Monday, January 31, 2005
Air Vectors:The Mil Mi-1, Mi-2, & Mi-4
Feburary's Air Vectors features the Soviet first-generation Mil helicopters.
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C-model A-10 takes first flight
The newly designated C-model A-10 Thunderbolt II, modified with precision engagement technology, was flown for the first time recently by a 40th Flight Test Squadron pilot.
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British C-130 Transport Crashes
A British military C-130 transport plane crashed about 25 miles northwest of Baghdad Jan. 30.
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Storm brewing over glitches in Typhoon
In a report prepared for the defence committee of the German parliament said that the eight Eurofighter of the German air force spent an average of just one hour a week in the air because components had to be replaced so frequently. They also lack decoy flares.
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Pilots last to fly in Tomcat skies
U.S. Naval Air Station Key West is having its lasting training class of F-14 pilots and WSOs.
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Kitty Hawk F/A- 18F Aircraft Mishap
An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102 was involved in an accident on the flight deck of USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) approximately 100 miles southeast of Yokosuka, Japan, Jan. 29 at approximately 6:30 p.m., Japan Standard Time. Six ground crew were injured.
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Talons keep Beale sharp
The T-38 Talon is used by U-2 pilots at Beale Air Force Base to keep their fighting, acrobatics, formation and air-refueling techniques sharp.
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Sunday, January 30, 2005
HAL to showcase advanced aircraft at Aero show
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will be showcasing its flagship product Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) at the Aero India exposition next month.
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Beale Air Force Base Fights to Stay Off Closure List
With the Department of Defense due to close more military bases in the next four months, Beale Air Force Base in Marysville is pulling out all the stops to avoid being targeted.
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''Training saved our lives'' in rescue at sea
U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Bill Mellen, pilot of a MH-53 Sea Dragon helicopter encountered trouble 28 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach and had to make an ocean landing.
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DoD Special Briefing on Award of Presidential Helicopter Contract
News transcript from the U.S. Department of Defense on the award of Presidential Helicopter Contract.
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Unannounced flights of F-15 elicit protests on Okinawa
One of the F-15 planes involved in an October mid-air collision has resumed flights over Okinawa, sparking a formal protest from three local governments upset they were not notified.
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Memorandum Of Understanding On J.S.F. Project Presented To Parliament
A bill on the approval of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Turkey and the United States on July 11th, 2002 for Turkey's participation in JSF project system development and demonstration phase was submitted to the Turkish Parliament Speaker's Office Wednesday.
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Saturday, January 29, 2005
RUSSIA * ARMY * WEAPONRY * SUPPLIES
A battalion of S-400 "Triumph" anti-aircraft missile launchers will enter Russian service.
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Fighting Falcons tackle 'DEAD' mission
Using the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System, the targeting pod and the Link 16, the CJ model of the F-16 Fighting Falcon have transform from suppressing enemy air defenses to destroying enemy air defenses.
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Lockheed, Boeing top Defense list
Lockheed Martin Corp. topped the list of U.S. Defense Department suppliers again last year.
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Problem delays V-22 testing (Registration Required)
Critical operational testing of Bell Helicopter's V-22 Osprey has been delayed about a month by problems with gearbox bearings.
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Navy Daughter Follows in Dad�s Contrails
Fresh out of flight school then, Lt. Cmdr. Tiffany Lord, was the first female (American) military pilot to fly MiG-29 with the German Air Force.
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U.S. Army Helicopter Crashes in Baghdad
An U.S. Army OH-58 Kiowa helicopter crashed in southwest Baghdad on Friday night and the fate of the crew was not immediately known, a U.S. military official said.
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T-37 pilots saw crop duster moments before collision
The pilots of an U.S. Air Force T-37 saw a crop duster moments before the two airplanes collided 5,000 feet above rural southwestern Oklahoma on Jan. 18, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday in a preliminary report on the fatal crash.
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BAE nets �633m from sale of European avionics arm
BAE Systems is to raise up to �633m from the sale of its European avionics interests to the Italian defence group Finmeccanica under a final agreement signed by the two companies.
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Sen McCain Accuses Pentagon Of Hampering Tanker Probe: FT
According to the Financial Times, Senator John McCain wrote in a letter to Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld that the U.S. Defense Department tampered with evidence, withheld information and obstructed a congressional investigation into a contract with Boeing.
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Lockheed Martin to Build New Presidential Helicopter
The U.S. Department of Defense announced Jan. 28 that the team led by Lockheed Martin Systems Integration, Oswego, N.Y., has been selected to build the new Presidential helicopter (VXX) based on its U.S. 101 medium lift helicopter.
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Lebanese Air Force takes delivery of two Robinson R44s
General Nouhad Zebian, Lebanese Air Force Commander, arrived at Robinson Helicopter Company to take delivery of their first two Robinson R44 Raven II Helicopters.
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Department of the Navy, "SBIR/STTR Success Stories", Aircraft Wireless Intercommunications System (AWICS)
The U.S. Office of Naval Research has just released its latest book of Small Business Innovation Research �Success Stories�. Multispectral Solutions, Inc. (MSSI) was selected for its ultra wideband (UWB) Aircraft Wireless Intercommunications System (AWICS) which allows aircrews to operate untethered from ICS long cords, improving mobility, flight safety and emergency egress.
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Friday, January 28, 2005
Raytheon's CLAWS Scores Direct Hit, Marking the End of Development Testing
Raytheon Company's Complementary Low Altitude Weapon System (CLAWS) completed a series of guided missile flight tests with a resounding direct hit, annihilating the surrogate
cruise missile target.
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First Hungarian Gripen ready
At a ceremony, Saab presented the first Hungarian Gripen to roll off the production line at its factory in Link�ping, Sweden.
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'Last man on the moon' drops in on Pax
Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Eugene Cernan, commander of the final manned mission to the moon in 1972, spoke at two safety stand downs as well as tour Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
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US firm pitches its early warning systems for India
Northrop Grumman Corp has put on offer its E-2C Hawkeye Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) for India. The company will be pitching the Hawkeye at Aero India 2005, which begins February 9 in Bangalore.
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Kaman Awarded Contract to Supply Cockpits for Sikorsky BLACK HAWK Helicopters
Kaman Corporation announced Jan. 27 that its Kaman Aerospace Corp. subsidiary has received a contract from Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. to manufacture cockpits for various models of Sikorsky's UH-60 BLACK HAWK helicopter.
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First Production Item for A400M Airframe
Airbus Military has launched production of the first major airframe component for the A400M military airlifter.
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Northrop Grumman Completes Testing of New Medium Altitude Endurance UAV
Northrop Grumman Corporation has successfully completed the first phase of flight testing a demonstrator version of a new Hunter II medium altitude endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) it plans to offer U.S. military and homeland defense customers.
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Vietnam helicopter crash kills 16
A Vietnamese military helicopter has crashed off the coast, killing all 16 people on board, including two senior officers and the three-member crew.
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Northrop Grumman Readies Commercial Aircraft Anti-Missile System
Northrop Grumman Corporation on 25 Jan. announced it will install and flight test its commercial aircraft protection system, called Guardian, on a Boeing 747 and MD-11 this year.
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Thursday, January 27, 2005
Boeing patents twin-aisle design for under-200-seat aircraft
Late last month, Boeing received a patent titled "Twin Aisle Small Airplane" for a twin aisle aircraft that look suspiciously like a scaled-down version of the military C-17.
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An annual show, but Republic Day mesmerizes again
Indian Air Force's Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters, Il-76, An-32, Dornier, Il-78 flight refuelling aircraft, Su-30MKI jets, Jaguars, MiG-29s participate in the Republic Day flypast.
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CHRONOLOGY-U.S. helicopters downed in Iraq.
This is a list of some of the major incidents involving U.S. helicopters in Iraq since U.S. President George W. Bush declared major combat over on May 1.
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MoD postpones £800m contract to build army's scouting drones
The U.K. Ministry of Defence has delayed the signing of an £800m contract to build unmanned reconnaissance drones for the army under the Watchkeeper programme.
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Light plane intrudes into Russia�s airspace on Lithuanian border
A SU-27 fighter plane was ordered into the air outside Kaliningrad to intercept a light plane that intruded into Russia�s airspace on the border with Lithuania on Wednesday.
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RMAF duo escape unhurt
An RMAF flying instructor and a trainee on an Alloutte 111 helicopter escaped unhurt when the aircraft made an emergency landing at the RMAF College Flying Centre airbase.
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B-52 crew recalls harrowing raids (Registration Required)
Thirty-two years ago this month, Ruby Two a U.S. B-52 bomber, was on a bombing run over Vinh, just south of the 20th parallel, the border between South and North Vietnam, when it was hit by surface-to-air missiles.
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U.S. Navy Provides Tremendous Sea-Based Capability in Relief Effort
Deputy Commander Naval Forces, Combined Support Force (CSF) 536, Rear Adm. Victor G. Guillory, hosted a Department of Defense (DoD) briefing on Operation Unified Assistance, the post-tsunami relief effort, Jan. 14.
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30 Marines, 1 Sailor Die in Helicopter Crash
Thirty Marines and one Sailor from the 1st Marine Division and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing of the I Marine Expeditionary Force died Jan. 26 when their CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crashed near Ar Rutbah in the Al Anbar Province while conducting security and stabilization operations.
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MH-53E Crew Survives Helicopter Mishap
An MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter of the Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron (HM) 14 Vanguards went down during a routine training mission in the Atlantic Ocean Jan. 25 approximately 28 miles off the coast of Virginia at approximately 3 p.m. with eight people aboard. All eight have been rescued.
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TR�s Flight Deck Certifications Take Off
USS Theodore Roosevelt (TR) (CVN 71) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 got underway Jan. 12 for flight deck certifications.
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Air Force gets new lab for testing airborne networking
The U.S. Air Force Communications Agency has received a DC-9 fuselage, minus wings and tail as a new testing facility for the agency.
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Parts kit extends service life of F-16 Fighting Falcon
The F-16 Structure Augmentation Roadmap, or "Falcon STAR," program will use parts kits to strengthen the aircraft�s structure. The multiyear project will extend the service life of the U.S. Air Force�s F-16 Fighting Falcons.
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Promotion case holds up Air Force appointment
India's strategic Western Air Command (WAC), has been headless since January 1 after Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, who was the WAC chief left to be IAF chief.
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Mexican Air Force helicopters collide
Two Mexican Air Force helicopters collided while returning from an exercise Tuesday morning and crashed at a military camp in the state of Mexico, leaving five dead.
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Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Operation Unified Assistance
An MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter delivers food and relief supplies to a village on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer�s Mate 1st Class Bart A. Bauer.
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Defense industry grows by 20%
China's official Xinhua News Agency reported that its defense industry recorded strong growth in 2004, with revenues climbing more than 25 percent.
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13th Air Force welcomes Major General Edward Rice as new commander
USAF Major General Dennis Larsen handed the responsibilities of the 13th Air Force at Andersen Air Force Base to Major General Edward Rice.
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Fire at Philadelphia Navy Yard
USS America, a mothballed carrier docked at the Philadelphia Navy Yard caught fire yesterday.
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HSL-47 Logs Record Flight Hours, Assists Tsunami Victims
Air crews assigned to Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron (Light) (HSL) 47 aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) exceeded their quarterly 600 flight hours in January as a result of their direct support of Operation Unified Assistance.
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Review of Airborne Early Warning Project AnnouncedThe South Korean Defense Ministry said Tuesday it will review plans to acquire airborne early warning systems after Israel's IAI ELTA G-550 AEW&C dropped out of the public tender for the so-called E-X project because it is unable to meet the performance standards demanded.
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Airliner antimissile shields too costly, study finds
A study by RAND, the private U.S. research organization, found that putting antimissile defenses on planes is far too expensive to be practical now.
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Qatar's Gulf Helicopter Selects S-92 for VVIP Mission
Gulf Helicopters of Doha, Qatar has signed a contract to purchase an S-92 aircraft to serve VVIP missions. Delivery is scheduled for 2006.
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A-10 Upgrade Programs Nearing Key Milestones, Contractor Says
U.S. Air Force's A-10 precision engagement (PE) program is adding new cockpit displays and the ability to use Northrop Grumman's Litening targeting pod or Lockheed Martin's Sniper XR targeting pod.
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Top US defence contractors to land in Feb
The US Department of Defence will showcase two F-15 Eagles, one KC-135 refueller, one P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft and one C130-J.
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Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Sources: Navy leader eyed for Air Force job (Registration Required)
U.S. Navy Secretary Gordon England, is emerging as a potential replacement for departed Air Force Secretary James Roche, who stepped down this week after a series of scandals and internal problems, according to sources with Pentagon contacts.
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RAF women are 'sexually harassed'
Almost half of the women serving in the Royal Air Force have suffered sexual harassment according to a report obtained by MP Paul Keetch.
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Kitty Hawk Successfully Completes SRA with Sea Trials
USS Kitty Hawk's (CV 63) ship�s restricted availability (SRA) successfully came to an end with the conclusion of sea trials Jan. 15.
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USS Benfold Sets Aviation Milestone
USS Benfold (DDG 65) set an aviation milestone Jan. 24 with its 100th helicopter landing since arriving on station off the coast of Indonesia New Year�s Day. A feat made even more remarkable considering that Benfold, doesn�t have its own helicopter or helicopter hanger.
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VFA-82 Sailors Support Operation Unified Assistance
Members of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 82, embarked aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), supported Operation Unified Assistance in January by lending their strong backs and energy to help load relief supplies onto helicopters from Lincoln and other ships in the region.
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SH-60B Detachment Demonstrates Versatility During Operation Unified Assistance
During Operation Unified Assistance in January, pilots, air crews and maintenance teams from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Light Squadrons (HSL) 43 and 49 reconfigured their helicopters for the humanitarian mission by removing sonobuoy launchers and other sensor equipment.
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Turkey selects ATR-72 for maritime patrol
Turkey has chosen the ATR-72 to be the Turkish Navy�s next ASW and maritime patrol aircraft.
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New Presidential Copters Raise Questions (Registration Required)
Thomas P. Christie, the Pentagon's director of operational test and evaluation, says the U.S. Navy's plan for testing the new presidential helicopter "violates the fly-before-buy concept."
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Ivory Coast Rebels Lash Out Against Plane Repair
Ivory Coast rebels have criticized the U.N. and French peacekeepers' decision to let the Ivory Coast army repair its aircraft.
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Syrian Missile Sale Slots into Secret Russian Air Defense System for Iran
Russian president Vladimir Putin and Syrian president Bashar Assad, who arrived in Moscow Monday, January 24, will sign a $70 million deal for the sale of 20 SA-18 Igla-S batteries mounted on Armored Personnel Carriers.
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Hawaii Air Guard participates in Cope Tiger
Eight F-15 Eagles and 70 Airmen from the Hawaii Air National Guard's 199th Fighter Squadron deployed to Korat, Thailand Jan. 24 for Cope Tiger 2005.
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Marines Defend C-130 Tanker Amid Criticism, Planned Cuts
The U.S. Marines' new KC-130J has overcome technical hurdles and deserves full funding, a U.S. Marine Corps program official told Dow Jones Newswires, responding to planned budget cuts and recent criticism from the Pentagon's top tester.
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Malaysia might order Airbus A400M: CASA president
Malaysia might order European Airbus A400M military transport planes soon and even US orders are not out of the question, the head of Spanish aerospace group CASA told the daily La Gaceta de los Negocios in an interview published Monday.
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Hungarian Gripen Pilot Conversion Training Underway
The first five Hungarian pilots have arrived in Sweden to start their Gripen conversion training.
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Israel dumps Lakshya, opts for US System
Israel has put on hold its plan to buy India's pilotless target aircraft (PTA) 'Lakshya', instead going for an American sytem, which, officials say, has been offered by Washington for free.
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GREEK C-130 TRANSPORT PLANE WITH HUMANITARIAN AID FOR INDONESIA
A Greek Air Force C-130 transport plane departed 24 Jan. for the province of Aceh in Indonesia. The aircraft carries personnel and equipment and the goal is to install water purification system for the local people to have drinking water and avoid the risk of epidemics.
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Eurofighter is Fully Mission Capable
This week's edition of the German news magazine "Der Spiegel" claims that the German Air Force Eurofighters have only limited combat readiness and that development costs appear to be higher than expected. On Saturday, the German Ministry of Defence rejected this story and confirmed that all development tasks were running according to plan.
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The Tomcat's final flight
As their 32-year run as the premier Navy fighter begins to wane, the F-14 Tomcats that no one needs are being fed into a junk yard�s shredder, nose first, to become blocks of aluminum for cans, crates, even cars.
