, at the International Defence Exhibition in Abu Dhabi, the Emirati capital.
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02/22/2017
Indonesia and Russia will likely conclude an agreement for the purchase of up to 10 Russian-made Su-35S multirole fighter jets for the Indonesia Air Force (TNI-AU) in the near future, according to a senior Russian defense industry representative.
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02/22/2017
There was no turning back from my maiden trainer voyage aboard a Lockheed Martin T-50A once the glass canopy closed down above my head. As we slowly taxied down the runway, I mentally prepared myself for the moment I would flatten into my seat upon takeoff. But the afterburner helped lift the T-50 off at 124 knots in 1200 feet for such a smooth departure that I would be disappointed with my commercial flight back home later that evening.
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02/22/2017
Deputy Defense Minister said that tests of the Russian fifth-generation fighter T-50 (PAK FA) are in the process of the integration of missile and bomb armament.
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02/22/2017
Turkish Foreign Minister said that negotiations with Russia on deliveries of advanced S-400 Triumf air defense systems to Turkey are progressing successfully.
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02/22/2017
Russia is considering Iraq's requests for new military equipment deliveries to its armed services, Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) Deputy Director Alexei Frolkin said Tuesday. "Iraq's requests in the interests of all national armed forces are under consideration," Frolkin told reporters at the IDEX-2017 exhibition in the United Arab Emirates.
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02/21/2017
A delivery of 50 MiG-29 fighter aircraft from Russia to Egypt is set to be delivered on schedule by 2020, the deputy director of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) announced on Monday, according to Russian Sputnik news agency. “The delivery will be carried out within the period set out in the contract,” the FSMTC deputy director Alexei Frolkin told reporters on Monday at the IDEX 2017 military exhibition held in the United Arab Emirates.
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02/21/2017
Russia and the UAE will work together to develop light combat aircraft in the coming years, chief executive officer of Rostec corporation told reporters in Abu Dhabi on Monday. “We have signed an inter-governmental agreement with the UAE, and the two sides have agreed to work in the development of fifth generation light combat aircraft. We will try to create a modern aircraft with modern avionics and it is going to be a brand new aircraft,” said Sergey Chemezov .
(Read More...)
02/21/2017
The Israeli air force is to change its procedures for performing asymmetric landings with fighters, following an investigation into a fatal accident involving a Lockheed Martin F-16I “Sufa” on 5 October 2016.
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02/21/2017
Visitors to Aero India this year could be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu. Back in 2011, the soundtrack to the show was the roar of fighter aircraft as eager bidders put their jets through their paces.
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02/21/2017
Today, about 75% of Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) income is generated by defence systems. With this responsibility, the company’s military aircraft group is under heavy pressure to maintain this number – or even increase it.
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02/21/2017
Poland has begun negotiations with three bidders as it looks to acquire 16 helicopters – eight for special forces missions and eight for anti-submarine warfare and maritime search and rescue operations.
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02/21/2017
The development of a Russia-UAE fifth-generation fighter jet based on the MiG-29 (NATO reporting name: "Fulcrum") will be completed no earlier than 2025, the CEO of the Rostec State Corporation said Monday.
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02/21/2017
The United Arab Emirates is interested in possible deliveries of Russia's Su-35 multirole air superiority fighters, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov, who led the Russian delegation at the IDEX 2017 exhibition, said Monday.
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02/20/2017
More than twenty years ago, a military confrontation in East Asia pushed the United States and China uncomfortably close to conflict. Largely unknown in America, the event made a lasting impression on China, especially Chinese military planners. The Third Taiwan Crisis, as historians call it, was China’s introduction to the power and flexibility of the aircraft carrier, something it obsesses about to this day.
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02/20/2017
Canadian military aircraft are once again over the skies of Syria, helping to identify targets in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant months after the Liberals pulled fighter jets from the mission. It has been one year since Canadian CF-18 fighter jets flew their last mission over Syria after the Liberals withdrew the planes in favour of a mission to train local forces and help rebuild areas affected by fighting.
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02/20/2017
It is a potent fighter and when it flies past, it leaves the skies stunned. Sukhoi MKI 30s — the multirole combat fighter — with its super manoeuvrable capacities has been a delight for spectators at any aero show. At the ‘Aero India 2017’, these birds and their commanders once again showcased their prowess leaving not only admirers but also a trail of pride behind.
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02/20/2017
At a time when the information technology city, claiming to be the aerospace capital of India, is increasingly looked upon by the leading global aviation companies for development of future supersonic fighter gets, a major research and development joint venture (JV) between Hindustan Aeronautic Limited (HAL) and Swedish aircraft major SAAB for manufacturing airborne electronic warfare systems has silently been taken out of Bengaluru to Hyderabad.
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02/20/2017
The United States and Russia maintain their leading positions in exports of major weapons during the period of 2012-2016 jointly amounting to 56 percent of global arms exports, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said Monday.
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02/20/2017
The S-500 Prometey, also known as 55R6M Triumfator-M, is a cutting-edge anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic missile system currently under development in Russia. The S-500, designed by Almaz Antei, is said to have a range of 600 kilometers. The system can simultaneously intercept up to ten ballistic and hypersonic missiles traveling at a speed of up to 7 kilometers per second.
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02/20/2017
The Russian Helicopters company, part of the Rostec state corporation, has started the production of the multirole Mi-171A2 helicopters and plans to produce at least four aircraft in 2017, the company's CEO Andrey Boginsky said Sunday.
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02/20/2017
Six countries in Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East consider buying Russia’s new Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets armed with BrahMos cruise missiles, BrahMos Aerospace representative Previn Pahtak told Sputnik.
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02/19/2017
U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
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02/19/2017
Two F-15s intercepted an “unresponsive general aviation aircraft” near Palm Beach, causing the sonic boom as they traveled from Miami-Dade County, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command. The air space around Mar-a-Lago is restricted while President Donald Trump is in town.
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02/19/2017
SDI, a platform that publishes reports on the global defense industry has stated that Morocco plans to import more weapons and defense materials by 2022. Morocco intends to make itself the leading military power in Africa. Currently it’s in second place, behind largest Africa’s largest importer of weapons, Algeria.
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02/19/2017
The Air Force Chief Scientist said F-35 pilots will be able to control a small group of drones flying nearby from the aircraft cockpit in the air, performing sensing, reconnaissance and targeting functions. At the moment, the flight path, sensor payload and weapons disposal of airborne drones such as Air Force Predators and Reapers are coordinated from ground control stations.
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02/19/2017
The US Air Force is vigorously upgrading the 1980s-era F-15 fighter by giving new weapons and sensors in the hope of maintaining air-to-air superiority over the Chinese J-10 equivalent. The Air Force is reving up electronic warfare upgrades for its F-15 fighter as a way to better protect against enemy fire and electronic attacks, service officials said.
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02/19/2017
The Australian head of the Joint Strike Fighter program says he is confident the next delivery of the cutting-edge combat aircraft to the RAAF is on track despite a report finding the next batch of planes will not have the most up-to-date technology. Air Vice-Marshal Leigh Gordon told Fairfax Media that doubts raised by the Pentagon's test and evaluation office about problems such as software glitches would not affect those due for delivery to the RAAF next year.
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02/18/2017
On Feb. 8, Military Times published an article titled “Is the Afghan Air Force trigger happy? Here's what the numbers say.” The article challenged the competency of the Afghan Air Force and asserted that the young service “is responsible for a troubling pattern of botched airstrikes that have led to a stunning rise in civilian casualties.” The numbers brought forth in the article are an incomplete sample used to imply a problem with Afghan airpower.
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02/18/2017
As US President Donald Trump stood in front of Boeing’s inaugural 787-10 Dreamliner in South Carolina this week, he turned his attention from the company’s commercial crown jewel to tease a possible military aircraft sale.
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02/18/2017
Air Marshal Leo Davies, chief of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), leads one of the most modern – and capable – services in the Asia-Pacific region.His CV includes stints in the 1980s as a navigator and pilot aboard the Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion and later as a pilot on the General Dynamics F-111, a type in which he amassed 2,000h. He later went on to be Canberra’s air attaché in Washington DC, before assuming his current role in 2015.
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02/18/2017
After nearly 40 years in the US Air Force, Gen Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle will hand over the reins of Air Combat Command on 10 March to his successor, Lt Gen Mike Holmes.
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02/18/2017
India is forging ahead with its most challenging fighter programme, the development of its low-observable Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). Director of New Delhi’s Aeronautic Development Agency C.D. Balaji says that the great majority of work for the shape of the AMCA has been completed. The biggest challenge involves the development of Radar Absorbent Material (RAM).
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02/18/2017
Russian military equipment exhibits drew significant attention from various delegations at the concluding Aero India 2017 exhibitions, while Russia and India further cemented military technical cooperation by agreeing on joint projects and discussing the supply of Russian equipment to India.
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02/18/2017
The Indian Air Force embraced the opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities of the Advanced Hawk training aircraft, designed and produced by UK-based BAE Systems, at the Aero India conference held in January.
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02/18/2017
The United States has no particular reaction to the news that the Russian military has conducted cruise missile strikes on Daesh near Syria's Raqqa, US Department of Defense spokesperson Jeff Davis said in a briefing on Friday.
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02/18/2017
A Vietnamese online paper recently published an article, whose author tries to justify the need to arm the country’s Russian-made Su-27/30 fighters and Su-22 fighter-bombers with Israeli-made Python-5 air-to-air missiles.
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02/17/2017
The US Air Force has worked long time on developing a sixth generation combat aircraft to replace the F-35 jet once it reaches the end of its service in 2070, US Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements Maj. Gen. Jerry Harris said in a congressional testimony on Thursday.
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02/17/2017
Sixteen more JF-17 Thunder jets were inducted into the No. 14 Squadron of the Pakistan Air Force during a ceremony held at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex on Thursday.
Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif attended the ceremony as the chief guest while Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman was also present.
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02/17/2017
U.S. adversaries are rapidly catching up to America's fifth generation fighter aircraft capabilities—a risk that has exacerbated given ongoing cyber vulnerabilities in the F-35 fighter jet program, according to an Air Force major general.
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02/17/2017
The US Air Force has delayed the release of its final request for proposal to recapitalise its fleet of UH-1N Huey helicopters, after contractors told the service their off-the-shelf solutions would not meet all of the proposed requirements.
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02/17/2017
In August, the USAF and Lockheed were preparing to move the FA-50 into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA). The CRADA allows the air force to assess an aircraft’s airworthiness without a programme of record. With a USAF stamp of approval as a gold standard in assessment, the CRADA can open up aircraft to direct commercial sales customers.
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02/17/2017
The air force is now facing a fleet of 108 F-35As that must be retrofitted from the Block 2B or 3i configuration, Lt Gen Jerry Harris, USAF deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements, states in a 16 February testimony to Congress. The USAF and the F-35 Joint Programme Office are working together on a Block 3F upgrade plan.
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02/17/2017
Russia will begin supplying foreign customers with its Ilyushin Il-76 strategic airlifters after the Russian Aerospace Forces put into service its Il-76MD-90A modification, Rostec state corporation's chief international cooperation official said on Thursday.
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02/16/2017
Swedish aircraft maker Saab and U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin are the runner-ups in a fierce international competition to supply the Indian Air Force (IAF) with up to 250 new Western-made single-engine fighter jets in the 2020s.
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02/16/2017
The US Navy has revived interest in studying a major upgrade of the engine that powers the Boeing F/A-18E/F, EA-18G and two foreign fighters, including the possible addition of new technologies.
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02/16/2017
Initial operational test and evaluation on the Boeing KC-46A tanker will begin in January 2018 at the earliest, US Air Force officials tell FlightGlobal. In a 10 February interview at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, KC-46 programme manager Col. John Newberry told FlightGlobalthat testing will begin pending the results of a US Air Force IOT&E readiness review in the fall of 2017.
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02/16/2017
The Saab Gripen has appeared at the Aero India show for the first time since 2011, signalling the Swedish firm’s determination to win a planned Indian single-engined fighter deal.
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02/16/2017
Boeing, IAI, and Airbus Defence & Space all say recognize the need India has for tanking capability at this year’s show. Airbus’s A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) has twice been selected for New Delhi’s tanker requirement. Unfortunately, both times the deal has fallen through, leaving the Air Force to soldier on with its Ilyushin Il-78 Midas tankers.
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02/16/2017
On Wednesday China responded to rumblings about the US planning fresh naval patrols in the South China Sea by warning Washington not to impose on their sovereignty. The Navy Times reported on Sunday that officials with the Pacific Command and US Navy were considering having the Carl Vinson carrier strike group, based in San Diego, conduct freedom of navigation patrols in the waterway.
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02/16/2017
On Tuesday India’s Air Force received the first three indigenously designed airborne early warning and control platforms (AEW&C) from the country’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
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02/16/2017
Russia is willing to ramp up the licensed production of its Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets in India, the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) told Sputnik on Wednesday.
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02/16/2017
To meet the shortage of Fighter Jets in Indian Air Force, Narendra Modi led government has approved $203 million for another production line of its light combat aircraft Tejas. India needs to increase its domestic production capacity to at-least 16 fighters per year which is currently as low as eight fighters per year. India needs 300-400 more fighter jets of different types over the next decade.
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02/15/2017
Russia’s shadowy SSC-8 land-based land-attack cruise missile has been in testing for nearly a decade, but now, according to The New York Times, the system has gone operational and has been deployed to two separate locations. Although both the US and Russia have thousands of cruise missiles they are not supposed to have land-based cruise or ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear or conventional warheads over a range of 300 to 3,400 miles.
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02/15/2017
The Trump Administration is taking a "fresh look" at Lockheed Martin's proposal to have a F-16 manufacturing base in India if it agrees to buy the fighter jets, officials from the US defence giant said.
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02/15/2017
The F-35A premiered at Red Flag this month, marking the first time the US Air Force’s Lightning Strike variant participated in the training exercise at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The Hill event marked the second part of the F-35A’s Red Flag activities. Earlier this month, the F-35 participated in Red Flag exercises at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
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02/15/2017
Lockheed Martin is confident of securing new sales for the F-16, and claims that the type’s economies of scale and broad user base give the Block 70 variant an edge in New Delhi’s requirement for a single-engined fighter.
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02/15/2017
The US Air Force may select its first enlisted drone pilots for surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence training this month. Last week, the pilot selection board met to consider 185 airmen who passed the program’s qualifying phase.
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02/15/2017
The Russian Helicopters holding company is expected to supply about 220 helicopters to its customers this year, the company’s CEO Andrey Boginsky told Sputnik Tuesday.
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02/15/2017
Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport is showcasing about 300 pieces of Russian military hardware at Aero India, an international aerospace exhibition, held in India's Bengaluru on February 14-18, Rosoboronexport said in a press release issued on Tuesday.
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02/14/2017
Stealth isn’t new in the Air Force. But, stealth combined with the multirole capabilities of the F-35A is proving to be a game changer in the Nevada desert. Units from across the Air Force have converged here for Red Flag 17-01, the Air Force’s premier air combat exercise, which pits a friendly force against an aggressor force in scenarios designed to give pilots true-to-life experiences before heading into actual combat.
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02/14/2017
In October Kratos Defense & Security Solutions was awarded a contract by the US Defense Innovation Unit Experimental to explore the use of high-speed drones in both fully autonomous or semi-autonomous roles to support fourth and fifth generation fighter aircraft.
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02/14/2017
Northrop Grumman and the US Army completed the first flight of the UH-60V engineering and development model last month, bringing the legacy Black Hawk’s analog cockpit into the digital age.
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02/14/2017
US Army officials say that developers are integrating new technology into the Apache attack helicopter, giving crews the ability to control the flight and view real-time video feeds from nearby drones, making it easier to destroy the aircraft.
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02/14/2017
Poland’s ongoing military modernization program will start off 2017 by adding two Black Hawk choppers. The two helicopters are set to join a 16 chopper fleet that can replace the aging fleet of Mi-8, Mi-14 and Mi-17 aircraft.
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02/14/2017
Swedish aerospace company Saab has offered India a new fighter jet factory if the defense organization is able to secure a deal to supply New Delhi with over 200 military jets. Saab is currently neck and neck with US company Lockheed Martin to supply India’s Air Force with 250 single engine combat planes.
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02/14/2017
The Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta quoted Sudhir Kumar Mishra, chief executive of the Russian-Indian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace, as saying that India will test-fire the air-launched version of his company's supersonic Russian-Indian BrahMos cruise missile in the next three months.
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02/13/2017
China will not adopt highly advanced electromagnetic take-off technology on its second domestically built aircraft carrier but instead rely on a conventional system, naval experts say.
TheType 002 vessel – the country’s third aircraft carrier after the Liaoning and the Type 001A carrier under construction in Dalian – would be equipped with at least three conventional steam launch catapults, a source close to the navy told the South China Morning Post.
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02/13/2017
A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves:
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02/13/2017
While a new naval future fleet architecture study from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) suggests that the U.S. Navy should maintain a fleet of 12 full-sized supercarriers, the paper also suggests that the service should develop a new class of light carriers. In the interim, while the new aircraft carriers are being developed, large deck amphibious assault ships could fill the role of the smaller flattops.
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02/13/2017
Boeing’s new Indian unit will help the company win more business from local customers and mean more employment in the South Asian country, the head of the US defence firm’s Indian business said. The new legal entity, announced this week, is the fourth separate country-specific business Boeing has established after setting up similar structures in Britain, Australia and Saudi Arabia.
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02/13/2017
Stealth, or the idea of reducing the ability of the enemy to detect a weapon, has been around since the first caveman sewed a pocket into his clothing and hid a rock in it. Thousands of years later, with the ability to detect objects on the ground, in the air and at sea using electromagnetic radiation, hiding weapons in plain sight has become much harder.
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02/13/2017
India is likely to place orders worth ?20,000 crore with Airbus to buy six A330 aircraft to mount the indigenously-built Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS). DRDO Chairman S Christopher, addressing reporters on the sidelines of Aero India international seminar, said, “Currently the order to buy Airbus aircraft is before the Cabinet Committee on Security.”
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02/13/2017
The who’s who of the global aerospace industry will congregate in Bengaluru from February 14-18 to take part in Asia’s largest airshow Aero India-2017. Over 550 defence and aerospace firms, including 279 foreign companies, will take part in the 11th edition of the biennial event being held at the Yelahanka air force base.
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02/13/2017
The head of Russia's Nuclear Risk Reduction Center said that Russian inspectors will fly over Italy this week as part of the Open Skies arrangement for aerial surveillance. "The surveillance flight over Italy will be carried out on a Russian An-30B plane under the Open Skies Treaty," Sergei Ryzhkov said.
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02/13/2017
Russia successfully tested its latest Ka-52K Katran reconnaissance and combat helicopter during the recent Mediterranean cruise by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported.
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02/12/2017
China has signed a substantial contract with Russia in 2015 to purchase 24 Sukhoi Su-35 fighters in a deal that is worth $2 billion. The TASS, a Russian news agency, reported on Feb. 2 that Russia will deliver the second batch of ten Su-35 fighter jets to China this year with 10 more aircraft in 2018.
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02/12/2017
A multi-billion dollar Indian programme to co-develop a stealth fighter with Russia faces an uncertain fate with the government deciding to set up a committee to examine what the country gains from the project. A top government source said the panel, to be headed by a three-star officer, would look into different aspects of the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) project and the technology it brings into the country to meet the air force’s future requirements.
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02/11/2017
Speaking before lawmakers on Capitol Hill Thursday, Gen. John Nicholson, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, described the Afghan air force as a vital component to breaking the stalemate between Afghan and Taliban forces. “Offensive capability is what will break the stalemate in Afghanistan,” Nicholson said. “The key offensive capabilities for the Afghan security forces are their special forces and their Air Force.”
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02/11/2017
Italian aerospace company Leonardo is back in the running to bid on the U.S. Air Force’s T-X trainer jet competition after it separated from a joint venture with Raytheon Co., the company announced Wednesday. “Leonardo is proud to confirm its participation in the U.S. Air Force T-X competition with its T-100 integrated training system,” it said in a release.
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02/11/2017
Should the U.S. have to resort to the military option against Iran’s nuclear program, the B-2 stealth bomber would figure prominently in the operations. One of Iran’s best defenses is its massive and unforgiving geography. The country is three times larger than Iraq and roughly equivalent to the size of all of Western Europe. Most of its major nuclear facilities, as well as some of its important military sites, are located deep inside the country.
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02/11/2017
At the end of 2016, the Marine Corps had 1,065 aircraft on flight lines around the world, ranging from small attack helicopters to C-130 transport planes. Of those, only 439 are considered ready to fly as is. The remaining aircraft, nearly 60 percent of the total, are considered temporarily non-mission capable, either awaiting maintenance, in-service repair or supply, meaning they are lacking the parts they need to be operational.
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02/11/2017
A new naval future fleet architecture study from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) suggests that the United States Navy will need to develop a dedicated air superiority fighter to counter Russian and Chinese advances.
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02/11/2017
U.S. defense firm Lockheed Martin wants to push ahead with plans to move production of its F-16 combat jets to India, but understands President Donald Trump’s administration may want to take a “fresh look” at the proposal. With no more orders for the F-16 from the Pentagon, Lockheed plans to use its Fort Worth, Texas plant instead to produce the fifth generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that the United States Air Force is transitioning to.
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02/11/2017
Territories claimed by the Philippines but controlled by China played host to an ‘unsafe’ encounter between a US Navy P-3C and a Chinese KJ-200, both surveillance aircraft. The planes reportedly flew within 1,000 feet of one another, according to the US Pacific Command. The Department of Defense and US Pacific Command are "always concerned about unsafe interactions with Chinese military forces," according to the statement.
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02/10/2017
A hand-shake agreement with US government negotiators slashes the cost of each F-35A ordered in the latest annual lot to $94.6 million, but the Lockheed Martin programme’s goal to drop the price to $85 million in three years is in jeopardy unless the Defense department invokes a package of special acquisition tools, says Lockheed chief financial officer Bruce Tanner.
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02/10/2017
The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) announced on Monday that it is ordering a new mobile version of Kongsberg's NASAMS air defense system, the same system that has been operated by the country's air force since the early 2000s.
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02/10/2017
Upgraded engines would be less expensive to maintain and would improve fuel efficiency for the B-52 Stratofortress bomber fleet, but there is no room in the budget for such renovations.
From an operations perspective, replacing the engines makes “great sense,” Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen Wilson said, during an Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday. “If we had it in our budget, we’d do it, but we don’t have it.”
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02/10/2017
A top aviation official wants the US government to buy 37 F-35Bs annually, an uptick from 20 aircraft per year. The service has endured “a very anemic ramp” while incorporating F-35Bs into its aviation force, Lt. Gen. John Davis, deputy commander for aviation at the US Marine Corps, said Wednesday, DefenseNews reports. Consequently, “we’ve been holding onto the older airplanes longer,” Davis said.
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02/10/2017
Two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers conducted on Thursday patrol flights over neutral waters in the Northern hemisphere without violating international rules, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
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02/10/2017
The combat use of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft-carrying missile cruiser off the Syrian coast needs to be thoroughly and competently analyzed, in order to improve the combat readiness of the Russian Navy, according to Adm. Vladimir Valuyev, former Baltic Fleet commander.
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02/10/2017
In a bid to expand its outreach in Indian Ocean Region, India has decided to lend submarine training to Indonesia. Defense Sources told Sputnik that submarine training is a part of defense co-operation agreed during recent visit of India's Defense Secretary Mohan Kumar to South East Asia. Vietnamese sailors are already being trained by Indian submariners to operate Russian Kilo class submarines. Indonesia government also asked for defense technologies meant for Army's equipment.
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02/09/2017
Rafael is stepping up its efforts to provide systems for the Indian air force’s Hindustan Aeronautics-built Tejas light combat aircraft, with its current emphasis on offering air-to-air missiles and a targeting pod.
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02/09/2017
On Feb. 3 pilots of the Northern Fleet’s aviation group flew from the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier to their home base in Severomorsk-3. Only some of the aircraft, which include the Su-33, MiG-29K, Ka-52, Ka-29 and Ka-27, were transferred home. Technical breakdowns and a lack of trained aircraft carrier pilots are believed to be the main culprit behind the missing planes.
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02/09/2017
Pakistan and Myanmar are in “advanced negotiations” to licence-build the JF-17, a single-engine multi-role fighter jet, reported IHS Jane's Defence Weekly on Wednesday. The news outlet, citing defence industry sources in Yangon and sources close to the Myanmar Air Force (MAF), said Myanmar would be able to significantly expand its local defence industry if an agreement is reached.
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02/09/2017
The service has not had a dedicated air-to-air combat aircraft since it retired the Grumman F-14 Tomcat in 2006. But even the Tomcat was adapted into a strike aircraft during its last years in service after the Soviet threat evaporated.
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02/09/2017
akarta will launch an investigation into the delivery of a Leonardo Helicopters AgustaWestland AW101 VIP helicopter, part of a deal that was apparently cancelled. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that the Indonesian air force ordered three AW101’s in a VIP configuration on 24 November 2015.
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02/09/2017
A hand-shake agreement with US government negotiators slashes the cost of each F-35A ordered in the latest annual lot to $94.6 million, but the Lockheed Martin programme’s goal to drop the price to $85 million in three years is in jeopardy unless the Defense department invokes a package of special acquisition tools, says Lockheed chief financial officer Bruce Tanner.
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02/09/2017
The ministry said that the snap checks are aimed to assess the readiness of Russian military administration bodies and the troops' practical training to carry out combat training tasks. The Russian Aerospace Forces snap checks that began on Tuesday are scheduled to end on Thursday, February 9, the Russian Defense Ministry said. On Tuesday, the Russian defense minister said a snap inspection of the Aerospace Forces had begun.
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02/08/2017
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) will likely place an order for 50 Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17 Block-III fighter jets in the first half of 2017, according to PAC chairman Air Marshall Arshad Malik.
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02/08/2017
The Taiwanese government on 7 February committed to support local industry to design and fly a prototype advanced jet trainer by 2020 and deliver 66 production aircraft to replace the air force’s aging fleet of AIDC AT-3 and Northrop F-5F trainers.
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02/08/2017
The US Marine Corps expects to declare initial operational capability for the Bell Boeing V-22 Aerial Refuelling System (VARS) in late 2019, with the milestone to represent the availability of an initial four mission-equipped aircraft.
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02/08/2017
US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said that the US military would keep its fleet of veteran A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft operational for at least another four years.
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02/08/2017
In response to significant enemy air defense-system upgrades, the US Air Force is angling to modernize their aircraft’s digital arsenal with improved sensors. Other upgrades include the Long Range Stand-Off weapon, long range nuclear cruise missiles, like the B-61 Mod 12, and the so-called defensive management system (DMS), to provide pilots with knowledge of the location of enemy anti-aircraft defense posts.
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02/08/2017
Russia and NATO have had certain success in resolving disagreements over the use of transponders during military flights over the Baltic Sea, Russian envoy to NATO Alexander Grushko said Tuesday.
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02/08/2017
The Russian Aerospace Forces are undergoing an unannounced inspection to evaluate their readiness to conduct combat training tasks. An unannounced inspection of the Russian Aerospace Forces has begun at President Vladimir Putin's orders to evaluate their readiness to conduct combat training tasks, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday.
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02/07/2017
The F-35C was never designed to be an air superiority fighter. Indeed, naval planners in the mid-1990s wanted the JSF to be a strike-oriented aircraft with only a 6.5G airframe load limit with very limited air-to-air capability, according to one retired U.S. Navy official.
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02/07/2017
With the five-day ‘Aero India 2017’ just a week away, defence manufacturers from both public and private sectors have started making announcements regarding the aircraft to be put on display. On Monday, Swedish aerospace and defence company announced that the premier single engine fighter aircraft, Gripen-E, will be on display.
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02/07/2017
Back in October 1986, the US Air Force was faced with a difficult decision. It had received seven responses to a request for proposals to build two prototypes for the advanced tactical fighter competition that ultimately yielded the Lockheed Martin F-22. In the wake of later industry consolidation, the USAF, it seemed, would never again enjoy such a wealth of bids.
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02/07/2017
Raytheon will deliver the 20,000thcopy of the missile that three decades ago changed air-to-air combat in a 31 January ceremony inside the company’s factory in the desert on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona.
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02/07/2017
US aerospace giant Boeing won a $18.2 million Air Force Foreign Military Sales contract to provide the Royal Saudi Air Force with advanced radars in their F-15SA Eagle aircraft, the Department of Defense said in a press release.
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02/07/2017
The US Air Force may soon have an operational F-35A multirole fighter at its disposal in the fight against Daesh as well as as in a campaign in the Pacific. Last year, Air Combat Commander Gen. Herbert J. "Hawk" Carlisle told reporters, "We have a global force management process. The F-35 move into the Middle East is scheduled further down the road. If a combatant commander needed it sooner they would ask for it," according to Scout Warrior.
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02/06/2017
On Feb. 4, Coalition military forces conducted 32 strikes consisting of 63 engagements against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 21 strikes consisting of 25 engagements using attack, bomber, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.
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02/06/2017
Everyone’s heard about the Harrier jump jet. Arnold Schwarzenegger used one to blast terrorists in True Lies. The Royal Navy beat him to the punch when it used a few dozen to score twenty air-to-air kills for zero losses against Argentine fighters in the Falklands War. The United States Marine Corps, too, has had a lasting affection for Vertical Takeoff Or Landing (VTOL) jets, which can be operated from small amphibious carriers and deployed to forward operating bases.
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02/06/2017
As of Feb. 3 the F-35A had achieved a quite impressive score during Red Flag 17-1, the U.S. Air Force’s premier air combat exercise underway at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, that pits “Blue Air” (friendly forces) against “Red Air” (enemy) in an all-out air war featuring air-to-air, air-to-ground, search and rescue, and special forces elements.
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02/06/2017
India and the United Kingdom have jointly developed a combat ready aircraft that will be on offer to neighbouring countries, countering growing Chinese penetration of the defence market in the region. A jointly developed, dual role version of the Hawk trainer aircraft will make its debut later this month, with an Indo-UK combine targeting export markets for the versatile plane.
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02/06/2017
Russian specialists would help Belgrade modernize six aircraft to be received from Russia, as well as four fighter jets from the Serbian Air Force fleet, according to local media.
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02/05/2017
YOU’RE A PRIVATE pilot, out on a Sunday jaunt in your single engine prop plane. Lovely day for a flight—calm skies, good weather. Then you hear, feel, and then see the fast approach of two, grey, angular military jets, flying terrifyingly close to you, most definitely armed and dangerous.
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02/05/2017
Britain is being forced to pour millions of pounds of new funds into the troubled F-35 stealth fighter programme being developed in America and considered a vital part of the UK’s future defences. The F-35, being built by the US in partnership with countries including the UK, is the costliest weapon ever developed by the Pentagon. It is scheduled to go into service in the UK in 2018 and into full production in 2019, and is intended to be a cornerstone of UK defences for decades to come.
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02/05/2017
The aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (CVN 65), was decommissioned during a ceremony held in the ship's hangar bay on February 3. The ceremony not only marked the end the ship's nearly 55-year career, it also served as the very first decommissioning of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
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02/05/2017
Russia is hoping against hope that China will change its mind about not buying any more Russian-made combat aircraft after 2018 as it starts delivering 10 Sukhoi Su-35S supermaneuverable air superiority fighters this year.
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02/05/2017
Senator John McCain, the Republican leader of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is proposing the Pentagon buy 300 inexpensive, off-the-shelf fighter aircraft. These cheaper aircraft would be used instead of higher end fighter jets, which are expensive to operate.
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02/05/2017
Minsk plans to purchase a number of Russian Sukhoi Su-30SM (Flanker C) multirole fighter jets this year, Belarusian Deputy Minister of Defense for Armament, Chief of Armament Igor Lotenkov said on Saturday.
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02/04/2017
The U.S. Navy is strengthening airborne radar and detection capabilities in the Asia-Pacific with five E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes early warning and control aircraft. Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 125 arrived at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni on Thursday. Japan's air self-defense force may also use the aircraft, Stripes Japan reported.
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02/04/2017
On Feb. 2, Coalition military forces conducted 41 strikes consisting of 64 engagements against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 31 strikes consisting of 40 engagements using attack, bomber, and fighter aircraft as well as artillery against ISIL targets.
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02/04/2017
From Jan. 17 to 26, three Italian Typhoon jets, belonging to the 4°, 36° and 37° Stormo (Wing), the three ItAF units that operate the Eurofighter, took part in the DACT 2017 exercise the most important Air Defense drills organized by the Ejercito del Aire (Spanish Air Force), at Gando Air Base, in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands.
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02/04/2017
India has held a range of talks on the sale of indigenously developed surface-to-air Akash missile and supersonic Brahmos missile to Vietnam, the government on Friday said.
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02/04/2017
After eight days “at war” the F-35A Lightning II is proving to be an invaluable asset during Red Flag 17-01, the Air Force’s premier air combat exercise held at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The F-35A is a fifth-generation, multi-role stealth fighter designed to gather, fuse, and distribute more information than any other fighter in history. Lt. Col George Watkins, an F-35 pilot and 34th Fighter Squadron commander, said flying the F-35A in combat “feels like air dominance.”
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02/04/2017
Following a year of tense negotiations, Lockheed Martin secured its low-rate initial production lot 10 contract to deliver 90 F-35 fighter jets this week. The F-35 Joint Programme Office touted $728 million in savings on lot 10 compared to lot 9, which exceeds by $128 million the cost reduction estimated by president Donald Trump earlier this week.
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02/03/2017
While controversy trails the F-35A Lightning II fighter whenever it flies these days, only contrails were visible Thursday as the cutting-edge stealth jet made one of its first appearances in the ongoing Red Flag air combat exercise at Nellis Air Force Base.
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02/03/2017
Rostec subsidiary Russian Helicopters has completed production for 2017's first Ka-52 Alligator combat and reconnaissance rotorcraft. The aircraft's completion followed a round of ground and flight tests in accordance with government contracts. According to the the state-owned defense contractor, several more Ka-52 units are scheduled to be transferred to operators by the end of February.
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02/03/2017
After literally flying the wings off its tactical fighter fleet over the last decade and a half of counter-insurgency operations in the Middle East, the USAF maybe finally coming to its senses about the need for a fleet of relatively inexpensive light attack and surveillance aircraft.
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02/03/2017
Myanmar, the country which is undergoing a transition from military junta to democracy, is said to be inching closer to licence-build JF-17 multi-role combat aircraft, according to reports. In 2015, the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) had decided on buying 16 JF-17 aircraft that are the outcome of a collaboration between Pakistan's Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and China's Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (CAC).
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02/03/2017
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has released details on a crucial leg of its third offset initiative, a swarming unmanned vehicle programme known as OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET).
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02/03/2017
BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) have advanced their collaboration on Ankara’s fifth-generation TF-X fighter project. Signed by the prime ministers of Turkey and the UK, the new heads of agreement pact is expected to lead to a contract worth more than £100 million ($127 million), BAE says.
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02/03/2017
Russia has rolled out its first RAC MiG-35 fighter and announced its intention to offer the multirole type to a host of potential export customers, including India. Staged at the airframer’s Lukhovitsy site near Moscow on 27 January, the milestone event was attended by officials including Russian air force chief Col Gen Victor Bondarev and delegations from more than 30 countries. United Aircraft identifies these as having including representatives from nations including China, India, Peru and Vi
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02/03/2017
The decision to station the Shandong aircraft carrier, currently under construction in Dalian, in close vicinity of a Chinese nuclear submarine base on Hainan Island in the South China Sea is fully in line with the original purpose of this particular type of ships, military expert Vasily Kashin told Sputnik.
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02/02/2017
The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) has officially received its first Boeing F-15SA multirole jets in a ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of the King Faisal Air College in Riyadh on Jan. 25, 2017.
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02/02/2017
In a widely publicized event on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017 the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau (MiG) parented by United Aircraft Corporation officially demonstrated the new MiG-35 to the Russian government. A subsequent demonstration for export customers was carried on January 27 Russian President Vladimir Putin is reported to have viewed the first demonstration via remote video due to poor weather in the region.
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02/02/2017
Lockheed Martin and the United States Air Force have been working on improving the performance of the F-22 Raptor’s stealth coatings. While the Raptor is by far the most capable air superiority fighter ever built, its Achilles’ Heel since it entered service has been maintenance. The F-22’s sensitive radar absorbent coatings have proven to be costly and difficult to repair, but the Air Force and Lockheed have been working on improving the performance.
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02/02/2017
Lockheed Martin Corp. completed the first F-22 Raptor at the company's Inlet Coating Repair (ICR) Speedline facility and delivered the aircraft back to the U.S. Air Force ahead of schedule. The U.S. Air Force contracted Lockheed Martin to establish the Speedline in Marietta, Georgia, in August 2016 and the first F-22 arrived there in early November. A second aircraft arrived in early December 2016 and a third in late January 2017.
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02/02/2017
The deadline has passed for Lockheed Martin to file an appeal with the Armed Services Board of Contracts Appeals over the unilateral terms imposed on the ninth lot of low-rate initial production contract for F-35s, but alternative legal avenues may still remain to overturn the deal.
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02/02/2017
The US Marine Corps deputy commandant for aviation is placing his bets on the Lockheed Martin F-35C ahead of a Pentagon review that will compare the Lightning II to Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
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02/02/2017
Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems have decided not to submit a bid for a $16 billion US Air Force contract for 300-350 advanced jet trainers, narrowing a once diverse field to as little as two competitors.
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02/01/2017
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has planned to equip HTT-40 two-place turbine basic trainer aircraft with Hartzell Propeller's four-blade lightweight aluminum propeller. The new indigenous HTT-40 is designed and built by HAL under the country's Make In India initiative. The HTT-40 will be soon replacing the piston-powered HPT-32 Deepak trainer for the Indian Air Force.
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02/01/2017
When news came out late last week that the U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing $2.1 billion for 15 KC-46A tanker aircraft, spare engines and wing air refueling pod kits, it was seen as a boost for the aerospace giant. While it was good news for Boeing, it likely is even better news for its suppliers.
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02/01/2017
The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $45.8 million contract to deliver automatic radar detection kits to support MH-60R Seahawk helicopters. The order covers 29 automatic periscope detection radars and discrimination standard retrofit p-kits. Periscope detection radars such as the Navy's AN/SPS-74(V) use a high-resolution sensor to quickly scan the surface for threats.
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02/01/2017
Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems marked a milestone for one of its key defense programs with the completion of its 20,000th Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM. The AIM-120 AMRAAM entered service in 1991 and was originally made by Hughes Aircraft, which was acquired by Raytheon in 1997. It is used by the U.S. and 36 allied nations and has been credited for destroying at least nine enemy planes in combat over Iraq and Kosovo during the 1990s.
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02/01/2017
A US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey crash landed during a 29 January raid on an alleged terrorist compound in Yemen this week, injuring three service members.
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02/01/2017
India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) fighter programme has had a long and chequered history. The process from first flight of a technology demonstrator to service entry, in July 2016, took 15 years. The “Tejas” received government approval in 2016 for another 83 airplanes specified to the Mk1A standard, adding to 40 earlier orders for the Mk1 version.
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02/01/2017
In November 2016 the Soviet-era Liaoning, Beijing’s only carrier, was declared “combat ready” by political commissar Senior Capt. Li Dongyou. Following the declaration, the ship departed on a training voyage that featured a stop on the edge of the South China Sea, at the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) base on Hainan Island.
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02/01/2017
Serbia has announced that it will acquire two BUK surface-to-air missile systems and eight Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter aircraft from Belarus, following Croatia’s plans to obtain new military trucks, transport helicopters, fighter jets, self-propelled howitzers, and patrol vessels this year.
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01/31/2017
Despite its declining combat fleet, the Indian air force still requires large numbers of trained pilots and technical personnel, especially given the acquisition of new fixed and rotary wing types.
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01/31/2017
Russia does not rule out the possibility of assistance to Iraq in the fight against the Daesh terrorist group if Baghdad shows such an interest, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.
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01/31/2017
Moscow sees nearly boundless possibilities in anti-Daesh cooperation with the United States, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday. "As regards possible forms of cooperation with the US on fighting Daesh… I see almost unlimited possibilities, with the political will and readiness of our militaries, to implement this political will into concrete agreements, concrete action," Lavrov told reporters.
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01/30/2017
Operating exclusively within the US Air Force for nearly five decades, the C-5 Galaxy is still the biggest US military cargo aircraft. When American manufacturer Lockheed built it in 1969, it was also the largest aircraft in the world. Measuring a whopping 250 feet long (76m), 223 feet across (68m), and 65ft tall (20m), this monster can easily swallow up two M1 Abrams tanks, six Apache helicopters or ten light armoured vehicles in its hold, and then transport them up to 5,000 miles (8,000 km).
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01/30/2017
In 2009, the U.S. Navy finally began construction of the first new type of aircraft carrier in nearly thirty-five years. Named after former president and naval aviator Gerald R. Ford, the USS Ford fully takes the nuclear supercarrier into the twenty-first century. The technological innovations built into the new ship, while causing the inevitable delays involved in building a first-in-class vessel, will keep the Navy’s unique fleet of super flattops the largest and most advanced in the world.
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01/30/2017
Since the 1990s, China has insistently waged a slow and deliberate imperial war of territorial expansion in the South China Sea. "Imperial war" is the apt description. China exhibits classic imperial ambition. Using economic, diplomatic and military muscle (camouflaged by propaganda), Beijing adds territory to its imperial dominion at the expense of less powerful neighbors.
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01/30/2017
A U.S. Special Operations member died of injuries suffered during a weekend raid against al-Qaida militants in Yemen, the military said Sunday. Three other American troops, members of a Navy SEAL unit, were wounded in the operation on Saturday against members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The militant organization has remained a potent threat amid an extended civil war in Yemen.
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01/30/2017
The U.S. Air Force wants drones that can be refueled in midair by other drones. The reason is simple. While drones like the RQ-4 Global Hawk can stay in the air for more than thirty hours without getting tired, bored or feeling the urge to urinate, even an unmanned aircraft needs to refuel sooner or later. That means the drone must interrupt its mission to return to base, or a manned tanker aircraft will have to fly to where the drone is to refuel it.
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01/29/2017
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has allocated PhP37,955,000 for the acquisition of Philippine Air Force FA-50PH “Fighting Eagle” jets spares and components for avionics and engine systems. The said acquisition aims to maintain the combat and mission readiness of all FA-50PHs.
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01/29/2017
Serbia will get eight Mikoyan MiG-29 twin-engine fighters and two Buk missile systems as a gift from Belarus, Serbian Defense Minister Zoran Dordevic told the Politika Serbian daily newspaper.
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01/29/2017
Boeing has been awarded a more than $2 billion contract to build 15 KC-46 military air refuelling tankers, two spare engines and five wing refuelling pod kits, the US Department of Defense announced. "The Boeing Company [of] Seattle, Washington, has been awarded a $2.1 billion… for KC-46 Lot 3 production," the announcement stated on Friday.
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01/29/2017
In an attempt to trim costs of the most expensive weapons program in history, US Defense Secretary James “Mad Dog” Mattis is looking at new ways to meet program requirements.
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01/29/2017
The first flight of the Russia’s new Il-112V military transport jet will be carried out until July 1, 2017, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Saturday during a visit to the Voronezh Aircraft Production Association (VASO) plant.
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01/28/2017
Defense Secretary James Mattis is ordering a Pentagon review to compare the capabilities and cost between the emerging carrier-based Lockheed Martin F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter and an upgraded version of the Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, according to a memo obtained by USNI News.
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01/28/2017
The Indian air force continues to grapple with the challenge of sustaining its combat fleet to project a strong defensive and offensive posture on India’s eastern and western borders. Defence credibility, however, comes from the existing force structure. The air force today is down to 33 operational fighter squadrons, of which 24 squadrons are made up with fighters of Russian origin, namely MiG-21s, MiG-23s, MiG-27s, MiG-29s, and Sukhoi Su-30MKIs.
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01/28/2017
Boeing has been awarded a more than $2 billion contract to build 15 KC-46 military air refuelling tankers, two spare engines and five wing refuelling pod kits, the US Department of Defense announced. "The Boeing Company [of] Seattle, Washington, has been awarded a $2.1 billion… for KC-46 Lot 3 production," the announcement stated on Friday.
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01/28/2017
The naval group of Russia's Northern Fleet led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier will return from Syria to the country's northern port city of Severomorsk on February 8-9, a source in Russia's Defense Ministry told Sputnik on Friday.
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01/28/2017
Russian-Indian BrahMos short-range ramjet supersonic cruise missiles, currently produced for India's armed forces, may gain an extended range variant by 2019, the missile's Russian manufacturer said Friday.
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01/27/2017
A British warship, Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans, along with 3 RAF Typhoons have shadowed the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier and its battle group as they passed by the UK on Jan. 24. The Russian carrier and her battle group (the Pyotr Velikiy, a nuclear-powered Kirov-class battlecruiser and a salvage tug) are returning home after completing their first combat deployment to the eastern Mediterranean to take part in the air war in Syria, a cruise that was plagued by two crashes.
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01/27/2017
Saudi Arabia unveiled its next-generation fighter-bomber on Wednesday, nearly two years after beginning a controversial air war in Yemen. At a ceremony and air show in the Saudi capital, a hangar opened to reveal one of the F-15SA Eagle aircraft made by US manufacturer Boeing. A missile was attached to the belly of the plane displayed against the backdrop of a giant Saudi flag.
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01/27/2017
The first four Lockheed Martin F-35C Joint Strike Fighters to be stationed at the U.S. Navy’s West Coast fleet replenishment squadron arrived at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The aircraft will be operated as part of the newly reestablished Strike Fighter Squadron-125 (VFA-125).
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01/27/2017
Despite spending millions to develop a prototype jet to compete for a $16 billion contract, Northrop Grumman chief executive Wes Bush surprised market analysts on 26 January by striking a noncommittal tone about participating in the competition to replace the US Air Force's Northrop T-38C trainers with more than 300 new aircraft.
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01/27/2017
India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has rolled out an upgraded version of BAE Systems’ Hawk 132 advanced jet trainer, named the Hawk i. The updated aircraft features an indigenously developed mission computer and introduces a digital map generation system. An embedded virtual training system, secure voice communications and data link capability have also been incorporated.
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01/27/2017
The Indian navy’s formal requirement for 57 multirole carrier-borne fighters (MRCBF) has been advanced via a request for information (RFI) issued by the nation’s defence ministry. Responses are due by 24 May, with the service having detailed its requirements over 59 pages of parameters and specifications.
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01/27/2017
China is reportedly testing a beyond-visual-range, air-to-air missile in combat drills capable to engage targets up to 400 kilometers away, China Daily wrote.According to the newspaper, a photo posted on the People's Liberation Army website, shows a J-11B fighter jet armed with an unknown rocket almost one-fourth of the length of the 22-meter-long plane.
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01/27/2017
Serial purchases of Russia's advanced MiG-35 (Fulcrum-F) multirole fighter under the state arms procurement program will begin in 2019, President of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Boris Slyusar said Thursday.
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01/27/2017
The Indian Army has been searching for a replacement of Kvadrat self propelled air defence system for a long time. But it has been unable to find a suitable option for the air defense of 500 vulnerable areas and vulnerable points across the country.
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01/26/2017
Bulgaria's government said on Wednesday it approved an expenditure of up to 9.6 million levs ($5.3 million/4.9 million euro) under the defence ministry budget to ensure the airworthiness of ageing Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets of the country's Air Force. In order to secure the implementation of the project during its 2016-2017 timeframe, a total of 30.5 million levs are provided for in the central government budget, the government said in a statement following a weekly meeting.
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01/26/2017
Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein agrees that Sen. John McCain’s recommendation for “300 low-cost, light-attack fighters” is a “great idea.” Analysts have noted several merits including stemming the decline in platform numbers, improving dwell times over target areas, lower flight hour costs, and more stick time for USAF pilots. These are good things.
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01/26/2017
Russia and India are close to signing a long-term support agreement for the fleet of Sukhoi Su-30MKI combat aircraft operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF). It includes an improved schedule for the delivery of spares from Russia, local manufacturing of some spares and the creation of logistics hub for the aircraft at the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) production facility in Bangalore. India has contracted for the delivery of more than 300 of these aircraft.
(Read More...)
01/26/2017
Raytheon has withdrawn as the prime contractor for the Leonardo T-100 in a joint bid for the US Air Force T-X trainer contract, stating on 25 January that the two companies “have decided not to jointly pursue the programme.”
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01/26/2017
Boeing’s KC-46 tanker took a $312 million hit to its bottom line last quarter, bringing total charges over the course of the recapitalisation programme to more than $2 billion. Boeing Commercial absorbed a $243 million pre-tax charge on the KC-46 Tanker programme, while its defense sector took a $69 million pre-tax charge as well.
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01/26/2017
UK defence secretary Michael Fallon has challenged Airbus Defence & Space to maintain its drive on the A400M programme during 2017, so that the Royal Air Force can take full advantage of its capabilities across a wide range of operational conditions.
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01/26/2017
The Raytheon Company has received a $56.4 million US Navy contract to repair of the Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared System (ATFLIS) used in support of the F/A-18 combat aircraft, the US Department of Defense announced.
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01/26/2017
US defense contractor General Atomics has received a US Air Force foreign military sales contract to carry out maintenance work on its MQ-9 Reaper drones that have been sold to Italy, the Department of Defense announced.
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01/26/2017
The Department of Defence reported that US and UK senior defense officials signed a declaration that stipulates the United Kingdom will obtain its first Boeing Poseidon P-8A maritime patrol aircraft in 2019.
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01/26/2017
It is an "absolute necessity" for Beijing to invest into its defensive nuclear capabilities, Yang Chengjun, chief scientist at Quantum Global Defense Research Center, told Sputnik, naming the length of China's borders, the scope of its interests and the fact that some of its rivals possess nuclear arms as the three main reasons behind this.
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01/25/2017
Tensions over the South China Sea could be set to escalate after Beijing urged the US to act “cautiously” in its approach to disputed islands which China claims as its “irrefutable” sovereign territory. “The US is not a party to the South China Sea dispute,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying warned at a regular news briefing. “We urge the United States to respect the facts, speak and act cautiously to avoid harming the peace and stability of the South China Sea.”
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01/25/2017
Washington announced earlier this month that the US Navy will, in a matter of weeks, deploy its Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125 to Iwakuni Air Base in Japan with its E-2D Hawkeye aircraft – replacing VAW 115 with its E-2Cs. The move did not necessarily attract media attention, but it is nonetheless a highly significant signal of US posture in the region.
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01/25/2017
The US Marine Corps did not mince words when deploying F-35s to Japan, saying that the "arrival of the F-35B embodies our commitment to the defense of Japan and the regional security of the Pacific." Tensions among the US, US allies, and China have been steadily mounting for years as China builds artificial islands and outfits them with radar outposts and missile launchers in the South China Sea, home to a shipping corridor that sees $5 trillion in trade annually.
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01/25/2017
Washington Tuesday approved a $418 million weapons and combat aircraft deal with Kenya to boost the war against al-Shabaab amid claims by African politicians that the continent is not on the new U.S. president’s radar. Under the deal, Kenya’s Defense Department will purchase 12 Air Tractor AT-802Ls and two AT-504 Trainer aircraft and an assortment of weapons which will help the Kenyan military fight the Somali-based, al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab terror group.
(Read More...)
01/25/2017
Lockheed Martin expects to seal the deal for 90 F-35 Lightning IIs in low-rate initial production lot 10, chief executive Marillyn Hewson told investors during a 24 January fourth quarter 2016 earnings call.
(Read More...)
01/25/2017
Germany is reportedly close to deciding whether to replace its short short-range air defense systems. If approved, this action would signal the beginning of a €460-million (about $490 million) procurement program over the next 5-10 years.
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01/25/2017
The US-led coalition against Daesh carried out 19 airstrikes consisting of 54 engagements in Iraq and Syria on Monday, including two airstrikes near the Syrian city of Al Bab, Operation Inherent Resolve said in a press release.
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01/24/2017
The skies of Saudi Arabia will soon witness the new addition to its navy’s arsenal: The F15 – SA jets that will be known as the “Eagle Fighters”. The jets are expected to be launched at a ceremony next Wednesday which will be attended by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz at King Faisal Air Force academy celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding.
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01/24/2017
There has been a recent flurry of press attention on OA-X, an Air Force effort to obtain off-the-shelf light attack aircraft. Sen. McCain’s recent publication of Restoring American Power — which calls for the Air Force to acquire 300 light attack aircraft — will no doubt intensify interest in the idea, with many constituencies trying to define OA-X for their own benefit and profit.
(Read More...)
01/24/2017
The Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) has begun upgrading its fleet of 144 Lockheed Martin F-16 A/B Fighting Falcon combat aircraft to the latest F-16 configuration, dubbed V for “Viper,” according to local media reports.
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01/24/2017
The US State Department has inked $1.8 billion in arms deals for the UK, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Kenya this week, including air-to-air missiles and threat detection systems. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced the approved the deals 23 January. The foreign military sales are pending Congressional approval.
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01/24/2017
Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet could steal orders away from the Lockheed Martin F-35 if the Trump Administration adjusts defence priorities, military acquisition analyst Andrew Hunter told an audience 23 January at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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01/24/2017
BAE Systems will develop a digital replacement for the cathode ray tube-based Lockheed Martin F-22 head-up display (HUD). The contract awarded by Lockheed calls for BAE to develop a system that fits the dimensions and power used by the current system. BAE anticipates that a follow-on order will lead to a retrofit production programme for the roughly 180 F-22s in the US Air Force fleet.
(Read More...)
01/24/2017
On 12 December 2016, Israel underscored its Middle East air supremacy by receiving its first pair of Lockheed Martin 5-35I “Adir” stealth fighters. Dignitaries gathered at Nevatim air base to mark the occasion included Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu; the US ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro; US defence secretary Ashton Carter; and Marillyn Hewson, the president of Lockheed Martin.
(Read More...)
01/24/2017
The Department of State said that the US government approved the sale of a new threat detection system costing more than half a billion dollars to Saudi Arabia.
(Read More...)
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01/24/2017
Foreign interests should expect Chinese military exercises in the South China Sea to become the new normal, according to a recent article in The People’s Daily, a Chinese state-run media outlet.
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01/23/2017
Commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, said on Saturday that the 9th Armored Division and the 3rd Brigade of the First Division in the Iraqi Army had freed al-Qousiyat village on the outskirts of Mosul, located some 400 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad, and hoisted the national flag over several buildings there.
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01/23/2017
President Barack Obama’s greatest foreign policy achievement was meant to be his “pivot to Asia,” but while there were successes, his dream was never fully realized. China is rapidly expanding its sphere of influence and tightening its grip on the seas, North Korea is stronger and more aggressive, Obama’s legacy free-trade agreement is all but buried, and American allies and strategic partners are losing confidence in American promises and are even tilting towards America’s strategic rivals.
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01/23/2017
Weapons die for all kinds of different reasons. Sometimes they happen at the wrong time, either in the midst of defense austerity, or with the wrong constellation of personnel. Sometimes they fall victim to the byzantine bureaucracy of the Pentagon, or to turf fights between the services. And sometimes they die because they were a bad idea in the first place.
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01/23/2017
The former head of Canada's military says the Liberal government’s plan to buy an interim fighter jet fleet will be expensive and difficult to carry out. Retired general Tom Lawson, who served as chief of the defence staff from 2012 to 2015, says he believes Canada will end up buying Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet to replace the current fleet of CF-18 Hornets despite the government choosing Boeing's Super Hornet to beef up the current air craft.
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01/23/2017
The Marine Corps this spring is sending its largest aircraft element to date -- four tilt-rotor Ospreys and five Super Cobra and four Huey helicopters, all out of Hawaii -- to the next $25 million rotation of Marines to northern Australia as the Corps continues to redistribute its forces around the Pacific.
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01/23/2017
One need only point to the recent arrival of the long-sought after Russian-made Su-35 fighter aircraft into China’s air combat arsenal, not to mention the increasing scope and pace of Russian-Chinese naval exercises to realize this is the case. Yet, China-Russia cooperation often operates “below the radar” and this edition of Dragon Eye will examine one aspect of the partnership that is somehow usually missed: the Arctic.
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01/23/2017
Russia is not conducting talks on creating military bases in Libya, Viktor Ozerov, head of the Russian Federation Council's defense committee, said on Sunday.
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01/23/2017
The newest incarnation of Russia's Tu-160 supersonic variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber/missile carrier, one of Moscow's most formidable weapons, is expected to have double the functionality of its current version.
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01/22/2017
The bottom line on aircraft carrier survivability is that only a handful of countries can credibly pose a threat to America's most valuable warships, and short of using nuclear weapons none of those is likely to sink one. Large-deck, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are the signature expression of American military power. No other combat system available to U.S. warfighters comes close to delivering so much offensive punch for months at a time without requiring land bases near the action.
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01/22/2017
Nellis Air Force Base officials say residents in the north Las Vegas Valley can expect to hear excessive military aircraft noise starting Monday as more than 80 fighter jets, bombers and support aircraft depart and return to the base twice a day for the year’s first Red Flag air combat exercise.
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01/22/2017
Taiwan's state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) said it has begun an upgrade of the country's fleet of U.S.-manufactured F-16 fighter jets and that the work is expected to be completed within six years. The first batch of four F-16s is being upgraded at the AIDC's plant, said the company, adding that a new hangar will be launched soon to facilitate the retrofit program.
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01/21/2017
Japan scrambled fighter jets against aircraft approaching its airspace a record 883 times over the nine months through December, with 73 percent of the incidents involving Chinese aircraft, the Defense Ministry said Friday. The number was up 316, or 36 percent, from the same period the previous year.
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01/21/2017
The Russian Defense Ministry is seeking to replace obsolete passenger aircraft with new Russian aircraft models after a deadly crash of the Tu-154 plane last month. The Kommersant newspaper reported Friday that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered to analyse possibilities to substitute Tu-154, Tu-134 and Il-62M passenger aircraft with new passenger aircraft models.
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01/21/2017
The Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Arizona Senator John McCain, released a paper on Tuesday calling for the Pentagon to receive a nine percent boost in defense spending next year. The plan calls for spending more than $400 billion over five years, reversing what the Senator calls "damage done to the military over the past eight years." The plan roughly mirrors defense spending increases proposed by President Elect Donald Trump.
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01/21/2017
Airbus Defence & Space has begun offering its C295W transport with an in-flight refuelling system modification, after completing a fresh series of trials with a medium rotorcraft. Conducted during December in conjunction with Airbus Helicopters, the trials involved a pair of C295s supporting H225M Caracals. This involved the use of a palletised hose-and-drogue refuelling system, deployed via the medium transport’s rear ramp.
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01/21/2017
Poland’s Lodz-based WZL-1 has completed the modernisation of a Mil Mi-24V attack helicopter for the Senegal air force. The secondhand rotorcraft is understood to have been acquired from a former Soviet-era operator.
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01/21/2017
As World War II raged, US Air Force Plant 4 cranked out 17 B-24 Liberators a day for the Allied forces. The Lockheed Martin plant in Ft Worth, Texas went on to be the birthplace of the F-111 Aardvark and the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Today, the dwindling F-16 line occupies a smaller facility next door known as the Falcon’s Nest, dwarfed by the colossal space, several football fields long, that is now the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter production line.
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01/21/2017
Japan, South Korea and the United States are conducting military drills on January 20-22 to prepare for a potential missile launch from the territory of North Korea, media reported Friday, citing a source in the South Korean military.
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01/20/2017
China's new 'Sharp Sword' stealth drone - which is capable of dropping TWO TONNES of bombs - has won second prize in competition. Little is known about the unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) dubbed the "Lijian" in Mandarin - other that it is the first non- NATO aircraft of its kind and 'better' than that used by all military in the West.
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01/20/2017
Russia's state-owned Rostec subsidiary Russian Helicopters plans to supply Kazakhstan with four Mi-35M combat helicopters in 2018. According to the company, the sale is part of a military modernization effort for both countries, and strengthens strategic cooperation between their respective armed forces. The new rotorcraft will be used to replace Kazakhstan's aging fleet of Mi-24 helicopters.
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01/20/2017
FOR Admiral Wu Shengli, the commander of China’s navy since 2006, it must have been a sweet swansong to mark his imminent retirement. In November China announced that its first and only aircraft-carrier, the Liaoning, was combat ready. On December 24th its navy duly dispatched an impressive-looking carrier battle-group with three escorting destroyers, a couple of frigates, a corvette and a refuelling ship. It sailed from the northern port of Qingdao down through the Miyako Strait.
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01/20/2017
F-35s, F-22s and other fighter jets will soon use improved “artificial intelligence” to control nearby drone “wingmen” able to carry weapons, test enemy air defenses or perform intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance missions in high risk areas, senior Air Force officials said.
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01/20/2017
Russia’s T-50 PAKFA fifth-generation stealth fighter is about to undergo flight testing by military pilots for the first time. The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) said on January 6 that it would take delivery this year of five of the aircraft that have been flight-tested by Sukhoi at the Gromov Flight Research Institute (LII) in Zhukovsky.
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01/20/2017
Four Air Force fighter jets practiced for the inauguration flyover at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Jan. 19, 2017. Two generations of fighter aircraft are scheduled to fly in a close formation during the inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2017.
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01/20/2017
Six years ago, US-backed coalition airpower tore down Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi's air defenses. Since then the dictator has been killed. So have a US Ambassador and three other Americans, and thousands of Libyans. Libya, in general, descended into chaos following the death of Gaddafi and the winding-down of coalition air operations over the country.
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01/20/2017
Together with the interim Libyan government, the bombers destroyed two Islamic State camps 45km southwest of Sirte, according to the air force. The two bombers launched over 100 Boeing GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions and USAF MQ-9 Reapers employed Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire missiles following the initial strike, a service spokesman says. Each B-2 has the capacity to carry 80 226kg (500lb) JDAMs or an equivalent 18,100kg payload.
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01/20/2017
People with knowledge of the ongoing negotiations between the US Department of Defense and weapons-manufacturer Lockheed Martin indicated Wednesday that the average unit cost will fall below $100 million for the first time, two days before Trump takes office. The tenth order of F-35s delivered by Lockheed Martin will be the largest shipment, at 90 fighter jets, in the Joint Strike Fighter’s history.
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01/19/2017
IS was targeted in the suburbs of the town of al-Bab, Aleppo province, where Turkey suffered heavy casualties last month battling the group on the ground. Turkey's military was quoted by Reuters as saying Russia had carried out air strikes "in co-ordination with Turkey". Russia and Turkey back opposing sides in Syria's five-year civil war.
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01/19/2017
The United States Navy is pressing ahead with plans to replace the original model Boeing F/A-18A/B/C/D Hornets with the Lockheed Martin F-35C Joint Strike Fighter. Four F-35Cs are scheduled to arrive at Naval Air Station Lemoore on Jan. 25 as part of a new Fleet Replacement Squadron for the West Coast.
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01/19/2017
The US Naval Air Systems Command plans to award the maker of the AE1107C turboshaft engines a contract to complete two studies that would validate the company’s ideas for making the propulsion system safer to operate.
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01/19/2017
US Marine Corps F-35B fighters made their inaugural trip to Air Station Iwakuni, Japan on 18 January, where the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 will operate the Lockheed Martin stealth fighter on its first operational deployment overseas.
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01/19/2017
As Textron Aviation eyes the US Air Force’s lucrative T-X trainer competition, its dual light-attack fighter and trainer Scorpion aircraft could remain in the running for a low-end fighter role in the USAF.
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01/19/2017
As Israel continues to receive deliveries of the US-built transport, the air force's flight test centre has been performing operational tests of new countermeasures equipment based on highly-accurate decoy flares. This work has been conducted as part of a wider activity to equip the service's C-130Js with systems to support the missions of the Israeli defence forces' depth command.
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01/19/2017
Four aircraft were flown to the Taichung production facility of Aerospace Industry Development Corporation (AIDC), according to local media reports quoting the Taiwanese air force. The upgrade work, which was due to have started in 2016, will see the entire fleet upgraded within five years.
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01/18/2017
American warplanes and combat advisers are once again backing Turkish military units battling Islamic State fighters in northern Syria, the most tangible indication yet that months of tension between the NATO allies may be easing.
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01/18/2017
The Senate Armed Services Committee, under the leadership of chairman John McCain, has taken up President-elect Trump’s challenge to make America great again and rebuked President Obama in his final days in office. The committee’s white paper, “Restoring American Power: Recommendations for the FY 2018-FY 2022 Defense Budget,” was released this week.
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01/18/2017
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base has been passed over, for now, as a home to new drones or the F-35 Lightning II next-generation fighter jet. After months of study and site visits, the secretary of the Air Force announced that Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina is the preferred location to base a new MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft group.
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01/18/2017
Aircraft carriers, it seems, are all the rage nowadays in Asia. Long written off by some as bulky, oversized “cruise missile magnets,” the flattop appears to be enjoying a new lease-of-life as of late. Until quite recently, only two nations in the Asia-Pacific operated fixed-wing carriers: India with a 50-year-old-plus ex-British carrier; and Thailand with its “pocket carrier,” the Chakri Nareubet. Both vessels could only operate aging Harrier jump jets, and most of these aircraft were in fact l
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01/18/2017
In a recent article for The Strategist, I showed how Russia’s economic woes are negatively affecting plans to modernize the country’s military. In order to be thrifty, Moscow has, for the most part, been investing in modernized or upgraded versions of existing platforms, rather than waiting for altogether new platforms like the Armata tank or PAK-FA fighter to enter service.
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01/18/2017
Bell-Boeing, a joint-venture between Boeing and Bell Helicopter, received a $138 million contract modification for additional V-22 aircraft work. The modification is a follow-up to the company's contract with the U.S. Navy initially awarded in July 2014. Under the modification, Bell-Boeing will provide engineering services for MV-22 Osprey aircraft to be sold to the government of Japan.
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01/18/2017
In what may be a response to a recent show of force by the transit of the Chinese aircraft carrier through the Strait of Taiwan, Taipei initiated defense preparation exercises over the weekend while vowing to "enhance training 365 days a year."
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01/18/2017
Russia is preparing to withdraw an additional flight of Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft and personnel of a special-purpose medical team from the Hmeymim airbase in Syria after a successful conclusion of their duty, Col. Gen. Andrei Kartapolov, commander of the Russian military contingent in Syria, said Tuesday.
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01/18/2017
The Russian Navy has launched anti-submarine Il-38 jets drills that involve flying for a long period of time and in adverse conditions, a spokesman for the Eastern Military District’s Pacific Fleet said Tuesday.
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01/17/2017
America’s F-22 Raptor is one of the world’s most advanced warplanes. But it has several weaknesses. For one, it’s blind in the infrared though several of its potential rivals have infrared-search-and-track sensors, effectively allowing them to scan for enemy warplanes’ heat signatures.
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01/17/2017
Amidst its nuclear war threat, North Korea seems to be silently preparing for war. Since late 2015, the reclusive state under the dictatorship of Kim Jong-un is reportedly preparing its highways to be used as airstrips in emergency. This has been backed up with commercial satellite imagery, IHS Jane's Defence Weekly reported.
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01/17/2017
The Lone Star State will be home to the first Air Force Reserve Wing of the new F-35A Lighting II advanced stealth fighter. The 5th generation fighter will be hosted by Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth.
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01/17/2017
The IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, said on Wednesday that an additional 200-250 fighter aircraft needed to be inducted in the next 10 years to meet operational requirements, even as he termed the disappearance of an AN-32 transport one of the “worst memories” of his career.
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01/17/2017
Italy has begun the process of replacing its army’s fleet of AW129 attack helicopters, signing a multi-year, €487 million ($515 million) contract with Leonardo, which will see the nation’s aerospace champion develop a successor aircraft.
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01/17/2017
The Italian air force has taken a step towards modernising its basic trainer fleet, with Leonardo receiving a contract to produce an initial five Aermacchi M-345s. Announced on 13 January, the M-345 deal was signed with the Italian defence ministry’s National Armaments Directorate, along with a separate one linked to starting work on the country’s next-generation attack helicopter. Together, these are worth more than €500 million ($530 million), Leonardo says.
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01/17/2017
Two F-16s and two F-4s entered the Flight Information Region shortly before 2 p.m. (12:00 GMT) south of Lesvos. The four jets then proceeded to fly over Makronisi and Agathonisi islands, the Kathimerini newspaper reported.
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01/16/2017
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State’s supreme leader has stripped group commanders in eastern Mosul of leadership due to dramatic losses to Iraqi government forces over the past two weeks, a local source has reported. A source told Alsumaria News that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi withdrew the “emir” designation from all leaders of the extremist group in the eastern part of the city due to “delinquency and escaping” at battlefields in face of advancing Iraqi government troops.
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01/16/2017
The F-22, often referred to by Air Force developers as an “aerial quarterback,” relies upon data link technology connecting to other aircraft and ground stations as more of the F-22’s technologies and avionics--such as radar warning receivers, mission data files, navigation and target mapping systems-are computer based.
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01/16/2017
Sen. John McCain is set to propose a military buildup that would add nearly half a trillion dollars to the defense budget over the next five years and blow past current limits on Pentagon spending, according to a copy of the blueprint drafted by the chairman of the Armed Services and obtained by POLITICO.
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01/16/2017
At a cost of $70 billion a year, Russia has the world’s third-largest defense budget. For that, the state boasts 845,000 troops, 22,550 tanks and 1,399 combat aircraft.
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01/16/2017
The US-based Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office won a $138 million Navy engineering contract to develop and test the V-22 Osprey for Japan. The US-based Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office (JPO) won a $138 million Navy engineering contract to develop and test the V-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft for Japan, the Department of Defense said in a press release.
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01/15/2017
Russia is bolstering its anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities in Crimea with the addition of the potent S-400 Triumf air and missile defense system. The addition of the S-400—which can be armed with the 250-mile range 40N6—would afford Moscow the ability not only to keep the peninsula safe from attack, but also threaten airspace deep inside Ukraine should the Kremlin choose to do so.
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01/15/2017
The F-22, often referred to by Air Force developers as an “aerial quarterback,” relies upon data link technology connecting to other aircraft and ground stations as more of the F-22’s technologies and avionics--such as radar warning receivers, mission data files, navigation and target mapping systems--are computer based.
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01/15/2017
China's sole aircraft carrier has returned home following a far-ranging three-week training mission during which its combat capabilities were closely scrutinized and speculation soared over what future role the flat-top will play amid China's growing military ambitions. The Defense Ministry said the 60,000-ton Liaoning sailed in to the eastern port of Qingdao on Friday along with its battle group that includes destroyers, frigates, a supply ship and anti-submarine craft.
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01/15/2017
An air show for children turned to horror as a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) fighter jet JAS39 C Gripen crashed near the Hatyai Airport today, killing the pilot. Squadron Leader Dilokrit Pattavee, 35, died on the spot at 9.27am (local time), amidst a large plume of fire and black smoke billowing into the sky. According to the RTAF, the crash occurred during an exhibition flight in conjunction with the Children’s Day celebration.
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01/15/2017
The ink has barely dried on the acquisition of the French Rafale fighter aircraft, and India has once again entered the international arms market with the intention to procure hundreds of fighter jets, albeit with the proviso that they be manufactured in India. The Rafale deal, for outright purchase of 36 twin-engined medium-weight multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) worth around $ 7.8 billion (Rs.50,000 crores).
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01/14/2017
China's aircraft carrier formation returned to Qingdao port Friday after finishing a drill, the Chinese navy said Friday. Comprised of aircraft carrier Liaoning, a number of destroyers, some J-15 carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters, the fleet sailed through the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China sea.
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01/14/2017
Emerging from a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York on Friday, Lockheed Martin Chief Executive Marillyn Hewson told reporters Friday the Bethesda-based defense giant is close to a new contract deal that would cut the cost of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and also create jobs.
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01/14/2017
The sky is deep blue and the tops of the scattered clouds below are gleaming in the sunshine. Mojo 1, a captain in the French Air Force, leads Mojo flight, a two-ship formation of Rafale 4th generation fighter aircraft, as they press toward their target on a strike mission.
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01/14/2017
Lockheed Martin will build on its 45-year legacy of integrated electronic warfare system success under a newly awarded U.S. Navy development contract to provide MH-60 helicopters with enhanced electronic warfare surveillance and countermeasure capabilities against anti-ship missile (ASM) threats.
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01/14/2017
If past performance is any indication of future schedules, the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker programme won’t go as planned, according to the Pentagon’s top weapons tester.
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01/14/2017
Plagued by a delayed delivery of crucial software and shortfalls with its automated maintenance system, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will begin initial operational test and evaluation more than a year after its planned August 2017 date.
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01/14/2017
Leonardo’s UK helicopter business is confident that it can capture a slice of the sustainment work for the British Army’s fleet of 50 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, which are due to enter service from 2022.
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01/14/2017
According to an old tale, a fighter pilot who had been instructed to hold off from landing while a B-52 bomber made an approach with a defective TF33 quipped to air traffic controllers: “Oh no – the dreaded seven-engine approach”. On 4 January, this perhaps apocryphal story became reality, when the crew of an aged bomber returned to their North Dakota base minus an engine, which had disintegrated in flight.
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01/14/2017
In the early hours of Friday morning, the Syrian Army reported that Israel had carried out missile strikes targeting the Mezzeh military airport southwest of the Syrian capital of Damascus. Syrian military command has since warned Tel Aviv that it may take retaliatory measures.
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01/13/2017
The completion of a US weapons deal with Israel worth $38 billion clears the way for two of Israel's Arab neighbors to buy US fighter jets. Qatar wants to buy 36 Boeing F-15 fighter jets. Kuwait has been waiting to buy 24 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. “Those have been on hold for years now,” says journalist Dan De Luce, who follows defense matters for Foreign Policy.
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01/13/2017
The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed that it has deployed new combat aircraft to Syria, despite President Vladimir Putin earlier announcing military scale down in the country. Putin ordered a withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria in December, where they had been fighting in support of the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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01/13/2017
Contrary to some previous indications, India is considering an additional 36 Dassault Rafales, a senior Ministry of Defence official said. The contract is likely to be signed in 2019 with deliveries to start by 2022, when the existing $8.8 billion order for 36 Rafales is completed, AIN has learned from sources close to the long-running procurement process. The two orders would add five squadrons of new fourth-generation fighters to the Indian Air Force (IAF).
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01/13/2017
On December 28, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, the retiring Indian Air Force chief, declared in New Delhi that the IAF requires 200 to 250 medium fighters in addition to the 36 Rafale multi-role fighters that were contracted with French vendor Dassault earlier this year.
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01/13/2017
Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense supports Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme, the NATO alliance and restrained use of nuclear weapons during his confirmation hearing, marking a stark departure from the president-elect.
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01/13/2017
Conventional take-off and landing aircraft AX-2 is the second of an eventual 42 F-35As to be produced for the Japan Air Self-Defence Force. The first four of these are to be built at Lockheed’s Fort Worth site in Texas, with the remainder to roll off a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-run final assembly and check-out line in Nagoya.
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01/13/2017
The development of Russia's military organization should take place while paying heed to international military and political conditions, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Thursday.
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01/13/2017
Syrian state news agency SANA says Israeli jets have bombed the Mezzeh military airport west of Damascus, accusing Tel Aviv of supporting terrorism. The airport was rocked by multiple explosions, with ambulances rushing to the scene. The Syrian Arab Army has warned that there will be repercussions for Israel for the “flagrant attack” on the military base, state TV said, citing a Syrian army command spokesman. It also linked the alleged strike to Israel’s “support of terrorist groups.”
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01/12/2017
The Marine Corps F-35B Short-Take-Off-and-Vertical-Landing Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter took off from a Navy amphibious assault ship for the first time with a full load of weapons — in preparation for its planned deployment in 2018. The aircraft flew from the Navy’s first America-Class Amphibious Assault Ship, the USS America, to Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz., where it dropped live precision guided weapons on mock targets in the desert.
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01/12/2017
Marvin Test Solutions’ MTS-209 Common Armament Test Set has been selected by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) as part of the support package for a group of T-50TH aircraft purchased by the Thai Air Force in 2015 and slated for delivery in the next 24 months. The new aircraft will replace aging L-39 Albatros trainers.
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01/12/2017
Marking a major milestone in its development, the long awaited operational deployment of the F-35 is underway. A group of Joint Strike Fighters from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, the “Green Knights,” left their home base at MCAS Yuma in Arizona on Monday, starting their hop across the Pacific to their new home at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan.
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01/12/2017
Taiwan on Wednesday deployed fighter jets, a surveillance aircraft and Navy frigates in response to the movement of China's lone aircraft carrier into the Taiwan Straits, according to Taiwan's state-run Central New Agency. The Liaoning carrier and its flotilla of escorting frigates and destroyers were apparently on their way back to base in northeastern China from the South China Sea following training exercises, the agency reported.
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01/12/2017
The iconic A-10 Thunderbolt has a new upgrade that will give ground troops one more reason to love it: communications equipment for Combat Search and Rescue operations. Advocates of the famed “Warthog” received welcome news in October when Air Force Materiel Command announced plans to sustain the aircraft “indefinitely.”
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01/12/2017
President-elect Donald Trump has hinted again at a potential competition between Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. In his first press conference since winning November’s election, Trump took aim at the entire US defense industry in his opening remarks, but focused on the F-35 programme as his favourite target.
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01/12/2017
Dassault delivered nine newly-built Rafale fighters in 2016, according to a financial update issued by the company on 5 January. The total was in line with plans for the year, and represents an increase of one unit over the eight shipped in 2015, it adds.
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01/12/2017
In a public statement, Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that the country had successfully test fired a nuclear-capable, 450-km range Babur-3 submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM). It went on to add that the missile provides a credible second strike capability and augments deterrence.
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01/12/2017
The Russian Helicopters will deliver four Mi-35M attack helicopters with transport capability to Kazakhstan's Defense Ministry in 2018, according to the statement of the manufacter.
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01/11/2017
Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Rogozin, announced that the Russian Air Force’s (VVS) Mikoyan MiG-35 will begin its test flights this January. Rogozin made the statement during a visit to one of Almaz-Antey’s subsidiaries (MKB Fakel). The MiG-35 is the latest version of the MiG-29M/M2, the current production model of the Fulcrum, which has been among the Russian aviation industry’s leading exports.
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01/11/2017
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, an F-35B squadron with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, departed Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, transferring to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Jan. 9, 2017. The first location to receive the Marine Corps' F-35B, as part of its worldwide deployment capability, is Iwakuni, Japan.
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01/11/2017
In 2007, MoD (Ministry of Defence) issued a tender to purchase 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA procurement programme). Objective of this procurement was to bridge the gap between a light fighter (MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-27 etc and LCA Tejas) and heavy duty fighter Su-30.
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01/11/2017
The Trump administration should “rigorously and comprehensively review” Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 jet, the Pentagon’s costliest program, the Defense Department’s director of combat testing said.
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01/11/2017
The French military received two additional General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and has deployed them to West Africa. Toward the end of 2016 the remotely piloted aircrafts (RPA) arrived in Niamey, Niger, at Base Aérienne 101 where three other MQ-9s have been operated by Escadron de Drone (drone squadron) 1/33 Belfort since January 2015.
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01/11/2017
Beijing leaders seized the past weekend as an opportunity to flex the People's Liberation Army’s (PLA) muscles in a region where many parties have staked competing territorial claims. Since January 1, China has flown strategic bombers over the Spratly islands on at least two occasions.
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01/11/2017
Chinese military aircraft breached the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) on numerous occasions last year, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday. On Monday, around 10 Chinese military planes, including bombers and an early warning aircraft, entered KADIZ for several hours from 10 a.m. (01:00 GMT) to 3 p.m., prompting South Korea to counter by sending 10 F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets.
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01/11/2017
The Russian Helicopters company, part of the Rostec state corporation, is taking part in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2017 regional investment forum in India's Gujarat state, the company said Tuesday.
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01/10/2017
One night this past fall, a U.S. radar plane flying a routine pattern over Syria picked up a signal from an incoming Russian fighter jet. The American crew radioed repeated warnings on a frequency universally used for distress signals. The Russian pilot didn’t respond.
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01/10/2017
An F-35 Joint Strike Fighter would be able to use its sensors, weapons and computer technology to destroy Russian and Chinese 5th-Generation Stealth fighters in a high-end combat fight, service officials said.
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01/10/2017
The US Navy’s 50th P-8A Poseidon (P-8A), the next-generation long-range maritime patrol aircraft has been delivered by Boeing at the Naval Air Station (NAS) in Jacksonville, Florida.
Under the P-8A programme, the latest addition is part of a total requirement for 117 of the 737-based anti-submarine warfare jets for the US navy.
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01/10/2017
The need for new fighter aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to remain buoyant, with simmering tensions centered on territorial disputes for resource-rich islands in the South and East China Sea being most often cited as the main driver for increased regional defense spending.
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01/10/2017
Beijing has taken delivery of four Sukhoi Su-35 fighter aircraft, the first installment in an acquistion that will see it acquire 24 examples. News of the jet’s arrival in China was revealed in a report state news organ China Daily.
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01/10/2017
Czech Defense Minister Martin Stropnicky said that the air forces of the Czech Republic and Slovakia will cooperate in protection of the air space over the two countries starting from summer 2017.
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01/10/2017
India is an old friend of Vietnam and both don't subscribe to China's claim in the South China Sea. That is the reason for raised eyebrows over India's offer to supply missiles to Vietnam.
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01/10/2017
The Russian Defense Ministry is expected to put a regiment of S-400 Triumf air defense system on combat duty to protect the airspace of Moscow on Wednesday, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
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01/09/2017
Russian warplanes have carried out airstrikes to support Turkey’s offensive in northern Syria against the Islamic State, an important evolution in a budding Russian-Turkish partnership. The deepening ties threaten to marginalize the United States in the struggle to shape Syria’s ultimate fate.
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01/09/2017
Until now, unmanned aircraft technologies have been limited to drones and other similar small devices, but that might be changing soon. The first unmanned aircraft trials have begun to determine their viability and how to incorporate these unmanned planes into UK airspace. Are the engineers at BAE Systems close to creating the Tesla autopilot of the air with their autonomous aircraft?
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01/09/2017
According to some reports, America's fifth-generation stealth aircraft doesn't excel at dogfighting. But fortunately, the F-35 Lightning II is not built for dogfighting. While some analysts have argued that the air-to-air-combat capabilities of the F-35A won't match some of its peer aircraft, pilots who spoke to Business Insider pointed out that the US's fifth-generation fighter is designed in such a way that dogfighting may be an afterthought.
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01/09/2017
On December 12, 2016, the first two F-35A jet fighters (dubbed "Adir," a word meaning "mighty" or "awesome" in Hebrew) landed in Israel. This is a major milestone in the long process of accepting the aircraft into Israel Air Force service, a process that began in 2008, when Israel first applied for the planes.
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01/09/2017
In the late 1990s, the United States was at a post–Cold War apex as an aviation juggernaut. Not only did it have the largest fleet of combat aircraft in the world, it was also producing the only fifth-generation fighter in existence: the F-22 Raptor. By 2009, the U.S. government had turned against the fighter, and only 187 were produced. What happened to the F-22 program, and why?
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01/08/2017
Argentina is trying to rebuild its air force by resuming negotiations with Israel to acquire 12–14 Kfir Block 60 fighters in 2017. These are capable?—?if antiquated?—?fighters originally dating to the 1970s. But the Block 60 includes several upgrades including a modern Elta 2032 AESA radar.
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01/08/2017
The Air Force is surging forward with a massive, fleet-wide modernization overhaul of the battle-tested, Vietnam-era B-52 bomber, an iconic airborne workhorse for the U.S. military dating back to the 1960s. Engineers are now equipping all 76 of the Air Force B-52s with digital data-links, moving-map displays, next-generation avionics, new radios and an ability to both carry more weapons internally and integrate new, high-tech weapons as they emerge, service officials said.
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01/08/2017
The Air Force's stealthy F-22 Raptor is performing very well in its first ever combat missions bombing Islamic State forces over Iraq and Syria, service leaders said Sept. 15. Praising its stealthy super-cruise speeds, maneuverability and ability to help other aircraft in the U.S.-led coalition, the Commander of Air Combat Command called the F-22 an "aerial quarterback" in the ongoing bombing efforts against ISIS.
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01/08/2017
One in three of the £60 million multi-role Typhoon fighters and Tornado combat jets are unfit to fly. Both planes are vital to Britain’s air defence and are on high alert preventing Russian jets from entering UK air space. The two aircraft also taking part in combat missions against ISIS in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Shader.
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01/07/2017
A-10C Thunderbolt IIs assigned to active duty fighter squadrons at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base are in the process of having new lightweight airborne recovery systems installed. The LARS V-12 is designed to allow A-10 pilots to communicate more effectively with individuals on the ground such as downed pilots, pararescuemen and joint terminal attack controllers.
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01/07/2017
China is expected to “own” a third aircraft carrier in the near future, the People’s Daily online, the flagship of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is reporting, quoting a leading naval expert. The website quoted Liang Fang, a military expert, as saying that “the Chinese military’s combat capability has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade.”
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01/07/2017
Frontline Indian Air Force base in Hasimara in West Bengal is likely to be one of the bases for a Rafale squadron, informed sources said on Friday. The first squadron is likely to be based at the Sarsawa base in Uttar Pradesh. One more base for the third squadron remains to be identified. Each of these IAF squadrons will have 12 Rafale fighter jets.
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01/07/2017
Russia kept its word by delivering the first four Sukhoi Su-35S supermaneuverable air superiority fighters to China in December. The delivery was confirmed by the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is the first foreign customer for the Su-35S --and also the last. After receiving delivery of the four Sukhois, the PLAAF said it will order no more Russian-made fighters and other combat aircraft after Russia delivers the remaining 20 Su-35Ss it bought.
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01/07/2017
When President-elect Donald J. Trump tweeted on December 22 that he had asked Boeing to price-out an alternative to the stealthy F-35 fighter based on the company's F/A-18 Super Hornet, he stunned the defense industry. Although Super Hornet is the most successful carrier-based tactical aircraft the Navy has ever operated, it has long been assumed that production would cease in the near future to make room in the budget for the next-generation F-35.
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01/07/2017
The competition for providing India with a single engine fighter jet is now between US defence major Lockheed Martin and Swedish arms company, Saab. India has already sent requests to US and Sweden, asking for details of single engine fighter jets in service which can be offered for a technology transfer project- these are Lockheed Martin F 16 and the Saab Gripen.
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01/07/2017
The Air Force is not moving faster on an effort to re-engine the Boeing B-52, even after a TF33 dropped from a bomber during a training mission earlier this week. In her final speech in Washington 6 January, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the recent accident would not give more urgency to an earlier effort to re-engine the B-52. However, James notes there remains interests in replacing the bomber’s aging Pratt & Whitney engines.
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01/07/2017
Russia is starting to withdraw forces from Syria and its aircraft carrier group will be the first to leave, the Russian armed forces chief says. The announcement comes days after Russia and Turkey negotiated a ceasefire in Syria which is largely holding, according to the UN.
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01/06/2017
The officially sanctioned Appropriation Act for 2016 – i.e. the 2016 Nigerian Federal Budget – confirms an order for three JF-17 multi-role combat aircraft. The JF-17 is jointly produced and marketed by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China. In December, PAC announced that it handed over 70 JF-17s to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), the platform’s sole user, currently.
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01/06/2017
Below is my exit memo to President Barack Obama outlining some of the many accomplishments of the Department of Defense over the past eight years, my vision for the country’s future, and the work that remains in order to achieve that vision. Each cabinet secretary has provided his or her own memo to the president as of today.
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01/06/2017
In December, Business Insider interviewed a former US Navy Commander, Chris Harmer, who had a unique idea for an alternative to the F-35. Harmer suggested that in 2001, when the F-35 program first came together, military planners simply could have updated existing airframes, like the carrier based F-18, with the advanced avionics and sensor fusion featured in the F-35.
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01/06/2017
The US Navy announced Thursday that it will deploy its leading-edge early-warning surveillance aircraft to Japan in February. The aircraft, developed by defense contractor Northrop Grumman and the latest in air defense technology, can detect missile attacks and stealth aircraft as well as coordinate other ships and aircraft during combat.
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01/06/2017
The Chinese military has confirmed that it received four Russian-made Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets in late December, but noted that the Su-35 might be the last combat plane China would import thanks to its own defense advances.
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01/06/2017
Russia wants to cement its position as Indian Air Force's key supplier and give a decisive boost to Indo-Russian relationship. In view of this, India and Russia are looking to sign a design and development contract for Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), a stealth fighter.
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01/06/2017
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) is still in the process of finalizing its fleet requirements to purchase new multi-role combat aircraft to replace MiG and Kfir fleet. Earlier, the government had announced that it intends to purchase eight to 12 new multi-role combat aircraft for the SLAF.
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01/06/2017
During a 4 January training mission from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, the pilot declared an in-flight emergency after discovering the engine had dropped from the bomber. The mammoth Boeing aircraft, which is powered by eight Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines, landed safely without injuries to the five personnel on board, the air force says in a statement. No weapons were on board during the mission.
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01/05/2017
Since 2001, Lockheed Martin and US military planners have been putting together the F-35, a new aircraft that promises to revolutionize aerial combat so thoroughly as to leave it unrecognizable to the general public. Detractors of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have long criticized the program as taking too long and costing too much, though overruns commonly occur when developing massive, first-in-class projects like the F-35.
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01/05/2017
On 15 December the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) snatched an unmanned underwater vessel (UUV) of the US Navy (USN). This occurred just 50nm from the Philippine coast, a reminder that Beijing sees the whole of the South China Sea as its own turf, to use in an inappropriate metaphor for maritime territory.
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01/05/2017
The dogfight over the choice of fighter jets – known as the Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) – that are to provide security for the Indian skies is beginning again, this time for a much larger number than the 2007 figure of 189 asked by the Indian Air Force (IAF), an estimated 400 for for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and 60 for and Navy.
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01/05/2017
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has so far exported 40 Kfir Block 60 upgraded fighter aircraft, and plans to assemble and upgrade another 12-14 for Argentina.
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01/05/2017
Worth more than Swfr300 million ($292 million) to the company, the orders will lead to the production of 17 aircraft for the French air force, a further two for previous buyer Jordan and two for the UK company Qinetiq, for use by the Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS).
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01/05/2017
General Atomics has been awarded a $56 million contract for the Spain MQ-9 Exportable Block 5 Procurement program. Under the contract, the company will provide MQ-9 aircraft and its associated equipment over the next two years and the work is expected to be completed by January 31, 2019, the Defense Department added.
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01/05/2017
One day following the Russian Navy’s arrival in the Philippines to run regional threat-assessment drills, Russian Ambassador Igor Khovaev expressed Moscow’s enthusiasm to equip the island nation with high-tech military hardware.
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01/05/2017
India and Russia are trying to correct the tardy supply of spares for fighter aircraft with a pact that would pave the way for local manufacturing of spares. This move should give further impetus to Indo-Russia defense ties.
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01/04/2017
The Air Force has released details on what it will be looking for in its next jet trainer, but Textron AirLand is still evaluating whether it will offer its Scorpion tactical jet in a competition to win the massive contract. On Dec. 30, the Air Force released its request for proposal on the requirements for the Advanced Pilot Training, or T-X, program.
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01/04/2017
President-Elect Donald Trump has called for hard-hitting initiatives to be included in a first-100-day thrust to make America strong again. Hoping to be included in that effort are some common-sense, low-cost changes to our land-based expeditionary electronic warfare (EW) force posture that would immediately improve operational readiness and have a positive economic effect to boot.
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01/04/2017
The Pentagon’s emerging “Arsenal Plane” or “flying bomb truck” is likely to be a modified, high-tech adaptation of the iconic B-52 bomber designed to fire air-to-air weapons, release swarms of mini-drones and provide additional fire-power to 5th generation stealth fighters such as the F-35 and F-22, Pentagon officials and analysts said.
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01/04/2017
China’s aircraft carrier-based J-15 fighter jets made a high-profile debut over the South China Sea on Monday amid tensions with the United States. The J-15 “Flying Shark”, stationed on board the Liaoning, China’s sole aircraft carrier, since 2013, practised operations as the vessel sailed in heavy seas, Xinhua reported.
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01/04/2017
On December 23, grainy videos and images of a new Chinese stealth jet fighter, Shenyang FC-31 emerged from websites belonging to Chinese military bloggers. The first flight of the FC-31 jet brings it closer to the abilities that US possesses like selling stealth jet to other countries.
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01/04/2017
“The aircraft conducted itself perfectly, meeting the expectations of the design parameters while showing excellent performance,” says Quirino Bucci, a test pilot for Leonardo’s aircraft division. He offered particular praise for the Williams International FJ44-4M-34 engine which “demonstrated a great capacity to react to regime changes, which is a fundamental characteristic for a basic training aircraft”.
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01/04/2017
The F-16A has been in service with the IAF since 1980, and has participated in all combat operations since then, including an attack on an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981. In recent years older aircraft were operated mainly by the IAF's “red squadron” in an adversary training role, and the Israeli ministry of defence is now trying to sell 40 F-16As.
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01/04/2017
Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said at a news conference Tuesday that New Delhi is inviting global bids for a foreign-designed single-engine fighter that would be assembled in India. According to Parrikar, a western partner for the fighter will be chosen based on pricing and terms for the transfer of the technology.
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01/04/2017
China has conducted take-off and landing drills in the South China Sea involving its sole aircraft carrier, media reported Tuesday, citing navy officials. The Liaoning aircraft carrier has been deployed in the waters of the South China Sea with missile destroyers and other vessels since Sunday, the Japanese NHK broadcaster reported.
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01/02/2017
President-elect Donald Trump has again unleashed controversy, this time over the future of the US F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Trump recently tweeted that “based on the tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35, I have asked Boeing to price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet”, and adding: “ … about the F-35. It’s a disaster, it’s totally out of control.”
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01/02/2017
China is one step closer to selling stealth jets to militaries around world, now that the latest copy of China’s newest stealth fighter has reportedly flown for the first time. The debut of FC-31 number two brings China closer to being an exporter of radar-evading warplanes—and draws the United States closer to, perhaps some day, facing Chinese-made stealth fighters in combat.
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01/02/2017
Known for an ability to keep flying after taking multiple rounds of enemy machine gun fire, land and operate in rugged terrain, destroy groups of enemy fighters with a 30mm cannon and unleash a wide arsenal of attack weapons, the A-10 is described by pilots as a “flying tank” in the sky -- able to hover over ground war and provide life-saving close air support in high-threat combat environments.
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01/02/2017
On December 30, 1947 the MiG-15 fighter jet designed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union (USSR) first flew. The swept wing MiG-15 was small, agile and fast making it a very formidable aircraft. The MiG-15 had a wingspan of only 33 feet, was 33 feet long and stood 12 feet tall. Comparably the United States F-86 fighter jet had a wingspan of 37 feet, was 37 feet long and height of just over 14 feet.
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01/02/2017
In 1937, the Army Air Corps “called for a twin-engine interceptor to pursue and destroy enemy aircraft at high altitude. It also called for a maximum level-altitude flight speed of at least 360 miles per hour and the ability to reach an altitude of 20,000 feet within six minutes. These were unheard-of performance goals at that time in aviation history, and they required the design of an advanced fighter in the truest sense of that phrase.”
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