Wednesday, June 30, 2004
US hands over 30 refurbished helicopters to Thai army
The United States on Tuesday handed 30 refurbished helicopters to the Thai army as part of a US$30 million deal signed three years ago, a U.S. Embassy statement said.
| | |
|
Twenty-four killed in U.N. helicopter crash
Twenty-four United Nations staff and others have been killed after a helicopter crashed into a hillside in thick jungle in Sierra Leone, U.N. officials say.
| | |
|
RAF TYPHOONS DEPART FOR SINGAPORE
Two RAF Typhoon aircraft departed BAE Systems Warton � the current home of Typhoon in the UK - , bound for Singapore, where the aircraft has been selected for the final phase of the country�s Next Fighter Replacement programme. The Typhoons will spend around two weeks in Singapore, and will return to the UK in July.
| | |
|
Kitty Hawk in Summer Pulse
The USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) Carrier Strike Group (CSG) will be participating in this summer�s simultaneous deployment of seven aircraft CSGs, demonstrating the ability of the Navy to provide credible combat power across the globe by operating in five theaters with other U.S., allied and coalition military forces.
| | |
|
Northrop Grumman To Begin Assembly of First U.S. Navy Next-Generation Electronic Attack Aircraft
On July 1, Northrop Grumman Corporation will begin assembling the U.S. Navy's first EA-18G aircraft, the service's next-generation electronic attack aircraft due to begin replacing the venerable EA-6B Prowler aircraft by the end of the decade. The milestone comes just six months after EA-18G prime contractor Boeing began the EA-18G program's system development and demonstration (SDD) phase.
Labels: EA-18G
| | |
|
Canadian fighter pilot killed in U.S.
Fighter jets at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort have been grounded after two pilots, one of them a Canadian, died in crashes less than 48 hours apart. Capt. Derek R. Nichols, 34, of Tatamagouche, N.S., died in hospital in Savannah, Ga., on Monday evening after his FA-18 crashed earlier in the day while he was landing at the runway next to the air station, U.S. Marine Corps spokesman.
| | |
|
Boeing Showcases Net-Centric Operations Capabilities at Newest Node
For the first time, Boeing will publicly showcase its net-centric operations (NCO) capabilities during a networked, three-site press conference, to witness Boeing's enterprise-wide network in action. During the 90-minute network tour, Boeing facilities across America will create a network using the F/A-18, F-15, EA-18 Airborne Electronic Attack Variant, the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), the Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA), Joint Unmanned Contact Air System (J-UCAS), Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), Apache Helicopter, V-22 Osprey, Chinook CH-47, and Connexion by Boeing platforms.
| | |
|
US plans huge show of force in Pacific
In an exercise codenamed Operation Summer Pulse 04, it is expected to arrange for an unprecedented seven U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups (CSGs) to rendezvous in waters a safe distance away from the Chinese coastline - but still within striking distance - after mid-July.
| | |
|
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
F/A-22 goes �On the Record�
Fox News Channel is scheduled to broadcast a special edition of "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren�, the one-hour live broadcast from Nellis' F/A-22 Raptor hangar includes footage from a June 27 chase mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald)
| | |
|
Boeing Selects BAE SYSTEMS For Digital Flight Control on U.S. Army CH-47F Helicopters
Boeing Integrated Defense Systems has selected BAE Systems to develop the digital flight control computer for the newest version of the U.S. Army's CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift transport helicopter, the CH-47F. The company will design the system and produce seven development shipsets in support of flight tests scheduled for 2005.
| | |
|
Indian "super-buffalos"
During "Cope India 04", the USAF were impressed by the IAF MIG-21, specifically their upgraded version "Buffalo".
| | |
|
Basic fast jet training hit
The RAF has confirmed to the Evening Standard that it is cutting the numbers of officers it puts through basic fast jet training by almost half as it prepares for massive cuts which will see the scrapping of Jaguar and Tornado jets and a dramatic reduction in the number of pilots.
| | |
|
GW at Tip of Spear in Summer Pulse �04
USS George Washington (GW) (CVN 73) Strike Group found itself at the tip of the spear in the Navy�s largest deployment evolution June 2, when the Navy simultaneously deployed seven aircraft carrier strike groups to five different theatres around the world in �Summer Pulse �04.�
| | |
|
S'pore, IAF to conduct joint exercises
Come September, the air forces of India and Singapore will join hands to test each other�s preparedness, as the south-east Asian island nation joins the growing band of countries wishing to go in for joint exercise with the Indian Air Force.
| | |
|
Recovery Operations for Marine Fighter Jet Conclude
Recovery operations for a missing U.S. Marine Corps pilot and F/A-18C Hornet aircraft operating from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) have concluded. The pilot, Capt. Franklin R. Hooks II, 32, of Pasco, Fla., was killed in the accident.
| | |
|
Crew slightly hurt in US Afghan chopper crash
A U.S. AH-64 helicopter caught fire and was destroyed after making an emergency landing in the southern Afghan province of Zabul on Monday and the crew suffered minor injuries, the military said.
| | |
|
British sidelined in deal for jet fighter
British defence industry sources have slammed the way the government negotiated a �10bn contract to buy the American joint strike fighter for the Navy's planned two new aircraft carriers.
| | |
|
Monday, June 28, 2004
Ministry made secret �7m pay-off to US training firm
U.K. defence chiefs have secretly paid a private firm millions of pounds to settle a long-running row over a botched attempt to give RAF pilots state-of-the-art training, Scotland on Sunday can reveal.
| | |
|
USS John F. Kennedy, on four-day visit
The American aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy sailed into Grand Harbour, Malta, yesterday for a four-day visit.
| | |
|
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Take Joint Training to New Heights
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were tested June 12-21 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point to see if the different services� vehicles can work together in joint settings.
| | |
|
Robotic warriors display capabilities
Pentagon officials and guests were treated to a demonstration of the remote detection challenge and response, or REDCAR, initiative June 23. REDCAR uses unmanned robotic platforms to provide perimeter defense of Air Force bases and forward-deployed units.
| | |
|
General Bradley will command Air Force Reserve
On June 24, the Senate confirmed Maj. Gen. John A. Bradley as chief of Air Force Reserve and commander of Air Force Reserve Command, and appointed him to the rank of lieutenant general.
| | |
|
End of an era as RAF shuts bunkers
Norfolk's early warning station, RAF Neatishead, closed for good yesterday after its radar operators tracked a symbolic final sortie.
| | |
|
Saturday, June 26, 2004
Australian Army to Retire Vietnam-Era Huey Gunship
The Army will today officially retire the UH-1H Iroquois helicopter gunship, commonly called the 'Huey', a capability originally developed for the RAAF during the Vietnam War.
| | |
|
Royal Air Force Of Oman Super Lynx 300 Deliveries Begin
The first three of sixteen AgustaWestland Super Lynx 300 helicopters ordered by the Royal Air Force of Oman arrived in Oman on 24th June 2004. The three aircraft were loaded aboard an Antonov An-124 cargo plane at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton on the 23rd June, having completed pre-delivery inspections at AgustaWestland's UK plant in Yeovil.
| | |
|
New UAV innovations could change face of war
Testing of the new Joint Multiplatform Weapons Carriage System took place at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, Nev., on June 17. If approved, the carriage system could allow UAVs to carry high-speed anti-radiation missile targeting system pods and a variety of weapons in greater quantities.
| | |
|
Labor to use $1.3bn to keep F-111s
A LATHAM government would spend up to $1.3billion to keep Australia's ageing F-111 long-range fighter bombers flying until 2015 to plug any gap caused by the late delivery of the $16billion US-built F-35 stealth fighter.
| | |
|
Top officer turns over command
German Air Force Air Defense School commandant Lt. Col. Manfred Hahn, who is retiring after 37 years of active duty, released his command to Lt. Col. Ulrich Schuster.
| | |
|
�Blackhorse� gets new CO
The U.S. Army�s 6th Cavalry Brigade in South Korea gets a new commander when Col. Peter W. Foreman takes over.
| | |
|
Apache Helo Makes Emergency Landing In Maxville Field
An Army Apache helicopter made an emergency landing near the Duval-Clay county border Thursday, but flew back to its Cecil Commercial Center base under its own power after being checked by a mechanic.
| | |
|
Friday, June 25, 2004
Hi-tech Hornet paving way for Sea Power 21
Rapidly advancing technology prompted the NAVAIR F/A-18 Program Office (PMA-265) to investigate developing a new advanced mission computer for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The AMC, an integrated information processing system which provides complete hardware and software solutions to the platform, is part of a new generation of technologies paving the way to network-centric warfare.
| | |
|
Kadena mechanics' work saves millions of dollars on F-15 engine overhauls
Mechanics with the 18th Maintenance Group at Kadena Air Base recently completed a six-year overhaul of F-15 jet engines, saving the Air Force about $100 million.
| | |
|
Helicopter pilots died while conducting terrain-training drills
The two pilots killed in Tuesday night's crash of the AH64-D Apache Longbow helicopter at Fort Stewart were conducting terrain-training drills, Army officials said.
| | |
|
Senate panel boosts administration's Defense procurement requests
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee quickly approved Tuesday a $416.2 billion fiscal 2005 Defense appropriations bill that includes money for 24 F/A-22 Raptor fighters, 14 C-17 transport planes, 27 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters and 11 V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.
| | |
|
DRS Technologies Awarded $37.5 Million in New Contracts to Provide Infrared Assemblies for U.S. Army Apache Helicopter Arrowhead System
DRS Technologies, Inc. announced today that it has received $37.5 million in new contracts to design, manufacture, assemble and test the pilotage and targeting receiver assemblies for the Apache Arrowhead Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) System for U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. The contracts represent Lot 1 production of the Arrowhead, the Army's Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (MTADS/PNVS) system.
| | |
|
EADS braced for crash landing over �13bn tanker contract
EADS executives will approach the U.K. Ministry of Defence with what could be a last-ditch effort to save a �13bn contract to build air-to-air refuelling tankers for the Royal Air Force.
| | |
|
Russian patrol fighter planes intercept light aeroplane
Russian patrol fighter planes MIG-29 intercepted a light aeroplane which intruded the air space of Russia from the territory of Mongolia, chief of the press service of the Russian Air Force, Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky told RIA Novosti.
| | |
|
UAV Battlelab stands up at Indian Springs
Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field is now the home of the U.S. Air Force�s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battlelab.
| | |
|
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Faster than a speeding...
Maj. Bret Anderson flies his F-15 Eagle past IndyCar driver Dan Weldon during a race at Langley Air Force Base, June 22. The F-15 won the half-mile, 17-second race, crossing the finish line yards ahead of the car before heading off on a training mission. The Air Force supports events like this to boost morale and to aid in recruiting. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Travis Aston)
| | |
|
General: U.S. dominance of skies may wane
The success of the Indian air force against American fighter planes in a recent exercise suggests other countries may soon be able to threaten U.S. military dominance of the skies, a top Air Force general said Wednesday.
| | |
|
Boeing to get $120M in federal funds for two F-15s
The Boeing Co.'s F-15 production line in St. Louis will remain open through 2008 thanks to $120 million in federal funding to purchase two of the aircraft, said U.S. Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.).
| | |
|
Officials release A-10 accident report
Air Force investigators determined spatial disorientation was the likely cause of an A-10 Thunderbolt II crash 3.5 miles north of Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, on Feb. 25.
| | |
|
Apache helicopter crashes at Fort Stewart
A U.S. Army Apache helicopter has crashed with two people on board about five miles east of Richmond Hill.
| | |
|
Aide: Plane nearly targeted
U.S. Gov. Ernie Fletcher's plane was in imminent danger of being shot down as it approached Washington two weeks ago, his top aide said yesterday.
| | |
|
Four die in crash of two Bolivian air force planes
Two Bolivian air force training aircraft collided in mid-air Tuesday, killing four crew members, according to the military.
| | |
|
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
U.S. DEFENDS HARPOON SALE TO EGYPT
The Bush administration has defended its sale of the Harpoon ship-based missile to Egypt, saying it does not constitute a cruise missile.
| | |
|
MND wants to participate in U.S. jet development
Defense Minister Li Chieh yesterday revealed that Taiwan is seeking to play a part in the development of the Joint Strike Fighter.
| | |
|
Pratt & Whitney Completes Final Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology Demonstrator
Pratt & Whitney (P&W) completed the final large military demonstrator engine for the Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) program in a "last bolt" ceremony held recently at the company's Middletown, Conn., engine center.
| | |
|
Mechanics finish six-year F-15 engine upgrades
Jet engine mechanics have turned the final wrenches on a unique F-15 Eagle engine upgrade program here, saving the Air Force more than $100 million, officials said.
| | |
|
U.S. Navy Evacuates Iraqi Heart Attack Patient
An SH-60B Seahawk helicopter from the guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) evacuated an Iraqi national with heart attack symptoms from the passenger ferry Jebel Ali 3 at 4 p.m. local time, June 21.
| | |
|
Vinson, Air Wing Team Up, Sink Target
USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 got a chance to step up their training June 17 during a hulk exercise (HULKEX) conducted approximately 200 miles off the coast of Southern California.
| | |
|
Australia: Missile Defence Agreement to be signed in US next month
Australia and the United States intend to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in missile defence next month, Defence Minister Robert Hill announced today. Senator Hill said the MOU would formalise Australia's long-term commitment to participate in the US missile defence program. "We intend to sign the MOU at the next Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations planned in the US for early July," Senator Hill said.
| | |
|
China denies reports of fighter jet sales to Zimbabwe
Chinese ambassador to South Africa denied reports of FC-1 fighter jet sales to Zimbabwe in a press briefing held Monday in Pretoria.
| | |
|
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
SpaceShipOne Makes History: First Private Manned Mission to Space
Under the command of test pilot Mike Melvill, SpaceShipOne reached a record breaking altitude of 328,491 feet (approximately 62 miles or 100 km), making Melvill the first civilian to fly a spaceship out of the atmosphere and the first private pilot to earn astronaut wings.
| | |
|
Taiwan military jets to practice freeway landings amid tension with China
Taiwan said Monday that its air force will practice emergency landing on a freeway for the first time in 25 years amid renewed tension in relations with China.
| | |
|
IAF contingent to match skills with counterparts
An Indian Air Force contingent took off from the Ambala Air Force Station on Monday morning for the US to participate in Cooperative Cope Thunder, an exercise in Alaska with their counterparts from other countries.
| | |
|
$8m cost of air force's unsold jets revealed
The sale of the RNZAF's mothballed squadrons of fast jets has taken three years and cost nearly $8 million, says National Party defence spokesman Simon Power.
| | |
|
Fighters the `next best'
AUSTRALIA will not get "top of the range" Joint Strike Fighter in the $15 billion deal for the new generation US-built aircraft.
| | |
|
Boeing Proposes 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft for Korea�s EX Program
The Boeing Company today announced it is offering the 737 airborne early warning and control system in response to a proposal from the Republic of Korea for EX, an airborne surveillance and command and control program
| | |
|
IAI offers 4 'Phalcon' AWACS planes to South Korea for $1.7b
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), Gulfstream, and L3 have submitted a joint bid to sell four early warning and surveillance systems to the South Korean Air Force for $1.7 billion. The three companies have set up a joint team to compete in the tender, called the E-X plan.
Labels: CAEW
| | |
|
Iranian F-14 fighter crashes, two dead
An Iranian Air Force F-14 fighter plane has crashed during a training flight, killing the two crew on board, the official news agency IRNA reported Monday.
| | |
|
Hoon Seeking 'Right Price' for Fighter
The Eurofighter Typhoon warplane is exceeding expectations but the �right price� has yet to be secured for Phase Two of the project, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said.
| | |
|
Bell Launches "Team Eagle Eye" Core Team to promote Tiltrotor UAV
Bell Helicopter, Lockheed Martin Corporation, AAI Corporation and Textron Systems Corporation have reached an agreement in principle to form the Core Team for TEAM EAGLE EYE to develop, produce and market the Eagle Eye Vertical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VUAV) System.
| | |
|
Monday, June 21, 2004
SEA CHANGE
Boeing's win of the U.S. Navy's Multimission Maritime Aircraft is certain to significantly alter maritime patrol operations, but it is also spurring Navy and industry officials to consider complementary technology that could spell leap-ahead capabilities for the new surveillance aircraft.
| | |
|
Sunday, June 20, 2004
Army Pilots Practice Landing on Navy Ships in Gulf of Alaska
A group of UH-60 Blackhawk pilots from the Army�s 4th Battalion, 123rd Aviation Regiment flew aboard four Navy ships in the Gulf of Alaska June 4-5 to practice their shipboard landing skills.
| | |
|
Enterprise Carrier Strike Group To Join NATO Exercise
The USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Carrier Strike Group will join a fleet of ships and aircraft from 10 European partner navies June 21 in the North Atlantic near Scotland for a NATO maritime exercise.
| | |
|
C-130E based at Yokota is still going strong after 30,000 hours of flight
As bumpy and loud as ever, a C-130E from the 36th Airlift Squadron sailed into new territory Thursday by passing 30,000 hours of flight.
| | |
|
Aviano welcomes new wing command
Brig. Gen. Mike Worden gave up command of the 31st Fighter Wing to Brig. Gen. Philip Breedlove at a change of command ceremony Friday.
| | |
|
Aging IAF shoots down USAF top guns
Did the Indian Air Force really outperform American pilots and planes during recent India-US air combat exercises or is the USAF using the encounter to pitch for new generation fighter jets?
| | |
|
Saturday, June 19, 2004
JFK Strike Group Completes CJTFEX, Deploys
The USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) Carrier Strike Group (JFK CSG) successfully completed its portion of Combined Joint Task Force Exercise (CJTFEX) 04-2, designated Operation Blinding Storm, in June and is now certified to deploy.
| | |
|
Officials release B-1B accident report
Standing water on the runway led to a B-1B Lancer aircraft accident Feb. 27 at a forward-deployed location supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to a report Air Force officials released June 16.
| | |
|
F-15 crashes in Nevada
An Air Force F-15 Eagle crashed at about 11 a.m. June 18 on the nearby Nevada Test and Training Range during a training mission.
| | |
|
Tenth U.S. Army AH-64D Apache Longbow Battalion Certified Combat-Ready
The U.S. Army's tenth AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter battalion has been certified combat-ready after completing extensive training in its Boeing helicopters at Fort Hood, Texas.
| | |
|
LOCKHEED MARTIN CLARIFIES WIRE SERVICE STORY ON JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER
A
Reuters wire service story on June 17 mischaracterized a previously reported delay in the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program.
