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The Indian Navy (IN) will bid farewell to its carrier-borne jump-jet the Sea Harrier on May 11 in Goa. It will be a nostalgic moment for those who were associated with this very distinctive fighter aircraft. When the navy's elegant, first-generation Sea Hawk fighter grew old and weary in the late 1970s, having proved its mettle in the 1971 war for Bangladesh, a search was mounted for a suitable replacement. Since most of the contemporary fighters were either unsuitable or unavailable, the future of naval aviation, and of our sole carrier INS Vikrant, looked bleak. Coincidentally, the Royal Navy (RN)...

Jump jets to fall victim to spending cuts New jump jets for the next generation of Royal Navy aircraft carriers will be cancelled to save money. By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent Published: 9:00AM BST 30 Aug 2010 In a move that could put hundreds of British manufacturing jobs at risk, defence chiefs are ready to abandon plans to buy a vertical-landing fighter jet for the Royal Navy. Instead, a cheaper conventional-landing warplane will replace the Navy’s Harriers when they retire. Related Articles BAE wins £574m Harrier contract Afghanistan: Who is going to stand up and fight for Britain's short-changed soldiers...

ABOARD THE USS PELELIU (May 8, 2006) -- Geared with live ordnance, Marines and aircraft from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 166 (Reinforced), 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), conducted operations in Iraq May 8. AV-8B Harrier aircraft from Fighter Attack Squadron 214, attached to HMM-166 (Rein), from Yuma, Ariz., have been launching from the USS Peleliu and into hostile territory since mid-April in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, while the entire 11th MEU (SOC) was conducting training exercises in Udairi Range, Kuwait. “It was more than a six-hour mission,” said Capt. Casey D. Elam, AV-8B pilot, VMA-214, of the...

Navy's F-14A Tomcat Crashes in Iraq By ROHAN SULLIVAN .c The Associated Press ABOARD THE USS KITTY HAWK (AP) - A F-14 Tomcat strike fighter crashed into the Iraqi desert during a bombing mission early Wednesday after a mechanical failure caused its engines to fail, senior Navy officers said. The pilot and a second crewman ejected to safety and were rescued by helicopter. The F-14A - a type of plane that dates from the late 1960s and is among the Navy's oldest - went down in southern Iraq about 1:50 a.m. said Rear Adm. Matthew G. Moffit, commander of the...

Target practice (or how to end radar speed traps) A GOOD story deserves a good airing. What follows was spotted in Bike magazine, which had spotted it in Pilot magazine. Two members of the Lothian and Borders traffic police were recently having a pleasant time out on the Scottish moors, trapping speeding motorists with a radar gun. Suddenly their equipment went crazy, registering a speed of over 300 miles per hour. It then locked up completely. Seconds later the startled boys in blue understood why, as a low-flying Harrier jet screamed over their heads. Upset that their radar gun...