Free Republic

Are India's ageing air force planes falling out of the sky? All air forces have accidents, but accounts of Indian warplanes crashing on training flights have become almost routine news. The latest incident came earlier this week, when a Russian-made Sukhoi-30 crashed in eastern India - both pilots surviving after ejecting for unspecified reasons. All five crew died in March this year on a training flight in their US-made Hercules transport aircraft. 'Flying coffin' But it is the Russian-made aircraft that form the backbone of the Indian fleet which have been the most accident-prone. The MiG jet in particular has...

F-16 aircraft to the Government of Pakistan from the United States during an induction ceremony today at Shahbaz Air Base near Jacobabad, Pakistan. "The induction of these advanced F-16s is a historic milestone for U.S.-Pakistan relations - both a symbolic and tangible demonstration of our strong partnership and the U.S. intent to stand beside Pakistan over the long-term as an important ally and friend," said Amb. Anne Patterson, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan. "These aircraft underscore the promise made by the United States to support Pakistan to achieve our mutual goals of defeating violent extremists and establishing peace and security." U.S....