Free Republic

They train to the same standards as their active duty counterparts and cost 60 percent less to maintain. Yet after years of defending freedom in Afghanistan, Arizona’s Citizen-Soldiers are being told they are unworthy of operating the Army’s premier attack helicopter. Army leaders recently revealed a plan to take away all 192 National Guard AH-64D Apache attack helicopters — 24 of which are assigned to Arizona — asserting that Guardsmen aren’t as ready to perform attack aviation missions as the active duty. That claim is inaccurate and statistically unproven. Adding insult, proponents of the Army’s plan say the Guard can’t...

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq, Jan. 16, 2009 – Army aircraft maintainers with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment’s 4th Squadron can be called upon to find a downed aircraft anytime or anywhere in Iraq. Soldiers with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment’s 4th Squadron work together to rig the main rotor of an inoperative UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter as they ready it for transport to a repair location. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. These maintainers are part of a Downed Aircraft Recovery Team comprising five to eight soldiers who are responsible for recovering wrecked aircraft no matter where it...

Boeing to Highlight 787 Dreamliner, 777-200LR Worldliner and KC-767A Tanker Transport Aircraft at Paris Air Show 2005 CHICAGO, June 3, 2005 – The world’s longest-range passenger jet, the most advanced and capable tanker aircraft, and the aviation industry’s best-selling new airplane will be among the products featured by The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] at this year’s Paris Air Show, beginning June 13 at Le Bourget airfield outside Paris. “Boeing is entering the air show with tremendous momentum,” said Tod Hullin, Boeing senior vice president, Communications. “This is a company that’s on the move. Our financial performance has been strong, and...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates- Kuwait will buy 16 attack helicopters from Boeing in a deal worth $886 million, the official Kuwaiti News Agency reported Saturday. The deal was signed in Kuwait on Saturday by Defense Minister Sheik Jaber Mubarak Al Hamad and U.S. Ambassador Richard Jones, the agency said in a report posted on its Web site. In April, the Pentagon announced plans to sell 16 AH-64D Apache attack helicopters to Kuwait. It said that dealt was valued at $2.1 billion, and was to include four spare engines, four Hellfire missile launchers, 288 Hellfire missiles and other missiles and equipment.

SEOUL: An American attack helicopter crashed in a rural area east of the northeastern town of Unchon but there were no casualties, US forces stationed in South Korea said Friday. The AH-64D helicopter, assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division, was on a routine training flight when it crashed in an unpopulated area about 15 km east of Unchon. Unchon is 40 km northeast of Seoul. "Neither the pilot nor copilot were injured. There were no reports of injuries or damage on the ground," the US forces said in a press release. The cause of the crash is under investigation.