India Tests First Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
India tested on Thursday its first long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) able to carry a nuclear warhead deep into China or Europe, bringing Delhi into a small club of nations with intercontinental nuclear capability.
Defense Minister A K Antony described the missile’s test as an “immaculate success.”
“The nation stands tall today. We have joined the elite club of nations (possessing ICBM capability),” he told the DRDO head on phone following the launch.
Singapore’s G550 AEW Squadron Now Operational
RSAF’s Gulfstream 550 Airborne Early Warning Aircraft is Fully Operational.
Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen officiated at a ceremony to mark the achievement of Full Operational Capability (FOC) status by the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) Gulfstream 550 Airborne Early Warning (G550-AEW) aircraft at Tengah Air Base this afternoon. Prior to the ceremony, the RSAF’s 111 Squadron, which operates the G550-AEW aircraft, hosted Dr Ng to a familiarisation flight to observe a training mission.
DynCorp Wins $25.4M Kuwait Air Force Apache Support Contract
Dyncorp International Awarded Contract Valued At Up to $25.4 Million to Support the Kuwait Air Force (KAF). DynCorp International (DI) today announced that it has been awarded a contract with the U.S. Army to provide a Maintenance Augmentation Team (MAT) for the Kuwait Air Force (KAF) AH-64D Apache helicopter maintenance program.
Boeing Begins Maintenance Training for Turkey’s Peace Eagle
The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has begun an extensive maintenance training program for Turkey’s Peace Eagle Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) program at a Boeing facility near Seattle.
Classroom training for 10 Turkish Air Force personnel and two Turkish Airlines employees is being conducted by instructors from Boeing Defence Australia and Boeing Training and Flight Services.
The training covers all aspects of the 737 AEW&C aircraft, including mechanical avionics, mission systems and electronic warfare subsystems.
24th Marine Expeditionary Unit “Raven” Flies the Skies of Morocco
Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit demonstrated the capabilities of the MEU’s unmanned aerial system assets for members of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, April 12, at Inezgane Airfield.
The UAS demonstration was part of the Command Post Exercise portion of Exercise African Lion 12, a bi-lateral training exercise between U.S forces and Royal Moroccan Armed Forces to promote partnership and mutual understanding between each nation’s militaries.
The live flight of an RG-11B Raven, the smallest of the MEU’s unmanned aerial systems with a wingspan of 4 feet 6 inches and weight of just 4 pounds, highlighted the morning’s events.
40 Russian Bombers Exercise Near Japan
About 40 strategic bombers will participate in five-day drills in Russia’s Maritime Territory near the Japanese border, Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said on Monday.
The long-range aviation exercise, which started earlier in the day, includes aerial bombing and launches of airborne cruise missiles at the Litovka test range, he said.
Other training missions will include aerial patrol and midair refueling.
About 30 crews of Tu-95MS Bear strategic bombers, some 10 crews of Tu-22M3 Backfire bombers and two Il-78 aerial tankers will participate.
Russian Air Force to get supermaneuverable aircraft
The Russian Air Force has started working on modernizing the domestic military aircraft fleet ahead of the completion of the fifth-generation jet fighter.
t has been decided to equip current fighter models with available thrust-vectoring engines. The first batch of upgraded fighters will be handed over to the Air Force by late 2020. It is also planned that all new T-50 fighters will have become operational by then.
“When a plane powered by a regular engine is taken to a wide angle of attack at low speeds, it loses control and stability and starts moving independently of the pilot’s commands, i.e. the plane moves randomly. The Su-35 has perfect controllability at any speed, even at negative speeds, for instance, when the plane drops tail-forward. The pilot can effectively put the plane in any angular position,” Sergei Bogdan, a Su-35 and T-50 test pilot, explained to Izvestiya.
Typhoon FSR at DSA 2012 in Malaysia
Expanding a vision of delivering partnerships. Supporting its commitment to bring leading edge technology and innovation to Malaysia via industrial partnership, BAE Systems, together with UK Trade & Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO), is working closely with the Malaysian Government to develop business opportunities for UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysian industry.
BAE Systems and UKTI DSO hosted a business opportunity and networking event for UK SMEs in London on Friday March 23. The purpose of the event was for UK SMEs to learn about opportunities to explore and develop mutually beneficial partnerships with Malaysian counterparts across a wide range of industries including aerospace and high-end technology. The event was also supported by key organisations including: Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), SME Corporation, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF).
The event, which was well received by all participating companies, was opened by Keith Smith, Regional Director of UKTI DSO, Asia Pacific. Also featured in the programme were briefings by BAE Systems, MIDA, and MINDEF on key topics such as the opportunities for SMEs in Malaysia, the importance of offset to a multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) campaign and how such offset policies brought widespread benefit to Malaysia.
UK Ministers Ponder Return to F-35B “Jump Jet” Purchase Plan
The British Prime Minister told MPs Mar. 21 his Government was prepared to change defence purchases when the costs change, amid speculation of an embarrassing U-turn on fighters for Britain’s new aircraft carriers. David Cameron said the approach marked a stark change from the last Labour government, suggesting money had been wasted previously.
Hardware Design Tested for Armed MQ-8B Fire Scout
The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (Navair) reported progress in arming the MQ-8B Fire Scout UAV, which will be the Navy’s first sea-based unmanned system to carry weapons. The command said its structures rotary-wing division and the Northrop Grumman Fire Scout team are “working briskly” at Webster Field Annex in Patuxent River, Md., to support an urgent operational needs request from Naval Forces Central Command. Final delivery of an operational system is expected by March next year.
Navair awarded Fire Scout prime contractor Northrop Grumman a $17 million contract last September to arm the helicopter with the BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), a laser-guided 2.75-inch (70-mm) rocket. The first intended platforms for the APKWS were the AH-1W and UH-1Y manned helicopters of the U.S. Marine Corps. The weapon was test-fired from a UH-1Y last September.
PLA Army Aviation Force Conducts First Coastal Defense Patrol
A two-helicopter formation of an army aviation brigade under the Guangzhou Military Area Command (MAC) of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) carried a patrol element of a coastal defense regiment on the afternoon of March 18, 2012 to conduct patrol in waters of the Wanshan Islands to inspect and monitor targets such as islands, harbors, waterways and vessels. Xu Liangcai, deputy director of the operation division of the Guangzhou MAC, told the reporters that it’s the first time for aviation force of the PLA Army to perform coastal defense patrol task.
SAR 2012: Irish Coast Guard to receive UK MCA S-92s in 2013
The Irish Coast Guard’s new Sikorsky S-92A will commence operations from its Shannon SAR base in July, with the remaining four aircraft expected to transfer from the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) contract in Scotland during 2013, according to CHC Ireland.
At the SAR Europe conference in Dublin on 15 March, representatives for the company outlined the introduction activities for the aircraft, which is part of a comprehensive fleet-wide replacement programme for the Irish Coast Guard.
Japan Can Crash Down N.Korea Satellite If Necessary
The Japanese Armed Forces could shoot down North Korea’s satellite, planned to be launched next month, as the need arises, Japan’s Sankei newspaper reported on Saturday quoting Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka as saying.
The North Korean state news agency KCNA announced on Friday that it would launch an earth observation satellite next month to mark the 100th birthday of its late founding leader Kim Il-sung. The planned launch will be in violation of North Korea’s international obligations and a UN resolution banning Pyongyang from conducting ballistic missile launches.
US Air Force General Atomics MQ-1B Predator Accident Report Released
A broken variable pitch propeller quill shaft caused the crash of an MQ-1B Predator Aug. 20, 2011, in Afghanistan, according to an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report released today. According to the report, the broken quill shaft forced the aircraft’s propeller to an abnormal angle, generating increased drag and causing the aircraft to rapidly descend. By the time the mission control element pilot was able to diagnose the emergency, take action, and hand off the aircraft to the launch and recovery element, the aircraft had lost too much altitude and was unable to reach the forward operating base.
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