Saturday, July 17, 2004
FIRST FLIGHT SUCCESSFULLY PERFORMED BY THE AERMACCHI – FINMECCANICA M-346
NEXT GENERATION ADVANCED/LIFT TRAINERThe Aermacchi M-346 next-generation advanced/lift military trainer flew for the first time on Thursday, July 15th 2004. The aircraft took off from the Venegono airfield in Italy at 8,30 hours local time (7,30 GMT) and returned at 9,25 (8,25 GMT). The flight was controlled in real time by Aermacchi flight test team operating from the company telemetry facilities.
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U.S. set to develop huge bomb aimed at buried targetsThe United States plans to develop an experimental 30,000-pound (13,600 kg) bomb, the biggest in its inventory, aimed at destroying deeply buried targets beyond the reach of existing bombs, the Air Force said on Friday.
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Extra squadrons pitched for U.S. Yokota Air BaseThe United States has informally proposed integrating a U.S. air base on Guam into the U.S. Yokota Air Base outside Tokyo, government sources said Thursday.
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GE ready to start testing engine for Joint Strike FighterGeneral Electric Aircraft Engines, and its partner Rolls-Royce, will next week begin ground testing a new engine being developed for the Joint Strike Fighter program.
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US plans sale of aircraft self-protection system to IndiaIndia is likely to get a USD 40 million aircraft protection system from the United States for use in the protection of the Head of State.
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Signal jamming a factor in future wars, general says (Registration Required)Saddam Hussein's failed attempt to jam U.S. Global Positioning System navigation signals during the Iraq war is an example of the growing danger of space warfare, the Air Force's top space commander said yesterday.
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Gould takes command of 3rd Air ForceMaj. Gen. Michael Gould is the new commander of the 3rd Air Force. Gould, who previously served as director of operational plans and joint matters and deputy chief of staff for Air and Space Operations in Washington, D.C., replaces Maj. Gen. Michael Wooley.
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Army helicopter crashes in BiharAn Indian Army helicopter engaged in relief and rescue operations in a flood-hit district in Bihar crashed after hitting a tree Thursday, officials here said.
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Army pilots, crew undergo over-water trainingSoldiers of the 78th Aviation Battalion from Camp Zama trained in helicopter ditching and swimmer extraction off Yokosuka Naval Base Thursday.
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6 Brazilian Soldiers Killed in Helicopter CrashBrazilian military officials say six soldiers have been killed in the crash of an army helicopter in the southern part of the country.
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DoD Developing New Training to Help Potential CaptivesThe U.S. Defense Department is taking a hard look at the way it trains service members to avoid capture and, if they do fall into enemy hands, how to handle themselves.
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Friday, July 16, 2004
Air Force chief gets 3rd star; 6 others promotedPhilippine Air Force (PAFA) chief, Maj. Gen. Jose L. Reyes was promoted recently to lieutenant general with six other senior Air Force officers.
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New Deputy IDF Chief of StaffFormer air force commander Major-General Dan Halutz today assumed his new post, deputy IDF chief of staff, replacing Major-General Gabi Ashkenazi.
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LOCKHEED MARTIN COMPLETES MAJOR MILESTONE FOR DEVELOPMENT PHASE OF ADVANCED HAWKEYE RADAR PROGRAMLockheed Martin recently completed a successful Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) radar.
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PAC-3 INTERCEPTED ALL MISSILES IN IRAQThe U.S. Defense Department maintains that the Patriot missile defense system intercepted all Iraqi short-range missiles fired toward Kuwait during the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
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Armed forces lose 21 aircraft in crashesIndia's armed forces lost 21 aircraft in crashes since April last year, and 26 people, including 13 civilians, were killed in these accidents, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Thursday.
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Sukhoi to Generate $1.5Bln, Export 40 Fighter Jets in '04Sukhoi will export 40 fighter jets this year, maintaining its place as Russia's No. 1 arms exporter, the company chief executive said Wednesday.
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Air force conducts second freeway fly-byTwo IDF and two Mirage 2000-5 fighter aircraft yesterday made another fly-by over the Sun Yat-sen Freeway's "Jenteh Runway" in a practice run for the annual Han Kuang, or "Han Glory," military exercise, which will begin on July 21.
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'MiG jets to be phased out by 2017'The Indian Air Force (IAF) will phase out its Russian-made MiG-series of jets between 2006 and 2017, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Thursday.
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Navy commander pilot passes 1,000th ‘trap’ aircraft carrierCmdr. David Landess, who commands the USS John F. Kennedy-based Fighter Squadron 103, joins only about 300 other pilots in the Navy’s history to reach the milestone of 1,000 carrier landings.
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Flir receives $7.4 million in ordersPortland-based Flir Systems Inc. announced it has received a series of orders totaling $7.4 million for delivery of infrared imaging cameras for use in Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Litening AT Targeting Pod.
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Gripen moves forward on promisePromises of massive investments in the Czech by the Gripen consortium in return for the government's decision to lease 14 of its JAS-39 fighters are beginning to take shape, surprising some companies and fueling skepticism from some politicians.
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Iwo Jima once again site of a new battleConcerned by the potential safety problems of training on Iwo Jima, U.S. Navy officials are pushing for an alternate site, or at least an airstrip nearby so that a plane can be diverted in the case of an emergency.
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Thursday, July 15, 2004
Preparing to copeAirman 1st Class Trevor Smith fuels a GR-1 Jaguar from the Indian air force for Cope Thunder. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Strang)
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Enterprise, Majestic Eagle Move Into 'Free Play' PhaseUSS Enterprise (CVN 65), USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), the Italian carrier ITS Garibaldi (C551), and the Spanish carrier SPS Principe De Asturias (R 11) are four of the 30 ships participating in a multinational exercise off the coast of Morocco.
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Turbomeca’s Makila 2A engine is certifiedTurbomeca has announced the certification of the Makila 2A by the EASA, with a take-off power of 2101 shp. The Makila 2A will be fitted on Eurocopter’s EC 225 and EC 725.
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Mercury Computer Systems Selected by Lockheed Martin for Joint Common Missile ProgramMercury Computer Systems announced today that Lockheed Martin will use Mercury's tactical version of its RACE++® Series commercial off-the- shelf (COTS) multicomputers in the guidance electronics unit of the Joint Common Missile (JCM) system.
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Turkey to Reopen Attack Helicopter Tender The American defense magazine, Defense News, reports that Turkey will reopen a previously canceled tender for attack helicopters and that prominent companies from the US, western Europe and Russia will compete in the bidding.
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New equipment at Lockheed Martin to expand F-35 production effortLockheed Martin's huge facility for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter production is nearing completion, with final assembly and testing of equipment for composites manufacturing and assembly. The Ft. Worth operation will begin producing the forward composite fuselage and wing skins later this month, says Lockheed spokesman John Kent.
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F/A-18 Hornets to get $100m upgradeAustralia's F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft will be equipped with upgraded target designation systems under a $100 million project announced by the government.
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Pakistan decides to Revamp its’ air PowerPakistan has taken a big leap to strengthen its air power by securing a nod from Sweden to sell Islamabad an Airborne Early Warning and Control System [AWACS], informed sources said. Seven of these aircraft will be dedicated for the PAF’s AWE&CS while the remaining seven will be acquired by the PIA to replace its fleet of Fokker aircraft
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BAE faces cuts in air and navy contractsBAE Systems, Britain's biggest arms contractor, is bracing itself for cuts in key contracts for the RAF and Royal Navy as a result of this week's spending settlement between the Treasury and Ministry of Defence.
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First investor in unmanned aircraft site announcedTHE FIRST investor in a multi-million-pound business park in west Wales for unmanned aircraft was announced yesterday. European UAV Systems Centre (EuroUSC) will move in.
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Wednesday, July 14, 2004
More Eurofighter in Singapore PhotosVery high quality shots at close range. Copyright R.X.
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T-50 Trainer Begins High Angle-Of-Attack Flight TestingThe Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) recently began high angle-of-attack (AOA) flight testing on the T-50 Golden Eagle, a supersonic jet trainer being developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) with technical assistance from Lockheed Martin.
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Minister Blames Technical Malfunction for Tupolev Bomber CrashRussian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has said the crash of the Tupolev-22M3 bomber aircraft recently was the result of “a technical malfunction” -- not an error of the flight crew.
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US air force chief visits Singapore, receives military awardThe United States' air force chief of staff, General John Jumper, received one of Singapore's top military awards while on a visit to the Southeast Asian nation on Tuesday, the government here said.
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LOCKHEED MARTIN'S PANTERA TARGETING POD COMPLETES FIRST INTERNATIONAL DEPLOYMENT WITH ROYAL NORWEGIAN AIR FORCENorway became the first international country to deploy Lockheed Martin’s PANTERATM targeting pod when the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) participated in Exercise Maple Flag in May.
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IAF readies to take on F-16sIndian Mirage-2000 and Sukhoi-30 multi-role jets will finally get an opportunity to match their combat skills with the F-16 fighter aircraft of the Singapore Air Force.
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Taiwan jets to practice freeway landings amid China fearsTwo Taiwanese fighter jets will practice emergency landings on a freeway for the first time in 26 years as part of the island's measures against an attack by rival China, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.
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Pakistan to buy another 28 Mirages from LibyaClose on the heels of purchase of 50 Mirage combat jets from Libya, Pakistan is mulling another deal to buy 28 aircraft from the African country, officials said.
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Delivery of Raptor delayedThe long-awaited F/A-22 Raptor fighter jets will not arrive at Langley Air Force Base until next May -about five months later than previously planned.
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Tuesday, July 13, 2004
USS Enterprise Kicks Off Majestic EagleUSS Enterprise (CVN 65) teamed up again with allied forces from France, Germany, Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom for MEDSHARK/ Majestic Eagle '04 (MS/ME04) July 11 off the coast of Morocco as part of the carrier’s Summer Pulse '04 deployment.
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Northrop Grumman Hunter Unmanned Aerial Reconnaissance System Surpasses 30,000 Flight HoursA U.S. Army unmanned aerial reconnaissance system supporting the war on terrorism recently achieved a significant operational milestone by reaching the 30,000 total flight-hours mark.
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Thousands of Scots RAF jobs 'in jeopardy' from HoonThousands of Royal Air Force personnel at three Scottish air bases are nervously awaiting an announcement by Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, later this week.
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Boeing to Highlight 7E7 Dreamliner, Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft at Farnborough Air Show 2004The Boeing Company today detailed its media presentations for the July 19-25 Farnborough International Air Show, which include discussions of the transformational 7E7 Dreamliner and Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft programs.
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BAE SYSTEMS Provides Advanced Digital EW System For F/A-22 RaptorBAE Systems digital electronic warfare receiver technology has been selected by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics as the baseline EW system for future production lots of the U.S. Air Force's F/A-22 Raptor.
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LOCKHEED MARTIN STARTS F-35 FORWARD-FUSELAGE ASSEMBLYWorkers at Lockheed Martin’s mile-long factory in Fort Worth have begun assembling the forward fuselage for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Shortly after 8 a.m. on Monday, July 12, workers loaded an F-35 structural bulkhead into an assembly tool, marking the official start of forward-fuselage production for the aircraft. Assembly of the F-35’s wings will begin at the plant in a few weeks.
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Monday, July 12, 2004
BATTLE FOR THE AMAZONAviation Week & Space Technology Senior Military Editor David A. Fulghum was the first journalist to fly on the Brazilian air force's new R-99A and R-99B surveillance and intelligence-gathering aircraft. This is his report.
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DECEPTION AND POWERAviation Week & Space Technology takes a look at the next generation of U.S. EW systems being developed.
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V-22 Completes Warm-Up For Operational EvaluationThe V-22 Osprey has completed a seven-week operational assessment, a precursor to the crucial operational evaluation (OPEVAL) that is scheduled to begin in about six months.
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Rice woos China over US naval buildupChina is getting edgy over a new US military strategy aimed at projecting force around the globe and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice’s visit last week was an attempt to calm Beijing down, analysts said.
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Divisions over Australian aircraft-carrier planThe Australian government is considering a plan to replace its navy transport ships with two large, aircraft carrier-style warships, which could carry hundreds of troops into battle.
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Sunday, July 11, 2004
'Triplex' Typhoons OverseasFirst pictures of a pair of 29 (Reserve) Squadron Typhoons which have deployed from their base at Warton to Singapore.
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Tornado F3 and AMRAAMsThe air-to-air capabilities of the RAF's air defence fighter, the Tornado F3, have received a major boost with the introduction of the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air-Missile (AMRAAM). Images by Sgt Tom Goldie, RAF Leuchars. All images are Crown Copyright.
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Singapore is evaluating the F-15, the Eurofighter and the RafaleAugustine Anthuvan of Radio Singapore International spoke to Mr Nick Cook, Aviation Consultant with Jane's Defence Weekly in London. This is the transcript of the radio interview.
Click here to listen to the interview
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Ronald Reagan Strike Group Fosters Relations with Peru Through SIFOREXUSS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group (CSG) completed Silent Forces Exercises (SIFOREX), July 5, after four days of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) tactics with the Peruvian Navy.
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Reagan Makes Foreign Port Visit to Callao, PeruUSS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) crew members arrived in Callao, Peru, July 9, for a four-day visit. This is the third port visit during the ship’s transit to its new homeport in San Diego.
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Inquiry into RAAF informer fearsAustralia's military watchdog is probing whether an RAAF whistleblower was harassed and threatened by colleagues.
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