Military Aviation
Two military jets collided above Lithuania during a NATO exercise Tuesday, but one managed to land and the other crashed in an unpopulated area after its two pilots ejected. No serious injuries were reported. The collision of the Lithuanian and French aircraft occurred near the Zokniai air base in northern Lithuania, home to NATO jets patrolling the skies over the Baltic countries. The French Mirage fighter was only “lightly damaged” ...
Category: Military Aviation
Lockheed Martin recently delivered its third P-3 Orion with a new Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) kit to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This P-3 Orion joins two additional upgraded P-3s that CBP is currently operating to support its critical homeland security missions. Lockheed Martin delivered the first CBP MLU P-3 in July 2010 and the second airplane in April 2011. From October 2010 to April 2011, CBP used P-3 Orions ...
Category: Military Aviation
The Vietnam Marine Police has taken delivery of the first of three C212-400 it ordered from Airbus Military. The second aircraft will be delivered later this year, and the third in early 2012. This modernized C212-400 series incorporates the latest systems and technologies, such as a Flight Management System (FMS). As a Coast Guard airplane, it will primarily be used in its Maritime Patrol role and carry out missions such ...
Category: Military Aviation
It’s the most expensive fighter jet ever built. Yet the F22 Raptor has never seen a day of combat, and its future is clouded by a government safety investigation that grounded the jet. The fleet of 158 F22s has been sidelined since May 3, following more than a dozen incidents in which oxygen was cut off to pilots, making them woozy. The malfunction is suspected of contributing to at least ...
Category: Military Aviation
Boeing on Aug. 20 delivered three F-15K Slam Eagle aircraft to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) at Daegu Air Base. The aircraft left the Boeing St. Louis facility on August 16 and made stops in Palmdale, Calif., Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, before arriving in Korea. “We are pleased to receive the latest three F-15K Slam Eagles, F-15K 51, 52 and 53, from ...
Category: Military Aviation
The United States has refused Taiwan’s request for 66 new Lockheed Martin F-16C/D fighter jets which China had warned Washington would risk inflaming tensions between the two big powers, Defense News reported, citing a Taiwan defense official. Taiwan has repeatedly asked Washington to agree to sell the advanced F-16 fighter jets, citing the need to counter the growing military strength of China, which deems the island a breakaway province that ...
Category: Military Aviation
The U.S. Air Force completed developmental testing of Raytheon Company’s AGM-65 E2/L, the newest variant of the combat-proven laser-guided Maverick missile, clearing the way for the weapon to enter operational testing (OT). During the U.S. Air Force-Navy test effort, the Air Force conducted aircraft integration as well as laboratory and flight tests of the new laser-guided Maverick on the A-10, F-16, AV-8B and F/A-18 aircraft. Air Force DT culminated in ...
Category: Military Aviation
It’s the most expensive fighter jet ever built. Yet the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor has never seen a day of combat, and its future is clouded by a government safety investigation that has grounded the jet for months. The fleet of 158 F-22s has been sidelined since May 3, after more than a dozen incidents in which oxygen was cut off to pilots, making them woozy. The malfunction is suspected of contributing ...
Category: Military Aviation
The Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) unveiled the first four of 24 Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft in a ceremony today at Ben Guerrir Air Base in Morocco. Senior representatives from the Moroccan and U.S. governments and air forces were present for the historic event. This is Morocco’s first experience with the F-16 so the package being provided by the U.S. government is comprehensive. Morocco will acquire a Block 52 configuration ...
Category: Military Aviation
The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Infrared Search and Track (IRST) program received a Milestone B Acquisition Decision Memorandum from the U.S. Navy on July 13. This allows the program to advance to its next development phase, engineering and manufacturing development. The IRST system is a passive, long-range sensor that searches for and detects infrared emissions. The system can simultaneously track multiple targets and provide a highly effective air-to-air targeting capability, ...
Category: Military Aviation
Aug
03
Iraqi F-16 order may double
Iraq’s order for F-16 fighter jets is likely to double as Iraqi officials press for a larger purchase in negotiations with the United States. The government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is attempting to use defense contracts as a means of ensuring some U.S. troops are able to remain past the withdrawal deadline imposed under the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). This agreement, reached in 2008 between Iraq and ...
Category: Military Aviation
Jul
29
F-16 damaged during landing
The Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jet was damaged when it overshot a runway at an air show in Oshkosh, Wis. The jet came to rest nose-down into the grass, officials said. The pilot was not injured, but the plane’s nose gear collapsed and the nose cone was cracked, officials said. A cause of the mishap has not been determined. The incident occurred Thursday at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture in ...
Category: Military Aviation
C-130 Hercules transport plane slammed into a mountainside in bad weather in southern Morocco, killing all eighty people on board, hospital and military sources said. The army said overnight seventy eight people were killed on the spot and two rushed to hospital after the Hercules C-130 crashed on the edge of the Sahara desert in Morocco’s worst military aviation disaster. A hospital source later told AFP that the injured died ...
Category: Military Aviation
The French Defense Ministry said Thursday it has entered into talks with civil and military aviation company Dassault Aviation (AM.FR) for it to design variants of Israeli-made medium-altitude, long endurance unmanned drones for use by the French military, starting in 2014. The French Air Force needs to replace its aging fleet of Harfang drones made by European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. NV (EAD.FR) that will be phased out in ...
Category: Military Aviation
