Saturday, December 25, 2004
Defense Holds Key To Boeing's 2005, Division Chief SaysBoeing acknowledges that defense spending will likely begin to slow and that the controversy surrounding its hiring of former Air Force procurement official Darleen A. Druyun will continue to make business more difficult next year.
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Settlement reached in helicopter crash suit (Registration Required)Lawyers have settled a lawsuit with McDonnell-Douglas Helicopter Co. and Boeing over a 2002 Apache helicopter crash at Camp Blanding in Clay County that killed one airman and injured another.
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Russian Air Force Gets New Su-27 Fighter PlanesThe Russian Air Force took delivery of seven modernized Su-27 Flanker fighter planes on Thursday.
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US Army choppers, F-16s to fly at Aero India showUS Army helicopters and F-16 jets will take part in the Aero India show to be held Bangalore Feb 9-13 next year.
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Japan eyes joining next-generation stealth jet project: reportJapan is considering joining the F-35 project after ending its decades-old ban on military exports, a newspaper said Friday.
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Sea King pilots resigned to holding pattern as replacement process drags onWhen Canadian Defence Minister Bill Graham came to the Shearwater air base in Nova Scotia to announce that a fleet of 28 Sikorsky helicopters would replace Canada's aging Sea Kings, the reaction from the assembled airmen was, to say the least, muted.
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Taskforce aims to ease base cuts blowThe impact of a double RAF base closure on local businesses, families and schools is being investigated by a special taskforce.
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India to sell Dhruv helicopterIndia made a strong pitch to sell its home-grown helicopter Dhruv to Malaysia with a breathtaking performance by the Sarang helicopter aerobatic team in the presence of visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmed Badawi.
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CCS okays revised cost estimate for Kaveri engineThe Indian Cabinet Committee on Security has approved the revised cost estimate of Rs 2,800 crore for the Kaveri Engine Project for India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas.
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All TNI choppers grounded following crashesIndonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen.Endriartono Sutarto on Friday ordered to temporarily ground helicopters following two accidents in just two days. An Indonesian Air Force NAS-332 Super Puma crashed in the Dieng plateau in Wonosobo regency, Central Java killing all 14 officers on board, while on Wednesday an Indonesian Navy Bell-212 chopper was downed with five people feared dead in Nabire, Papua.
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Friday, December 24, 2004
DOD Solid-State Laser Demos Delayed Three MonthsThe U.S. Defense Department's Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) program has delayed demonstrating 25-kilowatt solid-state lasers by about three months because the three teams involved in the effort need more time, according to program officials.
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Command tests UAV capabilities in urban environmentsU.S. Joint Forces Command recently teamed with the U.S. Marines Corps and others to experiment with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities that can be applied to enhance warfighting operations in urban environments.
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Czech's wary of Gripen costsHungarian Defense Ministry (HM) and US officials from the Pentagon have signed an agreement for Hungary to acquire 28 US-made Amraam AIM-120C-5 type advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles.
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Latest Sukhoi fighter configuration certifiedIndia and Russia have certified the latest Sukhoi fighter configuration, known as Mk3.
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Cobham lands US radar dealCobham, yesterday reached an agreement to buy Remec Inc, a US maker of radar technology for $260m (£135m) in the biggest deal of its 70-year history.
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RUSSIAN LONG-RANGE AVIATION CELEBRATES 90TH ANNIVERSARYThe Long-Range Aviation of the Russian Air Force (RusAF) is celebrating its 90th anniversary on Thursday. The holiday was established in 1999 by the order of the Air Force Chief Commander.
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Thursday, December 23, 2004
‘Silver Lobos’ fly into retirementThe U.S. Air Force’s last operational F-4 Phantom II squadron held its inactivation ceremony Holloman Air Base Dec. 20.
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Lincoln to make Hong Kong port callThe USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with about 6,000 sailors, will dock in Hong Kong this week for a port call.
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BAE Secures Hawk Trainer Jet ContractThe U.K. Ministry of Defense has awarded a 158.5 million pound to BAE Systems to design and develop a new Hawk trainer jet.
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Saab Systems wins order for further development of Armed Forces air defence systemSaab Systems has received an MSEK 98 order for continued development of StriC, the Swedish Air Defence System, and Strics, a customized air simulator system for StriC. StriC has been used by the Swedish Air Force since 1998 in control of the JAS 39 Gripen fighter.
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Air Force seeks cause of F/A-22 crash (Registration Required)U.S. Air Force officials were keeping a tight lid Tuesday on details surrounding the crash of a Lockheed Martin-built F/A-22 Raptor fighter jet.
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'Belgium dropped plans to sell F-16 jets to Pakistan'Belgium decided not to sell second-hand nuclear-capable F-16 jets to Pakistan following a request from India, Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee informed parliament Wednesday.
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Turkey Signs for Head-of-State Sikorsky S-92The Turkish government has signed a contract for a Sikorsky S-92 helicopter to serve head-of-state missions.
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Five Killed in Helicopter CrashFive people were killed when an Indonesian Navy Bell-212 helicopter crashed into a river in Papua province on Wednesday during a test flight.
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Crash leads to investigation, Raptor safety stand downCommanders of units flying the F/A-22 Raptor called for a safety stand down of the fleet following a crash Dec. 20 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
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Wednesday, December 22, 2004
First Production KAI T-50 Supersonic Trainer Enters Final AssemblyKorea Aerospace Industries (KAI) began final assembly on the first production T-50 supersonic trainer on Dec. 17 at the company’s modern aircraft manufacturing facilities at Sacheon, South Korea.
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Raging BullAn F/A-18C Hornet assigned to the Bulls of Strike Fighter Squadron Three Seven (VFA-37) launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Philip V. Morrill.
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Northrop Grumman, Air Force Use Joint STARS Surveillance Aircraft to Demonstrate Secure, Airborne Internet CapabilityThe U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman Corporation successfully demonstrated an airborne capability to collaborate real time via Internet 'chat rooms', e-mail, and the Web, all within a secure, classified environment. The new approach allows personnel on board the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft to "talk" to units and command centers on the ground.
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Navy defends airfield selectionE-mails that appear to show the U.S. Navy had political motivations for picking Washington and Beaufort counties for a controversial new airfield were taken out of context, the Navy said Monday.
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Officials close unit in FranceThe USAF 774th Expeditionary Air Base Group officially closed its doors at Istres Air Base during a ceremony Dec. 17, ending more than a decade of U.S. and French cooperation. Istres has been home to U-2 DragonLady reconnaissance aircraft from 1996 to 1999 and KC-135 Stratotankers since 1994.
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Boeing ScanEagle UAV Demonstrates Communications Relay Utilizing Harris’ Secure Wireless TechnologyScanEagle, a long-endurance fully autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Boeing and The Insitu Group, successfully demonstrated high-speed wireless communications relay during a recent flight at the Boeing Boardman test range.
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Boeing X-45A Unmanned Vehicle Controlled Via Satellite from 900 Miles AwayA Boeing X-45A unmanned aircraft was controlled by a pilot-operator in Seattle, Wash., after launching from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on Dec. 9.
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U.S. Navy Gets Interceptors For Sea-Based Missile DefenseThe first five deployable Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors have been delivered to the U.S. Navy. They are placed in launch canisters at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. and now stand ready to be loaded aboard an Aegis ship.
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Tremors 'due to aircraft boom'Earth tremors reported by people living in north Wales and parts of north west England on Tuesday are believed to have been caused by a "sonic boom" from a Typhoon Eurofighter aircraft.
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India deploys Israeli-built drone in KashmirThe Indian army has deployed for the first time Israeli-built spy planes to track Islamist guerrillas in Kashmir, officials said on Tuesday.
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Anti-Katyusha laser to be testedThe Tactical High Energy Laser or THEL has been brought to Israel to be tested against Kassam rockets and mortar shells fired by the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
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Thai army helicopter with 11 aboard crash-landsA Thai army UH-1 Huey helicopter carrying 11 people crash-landed Tuesday while patrolling the Thai-Myanmar border, lightly injuring seven people aboard, an official said.
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VAW-126 Helps Defend Democracy in AfghanistanCarrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 126 provided two aircraft and approximately 30 crew members in support of the weeklong operation for the inauguration of Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kandahar Dec. 7.
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F-15 loses piece of aileronA U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter lost part of an aileron over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Okinawa during a training exercise on Tuesday, the Air Force said.
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Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Air Force Raptor fighter jet crashesThe pilot of an U.S. Air Force F/A-22 Raptor ejected moments before his high-tech jet crashed Monday outside Las Vegas at Nellis Air Force Base.
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U.S. missile defense system will miss year-end deadline (Registration Required)The U.S. national missile defense system is not expected to be activated until at least early 2005. A military spokesman said the recent test failure was not the reason for the delay in activating a few interceptors in Alaska and California.
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CHINA CONTEMPLATING NEW CONTRACTS FOR SUPPLY OF FIGHTER JETS FROM RUSSIARussian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov met with his Chinese counterpart, Cao Gangchuan, in Beijing last week. Among the items discussed was the signing in 2005 of a long-awaited contract for the supply of 24 Su 30MK2 fighter jets to China's Navy.
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Australia signs contract for A330 MRTTEADS, a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services, and the Australian Government have signed a contract Dec. 20 to supply the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) with a fleet of five A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport). The A330 MRTT was selected in April this year following a strong international competition.
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Fast Cruise Marks End of DPIA for ‘Big Stick’USS Theodore Roosevelt (TR) (CVN 71) conducted a "fast cruise" Dec. 6-10 that marked the end of the ship's Docked Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) in Portsmouth, Va.
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Army chopper crash-lands at Dhanmondi groundA Bangladesh army helicopter crash-landed during a cricket match at Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium in the capital.
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Monday, December 20, 2004
Orbital Completes Third Successful Flight Test For U.S. Navy's "Coyote" Sea-Skimming Target MissileOrbital Sciences Corporation announced Dec. 14 that it successfully flight-tested the U.S. Navy's GQM-163A "Coyote" Supersonic Sea-Skimming Target (SSST) system for the Naval Air Systems Command.
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Aviation Week Annual Photo Contest: The WinnersAviation Week presents the winners of their annual photo contest.
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Airman awarded Silver StarU.S. Air Force special-operations Master Sgt. William "Calvin" Markham, an Air Force combat controller, was awarded a Silver Star for his work as a member of the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron while attached to the Army's Operational Detachment Team 555 in Afghanistan.
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Hoon says Eurofighter over early problemsU.K. Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon says the Eurofighter combat jet has overcome early problems that threatened to delay the programme and sharply escalate costs.
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Twin flying machines to boost air powerHindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) plans to design and manufacture a light combat helicopter based on an advanced version of Dhruv.
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Over Iraq, Pilots Fly Into Action When Troops Call for HelpFighter pilots operating over Iraq now take their cues for missions not from Air Force strategists but from Army and Marine commanders who daily submit requests for where they think aircraft can help most in support of ground operations.
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Iskra's finale flypast marks IAF graduation paradeThe Polish-made Iskra jet trainers made the last flypast at the Indian Air Force Academy's Combined Graduation Parade.
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Sunday, December 19, 2004
New hangars establish bomber deployment optionOfficials at Royal Air Force Fairford in the United Kingdom recently unveiled two climate-controlled permanent hangars specifically designed for the B-2. The new 50,000-square-foot facilities allow specialized low-observable-surface maintenance to be performed.
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NASA Retires Historic B-52 'Mothership'NASA on Friday retired the B-52B jet that served as the "mothership" for a half-century of flight research projects ranging from the X-15 rocket planes of the 1960s to the X-43A hypersonic jet that flew at nearly 10 times the speed of sound last month.
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U.S. general cancels trip to Israel in rowU.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper has canceled a trip to Israel because he would not meet Israeli Defense Ministry Director-General Amos Yaron.
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U.S.-Israeli Consortium to Modernise Bulgarian Army HelicoptersA consortium made of Israeli defence industry company Elbit Systems and U.S. Lockheed Martin has won an order to modernise 18 Bulgarian Army helicopters, 12 Mi-24 attack helicopter gun-ships and six transport Mi-17 helicopters, a report said Saturday.
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HAL to build combat trainer jet:India's state-run aviation major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) plans to design and develop a twin-engine combat trainer jet for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The new trainers is expected to replace the 66 British-made Hawk advanced jet trainers (AJT) being acquired by IAF in two phases between 2007-12.
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Unit earns its keep on flights at nightSince arriving in Iraq eight months ago, Hawaii Army National Guard 193rd Aviation's Chinook helicopter crews say they have logged many miles flying under the cover of night.
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BAE insist Greece still committed to EurofighterMike Turner, chief executive of BAE Systems, yesterday insisted that Greece remained committed to a crucial export order for the Eurofighter Typhoon combat jet, in spite of concerns the country was about to cancel its commitment to the aircraft.
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