Free Republic

As Textron Airborne Solutions pursues the US Air Force’s lucrative adversary air (ADAIR) contract, the company earlier this month acquired 63 Dassault Mirage F1s, ATAC chief executive Jeffrey Parker tells FlightGlobal. ATAC, which Textron acquired last year, took ownership of the legacy fleet, plus support equipment and 150 engines, on 5 September. Textron plans to use the Mirages towards the USAF’s upcoming award, which requires almost 150 aircraft to fulfil the service’s "red air" training needs. Textron is retrofitting the F1s with digital radio frequency memory jamming capabilities and active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars, Parker says, adding: “The requirements...

USS ‘Stark’ as seen from USS ‘Conyngham’ on the morning of May 18, 1987, listing heavily to port. USS ‘Conyngham’ Association photo On May 17, 1987, the U.S. Navy guided missile frigate USS Stark was on a patrol in the central Persian Gulf, about three kilometers outside the Iraq-declared war-zone off the coast of Iran. Around 22.00hrs local time, Stark came under attack from an Iraqi air force fighter jet. Radars on the U.S. warship tracked the aircraft as it approached, and Capt. Glenn R. Brindel ordered his radioman to issue a warning and request the pilot to identify himself....

The French air force has retired its last squadron of Dassault Mirage F1s from operational use, with the type due to make its final appearance during Bastille day celebrations next month. Mont-de-Marsan-based reconnaissance unit 2/33 “Savoie” staged a farewell event on 13 June, with four of its 14 aircraft appearing with retrospective colour schemes or special tail markings. The squadron’s 11 single-seat Mirage F1CRs and three two-seat F1Bs are to be transferred to Châteaudun for storage and eventual disposal, with six to be maintained long enough to allow four to participate in a Bastille day flypast over Paris. France had...

France offering Mirage fighters to Iraq France has proposed to sell 18 Mirage fighters to Iraq, which is already negotiating a deal for US F-16s to protect its skies after US forces pull out at the end of this year, the French ambassador said on Thursday. "France has proposed to sell 18 Mirage F1 retrofitted aircraft that can be delivered from late 2011 and immediately operational because many Iraqi pilots were trained in the past on this type of plane," Boris Boillon told AFP. He said France was offering the multi-role planes for $1 billion (733 million euros). Baghdad has...

French connection armed Saddam By Bill Gertz THE WASHINGTON TIMES The United States stood by for years as supposed allies helped its enemies obtain the world's most dangerous weapons, reveals Bill Gertz, defense and national security reporter for The Washington Times, in the new book "Treachery" (Crown Forum). In this excerpt, he details France's persistence in arming Saddam Hussein. First of three excerpts New intelligence revealing how long France continued to supply and arm Saddam Hussein's regime infuriated U.S. officials as the nation prepared for military action against Iraq. The intelligence reports showing French assistance to Saddam ongoing in the...