Saturday, July 31, 2004
Indian Navy gets set for another aircraft carrier
Informed sources were quoted by the Daily Times as saying that the Italian state-owned shipbuilding company Fincantieri SpA has signed two agreements with the Cochin Shipyard for the construction of a new aircraft carrier.
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Air-to-air combat highlights Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force interaction
High in the Malaysian skies, U.S. Navy and Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) fighter pilots went nose-to-nose during a 10-day series of air-to-air combat scenarios that ended July 15.
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Australian principal partner selected for JSF Project
BAE SYSTEMS Australia has been selected as a principal partner to manage electronic warfare work to be performed in Australia for the Joint Strike Fighter program, the Defence Minister Senator Robert Hill and Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane announced.
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Fighter jets and bombers head for scrapheap
The Government is secretly planning a massive round of further defence cuts - even greater than those announced last week, an Evening Standard investigation has found. Dozens of fighter planes and bombers could be cut from the RAF strike force in addition to the 50 Tornado and Jaguar jets axed last week.
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Two copters duel it out
Sikorsky's VH-92 helicopter makes its Palm Beach County debut recently at an event at business partner FlightSafety International in West Palm Beach.
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Friday, July 30, 2004
Air Vector : The Douglas F4D Skyray
Greg Goebel has added the Douglas F4D Skyray article for August.
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Kitty Hawk Brings Fresh Color to Summer Pulse
USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), the "Battle Cat," began its underway period July 19 as part of Summer Pulse '04 with one more sign that she was ready to surge - a bright red "E" and "DC" painted on the island above the flight deck.
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Airmen begin structural analysis of C-5A
Rolling up their sleeves, people from the 653rd Combat Logistics Support Squadron set about cutting through the skin and muscle of a C-5A Galaxy this week to remove the giant wings and lend a hand to those evaluating the aircraft�s viability for the future.
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Air Force leaders support C-130J program
Air Force officials are standing by the C-130J Hercules as the aircraft prepares to join the fight, despite a recent Department of Defense inspector general report criticizing the program.
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Davis-Monthan AFB gets new commander
A new commander has officially taken charge of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, overseeing the base�s day-to-day operations.
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Fleet Of 'Hunter/Killer' Planes Would See Initial Use In FY '07
The U.S. Air Force is asking industry for input on the idea of procuring a fleet of as many as 60 "hunter/killer remotely operated aircraft" that would fly 30-hour unmanned missions of up to 50,000 feet with 3,000 pounds of bombs.
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Firm wins missiles contract
A Northern Ireland company has won a �180m U.K. Ministry of Defence contract to supply air defence missiles.
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Thursday, July 29, 2004
Sukhoi to deliver upgraded planes to defense ministry from 2006
Sukhoi Company will begin the delivery of a series of modernized aviation equipment in the interests of the Russian Defense Ministry in 2006,� Director-General of the Sukhoi aviation holding complex Mikhail Pogosyan said at a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday.
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Libya begins delivery of mothballed Mirages to Pakistan
Libya has begun delivery of its fleet of mothballed Mirage fighter jets to the Pakistan, which plans to cannibalize the Libyan planes to keep its own Mirages aloft, Pakistan Air Force officials said today.
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Sukhoi jet makes emergency landing
Flights into and out of the Pune civil airport at Lohegaon were suspended for two hours on Wednesday afternoon after a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) made an emergency landing minutes after it took off from the air base.
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Navy�s senior aviator-to-be faces daunting list of tasks
As Rear Adm. James M. Zortman leaves his command of the Atlantic Fleet Naval Air Force and heads to San Diego as the Navy�s senior aviator, the �to do� list waiting for him out West already overflows.
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Northrop Grumman Helps Air Force Develop Collision-Avoidance System for Unmanned Vehicles
Northrop Grumman Corporation is helping the U.S. Air Force develop collision-avoidance technology that will make it safer for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to share airspace with piloted air vehicles.
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Bell Signs Formal Agreements for Team Eagle Eye
Bell Signs Agreements With Lockheed Martin, AAI and Textron Systems Teaming Up for Eagle Eye Tiltrotor UAV.
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El Al and IAF could crash land on cut corners
On several occasions in the past year, employees of Lod Hydraulic Services division of Israel Aircraft Industries installed faulty landing gear in El Al and Israel Air Force planes, despite written procedures to the contrary.
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Taiwan's military flexes its muscle with AH-1 attack helicopter display
Eight AH-1W attack helicopters and as many OH-58D Scout helicopters were shown on television firing missiles, rockets and guns at targets in a drill simulating a Chinese invasion on a beach in western Taiwan.
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Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Joint STARS Re-Engine Effort Stalls; Guard Warns Of Poor Performance
An effort to re-engine the U.S. Air Force's E-8C Joint STARS aircraft is languishing, apparently because bigger programs are edging it off the table.
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Skyhawks may be sold as scrap
The New Zealand Air Force's old jet fighters are in danger of being sold as scrap metal.
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First 2/6 Cav Longbows land in Illesheim
The 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment�s first AH-64D Apache Longbows had arrived in Illesheim, Germany.
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U.S. APPROVES AIRCRAFT ENGINE PROJECT FOR EGYPT
The United States has approved assistance for a project to upgrade engines for Egypt's combat helicopter fleet.
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Athens installs Patriot missiles
Dozens of Patriot missiles have been put in place around Athens as the Greek capital began rolling out its security operation for next month's Olympics.
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Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Stennis Wraps Up RIMPAC, Pulses Forward to Western Pacific
Following a visit to Hawaii, the USS John C. Stennis Carrier (CVN 74) Strike Group (JCS CSG) will continue a scheduled summer deployment to the Western Pacific as part of Summer Pulse '04 (SP04), the Navy�s first real world test of the Fleet Response Plan (FRP).
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USS George Washington, CVW-7 Return to Norfolk
After traveling more than 51,000 nautical miles and spending six months at sea, USS George Washington (CVN 73) (GW) completed its sixth Mediterranean and Persian Gulf deployment and returned home to Norfolk, Va., July 26.
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Truman Returns from Summer Pulse '04
USS Harry S. Truman returned to its homeport of Norfolk, Va., July 25 after helping to validate the U.S. Navy�s Fleet Response Plan to the world.
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CSAF: Air Force key in Pacific operations
The U.S. Air Force will become more active in the Pacific theater in the future in response to emerging hot spots, said the Air Force chief of staff after a recent tour of the Pacific Air Operations Center here.
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Fighter pilots could command drone 'swarms'
QinetiQ - formerly the UK government's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency - has developed technology that would allow a pilot to control up to five aircraft during a mission, without needing to constantly keep a check on them.
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Taiwan deploys missiles on island off China: Jane's
Taiwan has built a major missile and radar complex on an island off China aimed at restricting its rival's air force and naval capability in the Taiwan Strait, the authoritative Janes Defence Weekly says.
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Major defence contract in the Sultanate of Oman new success for the NH90 helicopter
The Sultanate of Oman has confirmed the acquisition of 20 NH90 TTH battlefield helicopters. The contract has been signed on 24th July 2004 in Muscat by the Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs and the General Manager of NHIndustries (the company owned by Eurocopter (62,5%), Agusta (32%) and Stork Fokker (5,5%)).
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IAF rescue chopper crashes in Bihar
One person was killed when an Indian Air Force helicopter dropping food packets in flood-hit Begusarai district of Bihar crash-landed in a marshy area on Monday.
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Thales wins Saudi defence deal
French defence firm Thales says it has been chosen to provide support for Saudi Arabia's air defence system in a deal worth 340m euros.
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Ottawa forced to buy Sikorsky, sources say
The Canadian federal government concealed the fact last week that it was forced to buy Sikorsky helicopters to replace its fleet of Sea Kings after the only other competitor in the $5-billion race had been previously disqualified on technical grounds, sources say.
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MiG-21s "very capable" war-planes: Air Chief
Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy defended the MiG-21 aircraft in the IAF fleet, several of which have crashed over the years, saying though modernisation was required, these war-planes were "very capable".
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Britain fights for larger stake in JSF
A row is brewing over America�s reluctance to share technology for the Joint Strike Fighter project.
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Monday, July 26, 2004
Contest
And the winner is Choo Rui Xiong from Singapore.
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North Korea accuses U.S. of spy flights
North Korea on Sunday accused the U.S. military of conducting more than 1,200 spy flights over the communist country from January to June and claimed that Washington was looking for a chance to launch an attack.
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Japanese Intelligence Aircraft Was Nearly Attacked By North Korean Missile
Tokyo Shinbun reported on July 24 that a Japanese intelligence aircraft approached the skies of the Korean peninsula and were almost in danger of a missile attack from a North Korean fighter.
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Sunday, July 25, 2004
MoD to buy Thales missiles
The U.K. Ministry of Defence has committed to buying 180 million pounds worth of Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles from France's Thales.
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Airbus Military selects Thales for A400M digital Head-Up Display
Thales announced that its digital Head-Up Display System has been chosen by Airbus Military for the new A400M military transport aircraft.
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Contest
Reminder to all : Contest ends today
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Search under way after vessel hits USS Kennedy
The U.S. Navy is continuing to search for survivors from a small boat that collided with the USS John F. Kennedy in the Persian Gulf on Thursday.
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Saturday, July 24, 2004
Lockheed Martin Developing Smaller Standoff Cruise Missiles
Lockheed Martin Corp. is spending millions of dollars of its own money to develop two new air-to-surface, standoff cruise missiles for stealthy fighter aircraft.
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U.S. Companies Tout New UAVs At British Air Show
U.S. defense companies have touted a host of new or conceptual unmanned aerial vehicles during the Farnborough Air Show. Some of the UAVs are being assembled, while others still are on the drawing board, industry officials said in interviews and press briefings July 19-21.
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Darwin man jittery over Sparrow droppings
The RAAF admitted that an AIM 7 Sparrow training missile had dropped accidentally from an F/A-18 Hornet fighter returning at night to its base in Darwin. The two-metre, 103-kilogram missile slammed into a carefully restored 1974 Toyota utility.
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J-STARS wing to get top Air National Guard honor
The 116th Air Control Wing will receive the Spaatz Trophy for 2003, the most coveted flying unit award in the Air National Guard.
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Iraqi, American fighter pilots band together at Balad
Six Iraqi air force pilots and 10 American pilots shared stories over lunch at a dining facility and then took pictures together in front of an F-16 Fighting Falcon.
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The Maritime Helicopter Team Selected to Replace Sea Kings
The Government of Canada today announced the selection of the Sikorsky Aircraft-led Maritime Helicopter Team to replace Sea King helicopters currently in service with the Canadian Forces. The selection was made as part of Canada's $3-billion Maritime Helicopter Project (MHP) for the acquisition of 28 aircraft. The Maritime Helicopter Team will furnish the Sikorsky H-92 SUPERHAWK medium-lift helicopter and support services over the next 20 years. The first helicopter will be delivered in 2008.
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Admiral says Osprey is much improved
The V-22 Osprey has made significant improvements and is on track for the next step in its evaluation process, Rear Adm. David Architzel said Thursday.
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Air force still flies its axed jets
Far from gathering dust in a hangar while waiting for buyers, the New Zealand air force's disbanded fleet of Aermacchi jet trainers and at least one Skyhawk fighter are still kicking up dust in regular sorties over Manawatu.
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Friday, July 23, 2004
Contest
I'm giving away one free new and unopen copy of Flight International 13-19 July 04 issue. Included is a cutaway poster of a F/A-18F Super Hornet.
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Aermacchi Toasts M-346 Maiden Flight; Launches M-311
Aermacchi anounce the M-311 at Farnborough recently. It is based on the S.211.
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Cuts threat to Typhoon Tranche 3 programme
UK participation in Eurofighter and even the Joint Strike Fighter programme may be scrapped to meet the procurement targets of the Strategic Defence Review. At risk is believed to be the entire Tranche 3 production of Eurofighter.
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F-16s delivered to Greece, Hill has future role
U.S. Air Force pilots took off from Fort Worth, Texas, June 8 to deliver the final two of 60 advanced F-16 aircraft for Greece's Hellenic Air Force.
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IAI delivers first KA-32 chopper to Korea
The first Russian Kamov-32 (KA-32) helicopter, equipped with Israel Aircraft Industries' (IAI) Lahav Division avionics package, was delivered on June 22nd, 2004 to the Republic Of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) by the Korean Company LGI. The delivery took place in a ceremony at the ROKAF's air base in Cheongju, Korea.
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B-1 bombers get new, faster weapons computers
In an $86 million upgrade program, Boeing is replacing weapons computer systems on the entire 60�plane B�1 fleet.
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Boeing Delivers First Production F-Model Chinook
The Boeing Company has delivered the first production CH-47F Chinook helicopter two months ahead of schedule, marking the beginning of the U.S. Army�s Chinook modernization program.
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USS Ronald Reagan to Arrive at New Homeport
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and its 3,000 crew members will arrive at their new home at Naval Air Station North Island July 23 at 10 a.m.
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Carrier Air Wings Returning From Summer Pulse, Deployment
Three carrier air wings will return to their respective homebases following their participation in Summer Pulse 2004 and a regularly scheduled six-month deployment.
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U.S. Marine jets collide over Oregon, two dead
Two U.S. Marine Corps F-18 fighter jets collided in a fiery crash over the Columbia River in Oregon on Wednesday, killing two of the three crewmen involved, local officials said.
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JSF's Weight Problems Nearing Solution, Contractor Says
Lockheed Martin Corp., the prime contractor for the U.S. Defense Department's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, has developed a proposal that mostly would solve the aircraft's problems with excess weight, a company official said July 21.
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U.S. team concludes Navy pilot died in Gulf war
Members of the U.S. team investigating the fate of Capt. Scott Speicher have concluded that the Navy fighter pilot is dead, according to sources close to the mission.
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Thursday, July 22, 2004
Boeing Develops Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System Simulation Capability
The Boeing Company has developed and fielded the capability to simulate the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) for the U.S. Air Force F-15C aircraft. The F-15C Mission Training Center at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, was the first training center to receive this capability and began using it for training operations in late May.
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Yakkety-yak
The Yak-130, which was expected to be present at Farnborough but did not appear, has been ordered for Russian air force service.
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Lockheed Martin makes progress on weapons
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control Systems� vice-president Randy Bigum has outlined the latest progress of AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missile (JASSM), the Longshot wing-kit and the Low-cost Autonomous Attack System (LOCAAS).
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Lockheed Martin Receives Request For Additional Super Hercules And Celebrates Historic 50th Year For The C-130
Lockheed Martin has been notified by the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) that Denmark will exercise the option for an additional C-130J Super Hercules.
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Elbit�s new 'eyes' for F-16
Elbit subsidiary Electro-Optic�s EO Airborne Recon�naissance pod has appeared at Farnborough for the first time. The day/night electro-optical infra-red pod has been developed for the Lockheed Martin F-16 and can be operated at altitudes up to 25,000ft (7,600m), with a slant range of 20nm (37km) and features a real-time datalink.
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Overrun fears delay Hawk deal
The design and development contract for the RAF�s Hawk Mk128 aircraft has been delayed in an attempt to avoid the overruns that have afflicted other recent programmes.
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Saab to lead export sales drive for Gripen
Saab intends to play a bigger role in pursuing export sales of the Gripen fourth-generation fighter, says chief executive Ake Svensson who believes that the best way to build on past successes would be through greater Saab control of the process.
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�Unkillable� Raptor meets pilots� performance hopes
Three USAF pilots involved in the current operational test (OPEVAL) programme for the aircraft had the chance to brief Farnborough about their steed in a live video link. The three, Maj Gen Steve Wood, commander of the Air Warfare Center (AWC) at Nellis AFB, and 53rd Wing Raptor pilots Col Ken Murphy and Maj Alex Grynkewich, were not short on their praise.
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Review turns up the heat on eurofighter
The pressure was piled on Eurofighter yesterday as UK Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced the long-awaited review of the nation�s armed forces. Companies in the four partner nations are desperate to receive Tranche 2 orders for the aircraft, but Hoon said he would only sign up for the 89 aircraft planned for the UK Royal Air Force once negotiations on price and capabilities had been concluded satisfactorily.
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Third time lucky...
The US Air Force claims the B-52 Stratofortress has �precision navigation capability�, but officials were embarrassed after pilots burned up the wrong airfield � twice. On Tuesday, visitors at Farnborough Air Show looked on aghast as the scheduled flypast took place some distance to the north of the airfield � at Blackbushe airfield 10km away, in fact.
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Lockheed Air Force jet order firm
The U.S. Air Force has not changed its plan to purchase 1,763 Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets, a U.S. Department of Defense official said Wednesday.
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M�sia to purchase Chinese missiles
China National Precision Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CPMIEC) is offering the FN-6 very shor
