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WASHINGTON: Few purchases are more demonstrative of the changing nature of US-India ties than the deal that will result in the gradual makeover of the Indian military's helicopter fleet from a largely Russian line-up to a mostly American one. From choppy to chipper could well be the title of this saga, as India's defense minister Manohar Parrikar arrived in Washington DC for his sixth meeting in less than two years with his US counterpart on Monday, with a sortie thrown in to a chopper manufacturing facility in nearby Philadelphia, where Boeing makes the CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. With 15 on...

A Russian military helicopter has been shot down by rebels in Syria killing all five people on board, it has been revealed. The aircraft, carrying three crew and two officers, crashed down in the Idlib province in north western Syria on its way home to a Russian airbase. Gruesome pictures have since emerged showing what is believed to be the body of a Russian pilot being dragged through the dirt and loaded on to a truck. It comes as mystery surrounded the discovery in the wreckage of an identification card showing a picture of a blonde woman. The image was...

A Russian Mi-8 helicopter has been shot down by ground fire in Syria following delivery of humanitarian supplies to Aleppo, the Defense Ministry said. Three crew and two officers from Russia's Reconciliation Center died, according to a Kremlin statement. The Russian military transport Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in Syria on Monday over an area controlled by Al-Nusra Front, Russia’s General Staff said. “The helicopter was hit from the ground in an area under control of the armed units of Al-Nusra Front terrorist group and the troops of the so-called ‘moderate opposition’ who joined them,” General Sergey Rudskoy, chief of...

Lt. Col. Charles S. Kettles, an Army helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, will be awarded the Medal of Honor in a ceremony later this month for an act of heroism almost 50 years ago. At the time he was given the Distinguished Service Cross, but a dedicated amateur historian finally talked the Department of Defense into reviewing the matter. Following an act of Congress and a Presidential signature (required for Medal of Honor awards), Kettles will receive his new medal in a July 18 ceremony at the White House.

ISTANBUL — They were used to stalk Russian helicopters in Afghanistan, and the United States has worked hard to keep them out of chaotic Syria. But now Kurdish guerrillas battling Turkey's security forces may now have shoulder-fired missiles — an acquisition analysts say will seriously challenge Turkish air power and potentially intensify fighting in the region. About four minutes into the video, the fighter, clad in camouflage fatigues, crouches on a verdant hillside with the weapons system on his shoulder. When the launcher locks on its target — a helicopter whirring noisily on the horizon — the fighter stands to...

AVX Aircraft of Benbrook, Texas has responded to the US Army’s request for information on the smallest of five planned Future Vertical Lift (FVL) capability sets with two 7.5t (16,700lb) winged coaxial compound helicopter configurations that the company’s chief executive describes as vertical takeoff fighter aircraft for light reconnaissance, attack, assault and medical evacuation missions. The baseline swept-wing, 13.4m (44ft) diametre rotor concept would be powered by two 3,000shp Improved Turbine Technology Programme (ITEP) engines and is designed to meet a demanding set of core requirements proposed by the US Army in its “Capability Set 1” RFI document. The requirements...

The Mi-28 attack helicopter was developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War as an answer to America's AH-64 Apache. Nicknamed "Havoc" by NATO, it was designed to kill NATO tanks and armored vehicles. As such, the Havoc needed to be able to take hits—even to the cockpit—and keep flying. Despite the similarity between the Havoc and the Apache, we're pretty sure that American helicopter designers didn't test the Apache's armored cockpit by shooting machine guns at it—with people inside. Yes, as the video shows, Soviet designers actually put a person inside a mock Mi-28 Havoc, then fired a...

China and Russia have conducted the seventh round of negotiations on their joint development of heavy-lift helicopters. Both sides have reached a consensus on the core technology, said Yu Feng, President of AVIC Helicopter Co. Ltd. on Monday. The talks, held from Feb. 29 to March 4, are of great significance for further promoting strategic cooperation between China and Russia, Yu Feng, also an NPC deputy, told reporters at the ongoing Two Sessions meetings on March 7. The development of heavy-lift helicopters makes China the third country after Russia and the U.S. to boast the capability. Thus, China has become...

Australia bought its Tiger ARH attack helicopters only eight years ago, and now it wants to scrap all 22 of them. Even more embarrassing, the Tiger has still not yet achieved “final operational capability” — meaning the helicopter never fully became ready for combat. The decision to ditch the Tiger — to occur in the 2020s — landed with a thud with the release of Australia’s 2016 defense white paper, which laid out the country’s military strategy over the coming decades. The plan includes U.S. $21.5 billion in new spending, which would pay for new submarines, frigates, patrol vessels, aircraft...

Russian Kamov Ka-52 (NATO reporting name “Hokum-B”) helicopters would be about to deploy to Syria according to a source who talked to ITAR-TASS.

Friends: 2 USMC CH-53 helicopters went down off the coast of Oahu, 12 souls missing. One of my son's best friends is a CH-53 pilot stationed in Hawaii, and cannot be reached. We don't know if he was flying at the time. Please pray for Brian and all those involved. Thanks

U.S. Marine Corps 22 mins *The Marine Corps can confirm there is an active search and rescue operation ongoing for two CH-53 helicopters of the coast of Oahu. The U.S. Coast Guard is currently conducting search and rescue operations. The aircraft are from the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing from Marine Corps Base Hawaii. We will provide more details as they become available.* — Major Christian Devine, USMC

Russia has created a highly modified variant of its venerable Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter dubbed the “Prospective Speedy Helicopter” Demonstrator, or Demonstrator PSV. This testbed aircraft aims to take Russian helicopter technology to the next level when it comes to both kinetic performance and avionics. The unique chopper took its first flight on December 23 out of Russian helicopter giant MIL’s plant near Moscow. Designers used the Mi-24K Hind as a starting point for developing this new experimental aircraft, turning the two pilot attack helicopter into a single pilot technology demonstrator. Multiple technologies will be flown on the PSV, including...

The Russian leader also warned it would have serious consequences for his country's relations with Turkey A Russian rescue helicopter has been shot down by Syrian rebels while searching for pilots missing after Turkey downed a Russian jet. The helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in a government-held area in Syria's Latakia province. A Syrian insurgent group, which uses U.S. Tow missiles, said its fighters hit the helicopter with an anti-tank missile. Video footage has emerged online appearing to show the helicopter after it crashed in dense woodland. Plumes of smoke can be seen coming from the aircraft....

A RUSSIAN helicopter has been downed while searching for the pilots who ejected from their burning jet after it was shot down this morning while flying over Syria, according to unconfirmed reports.

King Stallion, the U.S. Marine Corps’ brand spanking new helicopter, completed its first flight Tuesday. The Marines’ new helo is incredibly advanced - it will be able to lift a whopping three times more weight than its predecessor.

The new generation helicopter is based on the Sikorsky S-92, whose cabin, some other parts and wire harnesses are made only in India. NEW DELHI: Construction of the first lot of six VH 92 Super Hawk helicopters that transport the US president has begun in India. Caption - The new generation helicopter is based on the Sikorsky S-92, whose cabin, some other parts and wire harnesses are made only in India in collaboration with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) at Hyderabad. Caption - In pic: H-92. VH-92 Super Hawk VH variant is a much advanced version of H-92. Work on...

The AH-64A/D Apache and AH-64E Block III Apache Longbow (renamed Guardian) are four-blade twin-engine attack helicopters manufactured by Boeing. The Apache was originally developed by Hughes Helicopters in the 1970s (first flight on September 30, 1975), however, the company was acquired by McDonnell Douglas in 1984. In 1997, McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing. The latest variant, the AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopter (originally designated AH-64D Block III), is powered by two General Electric T700-GE-701D turboshaft engines with 1,994 shp each. The AH-64D/E models are based on the original AH-64A, which was deployed in 1984 and first used in combat in 1989...

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies in a helicopter shot a suspect involved in a dangerous wrong-way chase and car crash on the northbound 215 Freeway Friday afternoon. On Saturday, the coroner's office identified the suspect as Nicholas Alan Johnson, 32, of Fontana. Two cars were involved in the crash near Palm Avenue. A man and a 13-year-old male were treated and released from the hospital. An adult female, believed to be the man's wife, remains hospitalized and is recovering from her injuries. The suspect was wanted in connection to a prior home-invasion robbery in Fontana....

China unveiled an export version of its light Z-19 assault chopper several days before the start of the 2015 China International Helicopter Exposition. The helicopter can provide offensive air support and destroy the armored vehicles of any potential enemy with its “air-to-surface” armament including anti-tank missiles, a 23mm cannon and other weapons. It also has gun pods and can carry air-to-air missiles, and its tandem-seated cockpit is armored. The aircraft can carry out reconnaissance missions as well. In contrast with its basic version, the new chopper features modernized systems protecting it from the enemy’s air defense, and it sports new...