Saturday, August 21, 2004
IAF eyes indigenous AJT to supplement Hawks:The Indian Air Force (IAF) has its eyes on an indigenous advanced jet trainer (AJT) to supplement the 66 Hawks it is acquiring from Britain.
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Air Force general to head U.S. Pacific CommandAir Force Gen. Gregory "Speedy" Martin was appointed to head U.S. Pacific Command.
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Two new leaders to step up to Air Combat CommandThe top leadership of the Air Force’s premier command here is expected to change with the turnover of two key leadership positions. Lt. Gen. Ronald E. Keys has been nominated for appointment to the four-star rank of general to command the Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base. Maj. Gen. William M. Fraser III has been nominated for the three-star rank of lieutenant general to become vice commander.
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Jaguars To Get Digital AutopilotFrench company Sextant will carry out a complete upgrade of the Indian Jaguar autopilot system. The company will supply a state-of-the-art modular, digital autopilot for Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Jaguars, derived from autopilots already developed for the Mirage 2000-9 and the Nimrod 2000.
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Hickam breaks ground for C-17 cargo carriersEight of the Air Force's latest cargo carriers, the C-17 Globemaster III, will start arriving in Hawaii, one per month beginning in January of 2006.
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Lancers strengthen bonds in AustraliaMarine Fighter Attack Squadron 212 deployed to Tindal Australia, Aug. 8, for what hopes to be another successful deployment to exercise Southern Frontier.
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U.S. to address noise concerns over Super Hornet fightersThe United States told Japan it plans to deploy the single-seat F/A-18E fighters in late September at the Atsugi base, the officials said.
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THAAD Displaying 'Residual' Capability Against ICBMsU.S. missile defense developers have discovered that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, designed to destroy short- and medium-range ballistic missiles in their final stages of flight, will also be capable of shooting down longer-range targets.
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LOCKHEED MARTIN LOOKS TO THE FUTURE WITH THE C-130J SUPER HERCULES AS IT CELEBRATES FIFTY YEARS OF AIRLIFT EXCELLENCELockheed Martin will celebrate five decades of airlift excellence on Monday, August 23, as the 1954 first flight of the YC-130 prototype will be recognized in ceremonies at the company’s facility here. Bob Hill, a 53-year employee of the company, who helped build the first production C-130 in 1954, will read a proclamation adopted by the Georgia General Assembly honoring the Hercules. In another historic event, the Honorable Kevin Hellmer, the postmaster of Marietta, will unveil a special U.S. Postal Service pictorial cancellation in honor of the first flight.
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Cope Thunder trains warfightersWith more than 62,000 square miles of integrated training ranges, Alaska provides the perfect backdrop for Cope Thunder 04-02, a total-force exercise which runs through Aug. 27
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US plans improved missiles to maintain air-to-air supremacy US Air Force (USAF) and US Navy (USN) planners envisage three new air-to-air missiles intended to maintain air-combat supremacy. Between the fielding of the new Raytheon AIM-120C-7 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) at the end of the decade, the services intend to develop and deploy at least two more AMRAAM variants, while an all-new missile is being studied as an eventual replacement for the AIM-120 series.
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WORLD’S MOST MODERN MISSILES GIVE HORNETS A NEW STINGAustralia’s F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft are now equipped with the world’s most modern missile capability following the introduction into service of the Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM), Defence Minister Robert Hill announced.
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Friday, August 20, 2004
Northrop Grumman Awarded $1.04 Billion to Continue Work on X-47B Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems ProgramNorthrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to continue work on the X-47B portion of the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) demonstration program.
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LOCKHEED MARTIN TEAM COMPLETES PRELIMINARY DESIGN REVIEW FOR UCAR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMA team led by Lockheed Martin successfully completed a week-long Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft (UCAR) program, finishing on schedule the preliminary design phase program.
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Boeing/Insitu ScanEagle UAV Sets Ship-Based Endurance RecordScanEagle, a long-endurance fully autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed and built by Boeing and The Insitu Group, recently completed a 16+ hour flight, believed to be the longest flight ever by a UAV launched and retrieved at sea.
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Report: $900M Arms Deal Is CloseState arms dealer Rosoboronexport and the Chinese Defense Ministry initialed a contract for the delivery of between four and eight batteries of S-300PMU air defense systems a few weeks ago, Vedomosti reported.
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Korea: “Postpone Apache Helicopter Reduction as Much as Possible”Korea and the U.S. held the 11th Future of the Alliance Policy Initiative talks (FOTA) recently and Korea requested that the U.S. put off the reduction in major U.S. forces, such as the Apache Attack Helicopter Battalion, as much as possible.
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Norway briefed on MMARepresentatives from the Royal Norwegian Air Force, led by Lt. Gen. Svein Ivar Hansen, visited NAS Patuxent River Aug. 11 for a brief of the Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft and walk-arounds of the V-22 and a Royal Norwegian Air Force P-3C conducting testing at Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 20.
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Pentagon Reviews Health of Helicopter Industrial BaseThe Pentagon is taking aim at some of its helicopter suppliers, expressing concern that their focus on after-market support has come at the expense of innovation.
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Thursday, August 19, 2004
Bonhomme Richard Embarks Harriers, Prepares for DeploymentUSS Bonhomme Richard embarked AV-8B Harriers from Aug. 10-13 for the second time since serving as one of two harrier carriers during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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Zortman Assumes Leadership of Naval Air ForcesVice Adm. James M. Zortman relieved Vice Adm. Michael D. Malone as commander, Naval Air Forces Aug. 17.
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International Air Systems, Inc. Submits a Proposal to the U.S. Air ForceInternational Air Systems, Inc. of Elk Grove Village, IL announces that it has submitted a proposal to the U.S. Air Force in response to their Request For Information for an Analysis of Alternatives Study for the Recapitalization of the KC-135.
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Turkey To Host Major NATO Air Maneuvers in SeptemberThe air forces of 16 NATO-member countries will meet in Turkey next month for the alliance’s largest planned air exercises, the Turkish Air Force said Aug. 18.
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SAUDIS MAINTAIN F-15 SQUADRON IN TABOUKSaudi Arabia has maintained a squadron of advanced F-15 fighter-jets in the northwestern city of Tabouk near the Israeli border.
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San Diego native to command Carrier Group OneRear Adm. Mark T. Emerson, a San Diego native and combat-tested attack pilot, will be returning to his birthplace to take command of the San Diego-based Carrier Group One, the Navy announced Wednesday.
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ACCIDENTS OF MIG-21 AIRCRAFTA total number of 319 MiG-21 Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft have met Category-I accidents since the year 1971-72.
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New fighter jets will be lateAustralia's new joint strike fighters will be delivered late, creating a potential crisis for the air force, the head of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation Roger Lough has revealed.
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Malcolm McDowell to Star in a Film Promoting Su Fighter JetsBritish-born Hollywood actor Malcolm McDowell will star as the villain in a Russian action movie with the working title Su-XX. The producer hopes the film will assist in selling Sukhoi aircraft abroad, notably to China and India where the movie is intended for wide distribution.
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Raytheon Awarded Tomahawk Block IV Full-Rate Production ContractRaytheon Company has been awarded $287 million in Fiscal Year 2004 as part of a full-rate production contract to supply the U.S. Navy with the next-generation Block IV Tomahawk cruise missile. The Navy and Raytheon have entered into a multi-year procurement contract to replenish the Tomahawk inventory.
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Rare plane found in Russian lake arrives at Pensacola museumThe only Brewster Buffalo known to still exist has arrived at the National Museum of Naval Aviation after the American-made fighter was recovered from a lake in Russia where its pilot, a Finnish ace, was shot down in 1942.
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Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Unmanned U.S. reconnaissance plane crashes in Iraq, military saysA U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator plane crashed near a U.S. base in Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad on Tuesday.
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IAF team shows spunk in USFlying from daybreak till late at night, undergoing extensive mission plannings, flying till it tested their stamina, the IAF contingent in Exercise Cope Thunder in the US not only showed utmost professionalism but also won hearts of the Americans.
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Alaska to SA, IAF spreads Mirage wingsA contingent of four IAF Mirage aircraft would fly to South Africa to participate in an aerial exercise with their Air Force next month.
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IL-78 'babies' make US pilots eat their wordsThe big boys of the US Air Force in their KC-10 and KC-135 inflight refuellers initially referred to their Indian counterparts flying the IL-78 tankers as 'babies' during exercise Cooperative Cope Thunder in Alaska.
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Nuri crash: Servicemen recall their 24-hour ordealCamaraderie among members of the armed forces helped save the lives of seven of the 10 personnel onboard the ill-fated RMAF Nuri helicopter that crashed near Ba'Kelalan on Sunday.
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Blair supports Chinook crash decisionTony Blair has refused to lift a gross negligence charge against the two pilots killed in 1994 Chinook helicopter crash, it emerged today.
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Navy says Kennedy jets were damaged in mishapThe Navy has acknowledged that two jets were damaged during an incident last month when the carrier John F. Kennedy collided with a fishing dhow in the Persian Gulf.
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Northrop Grumman Delivers New Airborne Early-Warning Aircraft to TaiwanNorthrop Grumman Corporation has delivered the first of two new Hawkeye 2000 airborne early-warning and command-and control-aircraft to the Taiwan Air Force. The Hawkeye 2000 will give Taiwan an enhanced capability to monitor and control activity within the airspace and seas surrounding the island nation.
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Report Blames Unfastened Bolts For Accident Onboard USS George WashingtonOn September 11, 2003, when an F/A-18 Hornet came in for a landing on the USS George Washington, the number four arresting wire snapped.
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EDO Demonstrates Next-Generation Weapon-Release Unit on B-1B BomberEDO Corporation has successfully demonstrated new B-1B pneumatic-ejection equipment during test flights at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The tests in July and August included the release of 500- and 2000-pound inert weapons from the aircraft.
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Military Helicopter Makes Precautionary Landing In BunnlevelAn AH-64 Apache helicopter from Simmons Army Air Field at Fort Bragg made a precautionary landing Tuesday afternoon in an open field in the Harnett County community of Bunnlevel.
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Tuesday, August 17, 2004
B-2 Stealth, Radar Upgrades Near Key MilestonesThe U.S. Air Force's B-2 Spirit bomber is expected soon to achieve key milestones for improving its stealth and radar technology, sources said Aug. 13.
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LOCKHEED MARTIN ANNOUNCES DIVERSIFIED TEAM FOR AERIAL COMMON SENSOR PROGRAMLockheed Martin today announced that a broad base of companies will assist it in the development of Aerial Common Sensor (ACS), the U.S. Army’s next generation manned airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system.
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Boeing Small Diameter Bomb Aces Test MissionA Boeing Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) was successfully launched Tuesday over the Gulf of Mexico Test Range by a U.S. Air Force F-15E aircrew assigned to the 46th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
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Bad to the B-ONEAn Air Force B-1B Lancer makes a high-speed pass at the Pensacola Beach airshow held here recently. The pressure produced by the aircraft's speed caused the water vapor around it to condense into a cloud. (U.S. Air Force photo by Gregg Stansbery)
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Rolls-Royce to Power New U.S. Army AircraftRolls-Royce announced today it will provide a derivative of its AE 3007 engine to power the five Embraer ERJ 145 regional jets recently selected for the U.S. Army's next-generation Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) reconnaissance aircraft.
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Target lockedCapts. Matt French and Daniel Arkema fire AIM-7M Sparrow medium-range air-to-air missiles from their F-15C Eagles during an exercise here Aug. 3. Captains French and Arkema are pilots with the 493rd Fighter Squadron at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Michael Ammons)
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Stennis Strike Group Wraps Up JASEX with Kitty HawkThe USS John C. Stennis (JCS) (CVN 74) and USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) completed the Joint Air and Sea Exercise 2004 (JASEX 04) Aug. 15 in the Western Pacific.
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Nuri crash: 3 dead, 7 safeThree Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) personnel were killed when a Nuri helicopter crash-landed 15km from Ba’Kelalan, near the Sarawak border with Kalimantan, on Sunday.
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Air Force C-130s support Afghan army deployment U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules airlifted troops and supplies Aug. 15 and 16 supporting the deployment of several Afghan battalions to respond to factional fighting which started Aug. 14 in the Shindand area of the country.
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Sikorsky Selects Goodrich Diagnostic Systems for U.S. Army's UH-60M BLACK HAWK HelicoptersGoodrich Corporation has been selected by Sikorsky to provide the Integrated Vehicle Health Management System (IVHMS) for the U.S. Army's UH-60M BLACK HAWK program.
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U.S. Army Awards Goodrich a Helicopter Laser Warning Survivability Equipment Spares ContractGoodrich Corporation has been awarded a $4.5 million contract by the U.S. Army's Communications and Electronics Command (CECOM) to supply Laser Warning Survivability Equipment spares.
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US F-15E Fighters to Be Deployed HereA squadron of U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles will deploy to South Korea in September for several months of deployment, a spokesman of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday.
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Vought Reaches Milestone on F-35 Joint Strike Fighter ProductionVought Aircraft Industries, Inc. has reached a key production milestone in support of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program with the delivery of the aircraft's lower wing skins.
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Judge Denies Navy Motion On Eastern N.C. Landing FieldA federal judge in Raleigh, N.C., has denied the Navy's request to allow it to continue buying property for a practice landing field in eastern North Carolina while opponents challenge the facility in court.
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Viraat to be operational within 90 days: NavyINS Viraat, India's lone aircraft carrier and which is undergoing a re-fit programme at present, will be operational in the next 90 days, Defence Ministry officials said.
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Guam Wants to Host US Aircraft CarrierFor more than a year, officials on Guam have been lobbying the Pentagon to base an aircraft carrier on the U.S. territory. That is a big change from the 1980's, when the people of Guam pushed the military to close some of its bases on the island.
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Monday, August 16, 2004
JORDAN DEVELOPS FIRST UAVS IN ARAB WORLDJordan has developed the first military unmanned air vehicle in the Arab world.
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BAE SYSTEMS BEGINS FLIGHT AND FIRE CONTROL UPGRADES ON AIR FORCE A-10 THUNDERBOLT II AIRCRAFTU.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft are receiving a substantial performance upgrade from a new flight and fire control computer and software upgrade designed and developed by BAE Systems.
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Aviation Day celebrated in RussiaRussia celebrates Aviation Day on Sunday. This holiday of civil and military aviators was established by a decree of the Russian Supreme Council Presidium in 1992 and is celebrated on the third Sunday of August every year. The holiday was earlier called the Aviation Day of the Soviet Union and was marked since August 18, 1933.
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Tupelo Guard unit expands arsenal8 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters were added to the Mississippi Army National Guard.
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Sunday, August 15, 2004
USS JFK Rescues Iranian Mariners in Arabian GulfUSS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) rescued six mariners from an Iranian cargo dhow Aug. 14, after learning that the vessel was taking on water.
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PAF launches websitePAF Website was launched by Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force on 14 August, 2004.
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Army decides it takes an airlift to raze a radio stationA CH-47 Chinook helicopter of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment made 3 trips to carry 17 tons of construction equipment to the top of a mountain that had no roads.
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Taiwan Flaunts Its Air Superiority Over ChinaTaiwan flaunted its fighter jets in the biggest-ever air show on the island on Saturday, a show of strength as tensions simmer with arch-foe China.
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