Sunday, October 31, 2004
Vector Site:Dumb Bombs & Smart Munitions
Greg has updated another excellent article on his website. This article covers from dumb bombs to guided air-to-surface missiles and even targeting pods.
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Warplanes spark Malaysian reaction
Malaysia has called on Australia to respect its sovereignty after it was reported that Australia's newest warplane will have longer-range missile strike capability.
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Australia to get longer range missiles
Australian Defence Minister Robert Hill had revealed he planned to arm the JSF fleet with the new
long-range cruise missiles previously slated for shorter-range F/A-18 fighters.
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No decision yet on F-16s, US tells India
The United States has assured India that it has not yet taken any decision about selling F-16 aircraft to Pakistan.
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Bodies of army officers killed in chopper crash found
The bodies of three senior Indian Army officers, including a major general, who were killed when their helicopter crashed near the border with China were found Saturday, officials here said.
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Whidbey squadron coming home
The "Cougars" of Electronic Attack Squadron 139 (VAQ-139) will wrap up an almost six-month deployment in the western Pacific Ocean and return to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.
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Apache pilot recommended for medal after rescuing downed fliers
A U.S Army Apache pilot is being recommended for a bravery medal for the rescue of a pair of wounded American fliers whose helicopter crashed in hostile territory south of Baghdad this month.
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5th China air show to open next week
The Fifth China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition will open on Nov. 1 in Zhuhai, a city in south China's Guangdong Province. Five teams from Britain, France, Russia and China will take part in the flying display.
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Saturday, October 30, 2004
Ex Sindex 04 Video
There were requests from people who want to have a downloadable copy of the video. I have made one copy available here. Please do not post it on any other website, blogs or forums as I do not wish to get those administrators into trouble.
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BAE SYSTEMS Begins Delivery of Sensor Systems for U.S. Navy Helicopters
Following successful flight testing, the U. S. Navy has authorized BAE Systems for full production of Replacement Attitude Heading Reference System (R-AHRS) units that will be retrofitted to CH-53 and MH-53 helicopters.
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French groups Sagem, Snecma announce merger plans, privatisation
Two major French industrial groups, telecommunications equipment maker Sagem and aerospace engine manufacturer Snecma, announced merger plans that would lead to privatisation of the latter.
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Global Hawk arrives at Beale
A new chapter in Beale Air Force Base's history began Thursday morning when the first Global Hawk aircraft assigned to the base gently landed under a chilly October sky.
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RESTRUCTURED AIR FORCE UNITS COMMISSIONED TO UPGRADE AIR DEFENSE
Restructured Taiwan air force combat units were commissioned into service at Hsinchu, Chiayi, Hualien and Chingchuankang (CCK) air bases around the island Friday as part of the military's efforts to upgrade its air defense capabilities.
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Local aerospace group proposes new plane
Taiwan's Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation is considering a future cooperative effort with both AerMacchi of Italy and Boeing of the U.S. to make the M-346.
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Boeing To Get $200M Contract To Upgrade B-52 Communications
The U.S. Air Force plans to award a multiyear contract to the Boeing Co. in January for communications upgrades to the B-52 bomber.
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Tomcatters Return from Pacific Deployment
The �Tomcatters� of Fighter Squadron (VF) 31 will return to their home base at Naval Air Station Oceana Oct. 31, following a five-month deployment to the Western Pacific aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). The return of the squadron marks the final deployment of the F-14 Tomcat to the Pacific.
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NEW UPGRADED SU-27SK TO BE SHOWN FOR FIRST TIME AT AIR SHOW IN CHINA
Sukhoi will for the first time put on display its new upgraded Su-27SK fighter at the fifth international Airshow China-2004 at Zhuhai in China, Alexander Smelyakov, head of the public and media relations service of Rosoboronexport, told RIA Novosti on Friday.
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Friday, October 29, 2004
Air Vector:Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet & FMA Pampa
November's Air Vector features the Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet & FMA Pampa.
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Into Tension
Aviation Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Timothy Stephenson, puts an E-2C Hawkeye assigned to the Seahawks of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron One Two Six (VAW-126), into tension. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Craig R. Spiering
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First operational F/A-22 rolls out
Col. Frank Gorenc, 1st FW commander, addresses the crowd at Lockheed Martin's F/A-22 Raptor factory on Oct. 27 for the roll-out of wing's first operational Raptor.
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Turkish air force jet clips minaret
A Turkish F-4 jet accidentally clipped the top of a mosque's minaret Wednesday while on a practice aerobatics run over Ankara, the air force said.
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Naval Air Crewman Wins Combat �V� for Bravery in Iraq
Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (NAC) Brad S. Tiefel was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat "V" for heroic action during Operation Iraqi Freedom, in a ceremony Oct. 21 at Naval Hospital Corpus Christi (NHCC). Tiefel was cited for heroic action March 21, 2003, in support of Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Air Wing. He distinguished himself by demonstrating valor and skill after he launched on an urgent mission for six critically injured Marines and Sailors wounded by enemy land mines in a remote area of southern Iraq.
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Singapore and India take part in joint air exercise
Radio Singapore International interviewed Dr Andrew Tan, who is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies in Singapore and Mr Prashant Dikshit, who is Deputy Director of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies in India, and a retired Air Commodore in the Flying Branch of the Indian Air Force about the exercise. This is the transcript of the interview.
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Crash Fire Rescue trains Thai counterparts
The U.S. Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 Crash, Fire, and Rescue unit bridged language and cultural boundaries to teach their counterparts from the Royal Thai Air Force on F/A-18 disarmament and securing procedures.
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Superfighter back on target
The largest military project in Australia's history, the $16 billion plan to buy the Joint Strike Fighter, is back on track after a series of serious setbacks, according to US arms giant Lockheed Martin.
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Avionics Integration for F-35 First Flight Shows Early Success at Lockheed Martin
Initial integration testing of the Communication, Navigation and Identification (CNI) suite for the first flight of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has begun at Lockheed Martin's Mission Systems Integration Lab (MSIL) in Fort Worth. The initial tests of the first-flight CNI suite verified the operation of UHF and VHF communication, radar altimeter, intercom, integrated caution and warning, and identification-friend-or-foe capabilities.
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Top Gun celebrates its 35th year
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the founding of Top Gun.
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Thursday, October 28, 2004
Govt clears Mirage delivery, question mark over 124 more
The Indian Government has given the IAF the go-ahead to take delivery of 10 Mirage 2000-H fighters next month but has put a question mark on the proposal to purchase another 124 Mirage 2000-5 fighters.
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US Plans To Acclerate Deployment Of Aegis Warships For Missile Defense
The United States plans to accelerate the deployment of Aegis warships in waters off North Korea to serve as forward radars for a missile defense system that is being readied for operations.
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Bell to seek Army contracts to produce 2 new helicopters (Registration Required)
Bell Helicopter Textron outlined plans on Tuesday to pursue two major Army helicopter contracts that could give the Fort Worth-based defense manufacturer more than $3 billion in new business early into the next decade.
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Lockheed Martin Rolls Out First F/A-22 Raptor Bound for Langley Air Force Base
Lockheed Martin rolled Raptor 4041 out of its final production assembly facility, marking a milestone in the F/A-22 program. Aircraft 4041 is the initial F/A-22 for the Air Force's first operational, combat-ready squadron of Raptors.
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Helicopter UAV, Controlled By Another, Will Soon Do Live Fire Tests
A rotary wing UAV � the Vigilante � will be the first platform to fire weapons while being controlled by a nearby helicopter in flight. The UAV will fly alongside a specially equipped Huey (UH-1H) fitted out to take control of it.
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CBI arrests top HAL official for accepting bribe
CBI has arrested the chief manager of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bangalore for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a person.
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First single-seater Eurofighter takes off in Manching
The first single-seater production Eurofighter destined for operational service has completed its first flight at EADS Military Aircraft in Manching. The aircraft was aloft for 65 minutes.
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Raytheon Delivers 250,000th Paveway(TM) Laser Guided Bomb
Raytheon Company recently celebrated the achievement of delivering the 250,000th Paveway(TM) Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) to the U.S. Navy, Air Force and international customers.
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EDO to Provide Launching System for Joint Common Missile
EDO Corporation, as a key member of the Lockheed Martin team, has been selected to design and develop fixed-wing, dual missile launchers for the Joint Common Missile (JCM) on F/A-18E/F aircraft.
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Boeing Begins Flight Testing Upgraded Mission System Aboard NATO AWACS Aircraft
Boeing has begun mission system flight tests on the first of 17 NATO AWACS aircraft upgraded under the $1.3 billion Mid-Term Modernization program.
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Germany Expected To Approve New MEADS Phase In December
The German parliament is expected to approve the design and development (D&D) phase of the tri-national Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) in December, clearing the last in a series of political hurdles for the new D&D effort, an industry official said Oct. 26.
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Wednesday, October 27, 2004
ROUTE TAKEN BY THE RSAF FROM SINGAPORE TO DIJON (FRANCE) AND FROM DIJON (FRANCE) TO GWALIOR (INDIA)
Maps showing the route taken by 6 RSAF F-16C/Ds, 2 KC-135 and 1 C-130 for Exercise Western Arc and Sindex.
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AERMACCHI: FIRST SF-260 FLIGHT FOR ITAF
The new EA version of the SF-260 Aermacchi (Finmeccanica) was tested for the first time.
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E-2C New Mission Computer Improves Reliability, Reduces Costs
The Navy and the Northrop Grumman Corporation introduced a Mission Computer Replacement (MCR) to the E-2C Group II aircraft in the fall, referred to as GrIIM RePr, the acronym carried by the program that produced the system (pronounced �grim reaper�).
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'War Eagles' Assist Interdiction of 41.5 Tons of Illegal Drugs
Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 �War Eagles� from Jacksonville, Fla., made a dramatic impact in the war on drugs in the fall, supporting three interdictions, totaling more than 41 metric tons of cocaine.
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MiG-29 planes to be flown at upcoming China air show
The acrobatics team of Russian Air force, Swifts, will fly at the Fifth China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition (CIAAE) Nov. 1-7 in Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province.
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SINGAPORE AND INDIA HOLD INAUGURAL BILATERAL AIR EXERCISE
A statement from the Singapore Ministry of Defense and photographs of the exercise.
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Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Air Power Demo
Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14) aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74), conduct an air power demonstration practice. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Stephen R. Neel.
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U.S., Foreign Officials To Review JSF In Australia Meeting
Government representatives from nine nations, United States and its eight international partners, are expected to gather in Australia in the coming days to review progress in the U.S.-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
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Philippine Air Force Gets 4 More Huey Choppers
The Philippine Air Force received four more of the 20 refurbished UH-1H helicopters it ordered from Singapore Technologies Aerospace Engineering Pte. Ltd (STA).
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BAE sees Eurofighter deal by year-end
BAE Systems says it expects to sign a deal on the second tranche of Eurofighter fighter jets by the end of the year. BAE also refused to comment on a Sunday Telegraph report that the Ministry of Defence was close to finalising a 5 billion pound order for the combat aircraft, with a formal announcement due as soon as mid-November.
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Vandenberg Air and Space Show set to take off
This weekend Vandenberg Air Force Base will open its gates for the Western Air and Space Show, a two-day aviation and space fest.
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IAF to get multi-role fighters
The process of acquiring a new multi-role fighter for the Indian Air Force (IAF) has begun said Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy.
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No middlemen involved in deal with Dassault: Air Chief
IAF's Air Chief S Krishnaswamy on Monday said no
"middlemen or agents" were involved when India had signed the deal for purchase of ten additional Mirage 2000 H fighters with French Company Dassault in Septmeber, 2000.
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Northrop Grumman Offers Next Generation Hunter II for U.S. Army UAV System Competition
Northrop Grumman Corporation has proposed using an upgraded version of the fourth-generation, in-production Heron medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the U.S. Army's new Extended-Range/Multi-Purpose UAV System.
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Jordan Mulls UAV Procurement
Jordan's air force could decide on the procurement of its first indigenous unmanned air vehicle in 2005.
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Camp Eagle helo repair troops off to Iraq
The U.S. Army in South Korea has deployed about 30 helicopter repair troops to serve a yearlong stint maintaining a National Guard unit�s AH-64 Apache helicopters in Iraq.
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Stennis CSG Returns Home from Western Pacific Deployment
The USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) Carrier Strike Group (JCS CSG) will return from a deployment to the Western Pacific on Nov. 1.
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AWACS tests new identification system
A new AWACS Identification Friend or Foe, or IFF, demonstrator interrogator system was tested recently at Patuxent River. The interrogator transmitted a new waveform known as Mode 5. The Mode 5 Interrogator capability will provide significant additional identification performance over the current capability being used.
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Boeing Unveils Low-Cost, Versatile �Little Bird� That Can Fly Manned or as UAV
A Boeing proof-of-concept demonstrator, a modified MD 530F helicopter, known as the �Unmanned Little Bird�, has been flying since Sept. 8 and made its first autonomous take off and landing Oct. 16.
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MINDEF STATEMENT ON ONGOING EXERCISE SINDEX
The Singapore Ministry of Defense issued a statement to clarify an
Indian newspaper report on the ongoing Exercise SINDEX.
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Monday, October 25, 2004
F/A-18 Program Incorporates NAVRIIP Improvements
The U.S Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) F/A-18 and EA-18G program office (PMA-265) is integrating the Naval Aviation Integrated Improvement Program (NAVRIIP) into many of its efforts.
Labels: EA-18G
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When 244 eager American fliers helped save Britain
Half-dozen of veterans gathered last weekend in San Diego for an annual reunion of Eagle Squadron pilots, American fliers who volunteered to fly in the British Royal Air Force, or RAF during World War II.
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CHIEF OF AIR FORCE'S INTRODUCTORY VISIT TO INDIA
Singapore's Chief of Air Force Major-General (MG) Lim Kim Choon will be visiting New Delhi, Gwalior, Jodhpur and Agra during his introductory visit to India from 24 to 29 Oct 04. MG Lim will also visit the ongoing exercise between the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Gwalior Air Force Station.
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Sunday, October 24, 2004
BAE gets go-ahead on �5bn Typhoon contract
A decision to award a �5 billion deal to build more Eurofighter Typhoons to BAE and its European partners is expected to be signed off by the U.K. Treasury this week, followed by an official announcement within a fortnight.
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Little Bird: Hybrid UAV/Helo Flies Hands Off Demo
Boeing recently showed off their unmanned/manned MD 530F �Little Bird� demonstrator to a reporter on only its fourth autonomously guided mission. The aircraft guided itself around a mountainous course to the north of Phoenix, demonstrated various turning and climb and descent manoeuvres and returned automatically to Boeing�s plant to make a perfect landing in gusty wind conditions.
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Boeing begins building next generation of electronic-warfare jet
Workers at Boeing Co.'s fighter-production plant in St. Louis began assembling the forward fuselage of the EA-18G Growler.
Labels: EA-18G
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Controversy erupts over Mirage deal
A Paris court has confirmed that the deal to acquire 10 additional Mirage 2000 jets in 1996 for the Indian Air Force was finalized through middlemen.
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Military displays Patriot missiles
The Taiwan defense ministry opened one of its three Patriot missile bases to reporters in a rare move apparently aimed at trying to win legislative support for the controversial US$18 billion special arms-purchase budget.
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Saturday, October 23, 2004
Don't fret if Pak gets F-16s
Russian-origin Sukhoi-30MKI jets are apparently outgunning American F-16s on "several aspects" at the ongoing Indo-Singapore air combat exercise in Gwalior.
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Modified F-22 jet engine completes AEDC tests; more tests planned
A Pratt & Whitney F119 engine that had some engine component changes made based on data from the engine's tests at the AEDC test center in 2003, has completed the first of a two-part test program.
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Raytheon Delivers Deployment STANDARD Missile-3 Rounds to Missile Defense Agency
Raytheon Company has begun delivering STANDARD Missile-3 (SM-3) initial deployment rounds to the Missile Defense Agency. SM-3 is a key element of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System and builds on the existing fleet of Aegis cruisers and destroyers.
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Chief of staff awarded for heroism
Colonel James R. Braden, chief of staff, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, was awarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions and heroism while participating in aerial flight as flight leader in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on April 12, 2003.
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U.S. Missile Defense Agency Shelves LRAD For Now
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has concluded it cannot afford for now to begin developing an interceptor missile to destroy long-range ballistic missiles in their final phase of flight, Defense Department officials said Oct. 21.
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Rolls-Royce sees eurofighter deal around year-end
British engine maker Rolls-Royce Plc said yesterday it expected a deal on the second tranche of Eurofighter fighter jets to be agreed upon around the end of the year.
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Italian Air Chief Due In Pakistan
Lt Gen Leonardo Tricarico, chief of staff Italian Air Force, along with his wife and two members delegation will be visiting Pakistan from October 22 to 24 on the invitation of Pakistan Air Force.
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Burger King, Pizza Hut Open Doors at Balad Air Base
A Burger King and a Pizza Hut restaurant run by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service opened for business at Balad Air Base, Iraq, Oct 10.
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Tanker Win Would Mean Another U.S. Facility, EADS Says
If EADS North America won a reopened U.S. Air Force tanker refueling contract, it would open another U.S. aircraft facility dedicated to that work but would choose another U.S. company as the prime contractor, according to EADS co-CEO Philippe Camus.
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