Saturday, February 05, 2005
The Ascent of the Robotic Attack JetMIT's Tech Review examines DARPA's UCAV programs.
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Key Lawmaker Still Not Sold On Nuclear PenetratorU.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld wrote in a Jan. 10 memo to the Energy Department that he favors reviving the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator study.
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DOD targets missile project (Registration Required)The Joint Common Missile will have three seeking modes, allows thru voice command the type of detonation of the warhead.
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Retired Pentagon official gives Osprey mixed reviewThomas Christie, former director of operational test and evaluation, highlighted several concerns on the V-22, including the Osprey's communication system and internal environmental controls.
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B-1 debuts at South Dakota museumSouth Dakota Air and Space museum newest exhibit is a B-1 from deactivated 77th Bomb Squadron.
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MacDill History: 1st Female LeaderCol. Margaret Woodward became the first female commander of USAF MacDill Air Force Base and the 6th Air Mobility Wing during a ceremony Feb. 4.
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Mid-air refuelling to steal the showOn the opening day of Aero India 2005, during the flypast programme, two Mirage-2000 fighters will fly over the Yelahanka Air Force Station plugged into the IL-76 tanker.
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India to get MiG-29 for Admiral Gorshkov from 2007India would start receiving 16 MiG-29k fighters from Russia in 2007 for deployment on aircraft carrier "Admiral Gorshkov" undergoing refit.
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Black market anxieties revived on Ukraine arms14 more Ukrainian Kh-55 cruise missiles were offered in the black market last year.
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Iraqi air force receives helicoptersIraqi air force officials welcomed the arrival of two refurbished UH-1H Huey helicopters this week to Taji Air Base. A total of sixteen UH-1H aircraft are slated to arrive in Iraq by February 2006.
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Friday, February 04, 2005
Boeing EA-18G Moves Up the Development LadderBoeing engineers completed all wind tunnel testing for the EA-18G Airborne Electronic Attack aircraft on Jan. 27 under the EA-18G System Development and Demonstration (SDD) program.
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Video of Hercules air attack is 'bogus'A video purportedly showing the moment a British C-130 was shot down by Iraqi insurgents is almost certainly bogus, say defence specialists who studied the footage.
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Boeing Laser JDAM Scores Direct HitBoeing successfully conducted a guided flight test of the Boeing laser-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
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Cope Tiger roars over ThailandMore than 2,100 people are participating in Cope Tiger, including about 620 American servicemembers and 1,500 from Thailand and Singapore.
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MiG to become joint-stock company by early 2006Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG is to be converted into a joint-stock company in late 2005 or early 2006.
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ANA, SES briefed on new SidewinderMembers of the Association of Naval Aviation and Society of Engineers and Scientists got an update on the progress of AIM-9X, during a luncheon last week.
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U.S. carrier to leave Indonesia tsunami effortIndonesia bid farewell to the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln on Thursday as the U.S. military began to scale back its tsunami relief effort.
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US and Pakistan hold F-16 talksThe United States Undersecretary for Defence Douglas Feith says the US is considering a request by Islamabad to buy a number of F-16 fighter aircraft.
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NAVAIR honored with safety awardsThe U.S. Naval Air Systems Command was named winner of the Chief of Naval Operations Readiness Through Safety Award and the Adm. James S. Russell Naval Aviation Flight Safety Award for 2004.
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USAF Pacific briefsJapan Air Self-Defense Force officials are investigating why a JASDF C-130 aircraft ran off the taxi-way at Misawa Air Base on Monday. Thirteen F-15 aircraft returned home to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, on Wednesday from Okinawa.
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ALC contributes to Air Force's record F-16 availabilityAs of November 2004, the F-16 Management Directorate was able to increase the number of F-16s available from 939 to 974, an increase of 35 aircraft.
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Radio Contact Faulted in Helicopter CrashTwo U.S. Army helicopters that collided over Iraq's capital, killing two pilots and injuring two others, lost sight of each other for nearly four minutes while maneuvering at night and failed to send radio warnings even after the lead helicopter circled and slowed dramatically, military investigators said.
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Hill fixes damages Egyptian aircraftA severely damaged Egyptian F-16 will soon fly again after undergoing a complicated four-year overhaul by the Ogden Air Logistics Center’s 649th Combat Logistics Support Squadron.
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Investigators end Iraq Hercules crash site searchBritish military investigators have ended their search at the crash site of the C-130 Hercules 40 kilometres north-west of Baghdad.
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RAF base to host farewell to savourTwo of RAF Coltishall's four squadrons will cease to exist next month. A third squadron will be disbanded in a little over a year, but the remaining squadron, the longest serving in RAF history, will continue into the future at a base in Lincolnshire.
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Thursday, February 03, 2005
U.S. Army Begins ER/MP System Concept DevelopmentThe U.S. Army started its Extended Range/Multi-purpose (ER/MP) unmanned aerial vehicle "fly off" Jan. 31 to test Northrop Grumman's Hunter II and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Warrior vehicles.
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Truman, CVW-3 Defend Iraqis’ Right to VoteUSS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3 helped provide on-call air support for coalition and Iraqi forces during the Iraqi elections, Jan. 30.
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USS Ronald Reagan Sailors Enjoy Hawaii Port VisitUSS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) pulled into Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Jan. 22 for a three-day port visit after spending 12 days underway on a mission supporting Operation Unified Assistance.
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One-year delay expected in delivery of NH-90 transport helicoptersDelivery of the NH-90 transport helicopters ordered for the Finnish land forces is behind schedule by over a year.
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Skyhawks again tipped to sell this yearThe 17 Skyhawks and 17 Aermacchi jet trainers from RNZAF could be sold this year.
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States want to woo AirbusTwenty U.S. states have lined up as suitors to build a 1,100-worker plant where it would assemble a refueling tanker for the U.S. Air Force.
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UK lobbying for selling Eurofighter to IAFThe British government is “pushing hard” for India to purchase the Eurofighter for the IAF, an Indian MP currently on a visit to London has revealed.
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US keeps the powder dryUS air strikes on Iran would vastly exceed the scope of the 1981 Israeli attack on the Osirak nuclear center in Iraq, and would more resemble the opening days of the 2003 air campaign against Iraq. Two dozen suspect nuclear sites would be targeted.
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F/A-22 on track to go operationalLt. Col. Evan Thomas, a Raptor pilot who commands the 411th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., said testing finished ahead of schedule. The F/A-22 performed well in recently completed operational testing and is on track to go operational in December.
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Iran and China linked to Ukraine missilesAn investigation by the Ukrainian secret police has found that Iran and China bought long-range 12 Kh-55s air-to-ground cruise missiles in 1999-2001.
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Bulgaria's Govt Scraps Boeing TenderThe Bulgarian government suspended the tender for leasing a Boeing 737-500 due to the high price of the sole bid offered.
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Air Force celebrates 85th anniversary in styleThe South African Air Force (SAAF) celebrated its 85th anniversary Feb. 1 with a flypast that brought traffic to a standstill outside Pretoria.
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New River squadron heads outThe first of several East Coast-based U.S. Marine squadrons headed into western Iraq left New River Air Station on Tuesday.
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Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Air Vectors : UpdatesThe following Air Vectors articles were updated recently: The Boeing B-47 (v2.1.2), The Kawanishi H6K "Mavis" & H8K "Emily" (v2.0.1), The Lockheed F-117 Stealth Fighter (v2.1.1) and The Douglas C-47 Dakota (v1.2.1).
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USS Kitty Hawk sailors recount rescue after F/A-18 night landing accidentA F/A-18F Super Hornet crew from Strike Fighter Squadron 102 was attempting a night recovery, or landing, when the No. 3 arresting gear wire parted. This is an account of their rescue.
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HMS Invincible leads Royal Navy strike force on major exercises in Middle EastAircraft carrier HMS Invincible left Portsmouth on 17 January 2005 to lead a Royal Navy strike force on a series of exercises in the Mediterranean and Middle East spanning three months.
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High-level talks in Ankara lead to new $1.5b arms deals between Turkey, IsraelIsrael and Turkey are currently discussing the refurbishment of another 48 of the Turkish air force's F-4 Phantoms. Turkey is also looking into the possibility of purchasing Israeli-made Harpy unmanned aerial vehicles.
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Arroyo promotes eight Air Force officersPhilippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo recently signed the promotions of eight officers of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) to the next higher ranks, where three generals were elevated to two-stars ranks, while five others were given a one-star promotion.
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Conversions of jetliners in China draw attentionThe Bush administration is investigating whether China illegally converted Boeing commercial jetliners into a military surveillance aircraft in violation of U.S. export laws. A Boeing 737 was photographed during a recent air show in Zhuhai, China, with what appeared to be a protruding radar dome, or "radome," on the forward part of its fuselage.
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Boeing Upgrades French AWACS RadarBoeing recently completed upgrading the first of four French E-3F AWACS aircraft with a Radar System Improvement Program (RSIP) kit, ahead of schedule. The modification is part of a $133 million foreign military sales contract with Hanscom, Air Force Base.
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‘Line of Sight’ test brings out tactical side of X-45AJoint-unmanned-combat-air-systems test team officials at Edwards Air Force Base successfully demonstrated a transfer of command and control using line-of-sight capabilities on two unmanned X-45A aircraft Jan. 27.
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F/A-22 passes initial operational test, evaluationInitial operational test and evaluation report released by the U.S. Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center found the F/A-22 demonstrated “overwhelmingly effective” warfighting capability.
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The F/A-22, in Fire and FlakAir Force Association magazine takes a look at the F/A-22 developments in 2004.
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AgustaWestland to shed 640 jobsAgustaWestland has announced 640 job losses just four days after an aircraft it designed was chosen for the US presidential fleet. AgustaWestland, now owned by Finmeccanica of Italy, added it would have needed to cut more jobs if it were not for the presidential fleet order.
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Chetak copter upgraded with new engineThe Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has begun upgrading and re-engineering the Chetak and Cheetah helicopters with a new engine. The prototype of the upgraded version, christened Chetan, was test flown on Tuesday.
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Unclear Whether Lawmakers Will Try To Alter VXX AwardIt is not clear whether any lawmakers on Capitol Hill will move to block or change the Navy contract for a team led by Lockheed Martin Corp. to provide the next fleet of presidential helicopters.
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C-130 crash may be due to mid-air failureMilitary investigators have not ruled out mid-air mechanical or structural failure as the cause of the crash of a RAF C-130 Hercules in northern Iraq.
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DRS Technologies Receives $153 Million in New Orders for U.S. Army Helicopter Sighting System SupportDRS Technologies, Inc. announced that it has received $153 million in new contracts to support the infrared sighting systems on the U.S. Army’s OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters.
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Vinson Strike Group Deploys Following Successful Completion of JTFEXThe USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Strike Group will depart San Diego Feb. 1 to begin an around-the-world deployment.
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Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Lockheed Martin Receives $532 Million Production Contract Initiating International Sales of Battle-Proven PAC-3 MissileLockheed Martin has received a $532 million contract for 156 PAC-3 Missiles for the U.S. Army, the Netherlands and Japan. This represents the first international sales of the battle-proven PAC-3 Missiles.
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Operation Deep Freeze sees end of C-141 Starlifter eraThis season marks the end of an era for the C-141s, which have supported Operation Deep Freeze, resupply of McMurdo Station located on Ross Island, Antarctic , since the 1960s.
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Historic air veterans group flies last sortieThe 2nd Bomb Wing Association, formed by veterans who served in the nation's oldest bombardment wing from 1948 to the early 1960s, will be dissolved.
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Vigilante UAV fires rockets while under control of UH-1 command helicopterUnder command from a UH-1 flying alongside, a Vigilante UAV fired Hydra-70 rockets at the U.S. Army?s Yuma Test Center in Yuma Arizona.
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Abraham Lincoln Answers the Call in Banda AcehSailors from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 have been answering the call for volunteers to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in Aceh Province, Sumatra, Indonesia, since the ship arrived on station in the Indian Ocean Jan. 1 in support of Operation Unified Assistance.
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Pakistan needs F-16 aircrafts: Masood KhanPakistan Foreign office spokesman Masood Ahmed Khan has said that F-16 aircrafts are a need for Pakistan and a meeting about this issue would be held between the Pak-US defence advisory group in February.
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Treat Commander of UAE Air Force as a National GuestMajor General Khalid, commander of the UAE Air Force, will visit Korea for four nights and five days starting from January 31. UAE is a potential buyer of the T-50 supersonic trainer.
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Boeing's Little Bird flys high by remote controlThe Boeing Co. is developing a modified unmanned MD 530F helicopter with remote operating technology that also could be installed in the Apache Longbow helicopters.
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Boeing Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System Begins Aft Seat Testing in F/A-18Boeing started flight tests at Naval Air Warfare Center China Lake, Calif., as part of the integration of the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) into the aft cockpits of the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18 Hornet. This flight is a first step in a flight test program that will include integration tests for F/A-18D and F/A-18F aircraft.
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Israel Aircraft Industries unmanned plane in final stretch of US Army tenderThe U.S. army will soon choose between the Hunter 2 or the American Warrior unmanned aerial vehicle.
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Malaysia still talking to buy Airbus A400MMalaysia was still negotiating Sunday with Airbus Military for the proposed purchase of the A400M aircaft to replace the existing C-130 Hercules planes.
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Arab TV shows 'shooting down' of British planeA videotape purportedly showing the shooting down of an RAF C-130 Hercules aircraft in Iraq was broadcast on Monday night by al-Jazeera television channel.
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EADS: 12 Cougars and 6 Panthers for the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense12 AS 532 AL Cougar helicopters will be delivered to the Bulgarian Air Force. Eight of these aircraft will perform tactical transport missions and the four others will fly Combat SAR missions. Six AS 565 MB Panther helicopters for the Bulgarian Navy which will perform sea surveillance and search and rescue missions; along with anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface operations.
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Nicaragua seeks stash of missilesThe Nicaraguan government is nvestigating whether its military is hiding stashes of SA-7 missiles after Nicaraguan police seized one of the Soviet-made missiles from black marketeers during a U.S.-assisted sting operation in Managua, Nicaragua.
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Monday, January 31, 2005
Air Vectors:The Mil Mi-1, Mi-2, & Mi-4Feburary's Air Vectors features the Soviet first-generation Mil helicopters.
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C-model A-10 takes first flightThe 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 CrashesA British military C-130 transport plane crashed about 25 miles northwest of Baghdad Jan. 30.
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Storm brewing over glitches in TyphoonIn 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 skiesU.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 MishapAn 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 sharpThe 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 showHindustan 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 ListWith 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 seaU.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 ContractNews 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 OkinawaOne 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 ParliamentA 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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