Two months of silence. And still none of the relatives have been handled over the remains of the victims.
Voice recorder stays mute for the vast majority of the public… Obviously, some are questioning what’s the purpose of all this in a way that could be more damaging than anything else:

There is a definite reason why the French government is keeping this midair incident very hush hush, because if it comes to light that there is lax security at French Schengen zone airports, it will damage the already fragile tourist trade in France which is crucial to its ailing economy.

No one seems to care really and it’s all very quiet..ho hum. Maybe they’re hoping it’s all forgotten.

(from the Daily Squib).

Don’t forget that the Bronco can drop quickly some special forces. This dual cap could be a must. (SF don’t have to stay embedded 100% of time and can be dropped quickly and covertly in an urban scenario)

Today this cargo can also be used to turn it into a mini-arsenal airplane, dropping mini UAS and Griffin on demands thanks to its loitering capability. Regarding an armed osprey, the advantages would be in the logistical footprint and cost. Although any advantages would be realistically only niches and very scenario’s specific.

I honestly think that the future CAS aircraft could be sourced in the future Vertical lift competition with a three services buy. The times of lightly armed turboprop are gone given their low impact in modern insurgency conflicts.

China bought them and/or (depending on model) then reversed engineer them. It’s not the same thing as a joint dev.

Victor Belenko escapade: a 40 years anniversary

On 6 September 1976, an aircraft appears out of the clouds near the Japanese city of Hakodate, on the northern island of Hokkaido. It’s a twin-engined jet, but not the kind of short-haul airliner Hakodate is used to seeing. This huge, grey hulk sports the red stars of the Soviet Union. No-one in the West has ever seen one before.

The jet lands on Hakodate’s concrete-and-asphalt runway. The runway, it turns out, is not long enough. The jet ploughs through hundreds of feet of earth before it finally comes to rest at the far end of the airport.

The pilot climbs out of the plane’s cockpit and fires two warning shots from his pistol – motorists on the road next to the airport have been taking pictures of this strange sight. It is some minutes before airport officials, driving from the terminal, reach him. It is then that the 29-year-old pilot, Flight Lieutenant Viktor Ivanovich Belenko of the Soviet Air Defence Forces, announces that he wishes to defect.

A nice to read story by the BBC

No F35 for India

Notably, James said Indian officials did not express interest in the US Air Force’s newest fighter, the F-35, which has amassed 10 international customers so far.

She added that she did not expect India to come to a decision for at least a year.

Given the age of the aircraft and the focus on selling the F-35, it makes sense that Lockheed would be willing to move its production line in exchange for one last big sale, said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with the Teal Group. However, the Indian government has been continuously indecisive, making a deal unlikely, he said.

It makes sense and converge with the latest news regarding their commitment to PakFa.

Source:
Defense News.com

Airbus Helicopters edges closer to Polish H225M deal

Despite April’s fatal crash in Norway of a commercial H225 and subsequent European Aviation Safety Agency grounding of the type for civil operations, Faury says this has not impacted on the Polish negotiations. Military customers continue to fly the platform, he notes.

Source:
FlightGlobal.com