Saturday, March 19, 2005
New Look
If you notice, I've changed the banner on the top of the page. About 20 banners will be rotated randomly. Do check out
carrierbuilders.net a site that is dedicated to modelers with special interest in aircraft carriers, and naval aviation from any era, any nations.
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Japan Says It Won't Shoot Down MissilesJapan will use its future missile defense system to ward off an attack but not to shoot down missiles aimed at its allies, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Friday.
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NATO and Russia to conduct joint Theatre Missile Defence ExerciseThe Joint NATO-Russia TMD Command Post Exercises - 'Collaborative Arrow 05' is held 14-23 March 2005 at Airbase De Peel, the Netherlands. The objectives is to practice procedures for TMD planning and coordination.
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Launch of NATO’s Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence (ALTBMD) ProgrammeOn 11 March 2005 the North Atlantic Council launched the Alliance’s ALTBMD Programme, which will provide protection against the threat of ballistic missiles to NATO soldiers deployed on NATO missions.
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Joint Red Flag keeps Nellis busyUSAF Nellis Air Force Base hosts all four military services in a first-of-its-kind training exercise. The Joint Red Flag exercise begins Monday and runs through April 2.
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Navy To Redirect $300M From Carrier Funds This WeekThis week, the U.S. Navy will shift $300 million away from the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy, Navy Secretary Gordon England said, because the ship is to be decommissioned.
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Crashing helicopter barely misses kids' playgroundFour air-crew members have survived a South African Air Force Alouette III helicopter crash.
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Officials release QF-4 drone accident reportFailure of an unmanned QF-4E drone to react properly to controller inputs led to its intentional destruction during a mission Sept. 8 over White Sands Missile Range.
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N.Y. Guard to get Predator squadronThe U.S. Air Force intends to place a Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle squadron in New York State.
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Helicopter concerns latest in defence sagaThe U.K. Public Accounts Committee said that there is an "alarming" shortage of battlefield helicopters, with the gap between the number of helicopters needed and those available to the U.K. Ministry of Defence are between 20% and 38%.
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B-52 fleet benefits from radar testTesters at Edwards Air Force Base discovered a problem with the B-52 Stratofortress’ radar transmitter system that affected the entire fleet of bombers. By flying four sorties recently, they determined that the anomalies were both acceptable for current operations and could be improved.
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Ukraine admits it sold cruise missiles to Iran, ChinaUkraine's prosecutor general on Friday confirmed reports that his country had sold nuclear-capable Kh-55 cruise missiles to both Iran and China, but stressed that the deals were illegal and under criminal investigation.
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Predator fleet to expandThe USAF plans to expand the current Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle fleet to as many as 15 squadrons.
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Turkey considering joining Eurofighter frayA Turkish procurement official familiar with the fighter programs said that it may consider buying some Eurofighters for improved air superiority.
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F-16 crashes at NellisAn U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed short of the runway, Nellis Air Base at about 8:30 a.m. on March 18.
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Friday, March 18, 2005
Boeing Rolls Out First F-15K for Republic of Korea Air ForceThe Boeing Company revealed the first F-15K Strike Eagle fighter aircraft for the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) Mar. 16 at the Boeing site in St. Louis, Mo.
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New F-16 sales may save Lockheed jobs (Registration Required)The jobs of hundreds of workers building F-16 fighter jets at Lockheed Martin's west Fort Worth plant could be saved if either Pakistan or India purchase the jets.
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Wedgetail has landed for RAAFThe RAAF Wedgetail will be installed at the RAAF base at Amberley near Ipswich.
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Japanese spy plane flies near islands disputed with S. KoreaOn Wednesday, a Japanese RF-4C reconnaissance plane flew as close as 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the chain of rocky isles controlled by South Korea but disputed by Japan.
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Joint Red Flag 2005 kicks off at NellisJoint Red Flag 2005 kicked off on Mar. 14.
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Lucinschi Says U.S. Pushed for MiG DealWashington put pressure on Moldova to sell its MiG-29 to prevent them falling into Iranian hands, the country's ex-president said of a deal at the center of a fraud case against a former cabinet minister.
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Air defense system automation opened in BangladeshBangladesh Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal Fakhrul Azam Thursday inaugurated the air defense system automation at the Air Defense Operation Center (ADOC) of Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) in the Dhaka Cantonment.
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Acting Air Force secretary to step downActing U.S. Air Force Secretary Peter Teets will retire by the end of this month after only two months on the job, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper said Wednesday.
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Early warning project unites Boeing, BAEBAE Systems Australia and Boeing have signed a joint venture to capture a potential $10.5 billion market for airborne early warning and control (AWAC) systems.
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E-2D Is Official Designation Of Advanced Hawkeye, Navy SaysThe U.S. Navy said the Advanced Hawkeye aircraft now in development will be designated E-2D. Its new electronically scanned array radar, the ADS-18, will replace the current APS-145 radar.
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No Concern Over Weapons PurchasesColombian Defence Minister Jorge Uribe said his government would purchase 22 combat and tactical support planes to replace its fleets of U.S.-made OV-10 Broncos and A-37 Dragonflies, at a cost of 234 million dollars.
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Repair shop for E-2 aircraft opens at AtsugiA new repair facility created by U.S. Naval Air Pacific Repair Activity and the Japanese firm Nippi Corp. opened last week that allows the Navy to do regular maintenance on E-2C Hawkeye aircraft in Japan, saving valuable time and cost.
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Lockheed Martin's JASSM Again Successful In Flight TestA Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), was successfully launched Wednesday from an F-16 aircraft and precisely navigated through its second verification flight test at White Sands Missile Range, NM. The missile successfully struck the target as planned.
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Northrop Grumman Demonstrates Hunter II Unmanned System for Army's ER/MP ProgramNorthrop Grumman Corporation recently demonstrated, through a series of ground and flight tests here, the capabilities of its new Hunter II unmanned system, the company's proposed system solution for the U.S. Army's Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) program.
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Thursday, March 17, 2005
F-14B restored to 1972 color scheme with the Pukin Dogs VF-143 logos (Update)She arrived at New England Air Museum and Ken Middleton was there to catch its last flight.
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F-16 fighter jets remain on alert near Ambalat oil blockFour Indonesian F-16 jet fighters remained on alert at the Sepinggan Airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Indonesia to assist the seven warships patrolling the disputed Ambalat offshore oil field.
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GAO Warns DOD Over JSF, E-10AThe F-35 (JSF) program "could use more time to gain knowledge before moving forward," the Government Accountability Office said March 15. It made a similar warning about the E-10A Multi-sensor Command and Control Aircraft, saying the program could move into production "before critical knowledge is acquired."
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Northrop Grumman to Team with Australian Defense Industries on Global Hawk UAV Ground SystemsNorthrop Grumman Corporation announced that it would team with leading Australian companies to develop an Australian ground system to integrate with the company's Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
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Military Presence Lures Aerospace Companies to Jacksonville, FloridaEmbraer will assemble the U.S. Army’s Aerial Common Sensor aircrafts in a 71,000 square feet aircraft assembly facility at Cecil Commerce Center, Jacksonville, Florida.
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Air Force Delays Plans to Upgrade Global HawkThe U.S. Air Force will delay some enhancements to the Northrop Grumman Corp. Global Hawk unmanned spy plane to curb cost overruns.
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'Israel not to use Indian chopper for military ops'Dhruv, the advanced light helicopter that India will lease to Israel, will only be used for civilian operations and not for military purposes.
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Locals win more fighter IT workThree Australian companies have won contracts to produce test equipment for the computer system to be fitted to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
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Lockheed Martin to Build WCMD Training Rounds in Carlsbad, CaliforniaLockheed Martin will build 18 Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) inert training rounds under a $1 million direct commercial sale contract from The Boeing Company for an undisclosed international customer.
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Wednesday, March 16, 2005
F-14B restored to 1972 color scheme with the Pukin Dogs VF-143 logos (Update)This Tomcat left NAS Oceana on its way to New England Air Museum, it was given a farewell by 3 other PukinDogs Tomacts. If you live in Connecticut, she will be arriving on Wednesday at 2-3pm.
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Air force awaits advanced Apaches (Registration Required)The Israeli air force inaugurated a new helicopter squadron at the Ramon base in the Negev. Dubbed Tzira, or Hornet, the new squadron will operate the Apache Longbow attack choppers when it arrives this month.
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IAF 'curious', not keen on F-16s- The Times of IndiaSources in the Indian Air Force say it is very unlikely that the F-16 would ever form its fighter backbone.
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Lockheed may have an edge on rescue craftThe U.S. Air Force is expected to issue draft specifications to likely bidders for its personnel rescue vehicle within the next two weeks.
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Thunderbirds cleared to launchU.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper gave his approval to begin the Thunderbirds 2005 show season.
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EUROFIGHTER : Success in AMRAAM Guided Missile TrialsTyphoon DA4, piloted by BAE Systems Chief Test Pilot Paul Hopkins with Dave Sully in the rear seat, participated in a recent Advanced Medium Range Air-Air Missile (AMRAAM) guided firing trial.
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BRAC panel closerU.S. President Bush names a nine-member Base Realignment and Closure Commission to analyze the list of bases the Pentagon has targeted for closure or realignment.
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Machinists approve new pact after one-week strike against defense contractor Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin machinists who went on strike March 8 voted 1,532-573 in favor of ending their week-old strike.
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F/A-22 effective but needs work, Pentagon report says (Registration Requried)David Duma, acting director of the Office of Operational Test and Evaluation, wrote to U.S. congressional defense committees that Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F/A-22 "is operationally effective and survivable," but its "reliability, diagnostics and maintenance procedures need to be improved."
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Navy squadron deploys to IwakuniA dozen F/A-18C Hornet fighters from Naval Air Station Lemoore have been stationed at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, since last year as part of a plan to integrate the tactical aviation mission of the two armed services under joint command
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General Atomics Completes ER/MP Fly-Off DemonstrationGeneral Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) of San Diego has completed its Extended Range Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) systems capability demonstration (SCD) as part of the first phase of a future Army unmanned aerial vehicle program competition, the company said.
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Report: US spy jets delayed Israeli missile testThe sudden appreance of a U.S. Navy P-3 maritime patrol aircraft and a U-2 spy plane, force Israel to cancel the planned test of a new long-range artillery missile.
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Kona runway planned for new cargo jetsThe U.S. Air Force plans to spend $15 million to construct an auxiliary runway at Hawaii's Keahole-Kona Airport to keep its C-17 pilots proficient in short takeoffs and landings on semi-improved runways used in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Former Moldovan Official Accused of $10 Million FraudValeriu Pasat, Moldova's former defense minister, has been arrested on suspicion of defrauding the government of $10 million in the sale of 21 MiG-29 fighter jets to the United States in 1997.
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Northrop Grumman to Team with Australian Defense Industries on Global Hawk UAV Ground SystemsNorthrop Grumman Corporation announced that it would team with leading Australian companies to develop an Australian ground system to integrate with the company's Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
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Global Hawk to fly from AdelaideUS defence company Northrop Grumman has chosen Adelaide to develop a high-tech ground system to support its Global Hawk unmanned surveillance aircraft.
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New commander may see roles for Kingsley growOregon Air National Guard could soon become the only F-15 training unit in the USA.
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New Hawkeyes to get upgradesThe next generation of E-2C Hawkeye command and control aircraft will be enhanced with stronger UHF radar antenna and other enhancements, earning the new designation E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.
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Centre promises to reinstate MasandFor the first time in the history of the Indian Air Force, an officer has been recalled from retirement and promoted to the rank of Air Marshal.
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Gannet wings into museum roleA Fairey Gannet Advanced Early Warning 3, XL 502, is the latest acquisition by the Yorkshire Air Museum.
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Aircraft put on a show of forceMore than 20 military aircraft made a spectacular appearance over Melbourne Mar. 14 to highlight the Australian International Airshow.
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Lockheed Martin Joint Common Missile Demonstrates Ability to Penetrate and Destroy Urban TargetsLockheed Martin successfully tested its Joint Common Missile (JCM) multi-target warhead and fuze in a series of warhead penetration tests at the Redstone Technical Test Center.
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Lockheed Martin Completes Successful Critical Design Review for Advanced Hawkeye Radar DevelopmentLockheed Martin recently completed a successful Critical Design Review (CDR) for the Advanced Hawkeye radar.
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Tuesday, March 15, 2005
More air time planned for ageing jetsAustralian Air force chief Angus Houston yesterday said the wings on the fleet of 33 F-111 were being tested - after cracks were found in some - to see how long they could continue to fly.
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U.S. to take part in Bright Star war gamesThe U.S. Air Force and Navy might play a bigger role in the biennial Bright Star war games in Egypt this year.
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Lockheed, strikers reach tentative dealLockheed Martin and its machinists union reached a tentative agreement Sunday in a
five-day-old strike affecting nearly 3,000 workers.
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India to get MiG-29K by 2007Russia will start delivering the first carrier-based MiG-29K multi-role fighters by 2007 to India, a year ahead of the schedule.
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Defence Ministry constitutes committee on MiG crashesThe Indian Defence Ministry has constituted another expert committee to recommend measures to check increasing MiG-21 crashes in the country.
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Eurocopter celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the maiden flight of the Alouette 2, the first turbine-powered helicopter to enter series productionOn 12 March 1955, the Alouette 2 prototype took to the air for the first time from the Buc airfield near Paris. It went on to become the very first turbine-powered helicopter in series production in the world.
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ScanEagle UAV Demonstrates New Software; Prepares for Joint Military DemonstrationBoeing and The Insitu Group recently demonstrated new autonomy software aboard ScanEagle, a long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The software, imbedded in ScanEagle’s auxiliary processor board, allowed the UAV to autonomously map its route while in flight and complete a series of maneuvers.
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Monday, March 14, 2005
Navy planning for two new aircraft carriersThe Royal Australian Navy plans to buy two $800 million, 25,000 tonne amphibious ships by 2010 and secret discussions have been held with ship builders to give the vessels the capacity to carry eight or more so-called short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35 fighters.
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Trouble for jet fighter dealWhen Australia's defence chiefs meet at today's air force conference, the problem of replacing Australia's ageing air fleet should dominate the agenda.
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Defence deal cloud over Navy chief's US tripWhile the Indian Navy is keen on P-3C Orion, Defense Ministry officials are however interested in the Maritime Multi-mission aircraft (MMA) that US is developing.
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Northrop Grumman to Supply Infrared Countermeasures for Australian Multi-Role Tanker Transport AircraftA directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) system produced by Northrop Grumman Corporation has been selected to safeguard the Royal Australian Air Force's next-generation fleet of A330 Multi Role Tanker Transports.
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Revealed: Israel plans strike on Iranian nuclear plantIsrael has drawn up secret plans for a combined air and ground attack using elite Shaldag (Kingfisher) commando unit and airstrikes by F-15 jets from 69 Squadron on targets in Iran if diplomacy fails to halt the Iranian nuclear programme.
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Russia delivering copters to VenezuelaRussia arms manufacturers will deliver 10 helicopters to Venezuela, Russia's Interfax news agency reported Friday.
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Space command likely to network assets: IAF chiefThe Indian Air Force is planning to establish a strategic aerospace command to network its assets in space for defence purposes.
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IAF to begin exercise from A&N islands next monthIndian Air Force Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, told a media conference that he would lead an exercise in the Car Nicobar islands in the first week of April with a fleet of Jaguars and Sukhoi aircraft.
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Alaska Fighter Pilots Escape Cold for Exercises at Holloman Air Force BaseThe USAF 12th Fighter Squadron from Elmendorf Air Force Base is deploying sixteen F-15s at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico to escape the harsh Alaskan winter.
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Sunday, March 13, 2005
Specs dim Sikorsky's hopesU.S. Government specifications may keep Sikorsky Aircraft from winning a $10 billion Air Force contract, just as they did the Marine One presidential helicopter order. The specifications for the contract may require the ability to refuel in the air at 10,000 feet, something that Sikorsky's two-engine helicopter may not be able to do.
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Company unveils Hunter II, works to get Army contract for long-range UAVIn the past couple of months, a demonstration of the Hunter II and Warrior capabilities was done on Fort Huachuca.
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Converging U.S. Navy aircraft carrier groups in Middle East send strong message to Iran and SyriaThree U.S. Navy aircraft carriers are converging in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf.
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Australia: Army Needs to Learn How to Translate Tiger Intelligence into ActionThe date for the Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for the first Australian squadron to field the ARH Tiger has been set as 2008.
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Airline CEO eyed for NavyDan McKinnon, who founded North American Airlines, is being considered as the next U.S. Navy secretary.
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