AVIATION FANS

Taipei: China now has better fighter jets than Taiwan, according to a military report by the island's defence ministry as the air force Monday renewed its bid to obtain new F-16s from the United States. Of the three types of fighter jets in Taiwan's air force, only the F-16A/Bs have a slight edge over the Chinese [...]

Taiwan says China now has edge in air power is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

27 Afghan Aircrew are being trained in Wiltshire as part of a two year programme run by the UK Joint Helicopter Command (JHC), supported throughout by QinetiQ. Training of the Afghan Pilots and flight engineers began in February 2008 at Boscombe Down under PROJECT CURIUM. The aircrew have been trained on fixed wing and rotary [...]

Afghan ‘Top Gun’ Aircrews take to UK Skies is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

NEWTOWN, Conn: Boeing announced plans to offer the KC-767 in the competition to supply the U.S. Air Force with a new tanker under the long-delayed KC-X tanker program. The selection of the KC-767 for the job over a potential entry based on the larger Boeing 777 was expected after the Air Force released its final [...]

Boeing to Go with KC-767 in Tanker Contest is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

WASHINGTON: Boeing is poised to win a 35-billion-dollar US Air Force aerial refueling tanker plane contract after rival partners Northrop Grumman and European partner EADS bowed out. Northrop Grumman said that it had decided not to bid to build the new planes because the US Air Force's requirements for the KC-X tanker program, published last month, [...]

Boeing sole air tanker bidder as competitors exit is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

When the main clearance phase of Op MOSHTARAK was launched from Camp Bastion Airfield three weeks ago, the RAF completed 167 air moves and coordinated 90 aircraft in just four hours. But the RAF's involvement in the operation didn't begin and end there. They have been integral to the planning and conducting of all aspects of [...]

RAF support to Op MOSHTARAK is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

Islamabad: Ambreen made Pakistani history by becoming one of the country's first female fighter pilots, but on Sunday she was due to swap her flight schedule in one of the world's most dangerous countries for an arranged marriage with a stranger. "It's all set and planned, but I haven't talked to him," she admits, her face [...]

Sky’s the limit for Pakistan women fighter pilots is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

WASHINGTON, DC: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' recent firing of the F-35 Program Manager has heightened concerns in the policy community that the plane is failing to meet its economic and military objectives. But in a new report, CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow Ethan Kapstein suggests that the multinational F-35 exemplifies the complexity of the Pentagon's [...]

New Report on F-35 and Global Defense Industry is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

ST. LOUIS: The Boeing Company today announced that it will offer the Boeing NewGen Tanker in the competition to supply the U.S. Air Force with a multi-mission aerial refueling aircraft that will meet all the warfighter's mission requirements for the next several decades. Dennis Muilenburg, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, said the [...]

Boeing to Offer NewGen Tanker to US Air Force is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam: More than 240 Airmen from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., arrived here in late February to support the deployment of B-2 Spirits as part of the continuous bomber presence here. The Airmen and aircraft replaced the service-members and the B-52 Stratofortresses deployed here from Barksdale AFB, La. Andersen AFB has had bombers [...]

B-2 Bombers arrive at Andersen AFB is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

LEIDEN, Netherlands: The Customer Nations and EADS have come to a principle agreement regarding the A400M military transport aircraft with the intention to amend the original contract accordingly in the coming weeks. In this principle agreement, the Customer Nations agree to: Increase the price of the contract by EUR 2 billion; Waive all liquidated damages related [...]

Customers and EADS Come to Principle Agreement on A400M is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

SOUTHWEST ASIA: A C-130 Hercules aircrew conducted a new method of airdrop that makes deliveries more accurate and flexible for resupply of small, mobile forces Feb. 6, in Afghanistan. The C-130 aircrew from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, performed the first-ever low-cost, low-altitude combat airdrop to re-supply soldiers at a forward operating base in Afghanistan. The airdrop concept [...]

C-130 Low-Cost, Low-Altitude Combat Airdrops Now Operational is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: The Malaysian government has announced that it will continue to operate 10 of its 16 MiG-29N interceptors until 2015, reversing plans to decommission the aircraft by the end of 2010. A plan to replace the MiG-29s with a new fighter aircraft has been delayed by the economic downturn. However, maintaining the aircraft will [...]

Malaysia Reverses Plans to Mothball MiG-29 Fleet is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

FORT WORTH, Texas: The U.S. government has awarded an initial $213 million to Lockheed Martin for long-lead tasks for the production of 20 new Advanced Block 52 F-16 aircraft for Egypt. "This is a great day for Lockheed Martin and a testament to the enduring partnership and commitment we have made to the government of Egypt. [...]

New F-16 Aircraft for Egyptian Air Force is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2010 - Defense Department leaders and Lockheed Martin executives explained to international partners changes that have been made in the Joint Strike Fighter program. Ashton B. Carter, the department's undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, and Robert Stevens, chief operating officer for Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the program, explained what measures [...]

Lockheed to Speed Development of Joint Strike Fighter is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

PALMDALE, Ca: Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Air Force hope to soon resolve, once and for all, a technical issue that's challenged engineers and maintainers of the nation's fleet of B-2 stealth bombers for more than 20 years: cracking in the B-2's aft deck, a metallic panel on the bomber's upper surface that shields [...]

Northrop, Air Force Set to Resolve Critical B-2 Sustainment Issue is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

MARIETTA, Ga: The government of Tunisia has signed a contract with Lockheed Martin for the purchase of two C-130J Super Hercules airlifters with an initial three years of logistics support. Tunisia's new C130Js, scheduled to be delivered in 2013 and 2014, will be the longer fuselage or "stretched" variant of the C-130J. A contract signing ceremony [...]

Tunisia Orders C-130J Super Hercules Airlifters is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

RAAF BASE WILLIAMTOWN, New South Wale: Boeing has launched the first maintenance training program conducted under the five-year In-Service Support (ISS) contract for Project Wedgetail, Australia's 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) program. Training began on Feb. 15 with five Boeing Defence Australia instructors and 32 students from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) No. [...]

737 AEW&C Maintenance Training Begins for RAAF is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

New Delhi: India and Russia are negotiating a new contract on the delivery of 42 Su-30MKI to the Indian Air Force, an Indian newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing military sources. According to the Daily News and Analysis newspaper, the new deal, which is reportedly worth more than $3 billion, has been in the works for several [...]

India set to buy 42 more Russian Su-30 fighter jets is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

F-35 costs Early promises were made inside the Pentagon for unit cost. There was a $35 million per unit "total program unit cost" promise that was widely circulated in the Pentagon; however, I find today no documentation of it. ("Total Program Unit Cost" includes all RDT&E costs plus Procurement, but does not include Operations and Maintenance [...]

Notations on the Cost of the F-35 and Other Aircraft is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

EWTOWN, Conn.: Lebanon has reached an agreement with Russia for the supply of Russian-made Mi-24 attack helicopters rather than the MiG-29 fighters Moscow originally offered to donate to Beirut. Lebanon will receive 10 Mi-24 helicopters under an agreement reached between Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and his counterpart, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev on February 25. Russia offered [...]

Lebanon Receiving Mi-24s from Russia is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons