Sunday, July 31, 2005
Air Vectors : The Ilyushin Il-28 Beagle
The Ilyushin Il-28 Beagle is featured in August's Air Vectors.
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Air Vectors : Updates
The following Air Vectors articles were updated recently. The Boeing AH-64 Apache, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Mitsubishi A6M Zero ("Zeke"), North American P-51 Mustang and Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
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Ex-astronaut to dedicate museum's F-14 display
U.S. Navy Capt. Scott Altman, who spent two years as a test pilot for the F-14 program and flew many of the stunts included in the film "Top Gun," was at Grissom Air Museum to dedicate its F-14 display.
We have pictures of the VF-11 Tomcat arriving at Grissom in our
gallery.
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Vietnam War flier buried 40 years after plane crash
U.S. Air Force Maj. Arthur D. Baker was laid to rest Friday 40 years after his B-57B crashed over Laos during the Vietnam War.
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U.S. to make initial F-16 shipment to Pakistan
Washington has approved an initial shipment of two older but refurbished F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.
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Black Hawks helicopters to be based in Sydney
Australian Army�s 171 Aviation Squadron will relocate to Holsworthy Barracks near Sydney from the end of next year to boost the ability of Australia�s Special Forces to respond to a terrorist threat on the east coast of Australia. The Black Hawks will be be replaced by the new MRH 90 Troop Lift Helicopter Squadron.
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U.S. Navy chopper makes emergency landing on Kanagawa coast
A U.S. Navy UH3H helicopter made an emergency landing near a beach in Fujisawa, about 80 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, shortly before noon Saturday.
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'Resolution over China arms deal near'
Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said the dispute between Israel and the United States over Israel's sale of arms to China is nearing a resolution. The deal would give America veto power over Israeli arms sales to selected countries if Washington feels its national security is compromised.
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Boeing's F-15 tries to stay aloft
There are some influential members of the U.S. Congress who wants the USAF to buy 100 to 144 F-15s as insurance against a slip in the JSF program.
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Ex-pilot driving for professional golf glory
Former U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18 fighter pilot, Jay Slough, is trying to break into professional golf.
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Boeing loses battle with Bell for Army helicopter order
Boeing spokesman Hal Klopper said "the Boeing team is disappointed" that is lost the ARH competition and "will review the decision over the next several weeks."
Labels: ARH
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Dole says that Cherry Point could handle more
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole sent a letter to the BRAC Commission chairman stressing the existing capacity of MCAS Cherry Point to handle aircraft from NAS Oceana.
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Brand New Facility At Air Force Base Could Wind Up Empty
A new hangar at Nashville�s Berry Field has nearly been completed but the Pentagon's recommendations for realignment may mean that the hangar could be empty several years from now. The state-of�the-art building for the 118th Airlift Wing is designed to hold two C-130 and one C-17 aircraft.
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Monino Hosts WWII Air Show
A four-day air show kicked off Thursday afternoon at the Russian Air Force museum in Monino, southeast of Moscow. The show allows tourists to see the display of 184 vintage and modern aircraft at the museum.
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Uzbekistan evicts U.S. from air base
Uzbekistan gave U.S. forces six months to move out from Karshi-Khanabad air base.
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Chinook memorial: Parents 'snubbed'
The parents of one of the pilots killed in a 1994 RAF Chinook helicopter tragedy said they had been snubbed over the unveiling of a memorial at RAF Odiham in Hampshire to members of the RAF's support helicopter force.
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Saturday, July 30, 2005
Two Injured in Afghanistan Apache Helicopter Crash
Two crewmembers were injured Jul 29 when a U.S. military AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed during a training mission on a range near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.
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Glacier Girl wows EAA crowd
Glacier Girl, a P-38 Lightning World War II fighter, buried in ice for 50 years in Greenland is wooing crowds at this year�s Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture.
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Air Force to Be Modernized, Says Sultan
Saudi Arabia's second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation said the kingdom plans to acquire new advanced military aircraft and has sent some of its aircraft abroad to be modernized.
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LM Exploring Sea-Based Version Of PAC-3 Interceptor
Lockheed Martin has begun doing significant work on the possibility of adapting its land-based Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor for use on ships.
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Pilots make the move to Search and Rescue, learn new techniques
USMC Huey pilots from the fleet who join the Yuma's SAR team need to train for their new and diverse mission of saving lives, focusing on extraction techniques.
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Schrempp departure seen speeding EADS-Thales deal
The departure of DaimlerChrysler Chief Executive Juergen Schrempp could move aerospace firm EADS, in which Daimler is a key shareholder, closer to a takeover of French defence firm Thales, analysts said on Friday.
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Aerojet Awarded Contract to Develop New Technologies for Future Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems
Aerojet has won a contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop new solid rocket motor technologies for application on future Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Systems.
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F-14 to be dedicated tomorrow
A group of naval aviators who will be in Peru Saturday to dedicate Grissom Air Museum's F-14B Tomcat.
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Shakedown flights begin for Hawk Mk 128
The Hawk Mk 128 Advanced Jet Trainer began its shakedown flights on Wednesday at the BAE Systems facility at Warton, Lancashire.
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Navy�s top admiral will testify to save Oceana
Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the new chief of naval operations, will testify at an Aug. 4 hearing of the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission to defend NAS Oceana.
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U.K. May Upgrade Harrier To Extend Life Beyond 2020
United Kingdom may upgrade its Harrier fleet to extend its life beyond 2020. The prospective life extension program could include installing a single Link 16 datalink, improved defensive aids, a helmet-mounted target cueing system, the Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) and an updated reconnaissance pod.
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Test team members honored at base
Two newly completed buildings at Edwards Air Force Base that will serve as maintenance buildings for the F-35 joint strike fighter were dedicated in honor of two test team members who died last year.
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Textron's Bell Helicopter Awarded Army Contract to Build 368 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters
Bell Helicopter has been awarded a $2.2 billion contract by the United States Army to build its next generation Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter, or ARH. The ARH will replace the Army's OH-58D Kiowa Warrior Helicopter. Bell's ARH is a militarized version of its highly successful 407 single engine light helicopter.
Labels: ARH
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Predator operators see whole picture
Each MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle mission flown in the Iraqi sky begins and ends at Balad Air Force Base.
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IAF awaits vice-chief
The Indian government failed to nominate a vice-chief of air staff for the Indian Air Force to replace Air Marshal S.K. Malik who is retiring on Jul 31.
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Geren designated acting Air Force secretary
Pete Geren will be the new acting Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, replacing Michael L. Dominguez.
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Friday, July 29, 2005
Radar Vector
Radar Vector is a new blog which I setup in less than 24 hours yesterday to blog news from the civilian world. Everyday when I gather news for Alert 5 from the various sources, I come across many interesting news which are civilian in nature. Thus I decided to start a new blog to share these information. Its not a daily update, although most probably I will update it everyday, so as to focus more on Alert 5. I'm using a new layout for Radar Vector, its much simpler than Alert 5's current layout. I'm still tweaking it but the layout is 90% complete. Hopefully one day I can move Alert 5 to that layout. Take a look, comments are welcome.
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Move on to keep JSF and Raptor (Registration Required)
Lawmakers rallied to protect the F-35 joint strike fighter and F/A-22 Raptor on Wednesday after reports that the Lockheed Martin aircraft projects may be on the chopping block in the Pentagon.
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Watchkeeper green light a massive boost to region
The East of England is set to become a major beneficiary of the �700 million Watchkeeper programme.
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Officials Report on Chinook Incidents in Afghanistan
A U.S. CH-47 Chinook helicopter made a "hard landing" due to "brown-out conditions" southwest of the city of Spin Buldak on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan late on July 27. A fire broke out and destroyed the helicopter. An investigation of the April 6 CH-47D Chinook helicopter crash near the Afghan city of Ghazni that killed 18 is also completed.
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Delay call over Unst RAF closure
Community leaders have called on the U.K. Ministry of Defence to delay a plan to mothball an RAF base on Britain's most northerly inhabited island.
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Navy affirms 'enormous strategic value'
The U.S. Navy made it clear in a letter to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins that it does not want to see the Brunswick Naval Air Station closed. The Base Realignment and Closure Commission recently voted 8-1 to also add Brunswick to the list of bases being considered for closure.
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Israeli Defense Chief Cancels U.S. Trip
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has canceled a trip to Washington due to new U.S. demands to oversee Israeli weapons exports.
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Iran Claims A Missile Breakthrough
Iran said for the first time Wednesday it has fully developed solid-fuel technology in producing missiles.
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End run around civilian control
The recent revision of Japan's Self-Defense Forces Law which allows the Defense Agency chief to fire interceptor missiles without approval is raising concerns that it runs counter to the constitutional principle that the Diet shall be the highest organ of state power.
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Spy plane's maiden flight over N. Wales
RAF's Sentinel R Mk I, a modified Bombardier Global Express, made its maiden flight from a North Wales airfield.
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Military aircraft searching for plane missing between Vancouver and Smithers
Canadian Forces Buffalo aircrafts and Cormorant helicopters are helping to search for a missing King Air 200 between Vancouver and Smithers.
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Base, ILC keep eyes on launch
At Dover Air Force Base, emergency crews and air traffic controllers were prepared on Tuesday to receive the Space Shuttle in case the mission is aborted in flight.
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Battlelab develops C-5 aircrew night vision system
The USAF Air Mobility Command has approved the C-5 ANViL, or Aviator Night Vision Lighting System, to be used as a portable �clip-on� NVG compatible lighting system designed to improve existing lighting conditions and techniques for C-5 NVG missions.
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GW Reaches Overhaul Milestone as Last Propeller Reinstalled
USS George Washington (CVN 73) (GW) reached a major milestone during its Docked Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) July 25 as Northrop Grumman Newport News (NGNN) shipyard workers reinstalled the last of the ship's four propellers.
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Subs, Space, Tankers Critical In Taiwan Conflict, HASC Hears
Submarines, space-based platforms and aerial refueling tankers would be primary U.S. military assets in any conflict with China over Taiwan.
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Thursday, July 28, 2005
Cope North bilateral exercise wraps up in Guam
10 F-4EJ Kais and two E-2C Hawkeyes from JASDF joined 12 U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles for mock combat during the recent Cope North exercise in Guam. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III.
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Shaw F-16s intercept shuttle airspace violator
Two F-16 Fighting Falcons from the USAF 55th Fighter Squadron intercepted and escorted a small civilian aircraft three minutes from the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery.
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Multi-national maritime exercise Kakadu commences in northern Australia
Six RAAF F-111, eight RAAF F/A-18, 10 RAAF Hawk aircraft, and a RAAF AP-3C Orion will join a Singapore Air Force F-50 and a Royal New Zealand Air Force P3K Orion for multi-national maritime Exercise Kakadu 7 held in northern Australia.
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Officials prepare in case air base cannot be saved
South Dakota's officials are quietly preparing for what would happen if Ellsworth Air Force Base is closed.
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Yuma won't seek reimbursement for wreckage cleanup
Yuma County officials have decided not to ask the military to reimburse them for the costs of cleaning up wreckage from a Harrier jet that crashed into a neighborhood last month.
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Defense planners eye F/A-22, JSF for possible cuts (Registration Required)
Pentagon planners wants to scale back the U.S. Air Force's number of F-35 joint strike fighter and the F/A-22 Raptor as they content that the two jets have little use against terrorist networks and other unconventional threats.
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Food, Water Airdropped As Attempts To Reach Heli Crash Site Fail Again
An elite PASKAU (Special Air Team of the RMAF) unit tried to winch down personnel to a helicopter crash site in Sabah twice yesterday but failed.
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RAF Fairford was ready if shuttle needed to land
When the space shuttle Discovery blast off to space on Tuesday in Florida, more than two dozen people were on standby at RAF Fairford, England in case the shuttle develop problems during the first few minutes and needed a place to land.
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Patroit Missile
Pentagon made a verbal offer to provide a technical briefing on the Patriot Advance Capability (PAC)-3 anti-missile defence system to India during India's Defence Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee visit to Washington. This is not a formal offer to sell the system.
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Ilyushin Lessor's Shares Frozen
Russia's largest aircraft leasing company, Ilyushin Finance, had its shares frozen by prosecutors investigating its management at the highest levels.
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Revised figures may aid efforts to save base
A newly released USAF report claims it will cost nearly three times as much as was originally projected to relocate C-130 cargo planes to Little Rock, Arkansas.
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Taiwan warns Chinese missiles threaten Australia
Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has warned that China's missiles not only target Taiwan, but that they can also target Australia, New Zealand, the United States, India and Russia.
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3rd anniversary of air show tragedy to be marked in Lvov
Prayer services were held yesterday in Lvov, Western Ukraine to observe the third anniversary of the worst airshow disaster which a Su-27 crashed into a crowd at an airfield.
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JSF Electronic Warfare System Begins Flight-Tests
BAE Systems has started conducting flight-tests of the electronic warfare (EW) system it is developing for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter on a T-39 Sabreliner.
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Afghanistan: Large Protest Held At Main U.S. Air Base
A crowed estimated to number at least 1,000, chanted slogans against the United States at the main U.S. air base in Afghanistan located in Bagram on Jul 26.
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Tokyo-area bases prepare for tropical storm
U.S. bases in the Tokyo area are preparing for the arrival of Tropical Storm Ban
