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Keyword: aerospace

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  • Azerbaijan Kills Armenian Troops With a Suicide Drone (Israeli made)

    04/06/2016 2:26:07 AM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 14 replies
    War is Boring ^ | April 05, 2016 | Robert Beckhusen
    An unnerving sight appeared Monday during fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. What appeared to be an Israeli-made suicide drone hit a bus carrying Armenian soldiers and then exploded. There is an unconfirmed video appearing to show the strike, which killed seven Armenian volunteers according to RIA Novosti. And the drone captured in the video looks a lot like an IAI Harop — a canister-launched flying bomb which can detect the source of radio transmissions or be manually guided onto a target. An Armenian Ministry of Defense spokesman alleged Azerbaijan is using Harop drones in the...
  • Boeing tanker issue may delay U.S. production decision-Air Force

    04/02/2016 5:15:46 AM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 25 replies
    Reuters ^ | March 31, 2016 | ANDREA SHALAL
    A problem that has prevented Boeing Co 's KC-46A tanker aircraft from transferring fuel to a C-17 transport plane may delay a Pentagon decision approving low-rate production of the new tanker in May, the U.S. Air Force said on Thursday. "We don't yet know the schedule impact to the planned May Milestone C decision, but the problem is well understood and we don't expect an extended delay," said Air Force spokesman Daryl Mayer. Mayer said the issue arose during testing of the refueling boom that is used to transfer fuel from the 767-based tanker aircraft to a C-17 transport plane,...
  • Mirage fighter goes to tycoon (France)

    04/01/2016 8:07:07 PM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 7 replies
    The Connexion ^ | April 01, 2016
    A MIRAGE III fighter plane that was sold in an auction in Cannes went for €106,675 – to Serge Dassault, the billionaire industrialist and senator who is CEO of the firm that made it. Estimated at €30-50,000, the plane was sold without its jet engines and weapons and it is in pieces with the cabin and wings dismantled. It was retired from military use in 1995 after being used in the Ardennes Squadron. Mr Dassault, whose father Marcel founded the Dassault group of companies including Dassault Aviation, wants to display the plane on a roundabout in Corbeil-Essonne, of which he...
  • BAE's APKWS rockets go to war on AV-8B Harrier

    03/31/2016 11:25:31 AM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 3 replies
    Flightglobal.com ^ | 31 MARCH, 2016 | JAMES DREW
    BAE Systems’ laser-guided rocket has been rushed into combat on the AV-8B Harrier, seven months after it was requested by the top brass of the US Marine Corps. The semi-active-laser-seeking 70mm (2.75in) rocket, enabled by BAE’s mid-body guidance and control section, is already deployed on US Navy and Marine Corps attack helicopters and was recently acquired by the Army for the AH-64 Apache gunship, but it will soon become a standard tool on the fixed-wing AV-8B jump jet. US Naval Air Systems Command is delivering 80 units initially to Marine Attack Squadron-223 (VMA-223), which is currently deployed to an undisclosed...
  • SWEDEN PUTS NEW LIFE IN COLD WAR FIGHTER JET STRATEGY

    03/31/2016 11:14:47 AM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 2 replies
    AIRheadsFLY.com ^ | 2016/03/31
    The Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) is putting new life into a war-time strategy developed during the Cold War: fighter jet operations from road strips. There is a difference: the armed forces have got to do the same job with less personnel. Welcome to Vidsel Airbase in the Swedish far north. This is the Edwards, or Boscombe Down, of Sweden – a place for testing air weapons and the heart of many (inter)national military combat exercises when it comes to air operations. Riksväg runway Vidsel does have a main runway, but serviced by a network of taxiways are three additional short...
  • Mars Colony Will Have To Wait, Says NASA Scientists

    03/31/2016 10:05:23 AM PDT · by BenLurkin · 72 replies
    universetoday.com ^ | 03/30/2016 | matt williams
    Establishing a human settlement on Mars has been the fevered dream of space agencies for some time. Long before NASA announced its “Journey to Mars” – a plan that outlined the steps that need to be taken to mount a manned mission by the 2030s – the agency’s was planning how a crewed mission could lead to the establishing of stations on the planet’s surface. And it seems that in the coming decades, this could finally become a reality. But when it comes to establishing a permanent colony – another point of interest when it comes to Mars missions –...
  • India Orders 245 Raytheon Stinger Air-to-Air Missiles From US

    03/30/2016 6:31:51 AM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 6 replies
    ExecutiveBiz ^ | March 30, 2016 | Mary-Louise Hoffman
    India has placed an order for 245 Raytheon-built Stinger air-to-air missiles, launchers and related engineering support services through the Defense Department‘s foreign military sales program. Raytheon said Wednesday the Indian military expects to receive the Stingers as part of a potential $3.1 billion FMS agreement forged between the governments of India and the U.S. The deal also covers procurement of combat helicopters, electronic warfare systems, radars and weapons, Raytheon noted. The Stinger missile is designed to be integrated onto tactical ground platforms and fixed- or rotary-wing military aircraft. Raytheon has recorded more than 270 air intercepts for the system to...
  • FIDAE 2016: Colombia gunships near completion

    03/30/2016 6:25:01 AM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 1 replies
    SHEPHARD ^ | 29th March 2016 | Grant Turnbull
    The Colombian Air Force’s (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana – FAC) programme to integrate Israeli-made Spike air-to-surface missiles onto several of its Black Hawk helicopters is almost complete, according to industry sources. Several modified UH-60L Black Hawks are operated by the FAC, known locally as the ‘Arpia’, which have been adapted to an AH-60L gunship variant with the edition of weapon pylons and a Toplite II electro-optical sensor turret. Earlier versions (pictured above) of the AH-60L could only fire unguided 70mm rockets and machine guns. Now the AH-60Ls are in the process of being upgraded to the Mark IV standard, which sees...
  • Indian Air Force facing capacity crisis: U.S. expert

    03/29/2016 2:09:32 AM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 2 replies
    The Hindu ^ | March 28, 2016 | NARAYAN LAKSHMAN
    Even as India mulls over what fighter aircraft to invest in following Prime Minister Modi’s purchase of 36 French Rafale jets in January, a U.S. expert on India’s air capabilities has said that the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) “falling end strength and problematic force structure, combined with its troubled acquisition and development programs, threaten India’s air superiority over its rapidly modernising rivals, China and Pakistan.” In a report to be unveiled on March 28, Ashley Tellis, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace specialising in international security, defence, and Asian strategic issues said that air dominance was vital...
  • Israel’s Navy New Anti-Ship Missile

    03/29/2016 2:03:20 AM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 6 replies
    Defense Update ^ | Mar 27, 2016
    Israel’s Navy conducted a successful test firing of surface-surface missiles from a Saar 5 corvette. The test included the launch of missile RGM-84 Harpoon and a new weapon, assumed to be an indigenous surface-to-surface missile developed for the Israel Navy by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The blurred images shown on this video depict a missile longer and faster than the Harpoon, possibly driven by ram-air propulsion to achieve supersonic cruise and extended range. IAI has been known to continue the development of surface-to-surface missiles beyond Gabriel 3, the latest variant of the Gabriel family that entered service in the early...
  • Lockheed F-35 service life extended to 2070

    03/25/2016 9:51:56 PM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 23 replies
    Flightglobal.com ^ | March 25, 2016 | JAMES DREW
    The projected life of the F-35 Lightning II has been extended by six years to 2070 after the US military services tweaked the number of flight hours their fleets should log before retirement. According to the Pentagon’s selected acquisition report (SAR), published on 25 March, the total cost of developing, building, basing, operating and maintaining 2,457 aircraft has increased by 6.8% to $1.5 trillion (2015 dollars) compared to one year ago. The bulk of that increase is attributed to the US Air Force, which has altered the assumed number of hours that each of its conventional-variant F-35As will fly in...
  • U.S. government approves sale of $3.2B worth of Boeing 'sub-killers' to UK

    03/25/2016 7:55:14 PM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 9 replies
    Puget Sound Business Journal ^ | Mar 25, 2016 | Steve Wilhelm
    The U.S. government has approved sale of up to nine P-8 maritime patrol and strike aircraft to the United Kingdom, a new export sale for the popular Boeing (NYSE: BA) military jet. The British deal will be worth up to $3.2 billion, according to Reuters. Boeing also exports the so-called "sub killers" to Australia and India. There's a market for the jets in countries with large coastlines. The approval, while not unexpected, is a boost to the Puget Sound region. Boeing assembles the 737-based aircraft at its Renton site on a production line separate from the commercial 737s. Boeing then...
  • Sir Richard Branson set to usher in new era of 'affordable' supersonic flights with [tr]

    03/25/2016 6:26:39 AM PDT · by C19fan · 27 replies
    UK Daily Mail ^ | March 24, 2016 | Georgia Diebelus and Mark Prigg
    Sir Richard Branson is set to order 10 supersonic jets, which the manufacturer claims will herald a new era of 'affordable' supersonic travel. The airline tycoon has confirmed that Virgin has options to buy 10 of the recently revealed supersonic Boom jets, which will be capable of flying at 1,451mph - about 100mph faster than Concorde - and reaching New York from London in three and a half hours. The Boom jet is being built by former Amazon executive Blake Scholl, who is putting a prototype of Boom together in a Colorado aircraft hangar.
  • Japan, mulling new fighter jets, opens talks with defense contractors

    03/25/2016 5:00:06 AM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 12 replies
    Reuters ^ | March 24, 2016 | Siva Govindasamy
    Japan has opened talks with Western defense contractors about building a new generation of fighter jets, sources say, in what would mark an important milestone in Tokyo’s strategy to maintain its air superiority over rival China. The discussions with defense companies including Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Ltd. come as Japan readies its ATD-X experimental aircraft for its first test flights within days. Stealth fighter technologies being tested on the ATD-X, being developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Japanese Ministry of Defense’s Technical Research and Development Institute, would also be incorporated into the new fighter, dubbed the F-3, industry...
  • China's giant Y-20 airlifter expected to enter service this year

    03/24/2016 4:44:32 AM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 23 replies
    UPI ^ | Mar 23, 2016 | Richard Tomkins
    China's Xian Y-20 military airlifter is expected to finish flight tests and be put into service with the People's Liberation Army this year, according to a report from the official Communist Party newspaper People's Daily. People's Daily reported the assessment cames from Xu Yongling, a military expert who said the test flight period for large aircraft is generally between three and five years and since no bottlenecks occurred during development or manufacturing of the Y-20, it will be put into use this year. The Y-20, designated as the Kunpeng, performed its first flight in 2013. It has a cargo capacity...
  • India keen to buy F/A 18 Super Hornet fighter jets for IAF

    03/23/2016 11:26:38 PM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 14 replies
    India Today ^ | March 24, 2016 | Gautam Datt
    India is keen to consider Boeing's offer to supply F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets to the Indian Air Force (IAF). Sources said that New Delhi will take a hard look at the proposal in April when a high-level delegation will engage the Indian officials on the construct of the offer. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter will be in India on April 10 in a visit that is expected to take lift cooperation to a new level. Boeing has offered F/A-18 Super Hornets under the "Make in India" framework of the Indian government. Sources said the proposal is worth considering as...
  • Did Pakistan Decide to Buy China’s Newest Attack Helicopter?

    03/23/2016 11:14:23 PM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 9 replies
    The Diplomat ^ | March 24, 2016 | Franz-Stefan Gady
    Pakistan’s Army has for the first time publicly revealed the Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC) Z-10 Thunderbolt attack helicopter during this year’s Pakistan Day parade, Defense News reports. The Z-10 is the first modern attack helicopter designed and produced domestically by the People’s Republic of China and been in service with the People’s Liberation Army since 2012. The helicopter gunship has been undergoing performance evaluations (on and off the battlefield) since 2015 when Pakistan purportedly received three Z-10s (along with one Z-19 Black Hurricane armed scout helicopter). Up to now, the Pakistan Army has not made an official announcement on...
  • 'Invisible' Russian Jets Evade Enemy Thanks to Electronic Countermeasures

    03/22/2016 6:31:30 AM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 11 replies
    Sputnik ^ | 22.03.2016
    More Russian warplanes will be equipped with state-of-the-art Khibiny electronic countermeasures systems in the near future, according to RIA Novosti. A greater number of Russian military jets, including Su-34 strike fighters, will be equipped with sophisticated Khibiny electronic countermeasures (ECM) systems in the immediate future, RIA Novosti quoted Igor Nasenkov, first deputy head of the Russian Company Radio-Electronic Technologies (KRET), as saying. The Khibiny system provides individual aircraft with protection against enemy fighters' missile attacks and ground-based air defense systems. Thanks to this ECM system, Russian warplanes can become invisible to their enemies, according to KRET. © PHOTO: VITALY V....
  • Fighter jet a 'jackass of all trades' (F-35 for Australia)

    03/22/2016 2:42:26 AM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 16 replies
    AAP ^ | MARCH 22, 2016 | RASHIDA YOSUFZAI AND LISA MARTIN
    The company building Australia's next-generation fighter planes says it would be naive to pretend there aren't problems with the fleet. But air force chiefs are confident the controversial F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighters are the best the Department of Defence can get. Australia is spending $17.1 billion to acquire 72 of the Lockheed Martin planes by 2023. But they've been dismissed as an expensive flop with the jets facing difficulties including pilot visibility issues, stealth coatings peeling off, an inability to fly during lightning storms due to the risk of exploding, and software problems. A report by the Pentagon's top...
  • China's PLAN Received about 200 Kh-59MK Anti-Ship Missiles for Su-30MK2 by end-2015

    03/21/2016 6:39:51 AM PDT · by sukhoi-30mki · 1 replies
    Tass, Russia ^ | 21 March 2016
    China had received about 200 Kh-59MK (NATO reporting name: AS-13 Kingbolt) anti-ship missiles (ASM) by end-2015, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute`s (SIPRI) arms trasnfer database. A Kh-59MK2 test round is launched from a Su-30MK Flanker G. KnAAPO picture. The deliveries of Russian Kh-59MK missiles intended for Chinese Su-30MK2 (Flanker-G) multirole fighters started in 2008. As of end-late, China got about 200 Kh-59MKs. SIPRI emphasizes, that Chinese Armed Forces may have received both Kh-59MK and Kh-59MK2 modifications of the missile. Kh-59MK is an anti-ship missile developed by the Tactical Missiles Corporation (Russian acronym: KTRV) for Su-30 Sukhoi fighters....