Free Republic

(Reuters) - Canada is likely to choose between two major U.S. firms when it buys a new fleet of jet fighters, excluding two European competitors, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 stealth fighter and Boeing Co's F-18 E/F Super Hornet were deemed more suitable for the variety of tasks the military has laid out. The source said that while the F-35 had scored well on the various tests laid out by the military, the Super Hornet was almost as capable and had...

Fighter jets, like the Lockheed F-35, are becoming increasingly expensive. Is it possible to make something much cheaper? Angus Batey reports on a new breed of plane poised to take to the skies. At this summer's Farnborough Air Show in England, the talk was dominated by the mishaps of one plane: the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter. Due to be adopted by major air forces in the decades to come, it was supposed to be the star of the show. But in the end, the $100m-a-unit jet failed to turn up to its...

The Polish navy is evaluating the Israeli developed Barak-8 missile for the protection of its new navy ships. With a top speed of Mach 2 and a maximum operational range of 38nm (70km), the Barak-8 is 4.5m (14.8ft) long and has a diameter of 0.54m. Its wingspan is 0.94m and it weighs 275kg (606lb), including a 60kg payload. Developed based on an agreement signed in 2007 between India and Israel, it has been selected by the Indian navy. According to the India media, the initial co-development cost was about $350 million, 50% of which was financed by Israel Aerospace Industries....

Any air arm able to field 30 operational MiG-21s, 11 Douglas A-4K Skyhawks and which ordered up to 28 light combat jets would be placed well up the rankings in Flight International’s annual World Air Forces directory. It may come as a surprise, therefore, to learn that the aircraft listed above belong to a commercial company. Welcome to Draken International, the world’s largest private air force. Lakeland, Florida-based Draken formed in 2011, and has grown rapidly since then. Currently the company undertakes a range of training activities for the US military, but is also actively looking at opening a European...

Squeezed into tighter and tighter spaces, airline passengers appear to be rebelling, taking their frustrations out on other fliers. Three U.S. flights made unscheduled landings in the past eight days after passengers got into fights over the ability to recline their seats. Disputes over a tiny bit of personal space might seem petty, but for passengers whose knees are already banging into tray tables, every inch counts.

The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Sweden have signed a letter of intent agreeing to co-operate on using the Saab Gripen fighter – paving the way for a potential Slovakian acquisition of the aircraft. “Today's signing will lay the foundation for bilateral co-operation around a common airspace surveillance of Slovakia and the Czech Republic,” a translation of a statement from the Swedish defence ministry on 30 August said. Slovakia is looking to replace its RAC MiG-29s in the next couple of years. Slovak defence minister Martin Glváč has reportedly told local media outlets on several occasions that the Gripen is the...

Drone proponents prefer using the term Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or UAS for Unmanned Aerial System (latter term includes the entirety of the flying vehicle and the ground-base communications connection connecting the two). Whatever your preferred verbiage is, drones are poised to become a huge global business and the aerial devices are going to have a significant impact across a wide variety of industries. Historically, the military has been the biggest user/purchaser of drones; The Wall Street Journal estimated that the U.S. military spent about $3 billion on drone programs in 2012. And many aerospace companies continue to develop highly...

Over the last year, IAF demobilized its veteran AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter OrBat owing to the defense budget cuts. Ofer Zidon bids farewell to the venerable weapon system that entered service following the Yom-Kippur War The IAF has quietly retired one of its oldest and most venerable weapon systems recently. The AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter OrBat, which entered service in 1975, was demobilized pursuant to a decision (in the context of the recent cuts in the defense budget) to discontinue using the outdated helicopters. The demobilization process was executed in three stages: on July 29, 2013 the attack helicopter flight...

The deal between Beijing and Moscow can dramatically alter the balance of power in South Asia Russia's reported plan to sell advanced S-400 anti-aircraft missile system to China may rile wary neighbours, especially India, as Moscow and Beijing moved closer in the backdrop of deepening Ukrainian crisis, according to a media report. A recent comment by Kremlin's chief of staff, Sergei Ivanov, "the chances that China may be the first foreign buyer of S-400s are high," cited by official Voice of Russia, has sparked off speculation that the two countries have moved closer to clinch the deal that was dragged...

The deployment of four UK Royal Air Force Tornadoes to perform overwatch of Iraq, and an unconfirmed report last week that more might be deployed for surveillance of northern Nigeria, serves to illustrate the ongoing value of the aging but effective “Tonka.” Although the RAF fleet is scheduled to be retired in 2019 in favor of the F-35, upgrades continue, with another one announced recently. Meanwhile, the German air force intends to keep its Tornado fleet until at least 2025, with its own upgrades. Tornado surveillance of northern Iraq has demonstrated the value of the Rafael Litening III targeting pod...

At a time when many U.S. defense programs are facing the budget ax, Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems is looking forward to an important stream of new international business from a ship-defense missile system co-developed with Germany. On Wednesday, Raytheon commemorated the first delivery of a new version of the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) to the U.S. Navy with a ceremony at its sprawling airport-area missile plant. RAM — which gets its name from its spinning action in flight — is a 30-year-old, cooperative program between the U.S. and German governments with industry support from Raytheon and RAMsys of Germany. Deployed...

A report in Spiegel magazine says German air force is weaker than previously thought and a funding crisis means scores of aircraft are not operational The German air force is facing such a severe funding shortage that many of its aircraft are unable to fly, mechanics are forced to cannibalise parts from existing planes and only eight of the country's 109 Eurofighters are fully operational, according to a report in Spiegel magazine. German defence sources have rubbished the article, saying it is inaccurate and does not match up to official air force logs. But the claim that Germany's air force...

Windowless planes could be the future of cheaper air travel as a government technology centre develops a proposal to help airlines save on fuel. In place of windows, plastic display screens projecting the sky outside could line the cabin of an aircraft. It is hoped the technology will significantly reduce aircraft weight and cut fuel costs without worrying nervous passengers. The display screens will function using a technique called printable electronics, which involves the use of conductive inks to carry electric current in cardboard and plastic for just a few pence per unit. The technology could be rolled out in...

Evidence that Singapore has far more than the officially claimed 24 Boeing F-15SG fighter aircraft has emerged, although the precise number of airframes has yet to be ascertained. The FAA registry shows that eight Boeing F-15SG aircraft were registered to Boeing on 6 August 2014. The aircraft bear registrations N361SG, N363SG, N366SG, N368SG,N373SG, N376SG, N378SG, and N837SG. Over the years industry observers have come to share the belief that the true number of aircraft is probably 32 - not 24 - mainly owing to the range of registration numbers on Singapore air force registered F-15SGs. Moreover, on a tour of...

Russian Ka-52K rivals America’s AH-1Z Russia’s latest naval attack helicopter just might be the most fearsome ever. Moscow means to deploy the navalized adaptation of the coaxial-rotor Kamov Ka-52 aboard the Russian navy’s controversial, French-built amphibious assault ships. Without doubt, the current gold standard for maritime attack helps is the U.S. Marine Corps’ Bell AH-1Z Viper, the latest and most capable iteration of the classic HueyCobra—the pioneering gunship that first saw combat during the Vietnam War. Distinguished from its predecessors chiefly by its four-blade main rotor, the Viper gained entered front-line service in February 2011. The Boeing AH-64 Apache is...

Three decades after it was inducted into the Russian Air Force, the Sukhoi-27 remains the ultimate jet fighter with its super-maneuverability, grace, beauty and sheer power. In 1984, after seven years of development and test flights, the Sukhoi-27 (codenamed Flanker by NATO) was inducted into the Soviet Air Force and the Soviet Air Defence Force. It was a defining moment in the history of combat aviation as the Su-27 – and its later iterations – became the jet fighter that would shift air superiority decisively away from western air forces. British fighter pilot John Farlight, who saw Victor Pugachev turn...

China is in the process of developing its own native fifth-generation fighter to compete with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and Russia's T-50. Although China has been secretive about the exact specifications of the aircraft, experts are warning that the plane could be a game-changer in East Asia's potentially fragile security environment. China's Chengdu J-20 is currently in its fourth round of prototypes. On July 26, the most recent version of the fighter flew for two hours before successfully landing. Information about the J-20 is limited, but an unnamed Asian government source told IHS Jane's that upwards of 20 J-20s...

The world's biggest defence deal is in danger of becom-ing one of the slowest in his-tory. More than two years after India zeroed in on the French Rafale fighter jet-after a tor-tured 11-year selection process-to replace its ageing MiG-21s, the Ger-man-led European consortium which was the runner-up in the race has sought to restart the dogfight by offer-ing a new, cheaper proposal for its Eurofighter Typhoon. The Narendra Modi Government, INDIA TODAY has learnt, is studying the German proposal even as Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has been nego-tiating with France's Dassault, the maker of the Rafale, to finalise agree-ments to...

The People's Liberation Army has carried out a second, albeit unsuccessful test of a hypersonic vehicle, two sources close to the military said, as China attempts to find a way to deliver nuclear weapons at immense speed to evade defence systems. The test was carried out on August 7 at a missile and satellite launching centre in Shanxi province, about 300km from its capital Taiyuan, said the sources, who asked not be named. It was the second time the system had failed, the two sources said. The vehicle broke up soon after it was launched. It is designed to be...

General Electric Korea on Thursday expressed its willingness to join the South Korean government’s plan to develop a double-engine platform for its next generation of fighter jets. The U.S.-based conglomerate said it could do more good when collaborating with Korean companies in the KFX project, while promoting its rich history and competitiveness in the global aerospace industry. “GE has played a significant role in the development of Korea’s aerospace defense industry by providing jet engines, avionics and integrated systems,” said Khang Sung-wook, president and CEO of GE Korea, at a press conference in Seoul. “Through the KFX program, GE seeks...