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SEOUL, Oct. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to buy more Taurus air-to-surface missiles that can strike North Korea's nuclear and missile facilities, military officials said Tuesday. "The military has recently decided to acquire 90 more Taurus missiles to further beef up its anti-nuclear and anti-missile capabilities. The process to purchase the additional missiles is underway," a defense ministry official told Yonhap News Agency. Some 170 Taurus missiles are already scheduled to be deployed with the Air Force. The North's fifth nuclear test last month and continued ballistic missile launches resulted in the additional purchase. When the deployment is complete,...

After twenty years in service, the Eurofighter aircraft may be temporarily or permanently withdrawn from the German market, German newspaper Die Welt wrote. The final assembly of Eurofighter jets that once were considered a prestige project is likely to be suspended in Germany at least until 2018. The main problem is the lack of contracts and the complexity of the production process. The components of the aircraft are manufactured at four plants in Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, which makes the production very complicated and expensive. "It resembles a huge puzzle: all right wings are produced in Spain, the left...

The United States on Wednesday began notifying lawmakers that it has approved $7 billion in long-stalled sales of Boeing Co (BA.N) fighter jets to Kuwait and Qatar, and more than $1 billion in Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) jets to Bahrain, sources familiar with the decision said. The sales had been pending for more than two years amid concerns raised by Israel, Washington's closest Middle East ally, that arms sold to Gulf Arab states could be used against it, and criticism of Qatar for alleged ties to armed Islamist groups. U.S. officials began notifying lawmakers informally about the sale of 36...

The influence of the Russian Orthodox Church in the country's political and social life has grown markedly in the 15 years since President Vladimir Putin came to power. But the church's intrusion into the realm of space exploration has particularly raised eyebrows.After spending nearly nine decades forgotten in a Moscow storeroom during the Soviet era, some relics of Russian Orthodox St. Serafim of Sarov should soon be circling the globe aboard the International Space Station (ISS). When the next mission to the ISS blasts off, a box containing a tiny relic of Serafim's body will be strapped to the chest...

While Russian Su-24M/M2/SVP-24s are usually armed with only four bombs, Assadist Su-24MK2s carry much heftier loads of eight to 10 FAB-250M-62s or FAB-250–270s or five FAB-500M-62s. Photo via Y. A. In 1988, Syria placed an order for 48 Sukhoi Su-24MK fighter-bombers and expressed interest in obtaining additional examples. While 24 of these were delivered in 1990 and 1991, Moscow suspended further arms deliveries because Damascus began refusing to pay some old debts. The Su-24 thus entered service with № 819 Squadron of the Syrian Arab Air Force based at Tiyas Air Base, or T-4, while the planned second unit was...

NEW DELHI—India is being offered blueprints to advanced combat aircraft by the world’s aerospace companies, a move unthinkable even a decade ago, as New Delhi gets ready to place another multibillion-dollar air force order. India’s aging military jet fleet desperately needs an upgrade, which analysts say may spur it to place an order worth more than $10 billion in the next year. Hoping for an edge, and encouraged by a recent law that allows 100% foreign ownership of local defense firms, jet-fighter makers such as Lockheed Martin Corp. , Boeing Co. and Saab AB are rushing in with offers to...

With at least two launch customers signed up, the South African AHRLAC (Advanced High-performance Reconnaissance Light AirCraft) is scheduled to enter production next year. Unveiled at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) show at Waterkloof in 2014, the prototype AHRLAC (ZU-XDM) returned to the 2016 show last week with more than 250 hours of flight test accomplished. AHRLAC Holdings is producing the aircraft; the Paramount Group is a major shareholder in this company. The PT-6A-powered aircraft has undertaken four deployments to the border and to Botswana to conduct operationally representative trials, including landing on a range of surfaces such as...

A World Trade Organization (WTO) compliance panel ruled Thursday that the European Union has fallen dramatically short of remedying the harm to Boeing from illegal subsidies to Airbus. The decision opens a path for the U.S. to implement trade sanctions against the EU — potentially imposing billions of dollars in tariffs on its goods or services.

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- The pilot who was killed when a U-2 crashed shortly after takeoff Sept. 20 has been identified as Lt. Col. Ira S. Eadie, according to Air Force officials. Eadie, assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, and another pilot ejected from the two-seater reconnaissance aircraft before it crashed at about 9:05 a.m. near the Sutter Buttes mountain range in northern California. The other pilot, who was not identified, suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and is in good condition at a local medical facility. The U-2 was assigned to the 1st RS at Beale...

Some nights, sitting at a table in a hotel restaurant 17 stories above the Bodø quay, you may see what looks like a spark rise from the Norwegian coast and fly off into the night. Another follows, then both wink out in the distance. They are F-16s from the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) stationed here in Bodø [pronounced “BO-deh”], either on a training flight or scrambled to intercept an aerial visitor, probably a Russian one, skirting Norwegian airspace. Though the conversation around the restaurant is mostly in Norwegian, you also hear diners chatting in English, a good deal of...

Over the last century of military aviation, several fighters have earned the nickname “flying coffin.” Military aviation inherently pushes up against the limits of technology and human endurance, particularly where fighter and pursuit aviation are concerned. Flying a fighter is remarkably dangerous, even when no one is trying to shoot you down. Engineering a capable fighter plane is also a struggle. Relatively small changes in engine, armament and airframe design can transform a clunker into an elite fighting machine. Many of the best fighters in history were initially viewed askance by their pilots.

The Mexican Air Force has quietly retired its tiny fleet of just eight Northrop F-5E and two F-5F Tiger IIs. These aircraft represented Mexico’s entire fighter force and there seems to be no replacement in the works for them at this point in time. Mexico purchased 12 Tiger IIs from Northrop in 1982 via a US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program dubbed Peace Aztec. Before the deal was inked, Mexico experienced a turbulent decade trying to purchase a new light fighter. After the US rejected an initial sale of F-5E/Fs to to the country in the early 1970s, the US...

SUTTER COUNTY, Calif. (KCRA) —One pilot was killed and a second pilot was hurt after ejecting from a U-2 plane out of Beale Air Force Based that crashed into the Sutter Buttes in Sutter County, Beale AFB officials confirmed...

New imagery shows that the China's carrier borne fighter, the J-15, will receive major upgrades, which point to gains in not just China's engine making but overall carrier fleet. Chinese Military Aviation The Original Article The initial J-15s, derived from the Soviet Su-33, had lighter landing gears (see the nosewheel) and Russian made AL-31 turbofan engines. The J-15 is derived from the Russian Su-33 (itself developed from the Su-27 fighter), is currently in limited production by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. It is used by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) on its sole aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. Chinese Internet J-15A The...

<p>Air Force Unveils Name of Future Stealth Bomber as B-21 'Raider'.</p> <p>AFA 2016 B-21 Naming Ceremony Raider was selected as the name of the Long Range Strike-Bomber, or LRS-B, by leaders after the service launched a survey of service members.</p>

The L-15Z advanced trainer is also a light attack aircraft, as shown at AAD with Chinese weapons. (Photo: David Donald) The Zambian air force showed off its new Hongdu L-15Z advanced trainer/light attack aircraft at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) show, held September 14 to 18 at Waterkloof AFB near Pretoria, South Africa. One aircraft was placed on static display while the other took part in the daily airshow. Although the type has made appearances at several Chinese shows, and also at MAKS in Russia, this is believed to be its first showing at a Western event. Zambia ordered...

The U.S. Air Force has grounded 13 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35A Lightning II aircraft after discovering peeling and crumbling insulation in avionics cooling lines inside the fuel tanks, an Air Force spokeswoman said on Friday. The disclosure was made less than two months after the Air Force announced that an initial squadron of the F-35A stealth fighters were ready for combat, marking a major milestone for the $379 billion program, the Pentagon's largest weapons project.

Boeing formally challenged a decision by the Danish government to pick Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet over its own Super Hornet, saying on Thursday the choice was based on a "flawed evaluation process". Boeing said it had submitted a request to the country's ministry of defence that would require it to provide all materials related to the procurement evaluation and decision announced in June. "We believe the ministry's evaluation of the competitors was fundamentally flawed and inaccurately assessed the cost and capability of the F/A-18 Super Hornet," said Boeing vice president Debbie Rub. In May Boeing challenged the Danish government's...

NEW DELHI: As India and France get set to sign a Euro 7.87 billion contract for 36 French Rafale fighters, details are emerging on a previously undisclosed part of the deal, which will see India acquiring the Meteor, arguably the world's most advanced air-to-air missile. Sources tracking the final negotiations have confirmed to NDTV that the IAF's Rafales will come equipped with the Meteor designed to knock out enemy aircraft and cruise missiles significantly more than 100 km away. The acquisition of this weapon is likely to be game changer in South Asia. Neither Pakistan nor China, India's traditional military...

Boeing unveiled the first prototype of its trainer aircraft for U.S. Air Force T-X advanced pilot trainer program co-developed with the Saab. The aircraft was rolled out from Boeing's facility in St.Louis, Missouri were the F/A-18 and F-15 fighters are assembled. The clean sheet design will be offered to replace the 55 year old Northrop Grumman T-38 fleet operated by USAF for pilot training. The aircraft features anhedral wings and tail fin with side mounted engine air intakes. What makes the Boeing's T-X design unique from the other three competitors is the twin canted tail plane. Other competitors in...