Aviation News Thread

Original Steyr

Hi all, its me Steyr, as suggested by PClancy i feel he is right and i also feel it is right to start just one thread titled "Aviation News Thread" in this section i will submit any news articles i come across on the web or any breaking aviation news as we all know we rarely see any good news in the mainstream media regarding aviation, so as of now anything i get i will post here for you to view or add to at your discretion.

Kind Regards,

Dave.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/23/337461/military-compassion-helps-haiti.html

Military compassion helps Haiti

In-flows of food, medical supplies, construction equipment and military troops - mostly from Brazil, Canada and the USA - continued to pour into the rubble of Haiti's earthquake-battered capital at the end of last week.
A steady stream of foreigners, meanwhile, poured out of Haiti by airlift, including 1,441 Canadians flown home by 20 January aboard Canada's newly acquired Boeing C-17s.
Reflecting the grim horror of the 7.3-magnitude quake's devastation, a Brazilian air force Lockheed Martin C-130 on 20 January flew home the bodies of 17 army comrades, members of a Brazilian battalion deployed to Port-au-Prince before the disaster under the United Nations' stabilisation mission.

The scenes seemed tragically all too familiar, recalling the role of military aviation in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, or Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Once again a national disaster has thrown a spotlight on the humanitarian assistance mission, highlighting military aviation's strengths and weaknesses.
Militaries around the world actively worked to be prepared for the next disaster. Arab states with no expeditionary mission, such as Qatar, have spent billions to acquire C-17s to serve primarily humanitarian purposes. Sweden joined NATO to form a C-17 operator consortium, which dispatched an airlifter to Port-au-Prince within a few days of the earthquake.
In the USA, Katrina boosted the US Army's motivation to fill out its force structure with the EADS North America UH-72 Lakota and the Alenia C-27J Spartan, although the latter has been transferred to US Air Force control. The USAF, for its part, attempted to acquire Boeing HH-47 Chinooks, but a series of acquisition blunders led to the cancellation of the combat search and rescue helicopter programme.
NEW INVESTMENT
While the scenes of Haiti's extended recovery remain fresh, the military response - dubbed Operation Hestia by the Canadians - will undoubtedly provide a platform for advocates of a new wave of investments.
The business case will focus as much on military aviation's successes as the breakdowns - real or perceived - in the timely arrival and distribution of aid.
In the hours after the earthquake, planners at US Southern Command started co-ordinating a massive relief operation based on a single runway at the Port-au-Prince airport that normally handles roughly 13 civilian flights a day.
The US Transportation Command assessment team concluded within one day of the earthquake that Haiti's single serviceable runway and apron could safely handle a maximum of two aircraft on the ground at any one time. The lack of additional airport capacity inside Haiti for the first week of the recovery effort would generate the sharpest criticism of the US military's decision-makers.
"We are constrained simply and purely by the size and the geometry of the airfield in Port-au-Prince," a senior military official says. "And it's a single runway. It's only about 9,600ft [2,930m]. And the maximum on the ground can normally only take seven or eight aircraft. Sometimes it's been constrained down to two or three. So the prioritisation of the aircraft that go in there has been important to us."
But the constraints were not exclusively limited to the runway. A shortage of helicopters would have limited the distribution of aid and supplies even if more runway capacity could be generated. As of 20 January, Southcom counted 49 helicopters at its disposal in Haiti. It was not clear if that counted Bell CH-146 Griffons operated by Canadian forces at Jacmel.
The number did not include 10 Bell Boeing MV-22 Ospreys that were due to arrive with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit late last week.
But the shortage of vertical lift answered the question why USAF airlifters such as C-130s and C-17s did not exploit their capability to land on dirt strips to establish new hubs.
"Some of those other airfields are even smaller than Port-au-Prince. And then in some cases, instead of solving the problem, you've exacerbated the problem, because now you have a hub at a distant location, where you're starting to build up supplies," the senior military official says. "And now you are entirely dependent on more ground mobility or more helicopters, both of which are at a premium."
By the end of last week, the USAF had grown Port-au-Prince runway operations from 30-40 aircraft a day to 130 a day. The movement of 2,000 soldiers from the 2nd brigade of the 82 Airborne Division and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit took 28% of the airlift capacity that landed at Port-au-Prince in the first week. Meanwhile, Brazil used C-130s and a Boeing 707 KC-137 to send 200t of equipment and aid to Port-au-Prince in the first week.

TEAMWORK OPENS THE AERIAL FLOODGATES
SWIFT ACTION by the US military and its civilian counterparts in the US Federal Aviation Administration and the Haitian government opened the floodgates of global charitable giving to earthquake-ravaged Haiti within one week of the 12 January disaster.
As of 20 January, the tempo at the nation's international airport, Toussaint L'Ouverture, had reached a steady-state throughput of 50 military and civilian fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft per hour, without the typical 2h hold times that aircraft had experienced trying to fly into the single-runway facility in the initial days following the magnitude 7.3 earthquake.
The restoration of air service was seen as critical for aid, at least initially, as the main port facilities at Port-au-Prince were largely out of commission, which also caused a fuel shortage at the airport.
The day after the earthquake, the US Marines 22nd expeditionary unit, which had just returned from a seven-month tour in Europe, was called up to support relief operations in Haiti for a minimum of 30 days with nearly 2,000 soldiers. In addition to launching three ships carrying a contingent of Sikorsky CH-53Es and Bell UH-1s, the Marines sent an advance party to work with the US State Department and aid organisations.
The 22nd had earlier transported its Bell Boeing MV-22 Ospreys into Afghanistan for another squadron at the tail end of its European deployment, leaving none for the Haiti assignment.
A top goal for the Marines was to boost throughput at the airport, in part by installing a portable instrument landing system, portable runway lights and other traffic control equipment. The US military temporarily took over air traffic flow at the request of the Haitian government using a group of US Air Force and FAA controllers to handle flights from 15 January.
With airfield and air traffic control improvements, the airport saw its hourly operations increased significantly, allowing access to a wide variety of civil and military freight and humanitarian flights. Along with a continuous string of inbound civilian flights from carriers such as Lufthansa Cargo, Lebanon's MEA, Air France, Evergreen, Lynden Air Cargo, American, Delta and Spirit, the airport is also the destination for military personnel and cargo flights from NATO states and the US Air Force's 440th reserve wing.
Flying out of Pope AFB in North Carolina, the 440th is using its 16 Lockheed Martin C-130s augmented with seven additional C-130s and eight Boeing C-17s from other bases for the Haiti mission. As of 20 January, the 31 aircraft had performed 95 missions to Haiti, carrying Army 82nd airborne division troops in the early days of the campaign and later carrying vehicles.
Outbound flights in part have been used to carry injured civilians or US citizens back to Homestead AFB in Florida. Due to congestion at the airport, turnarounds are performed with engines running, and are often completed in 30min, says the USAF.
The military was also planning to open a runway for C-130 operations in the southern city of Jacmel about 50km (30 miles) south-east of Port-au-Prince by 20 January for additional airlift capacity, initially supporting C-130 flights from Canada.

Original Steyr

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6997943.ece
From Times Online January 22, 2010
Captain Sullenberger's Hudson River Airbus to be auctioned for scrap
For sale: one Airbus A320. Interesting history but slightly battered, with extensive water damage. Oh, and no wings.
Yours for $2 million... unless we get a better bid.
The aircraft famously landed in the Hudson River by Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is to be auctioned off and, while it is hardly fit for flight, it could end up as scrap metal worth several million dollars.
Captain Sullenberger became an instant global hero after he was forced to ditch in the river six minutes after taking off from La Guardia Airport, in New York, last January when his plane, carrying 155 people, struck a flock of geese.
The birds caused an immediate and nearly complete loss of thrust from both engines but Captain Sullenberger's extraordinary actions meant that all of those on board survived.
After landing he walked up and down the aircraft twice to ensure that all of the passengers were off before he finally left the sinking craft.
"Aircraft suffered severe bird strike event resulting in water emergency landing," a notice from the insurance company selling the plane said.
Chartis Insurance, a subsidiary of the insurance giant AIG added: “Severe water damage throughout airframe. Impact damage to underside of aircraft.”
It is difficult to speculate how much the A320 could pull at auction. It has a legendary status but the lack of engines means that not only can it not fly again, but it also removes a possible source of valuable metal and spare parts.
However, the US magazine Metal Bulletin Monthly recently reported that a similarly junked Airbus A310, which sold for $2.6 million (£1.6 million), made its new owners $4 million when it was broken up for scrap.

Original Steyr

** Pictures In Link **
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/21/337351/pictures-multinational-c-17-wing-flies-first-relief-mission-to.html
Defence
DATE:21/01/10
SOURCE:Flight International
PICTURES: Multinational C-17 wing flies first relief mission to Haiti
By Craig Hoyle
A multinational group of NATO and Partnership for Peace states has performed its first humanitarian relief flight with the Boeing C-17 strategic transport, delivering first aid and other supplies to Haiti on 18 January.
Operated by the 12-nation Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) consortium's Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW) from Papa air base in Hungary, the aircraft was flown to Port au Prince in support of a major relief operation launched in response to last week's major earthquake.
"The mission to Haiti is an important milestone for the SAC programme," says the organisation's vice-wing commander, Swedish air force Col Fredrik Hedén.
"Through the effort and co-operation among the 12 SAC nations we are able to contribute faster and more effectively than would have been the case if each nation had acted alone."
Sweden requested the flight, but Hedén says the mission was also supported by equipment donations from Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Norway. The C-17 was flown by an international crew for the sortie.

The SAC group received its three C-17s between July and October 2009, and has previously used the fleet for tasks including delivering support for coalition forces in Afghanistan and for peacekeeping activities in Kosovo.
Other nations involved in the HAW framework are Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Romania and the USA.

Original Steyr

Airbus: 'zero major issues' from A400M flight tests
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/22/337517/airbus-zero-major-issues-from-a400m-flight-tests.html
Defence
DATE:22/01/10
SOURCE:Flight International
Airbus: 'zero major issues' from A400M flight tests
By Craig Hoyle
Airbus Military's first A400M has entered a roughly one-month modification period, after completing its first seven test flights and spending more than 30h in the air.
Work to prepare aircraft MSN001 for its next phase of flight-envelope proving activities should resume in mid-February, with the transport likely to be moved to its main test centre in Toulouse, France at the end of its next sortie.
"We are probably about 30% through our first phase of testing, and today there are zero major issues," says Fernando Alonso, Airbus's senior vice-president flight and integration test. Noting that the company's multinational test team has already cleared the A400M's normal flight envelope, he adds: "we have good foundations."
Airbus had originally hoped to log around 40 flight hours in the month following MSN001's 11 December first flight, but unusually poor weather conditions in Seville, Spain, restricted flight opportunities. The aircraft cannot currently be flown into clouds, or taxied through standing water, due to the strain gauges attached to its Ratier-Figeac propellers.
The programme's first of five flight test aircraft has so far been flown to an altitude of 34,000ft (10,400m) - 6,000ft below its planned maximum operating ceiling - and from stall warning to its top speed of 300kt (555km/h).
Sideslip testing to assess the behaviour of its airframe and propulsion system has been performed at up to 6° at 250kt and 15° at 130kt, with "blade stress and engine intake distortion well within limits", says Airbus chief test pilot military Ed Strongman.
"For the number of hours we've flown we've been tremendously productive," says Strongman. "We have collected a huge amount of data across a wide spectrum of the flight envelope."
Other work performed during recent flights has included extending the aircraft's emergency ram air turbine, and deploying its air data calibration equipment along a tail-housed trailing cone to assess the aerodynamic effects of various flap settings and landing gear positions.
Some buffeting has been encountered as the nose landing gear's front door is opened, and fixes previously implemented on the Airbus A340 and Beluga designs are being considered to rectify this. Disrupted airflow has also been found to affect the rear of the aircraft while its main landing gear is down.
The propulsion system's full authority digital engine control software has performed "quite well", according to Strongman, with a minor software problem which had affected one channel having been traced and a work-around procedure established. The aircraft's auxiliary power unit has also been used in flight to restart both the inboard and outboard engines, and pre-test concerns over its operating temperature have proved unfounded. The APU exhaust chimney above the starboard wing could be lowered, or removed entirely following the test results.
MSN001 has so far logged 311h of engine operations and over 130 engine starts, including while performing 40 rejected take-offs to gather data on the operation of the TP400 and the A400M's braking system.
Once it resumes testing, Alonso says the aircraft will begin to explore the "peripheral areas" of its handling qualities, including stall and deep stall investigations. It is currently being equipped with a rocket in its tail, which could be fired for around 5s if required to help its pilots recover it from a deep stall.
Other modifications to be introduced include replacing part of the rear nacelle above the Europrop International TP400-D6 engine's tail cone. This fix was successfully trialled on one engine during the sixth test flight to resolve an overheating issue encountered during some ground operations. A small structural and software change will also be made to enable the aircraft's cargo ramp to be opened during flight.
Meanwhile, MSN002 will be handed over to the flight test team in the third week of February, with the aircraft likely to fly for the first time by March.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/24/337547/taban-tu-154-breaks-up-on-landing-at-mashhad.html
Aircraft
DATE:24/01/10
SOURCE:Air Transport Intelligence news
**PICTURES IN THE LINK**
Taban Tu-154 breaks up on landing at Mashhad
By David Kaminski-Morrow
Emergency teams in the Iranian city of Mashhad are attending the scene of a landing accident involving a Tupolev Tu-154M on a domestic service.
Images from the scene show the aircraft is resting on its fuselage underside, with both wings and the landing-gear torn away.
The jet has suffered heavy fire damage at the rear, where the aircraft's three engines are mounted, and the vertical fin and horizontal stabiliser are no longer attached.

The Tu-154 was performing services for Iranian carrier Taban Air, although the fuselage colour scheme shows that the aircraft is from the fleet of Russian carrier Kolavia. It also carries the name 'Surgut' in Cyrillic on the nose, identifying the jet as RA-85787.
Iran's official state media, citing the Iranian Civil Aviation Organisation, reports that the aircraft was conducting flight 6437 from Abadan to Mashhad but diverted initially to Isfahan because of poor weather.
It resumed its journey to Mashhad but landed in conditions of low visibility, whereupon the aircraft broke up and caught fire. The Tu-154 had 156 passengers on board, but while at least 20 are reported injured there are no indications of fatalities.

ronnie3585

Damn noobs!;)

What happened to the first Styer?

Original Steyr

ronnie3585 wrote: »

What happened to the first Styer?

It's me i just cant access my old account since the site went down i have since forgotten what email i used when joining as "Steyr":pac:

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/25/337453/singapore-2010-asian-fighter-requirements-continue-to.html
Defence
DATE:25/01/10
SOURCE:Flight International
SINGAPORE 2010: Asian fighter requirements continue to grow
By Siva Govindasamy
The Asia-Pacific fighters market will continue to be the world's most active over the next decade, with the countries likely to buy more than 500 aircraft to supplement existing fleets, embark on upgrades and acquire new capabilities to take them into the next stage of their development.
"For many Asian countries, fourth-generation planes will be useful and relevant for decades to come, and we'll see orders for a few more batches of these," says Richard Aboulafia, vice-president analysis at the Teal Group. "But for Japan and Singapore, there's a need for any technology that will help them overcome quantitative inferiority and cement a strategic relationship with the USA."
Western manufacturers such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin from the USA, France's Dassault, the Eurofighter consortium and Sweden's Saab are vying for several potentially lucrative contracts around the region. They face stiff competition from the Russian alternatives, which will take advantage of Moscow's long-standing political and military relationships. China, too, is fast emerging as a viable alternative supplier.
What, however, do the various air forces really need? While there is a lot of talk about fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, these labels are of little help in understanding the actual requirements of the various countries. It is far better, say observers, to talk about the capabilities that are available and link them to national requirements.
Lockheed, which is pushing both its latest version of the F-16 single-engined multi-role fighter and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the only fifth-generation aircraft available for export, believes that having situational awareness and denying it to adversaries will be increasingly important.
"Through stealth, electro-optical sensors, a powerful and advanced AESA [active electronically scanned array] radar, electronic warfare, inherent jamming capability, and the ability to share information via secure datalinks, the F-35 combines its sensor capability like no other platform before it," says Steve O'Bryan, vice-president, F-35 business development and customer engagement
"So while those types of sensors and the situational awareness they provide will become increasingly important, they are most effective when their information is fused and presented to the pilot in a single, coherent display, as they are on the F-35. It's difficult to remove the platform from the equation, because the platform itself is integral to the capability."
Rival Boeing is promoting its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and F-15 Silent Eagle multi-role fighters actively in the Asia-Pacific region. It also believes that platforms are key.
"That said, we think there will be continued fusion and integration of on-board and off-board sensors and weapons, giving pilots the ability to detect and engage targets in any domain - in the air, at sea, or on the ground. We will also develop engine capability that is quieter and provides more range at less fuel burn," it says.
"Multirole capability is paramount for countries investing in fighters. Fighters don't just exist in one or two spectrums any more. They must be able to fulfil a variety of missions over vast geographic space. These aircraft will handle both strategic and tactical missions, including air-to-air, maritime strike, air-to-ground, and ISR missions. Long endurance and versatility will always be factors in Asia Pacific, given the vast geographic diversity - over water, over mountain ranges, and other terrain."
Lockheed, reflecting the fact that its products are primarily for allies of the USA, adds that threat perceptions matter. "Given the continued increase in capability - and numbers - of fighters being developed by China and Russia, it becomes imperative that regional governments continue to equip their air forces with the leading-edge capabilities required to counter the emerging threats to security," says O'Bryan.
Russia has been a mainstay in Asia for decades. Rosoboronexport, the country's arms export agency is promoting its Sukhoi Su-30, Su-35 and RSK MiG-35 as replacements for earlier aircraft such as the Su-27, MiG-29 and MiG-21.
"We have many close friends in Asia - India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam are just some of them," says Victor Komardin, deputy director-general of Rosoboronexport. "Yes, there is more competition from the USA and Europe. But we are confident in our ability to secure more contracts in the coming years. Russia has never stopped helping its friends, and our friends know we are here for them."
Representatives from the Eurofighter Typhoon consortium and Dassault Rafale have been active in the region as well. Neither, however, has had a sale yet. Saab, on the other hand, had its first success in Asia Pacific after signing a contract with Thailand for six Gripens. It is pushing Bangkok to buy another six and is promoting the fighter in India and Malaysia. Its sales pitch is essentially that its "ideologically neutral" fighter is cheaper than and just as capable as its competitors.
China is becoming more active. Beijing has exported fighters for several decades - most notably the Chengdu F-7 interceptor and Nanchang A-5 ground attack aircraft to the likes of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. But it has newer-generation fighters and it is now casting its net wider.
Beijing has held talks with several countries on the Chengdu FC-1, also known as the JF-17 in the export variant that was developed with Pakistan, and the light attack variant of the Hongdu L-15 advanced jet trainer. For JF-17 customers, China could set up an assembly line or produce components for the aircraft, just like some Western suppliers. This includes traditional and non-traditional clients, say officials.
"We are talking to about five to six countries for each aircraft, and air force pilots from some of them have already flown test flights," says Ma Zhiping, president of China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation, which markets China-made military aviation products globally.
"We provide very capable aircraft at a very reasonable price compared to what else there is in the market. One of the biggest problems for many of our customers is financing. Many are developing countries and their payment abilities are limited. We work with the Chinese government in these cases to help them get cheap credit."
Exports of the Chengdu J-10 fighter are possible, but Beijing's priority is to develop an upgraded version of the aircraft. "This will take a bit of time and we are confident we will have a very good fourth-generation fighter when this is completed. Then, we could export the J-10 to our friends," says Wang Yawei, president of AVIC Defence, the military arm of state-owned aircraft manufacturer China Aviation Industry (AVIC).
The development of indigenous fighters is also under way in India, Japan and South Korea, with various degrees of success, and some could involve foreign partners. These programmes reflect a desire to acquire the technology to develop new combat aircraft and insecurity about the future availability of imports, say observers.
Boeing points out that the USA has spent billions on research to develop various fighter capabilities, and says that countries that embark on indigenous programmes could succeed if they do the same. There is an easier alternative, it adds.
"In each case, it would make more sense to partner with the US government and US industry that has already made this investment, and has not only developed the technology but has also integrated those disparate capabilities into an effective weapons system. Boeing would certainly be interested in this type of collaboration," says the company.
This could happen in India. The Indian air force is due to take delivery of the first batch of the long-delayed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) later in 2010 - although, going by its past record, that event could face a further postponement.
The pain that the air force went through with the LCA, however, means that foreign collaboration is a possibility for the proposed Medium Combat Aircraft, on which the country's Aeronautical Development Agency could begin work on it in the middle of this decade.
The twin-engined aircraft will incorporate stealth features, have air-to-ground and air-to-air capabilities and be able to perform suppression of enemy air defence, precision strike and close combat missions, says the ADA.
The 20t aircraft will also have a low radar cross-section, "serpentine-shaped" air intakes, internal weapons bays and advanced radomes to increase its stealth features. All of these technologies are already available in the USA, observers point out.
India is also in talks with Russia to collaborate on a fifth-generation fighter programme. This aircraft will be based on Russia's Sukhoi-led PAK-FA fighter, which is likely to have its first flight in 2010. Officials from both countries are confident that they can reach an agreement on the joint venture shortly, but there are worries within India about the level of access their researchers will get to the Russian programme.
In South Korea, the KF-X programme to develop a successor to the country's F-16s and McDonnell Douglas F-4s has stalled at the study stage. Seoul declined to finance the development stage due to the economic downturn, and there is still no clear indication of when that will go through. The focus of the study appears to have shifted.
Initially, the plan was to develop an advanced fighter similar to the Rafale or Typhoon. Last year, however, the research institute that is studying the feasibility of the programme recommended that it instead focus on developing a larger version of the F-16. That could involve Lockheed, which helped the county's Korea Aerospace Industries develop its T-50 advanced jet trainer that is based on the F-16. But the uncertainty, and potential $10 billion bill, means that this should remain in limbo.
Seoul, however, has given KAI the go-ahead to develop a prototype of a light attack version of its T-50, with a production contract likely after the air force tests the aircraft. The F/A-50 also has export potential, says KAI.
Japan has been working for years on the ATD-X programme to develop a stealth fighter that would be similar to the Gripen in size. It would be powered by a pair of IHI XF5 afterburning, thrust-vectoring engines derived from the XF7 turbofan used by Japan's Kawasaki XP-1 maritime patrol aircraft.
However, there has been little word on the programme since the defence ministry unveiled the first full-sized mock-up of the demonstrator at Japan Aerospace 2008. That same year, it decided against proceeding with the development stage and instead continued to fund the studies.
Some observers say that Japan would fund the development of a fighter only to satisfy the needs of its indigenous aerospace industry. Others say that this is just a ploy to get the USA to release access to the Lockheed F-22 Raptor, which Japan covets but Washington is refusing to release for export.
When it comes to indigenous programmes, Aboulafia proposes his "Rule of National Fighter Creation" to assess why countries embark on them. It can mean one of four things: they have a big budget and are not prepared to compromise on quality, they believe that it would be cheaper than the alternative imports, only local firms can meet the country's requirements, or they do not mind having an inferior aircraft.
His point is that, when indigenous programmes are closely scrutinised, none of those reasons really holds up. Almost inevitably, these plans cost too much and produce an inferior or outdated aircraft.
"India's LCA, for example, is quick becoming a multi-decade horror story, despite a large market and an abundance of talent and cash," Aboulafia points out. "National fighter concepts are almost always a very bad idea."
INDIA HEADS CLUTCH OF COMPETITIONS
There are several big fighter requirements around the Asia-Pacific region, with the countries assessing a variety of aircraft.
India has the biggest competition in the region - a $10-12 billion tender for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft. The Saab Gripen NG, Dassault Rafale, Boeing F/A18-E/F Super Hornet, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-16 and RSK MiG-35 are in contention in what could be a product-saving opportunity for some.
New Delhi requires naval fighters as well, and has sent a request for information to Boeing, Dassault and Lockheed for the carrier version of its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. New Delhi is also likely to order more Sukhoi Su-30MKIs, which Hindustan Aeronautics licence-produces in India.
Neighbouring Pakistan, with one eye on its rival, has begun indigenous production of the Chengdu JF-17 that Pakistan Aeronautical Complex helped to design. It also began to receive its newer batch of F-16s last year. In a few years, Islamabad is likely to ask Washington for more F-16s and attempt to buy a batch of the Chengdu J-10, China's latest fighter.
Further east, Lockheed is pushing South Korea to select the F-35 for the third phase of its F-X competition, with the company saying that Seoul could get access to the aircraft from 2014 if required. Seoul is looking to buy around 60 fighters, but worries about possible delays to the F-35 and that the early variants may not be as sophisticated.
That could pave the way for Boeing and its F-15 Silent Eagle variant, which the company has proposed with countries such as South Korea in mind. The F-15K was selected for the first two phases of South Korea's F-X competition, and Boeing is pushing Seoul to consider the F-15SE.
JAPAN STUDIES
Japan is studying the F-35, the F-15SE and the F/A-18E/F, along with the Eurofighter Typhoon, for its F-X competition. Its first choice, however, is the Lockheed F-22 Raptor. Washington's reluctance to export the fighter, however, could lead Japan to the F-35 instead. If there is a delay, one of the others could be an interim solution.
The Obama administration is still studying Taiwan's long-standing request for 66 new F-16C/Ds worth $1.3 billion, and Taipei has asked to buy mid-life upgrade kits for its existing F-16A/Bs as well. It is keen on the F-35, but that is a long shot. Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation, the island's national aircraft manufacturer, proposes upgrades to half of the service's existing 130 A/B-model IDFs.
In South-East Asia, Singapore has ordered 24 Boeing F-15SGs to complement its older fleet of Lockheed F-16s. It could buy up to 60 aircraft, although the Singapore air force could begin evaluating the F-35 in the coming years. It is unlikely to proceed with an order until the F-35 has entered into service with several air forces, and proven its capabilities. When that order comes, the air force is likely to retain the region's most modern and capable combat aircraft fleet.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force bought 18 Su-30MKMs and was considering a follow-on order. However, in October, the Malaysian government decided to retire the country's fleet of MiG-29s because of their high operating costs. It plans to assess fighters from the USA, France, Sweden and the UK to replace them, and Russian arms export agency Rosoboronexport says that it is likely to offer the Sukhoi Su-30MKM for the tender.
Thailand has ordered six Saab Gripens, but it has delayed the purchase of an additional six due to the deepening economic crisis. Its neighbour Vietnam is reported to be going ahead with the purchase of a new batch of Su-30s and could order more advanced fighters from its traditional supplier Russia.
Indonesia has taken delivery of five Su-30MKs and two Su-27SKs, with another three Su-30SKMs likely to be delivered in the coming year. It also hopes to buy six Block 50/52 F-16C/Ds and upgrade six of its airworthy F-16A/Bs to the enhanced standard. This would enable Jakarta to stand-up an F-16 squadron to replace its F-5s by 2014.
Last year, Australia ordered an initial batch of 14 F-35s - the first country in the Asia Pacific region to commit to the fighter. The first F-35 is due to be delivered in 2014, and the first operational squadron to be stood up by 2018. Approval for a second batch will be considered in 2012, fulfilling Australia's commitment to form three operational squadrons and a training squadron.
Canberra also ordered 24 Boeing F/A-18E/F - becoming the first export customer for the type - but could convert around 12 of them to the E/A-18G electronic attack configuration.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/25/337453/singapore-2010-asian-fighter-requirements-continue-to.html
Singapore first to order F-15 SG
Singapore has ordered 24 Boeing F-15SG multi-role fighters, making it the first South-East Asian country to order the type and ensuring its air force retains its edge as the region's most potent strike force.
Republic of Singapore Air Force pilots began training with the F-15SGs at Mountain Home AFB in Idaho, USA, last year. The air force will replace its McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks with the F-15s, but has not said when it would fly the aircraft from Singapore.
It has also not released details about their configuration, apart from confirming that 29,000lb-thrust (130kN) General Electric F110-GE-129 engines will power them.
A US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notification to the US Congress in 2005, when the service made an initial order for 12 F-15s, said that the weapons included 200 AIM-120C AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles with six captive air training rounds, and 200 AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles with 24 CAT and dummy rounds.
For the air-to-ground role, Singapore was to get 50 GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions and 30 AGM-154A-1 Joint Stand Off Weapons both with BLU-111 warheads, and 30 AGM-154C Joint Standoff Weapons. It was also to be supplied with 24 Link 16 multifunctional information distribution system/low volume terminals (fighter datalink terminals) and 44 pairs of AN/AVS-9(V) night vision goggles.
The aircraft are also likely to be fitted with the Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)3 active electronically scanned array radar, and the Data Device high-performance 1553 databus or HyPer-1553TM tested by the Boeing Phantom Works F-15E1 Advanced Technology Demonstrator aircraft.
It has been speculated that Singapore will work with Israel to modify and upgrade its F-15s. The Israeli F-15I Ra'am (Thunder) has an Elisra SPS-2110 integrated electronic warfare system, and its crews wear DASH helmet sights.
A new round of procurement decisions to replace Northrop F-5s with a new tactical fighter are due to start soon, with Singapore likely to choose between the F-15 Silent Eagle - Boeing's latest variant - and the Lockheed Martin F-35. Singapore joined the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme in 2002 at the "security co-operation participant" level, and could ask for more information in the next year. Pentagon officials say that the island could buy up to 100 F-35s.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/25/337524/finland-signs-40m-deal-for-secondhand-hawk-upgrade.html
Defence
DATE:25/01/10
SOURCE:Flight International
Finland signs €40m deal for secondhand Hawk upgrade
By Craig Hoyle
Patria Aviation has received a contract worth roughly €40 million ($56.5 million) to replace avionics equipment on 18 secondhand BAE Systems Hawk 66 trainers for the Finnish air force.
Signed on 31 December, the new order follows a previous deal to modernise Finland's 49 Hawk 51/51As with new Cockpit 4000 systems provided by CMC Electronics. The first of these was handed over during last June's Paris air show (below), and five have now been returned to operational service.
Acquired from the Swiss air force in 2007 and held in storage, the Hawk 66 airframes will be returned to flight status and delivered for Finnish air force use by 2013, says Patria.
The company performed a series of flight tests with an unmodified aircraft from last September. The data collected during these sorties will support future work to verify the type's cockpit upgrade, says executive vice-president Jukka Holkeri.
"The Finnish air force and Patria are together surveying possibilities to offer pilot training to foreign pilots at the Kauhava-based training centre, as well as possibilities to sell the excess Hawk trainers to foreign customers," the company says.
Patria has already held discussions with the Polish air force over a possible sale of upgraded Hawks to meet a requirement for 16 advanced jet trainers, and this proposal remains under consideration, says Holkeri.

Original Steyr

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8478134.stm
Airline bosses admit 'problems'
A Scottish airline said it had temporarily stopped taking bookings to protect customers while it sought to end uncertainty over its future.
Management at Highland Airways told employees at a staff meeting that the firm was not in immediate trouble.
However, the Inverness-based company was experiencing what they described as "continuing problems".
First Minister Alex Salmond said the Scottish government had a duty to protect lifeline services.
He said public agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) was aware of negotiations to secure fresh investment for the airline.
Highland Airways links the islands of Colonsay, Coll and Tiree with Oban on the mainland and also Stornoway in the Western Isles and Inverness.
The airline also operates flights between Cardiff and Anglesey in Wales.
A management buy-out of the company in 2006 was backed by £620,000 from HIE.
The staff meeting was held at Inverness Airport.
A routine flight taking a delivery of newspapers from the mainland to Sumburgh in Shetland went ahead as planned.
Protection duties
Highland Airways was set up in 1991, as Air Alba, and has gone on to operate mainly island routes in Scotland and Wales.
It has also carried out other work including mail and fisheries protection duties.
In August, BBC Scotland reported that two fisheries protection aircraft operated by Highland Airways had been out of action for six weeks.
The Scottish government said delays in completing the necessary documentation had prevented the planes from flying.
The protection agency, established in 1991, enforces UK, European Union and international fisheries laws and regulations in the seas around Scotland and in Scottish ports.
It owns two Reims Cessna Caravan II F-406 aircraft contracted to Highland Airways and based at Inverness Airport.

Original Steyr

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601102&sid=anK5ju0N1WpM
By Steven Rothwell and Louisa Fahy
Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Aer Lingus Group Plc will stop trying to undercut larger Irish rival Ryanair Holdings Plc and offer enhancements including better food and faster check-in times to customers willing to pay more.
In a switch that brings it closer to EasyJet Plc, which attracts a higher proportion of business flyers, Dublin-based Aer Lingus will adopt a hybrid model somewhere between a discount and full-service carrier, new Chief Executive Officer Christoph Mueller said today at an investor briefing in London.
Aer Lingus will also add more short-haul routes through a franchise deal with smaller Irish carrier Aer Arann, while seeking to boost long-haul connections by increasing the number of code-share partners. Mueller, who became CEO in September, said a review of the company had led him to conclude that the low-cost model was limiting its ability to maximize revenue.
“They’re setting out their stall by offering something different to Ryanair,” said Joe Gill, an analyst at Bloxham Stockbrokers in Dublin. “You could describe it as an EasyJet model for Ireland. That’s going to be very challenging as the evidence suggests short-haul is a pretty commoditized product.”
Aer Lingus rose as much as 2.9 percent to 70 cents and was trading at 69.5 cents as of 11:03 a.m. in Dublin. The stock has advanced 8.6 percent this year.
“The customer will decide where to position Aer Lingus on a particular flight,” Mueller told investors. “We offer the basics of transportation then we add what is needed, as opposed to a full-service carrier, where the extras are hard-wired.”
New Routes
The agreement with Aer Arann will cover 12 routes, giving Aer Lingus new services to Bristol, Blackpool, Cardiff, Durham and Doncaster/Sheffield in England, together with Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland. While the flights will use Aer Arann ATR 72 turboprop planes, they’ll be branded “Aer Lingus Regional,” with tickets sold through the larger carrier’s Web site.
Luton, England-based EasyJet attracts more time-sensitive flyers than Ryanair by operating to airports that are generally closer to major cities than those used by its rival.
Aer Lingus is already reducing wages and slashing its workforce by almost a fifth, and more jobs may have to go as the airline braces for a decline in sales in what will be an “extremely challenging” year, Mueller said.
Airlines probably lost $11 billion in 2009, according to estimates from the International Air Transport Association. Aer Lingus, targeted by Ryanair in two takeover bids, has been hit harder than most as the Irish economy struggles to emerge from the worst recession since World War II.
“The Irish market is just a basket case,” Mueller said. “We do expect the recession in Ireland to last longer than in the rest of the world.”
To contact the reporters on this story: Steven Rothwell in London at srothwell@bloomberg.net; Louisa Fahy at lnesbitt@bloomberg.net

Original Steyr

http://www.defencetalk.com/eurofighter-typhoon-top-trumps-the-f-15-23769/

Eurofighter Typhoon Top Trumps the F-15

During recent exercises, NATO Air Forces carried out several training combat engagements known as DACT, Dissimilar Aircraft Combat Training, involving different types of aircraft. In this situation, where the air dominance is a matter, the Eurofighter Typhoons turned out to be the leading air-to-air fighter jets.

Once again, the outstanding performance of the Eurofighter Typhoon was evident in a dogfight simulation. The 111 Squadron of the Spanish Air Force as well as the 493rd Squadron of the U.S. Air Force were deployed for training in Gando Air Base, Gran Canaria. The Spanish Squadron attended the training with a total of six Eurofighter Typhoons. The U.S. Air Force deployed F-15s.

In an interview on the exercise, Major Juan Balesta, the 41-year old Commander of the 111 Squadron stressed that a two-ship formation of Eurofighters involved in a dogfight simulation “against” the F-15s enjoyed full control of the engagement. The Typhoons managed to smash a formation of eight F-15s which had the role of the attacker with the first Eurofighter jet managing to "shoot down" four F-15 fighter jets. The second Eurofighter managed to disable three F-15 jets.

Eventually the pilots were using the Eurofighter Typhoon to full capacity and taking advantage of its enormous capabilities. Trump that.

donkey balls

Movie News & Gossip

Travolta flies jetload of relief supplies to Haiti (AP)

Source: AP Tue Jan 26, 2010, 10:26 am EST
Buzz up!

• Share
  • email
  • im
  • del.ici.ous
  • digg
  • facebook

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - John Travolta has flown a jetliner carrying relief supplies into the Haitian capital, along with doctors and ministers from the Church of Scientology.
The 55-year-old actor piloted his own Boeing 707 from Florida with six tons of ready-to-eat military rations and medical supplies for survivors of Haiti's devastating Jan. 12 earthquake late Monday.
His wife, Kelly Preston, was also aboard.
"We have the ability to actually help make a difference in the situation in Haiti and I just can't see not using this plane to help," Travolta said.
Travolta compared the mission to aid efforts following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. "We were there right away, with this airplane, because you know we have the ability and the means to do this so I think you have responsibility on some level to do that."
Aid groups have been desperate to fly their own planes into the over-stressed airport. U.N. humanitarian spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said Tuesday that at least 800 planes with relief items are on a waiting list for the airport, which can handle only about 130 flights a day due to a lack of space to park planes as they unload.
The aid group Doctors Without Borders has complained that the flight scheduling priorities of U.S. military controllers running the airport delayed the arrival of field hospitals, resulting in some deaths.
More than 150,000 people have already been buried since the magnitude-7 quake, which destroyed entire Port-au-Prince neighborhoods and landmarks and crumbled nearby towns.
Hundreds of thousands of people are living in the streets, with scores of injured wanting for proper medical care.
Travolta and Preston returned to Florida as soon as their supplies and passengers were unloaded

Calibos

The last thing the haitions need is a plane load of e-metres.

Yeah, yeah, I know you have crush injuries but you should be more worried that we have detected you are possessed by Alien spirits called Thetans that the alien overlord Xenu released by bombing the volcano where they were trapped with space ships in the shape of Dc-3 airliners....

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/27/337639/eurocopter-outlines-bid-for-nh90-in-australia.html
Defence
DATE:27/01/10
SOURCE:Flight International
Eurocopter outlines bid for NH90 in Australia
By Leithen Francis
Eurocopter has sweetened its Australian naval helicopter offer with a pledge for in-country manufacture and support of an NH90 order by its Australian Aerospace subsidiary in Brisbane.
The European company is thought to the underdog in the competition against the Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk for at least 24 naval combat helicopters to replace the Royal Australian Navy's Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawks.
But Eurocopter is stressing the NH90's multirole capability, fly-by-wire control and low-corrosion full-composite design, which Australian Aerospace chief executive Jens Goennemann says is an advantage for shipborne aircraft.
With Australian frigates carrying one helicopter, and sometimes two, Goennemann points out that an NH90's combat equipment can be removed within 2h to allow it to transport up to 16 passengers.
There would also be some commonality between the NH90 and the 46 MRH90 military transports ordered by Australia, including six for its navy. The first four MRH90s were built in Europe, but the remainder are being assembled at Australian Aerospace, along with most of the Australian army's Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters.
As part of its sales campaign, Eurocopter borrowed a NH90 from the Italian navy and had it shipped to Australia in an Antonov An-124. The helicopter is performing demonstration flights and on 26 January participated in Australia Day celebrations above Sydney harbour.
Detailing the Australian Aerospace role, Goennemann says the Eurocopter unit would "in partnership with Australian industry, also undertake in Australia maintenance support services at operational bases".
Goennemann says opportunities for Australian industry would also include producing composite components for Eurocopter’s global supply chain, and providing sonar, radar and acoustics technologies for the NH90. Other roles could cover maintenance and support activities, the development of ground training equipment and the final assembly of the Eurotorp MU90 torpedo and MBDA’s Marte Mk2/S anti-ship missile.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/27/337674/thai-cabinet-gives-in-principle-approval-for-order-of-six-more.html

Defence

DATE:27/01/10
SOURCE:Flight International

Thai cabinet gives in-principle approval for order of six more Gripens
By Leithen Francis

Thailand's cabinet has given in-principle approval to order six more Saab Gripen fighters and one more Saab 340-based airborne early warning and control system from Sweden. It has also agreed to upgrade some of the air force's Lockheed Martin F-16s.
The cabinet will ensure that there are funds in the next budget for the Royal Thai Air Force to sign a contract with Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration for the follow-on Gripen and Saab 340 deal, say sources, responding to Thai news reports quoting the prime minister's spokesman.
Thailand already has six Gripen C/Ds and one AEW&C aircraft on order. It had always intended to double this through a subsequent deal, after its original order was split in two in 2008 because of tight budgetary constraints.
Saab conducted the first flight of a Thai Gripen - a two-seat D-model - from its Linköping site last September and will begin deliveries to the air force during 2011. The type will be used to replace some of the service's Northrop F-5Es stationed in the south of the country. Saab announced on 27 January that the first batch of Thai technicians to prepare for operations with the new type have begun their training at the Swedish military's Halmstad base.
The Thai prime minister's spokesman also says the cabinet has agreed to make funds available for the air force to advance a requested upgrade to 18 of its F-16A/Bs. Thailand has an active fleet of 57 of the type, Flightglobal's MiliCAS database shows. It received its first examples in the early 1980s.

Original Steyr

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2010/100127ae_f35bf-2_royal-airforce.html
PATUXENT RIVER, Md., January 27th, 2010 -- A Royal Air Force officer on Tuesday became the first active-duty service pilot from the United Kingdom to take to the skies in a Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).
RAF Squadron Leader Steve Long piloted BF-2, the second short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B, over Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., logging the aircraft's 18th mission. Long departed at 9:55 a.m. EST and flew the aircraft to 20,000 feet, before landing 1.3 hours later. Both the RAF and the Royal Navy plan to operate the F-35B.
"Flying the F-35 was exactly like the simulators that I've been flying for over 18 months now, which gives you a lot of confidence in all the modeling and simulation work that has been done in all the other areas of the flight envelope," Long said, adding that it was a "privilege" to fly the F-35. "What this aircraft really gives the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy is a quantum leap in airborne capability because of the sensor suite it carries. An F-35 pilot will have an unprecedented level of situational awareness about what's going on in the airspace around him or her, and also on the battlefield or ocean below. Not only that, but the F-35 will plug into coalition battlefield networks and be able to pass that picture on to all other players in the network."
With the capability to operate from a variety of ships or austere runways, the F-35B can deploy closer to shore or near front lines, shrinking distance and time to the target, increasing sortie rates and greatly reducing the need for support assets. The Lightning II's sensor suite is the most powerful and comprehensive of any fighter in history, and will combine with an unprecedented networking capability to give unparalleled situational awareness.
U.K. Joint Combat Aircraft Project Team Leader, Air Commodore Graham Farnell, has stated that the U.K. has been closely involved in JSF since its inception. "It is therefore an honour to witness an RAF pilot flying BF-2 during this important phase of the F-35B flight test, and further demonstrates the closeness and mutual trust between our respective nations and their armed forces," Farnell said. "Squadron Leader Long has been preparing for this opportunity since his arrival in the U.S. well over a year ago, and this occasion is a testament not only to the work undertaken in the Integrated Test Force, to which the U.K. provides considerable expertise, but also to the wider JSF community in both government and industry.
“We look forward to the JSF flight test program meeting its targets in 2010, with today being one of many such occasions in the next year of JSF. The U.K. is now preparing pilots and maintainers for initial training at Eglin so that we can begin operating our aircraft in 2011 alongside our colleagues from the United States Marine Corps,” he said.
Squadron Leader Long is the third active-duty service member to fly the F-35. (The jet also has been flown by U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps pilots.) Long has more than 2,200 hours of flight time and currently flies the F-18A-D with the U.S. Marines. He joined the RAF in 1995, and his operational experience has included more than 100 sorties over Kosovo and Bosnia, Sierra Leone and Iraq, including three months of embarked time aboard H.M.S. Illustrious, and seven months on the U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard.
The U.K. has invested $2 billion in the F-35's development – the largest contribution among the program’s eight partner nations. The Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) program announced in December that the United Kingdom received financial approval to purchase its third F-35B operational test aircraft, reinforcing the U.K.’s continued commitment to the JSF program’s upcoming Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) phase.
The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations, advanced sustainment, and lower operational and support costs. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Two separate, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development: the Pratt & Whitney F135 and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team F136.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

Original Steyr

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1246237/Shock-awe-Female-RAF-Top-Gun-pilot-tells-beat-Taliban-deafening-noise-instead-bombs.html
**PICS IN LINK**
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:33 AM on 27th January 2010

A female RAF pilot has revealed how she terrified Taliban fighters by screeching low over their heads in her Tornado fighter jet - a new tactic to avoid killing civilians with stray bombs.
Flight Lieutenant Juliette Fleming, 31, was repeatedly called on to swoop down low over fanatics attacking British and coalition troops on the ground in Afghanistan.
The awesome sound of her GR4 jet roaring overhead at 550mph just 100ft above the ground would deafen the enemy and force them to take cover.
Flt Lt Fleming carried out her sorties during a three-month posting at Kandahar airfield with 31 Squadron, known as The Goldstars.
She said the policy of trying to 'win the hearts and minds' of local people meant that the RAF was dropping as few bombs as possible to avoid killing civilians.
The pilot, who last week returned to her base at RAF Marham, Norfolk, said: 'Dropping bombs is a last resort and we don't want to do it if we can help it.
'We found that our sheer presence alone through a show of force was enough to achieve results 99 per cent of the time.
'The noise of a low level swoop directly overhead is usually enough to get the enemy's heads down so the friendlies can withdraw and get back to a safe place.
'You just concentrate on doing the job as quickly and effectively as you can. People ask about the threat to yourself - but I don't really think about that.
'I am just there to deter that threat to the guys on the ground. As soon as you get called to do something, your brain clicks into gear and you crack on with it.
'It is a procedure you have practised time and time again back home so it is a natural thing to do.'
Flt Lt Fleming, who has been a pilot for ten years, said: 'I personally didn't drop a bomb while I was out there, although the squadron released a few munitions.'
Members of 31 Squadron were also responsible for saving troops' lives by identifying IED bombs on roads and tracks used by Coalition forces.
The Tornado crews regularly flew patrols over key areas, using special equipment at a height of 15,000 feet to spot disturbed earth, vehicle tracks and suspicious activity which might indicate the presence of a bomb.
Flt Lt Fleming said: 'We could relay pictures directly to air controllers on the ground and zoom in to take a closer look.'
In December, Flt Lt Fleming and flying partner Nikki Thomas were told how they spent Christmas flying a fighter jet 15,000ft above the battlefields.

Pilot Flight Lieutenant Fleming and navigator Squadron Leader Thomas have logged nearly 100 hours as the first all-female Tornado crew.
Their missions have helped both British and US troops under fire.
The duo - call-sign 'Monster Seven Three' - often fly as low as 100ft in their supersonic Tornado GR4 from their base at Kandahar to attack enemy positions.
Flt Lt Fleming said: 'For us it was just another working day. There was a Christmas dinner in the dining hall and a few decorations and cards.

'We will celebrate our Christmas when the tour is over at the end of January.'
Sqn Ldr Nikki Thomas, 31, from Exmouth, told the BBC: 'Really for me the best bit of my role is the operational flying.
'To spend years training to do a job and to do it well it is very satisfying, and you really get to see the results on operations.
'It may also sound really cheesy but life on a squadron is brilliant, everyone pulls together to get the job done and everyone has a vital role to play.'

Original Steyr

http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/4875997.Mystery_as_WW2_style_plane_lands_in_field/
Yak 52 i believe?
**PICS IN LINK**
POLICE were called to Flackwell Heath after three youngsters saw a full size 'spitfire-style' aeroplane land in a field.
Mystery surrounds its landing this afternoon as there was no sign of the pilot when the children and police arrived.
Bertie Kerby-Verness and Rachel Perham, both 12, saw the plane from Fennels Way as it grounded in a field at Heath End Farm, off Spring Lane and next to the M40, at around 4.30pm.
About an hour later a police helicopter hovered overhead and officers were wading through the muddy field towards the plane.
Sergeant Scott Long said at the scene: “It's a bit of a strange one – it doesn't seem there's been an emergency landing or any injuries.
“There's no sign of the pilot but it looks like a replica World War Two Chinese fighter plane.
"There's nothing we can really do tonight so we are going to leave it and deal with it in the morning."
Bertie, who goes to Furze Platt Senior School in Maidenhead, said: “We saw the wing dip as it came over the field. It looked like it crashed so we ran over but there was no one here. It's really weird because we have no idea where it came from.”
The plane has symbols and red stars on its body and wings.

Original Steyr

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100128/157703215.html
Russia is set to hold the first test of its futuristic fifth-generation fighter jet on Friday, a source at the country's largest aircraft producer said on Thursday.
"The [test] flight was initially scheduled for Thursday, but has been postponed," the source at the Gagarin KNAAPO company, a subsidiary of aircraft holding Sukhoi, said.
Russia's only known fifth-generation project is Sukhoi's PAK FA and the current prototype is the T-50. It is designed to compete with the U.S. F-22 Raptor, so far the world's only fifth-generation fighter, and the F-35 Lightning II, but has yet to take to the skies.
Speaking at a news conference later on Thursday, the chief of the Russian state-controlled arms exporter Rosoboronexport said India remained Russia's sole partner in the project.
"We [Russia and India] are working to build the fifth-generation aircraft," Anatoly Isaikin said.
Russia has been developing its newest fighter since the 1990s. The country's top military officials earlier said the stealth fighter jet with a range of up to 5,500 km would enter service with the Air Force in 2015.
India, which has a long history of defense relations with Russia, joined the project after signing an agreement in October 2007. But the two nations are still in talks to finalize the contract.
India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) was reported to be seeking a 25% share in design and development in the project. It has also sought to modify Sukhoi's single-seat prototype into the twin-seat fighter India's Air Force wants.
Russia accounts for around 70% of India's weapons inventory. HAL has license-produced Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighters, cooperated in the development of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile, and plans to work on a joint multirole transport aircraft.
Defense ties have strained, however, over the fifth-generation fighter program and the rising cost of refurbishing the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov for the Indian navy.
The PAK FA is to be armed with next-generation air-to-air, air-to-surface, and air-to-ship missiles, and has two 30-mm cannons.
The first prototype of the jet was already tested on the runway of the aircraft plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Russia's Far East. The test pilot made two runs on the airstrip, during which the brakes were applied several times.
MOSCOW, January 28 (RIA Novosti)

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/28/337641/boeing-studies-re-engined-737-but-is-in-no-rush-to.html
Aircraft
DATE:28/01/10
SOURCE:Flight International
Boeing studies re-engined 737, but is in no rush to launch
By Max Kingsley-Jones
Boeing is examining a re-engined 737, but says it will not be rushed into a launch decision to counter the Bombardier CSeries or any A320 upgrade from Airbus. "We continue to look at ways to improve the 737 further and re-engining is one option," says Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice-president marketing Randy Tinseth.
Like Airbus, Boeing is known to be examining an upgraded version of its single-aisle twinjet re-engined with an advanced turbofan such as the CFM International Leap-X or Pratt & Whitney PW1000G geared turbofan.
Tinseth says that a technical feasibility study into the installation of a new engine on the 737 confirms that "it will work", but will require a lot of effort.
He adds that the CSeries and the increasing likelihood of a move by Airbus are not putting pressure on an early decision from Boeing. "There is no reason to rush [into a decision], we'll wait until the right time," he says.

Responding to claims by Bombardier that because it is all-new, the CSeries will retain a strong appeal and 10% lower operating costs even against re-engined versions of existing single-aisles, Tinseth points to factors that might work against it: "You have to take into account the [lower] transition costs of a re-engined derivative for an airline, and risks involved with an all-new design," he says.
However, Tinseth expects Bombardier to be a strong competitor as it works hard to build its slim CSeries orderbook, which stands at just 50 aircraft with under three years to go to until first flight: "This is either going to be the shortest production span in history or Bombardier will have to get more sales. I think they'll figure out how to get customers, and be very aggressive."
Airbus has progressively pushed back its expected in-service date for any all-new single aisle - it now thinks this will not be until the mid-2020s - but Boeing continues to plan for a potentially earlier arrival.
"We are working to ensure that we have the technologies in place to have a single-aisle replacement late this decade," says Tinseth. "Customers have been very specific with what they want - 15-20% better than today's aircraft."
While emerging engine technology is a key factor contributing to this improved performance, Tinseth says that the airlines want the 15-20% improvement in all areas - maintenance cost, noise, range and so on.

Original Steyr

More news on this:
http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/4878090._Mystery__pilot_returns_to_salvage_plane_from_muddy_field/
'Mystery' pilot returns to salvage plane from muddy field in Flackwell Heath
SIX men including the pilot were today trying to salvage a 1960s Chinese aeroplane from a muddy field in Flackwell Heath.
The plane, thought to be a Nanchang CJ6A, bewildered villagers yesterday when it appeared to be in trouble and landed about 200 metres away from the M40.
When residents and police arrived at the scene there was no sign of the pilot.
But this afternoon the pilot and five others had 4x4s up at the field, between Fennels Wood and Spring Lane, and were struggling to drag it out of thick mud.
The men told the Bucks Free Press that no one was hurt and the plane had been vandalised overnight.
They refused to comment further though the Bucks Free Press understands the pilot had been flying from Denham Airfield to White Waltham airfield in Maidenhead.
We understand the pilot decided to turn back to Denham as the weather and visibility deteriorated. But the weather continued closing in so he chose to make an emergency landing.
Police spokesman Sarah Colston today said the plane had suffered “a possible instrument failure”.
Chris Chennel, 46, of Chapman Lane, is a local aviation enthusiast and said the plane is based at White Waltham airfield. He said there are only two of its kind in the country.
It is believed the Nanchang was built in 1966 and used to train Chinese pilots.
The wheat field belongs to Carington Estates and the firm's managing agent Neil Taylor joked: "We didn't know it was coming."
He added: "We've been in touch with the owner and hopefully they'll be able to remove it."

Original Steyr

http://www.airbus.com/en/presscentre/pressreleases/pressreleases_items/2010_01_29_price_rise.html
Airbus aircraft list prices to increase from January
29 January 2010

First price rise in two years
Airbus has increased the list price of all its aircraft by an average of 5.8 per cent. The price increase is the first since January 2008, and applies for all new aircraft from the beginning of January 2010.

The price increases were calculated according to the Airbus standard escalation formula over the January 2008 to January 2010 period.

“We have tried to keep prices down for as long as we can,” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “However, even with record aircraft deliveries and impressive orders in recent years, the continuing strength of the Euro against the US Dollar and the ongoing financial challenges ahead have forced us to take action.”

An ongoing US Dollar weakness, an increased cost of materials as well as commodities are all factors in the decision.

In its 40 year history, Airbus has become the leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive family of airliners on the market, ranging in capacity from 100 to more than 500 seats. In this time, Airbus has sold almost 9,500 and delivered over 6,000 aircraft since the first airliner entered service in 1974. Airbus’ backlog stands at almost 3,500 aircraft.

Original Steyr

**PICS IN LINK**

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/28/337771/pictures-a330-freighter-undergoes-cold-weather-tests.html

Aircraft
DATE:28/01/10

SOURCE:Air Transport Intelligence news

A330 freighter undergoes cold-weather tests

By David Kaminski-Morrow

Airbus has undertaken cold-weather testing of its A330-200 freighter in northern Canada, and is being prepared for hot-weather trials in the Asia-Pacific region.
The first flight-test aircraft, MSN1004, was flown to Iqaluit on 23 January and subjected to temperatures down to minus 30°C.
Airbus says that the testing is not for certification but to verify system performance guarantees to customers, and check the response of modifications introduced during the freighter's development.
These include checks on the main cargo door, following cold-soak of the twin-jet to minus 27°C inside the cabin, as well as the auxiliary power unit and electrical systems.
Technical personnel also tested the air conditioning system, notably its ability to restore the cabin to a specific temperature.
The main tests began at about 06:00 on 24 January with start-up through external electrical power and activation of the APU, says Airbus flight-test engineer Wolfgang Brueggemann.
Three hours of system checks followed before the aircraft was shut down again ahead of a second overnight cold-soak. Airbus then carried out a second series of test procedures, similar to those on the previous day, before the aircraft departed.
Brueggemann says the results of the tests were "very good" and that all the aircraft's systems behaved well.
Airbus is fitting the aircraft's interior with a partial cargo loading system and is preparing to fly the jet to Asia where it will undergo another set of tests in hot and humid conditions.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/31/337834/usa-okays-black-hawks-for-taiwan-beijing-mulls-sanctions.html

Aircraft
DATE:31/01/10
SOURCE:Flight International

USA okays Black Hawks for Taiwan, Beijing mulls sanctions
By Siva Govindasamy

The USA has announced plans to go ahead with a $6.1 billion arms deal with Taiwan, including the sale of 60 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters and 114 Patriot PAC-3 missiles.
China, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province and opposes arms sales to the island, has vehemently protested the deal and suspended military exchanges with the USA. Washington is duty-bound to help Taipei defend itself under the Taiwan Relations Act, and its past sales to the island have drawn criticism from China.
For the first time, however, Beijing has also threatened to impose sanctions on the US companies involved in the deal. This includes Boeing, which has significant commercial deals with the mainland, Sikorsky's parent United Technologies, and General Electric, which manufactures the GE engines.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the Defence Department agency responsible for international sales, notified Congress on Saturday that it intends to proceed with a sale that it says would "contribute to maintaining security and stability across the Taiwan Strait". Congress has 30 days to oppose the sale, a move that is highly unlikely.
However, the DSCA has not said anything about Taipei's 2001 request to buy 66 F-16C/Ds worth $1.3 billion. These, Taiwan says, are needed to bolster its air defence against a rapidly modernising Chinese air force.
The biggest component of the sale is a $3.1 billion deal for 60 UH-60M Black Hawks utility helicopters with 120 GE T-700-701D engines and 18 spare engines. This deal includes 69 AN/APR-39A(V)2 radar warning receivers, 69 AN/ALQ-144A(V)1 infrared countermeasure sets, 69 AN/AAR-57 common missile warning systems, 69 AN/AVR-2B laser detecting sets, 120 GAU-19/A .50 cal machine guns and 310 AN/AVS-9 aviator night vision goggles.
Also included are .50 cal ammunition, pyrotechnics, cartridges, propellant actuated devices, Po-Sheng communication/data link systems, ammunition, spare and repair parts, tools and support equipment, publications and technical data, personnel training and training equipment, contractor engineering and technical support services and other related elements of logistics support.
"This proposed sale serves US national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient's continuing efforts to modernise its armed forces and enhance its defensive capability. The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region," says the DSCA.
"The recipient needs these helicopters for self-defence, personnel movement, cargo lifting, and aero medical evacuation capabilities. This procurement will modernise the recipient's rotary wing fleet and provide for the defence of vital installations and close air support for ground forces."
Washington also plans to sell 114 Patriot PAC-3 missiles, three AN/MPQ-65 radar sets, one AN/MSQ-133 information and coordination centrals, one tactical command station, three communication relay groups, three AN/MSQ-132 engagement control stations, 26 M902 launching stations, and other related equipment and services.
This is estimated to cost $2.81 billion, with Lockheed Martin and Raytheon the principle contractors.
It also plans to sell 10 RTM-84L Harpoon Block II Telemetry missiles, two ATM-84L Harpoon Block II Telemetry missiles, and other related equipment and services. McDonnell Douglas, a Boeing subsidiary, is the main contractor for this $37 million deal.
Other deals that have been approved include a $340 million contract for 35 Multifunctional Information Distribution Systems Low Volume Terminals (MIDS/LVT-1) and 25 MIDS On Ships Terminals, and a $105 million deal for two refurbished Osprey class mine-hunting ships. The prime contractors for these will be chosen after a competition.

Original Steyr

**PICTURES IN THE LINK**

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/29/337829/pictures-fedex-reveals-panda-express-boeing-777f-decal.html

Air Transport

DATE:29/01/10
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com

FedEx reveals Panda Express Boeing 777F decal
By John Croft

Air cargo carrier FedEx has revealed renderings of how one if its first Boeing 777F freighters will look when it departs the US for China on a special mission the morning of 4 February.
Dubbed the “Panda Express”, the 777F (N850FD) complete with a 149m2 (1,600ft2) panda decal on the nose section, will fly non-stop from Dulles International airport near Washington’s National Zoo, to Chengdu, China, with a small but significant payload - two giant pandas.
Tai Shan, a 4.5-year-old male panda, born at the National Zoo, will travel with Mei Lan, a 3-year-old panda born at the Atlanta zoo. FedEx plans to pick up Mei Lan in Atlanta on the way to Dulles. Seating accommodations are being provided by FedEx: Two custom-built tubular steel containers.
The company plans to install the decal this weekend. To date, FedEx has received three of its 30 777Fs on order.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/31/337833/singapore-2010-rsaf-displays-g550-aew-platform-for-first.html

**PICTURES IN THE LINK**

Aircraft

DATE:31/01/10
SOURCE:Flight International

Singapore 2010:
RSAF displays G550 AEW platform for first time
By Siva Govindasamy

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is publicly displaying its modified Gulfstream 550-based airborne early warning (AEW) platform for the first time at the Singapore Airshow.
Singapore received its first aircraft in February 2009 and has ordered four of the G550s. The service has been highly secretive about the aircraft, which Flight International understands has been modified to carry the Elta conformal AEW platform.
While the RSAF has never confirmed the specifications, we understand that it has a similar configuration to the Israeli air force's G550-based conformal AEW (CAEW) aircraft, which entered service early 2008.
Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary Elta says the CAEW platform offers a mission endurance of 9h when operating at an altitude of 41,000ft (12,500m) and 185km from its home base. The aircraft features dual S-band radar arrays at the front and rear, plus L-band sensors on the fuselage side, providing 360° coverage. Israel's configuration has six on-board operator stations.
The modified G550 also has pod-housed electronic support measures equipment, plus satellite communications and line-of-sight datalinks. Elta says the airframe modifications have "minimal impact" on the business jet's performance.
According to a previous statement by Singapore's defence ministry, the formal delivery period for its G550 AEW aircraft is late 2008 to 2010. The aircraft will replace four Northrop E-2Cs that have been in service for more than 20 years. Industry sources say that the four AEW-configured aircraft are expected to cost the island state up to $1 billion.
A fifth, unmodified, business jet is also being acquired to support training activities from 2012 under a 20-year private finance initiative deal with ST Aerospace.
For more pictures of the RSAF's G550 AEW as well as some of the other aircraft that are on static display at the Singapore Airshow, visit our Asian Skies blog.

Original Steyr

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=13&item=1020

**PICTURE IN LINK**

Boeing Moves 787 Dreamliner Fatigue Test Airframe to Testing Rig

EVERETT, Wash., Feb. 2, 2010 – Boeing [NYSE:BA] on Sunday moved the 787 Dreamliner fatigue test airframe to its structural test rig. The test rig is located in the northwest corner of the Everett, Wash., site.
Test set up is expected to begin immediately, with tests commencing midyear.
“Unlike static tests, where loads are applied to the airplane structure to simulate both normal operation and extreme flight conditions, fatigue testing is a much longer process that simulates up to three times the number of flight cycles an airplane is likely to experience during a lifetime of service,” said Scott Fancher, 787 vice president and general manager, Commercial Airplanes. “This testing is instrumental in confirming the longevity of the airplane.”

Original Steyr

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8492430.stm

Pentagon chief fires head of F-35 aircraft programme

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has sacked the marine general overseeing a $40bn (£25bn) project to build the next generation strike fighter jet.
F-35 programme chief Maj Gen David Heinz will be replaced by a yet to be named higher ranking general.
Mr Gates said the F-35 programme had been plagued by problems and failed to hit performance targets.
He also said Lockheed Martin, the US firm making the jet, would not receive $614m in performance-related payouts.
The Pentagon wants the F-35 to replace most of its ageing fighter jets.
"The progress and performance of the F-35 over the past two years has not been what it should," Mr Gates told a news conference on the Pentagon's proposed budget.
He added that "a number of key goals and benchmarks were not met".

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/02/337897/singapore-2010-lockheed-may-deliver-more-f-35s-than-dod-buys.html

Defence
DATE:02/02/10
SOURCE:Flight International

SINGAPORE 2010: Lockheed may deliver more F-35s than DoD buys
By Stephen Trimble

Although the US Department of Defense has announced slashing four F-35 jets and firing the government's programme manager, Lockheed Martin says it could deliver more aircraft in 2013 than the military pays for to keep unit costs from spiralling upwards.
The DoD may allow Lockheed the "opportunity" to deliver more F-35s than specifically on contract, Lockheed vice-president for business development George Standridge told Flightglobal at the Singapore airshow.
Under this scenario, Lockheed would continue to build aircraft based on prices set in the 2007 selected acquisition report. Meanwhile, the DoD has decided to fund the programme based on higher cost projections set by the second annual review by the Joint Estimating Team. For the same price, Lockheed may be able to deliver more than 43 F-35s.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates acknowledged that possibility when he announced the budget cuts in a briefing at the Pentagon on 1 February. Gates described the fiscal year 2011 budget request as seeking a "buy of 43 aircraft and possibly more, depending on contractor performance".
Gates also announced that F-35 programme executive officer Brig Gen David Heinz will be replaced by a three-star general. Before his dismissal, Heinz had actually been selected for promotion to major general, so Gates's move elevates the position's standing from two-star rank to three-star rank.
Asked if Lockheed also anticipates a change of leadership, Standridge did not give a direct reply. But he acknowledges that Lockheed accepts that the DoD will hold the company accountable for its performance. For his part, Gates announced that he will withhold $614 million in performance fees from Lockheed. "The taxpayers should not have to bear the entire burden of getting the [F-35] programme back on track," he says.
The procurement cuts increase the pressure on Lockheed to keep reducing unit costs for the F-35, especially as foreign partners are expected to start buying production aircratf within the next two years.
Meanwhile, Lockheed also confirms that Singapore has started receiving classified briefings on the F-35. Singapore and Israel are both Security Cooperation Participants on the Joint Strike Fighter programme.

Original Steyr

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1058

SEATTLE, Feb. 3, 2010 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that it has been awarded a $324 million Foreign Military Sales contract from the Electronics Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., to upgrade France's fleet of four E-3F Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, as well as the fleet's ground system.
"This upgrade -- the largest ever for French AWACS -- will provide the fleet with more actionable information and better situational awareness," said Steve Swanz, French AWACS program manager for Boeing. "New mission computers also will reduce the mission operator's workload, allowing more time to be spent managing the battlespace."
The French AWACS Mid-Life Upgrade is based on the U.S. AWACS Block 40/45 system, which dramatically enhances the potential for network-enabled operations; increases mission execution capability, reliability and effectiveness; and reduces life-cycle costs.
The upgrade will include:
A primary AWACS display, which increases situational awareness through its intuitive interface and detailed map database
Upgraded Identification Friend or Foe Interrogation, including Mode S and Mode 5 capability
An increase in the number of mission consoles aboard each aircraft, from 10 to 14
Modern mission computing processing, which enables improved AWACS mission performance through the use of advanced battle management tools such as Automatic Air Tasking Orders and Airspace Coordination Order updates, resource and sensor management, and automated decision aids
Improved combat identification capabilities from integrated sensor and off-board datalinks
The Multi-Source Integration process, which automatically integrates data from on- and off-board sources such as radar, Electronic Support Measures and Link 16, to provide significantly improved tracking capabilities
Digital radio control and management through the new mission computing subsystem
An open system architecture that enables rapid software upgrades and requires less hardware.
Air France Industries will begin installing the enhancements at its Le Bourget Airport facility near Paris in 2012. The entire fleet is scheduled to complete this upgrade in the third quarter of 2015.

Original Steyr

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2010/100203ae_f35b_3rd-stovl.html


STOVLl Jet Is Fifth Lockheed Martin F-35 To Enter Flight Testing

FORT WORTH, Texas, February 3rd, 2010 -- A Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) stealth fighter today became the fifth F-35 to begin flight operations.
The jet, known as BF-3, departed the runway near Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth plant at 4:02 p.m. CST for its first flight. During the one-hour sortie, F-35 Chief Test Pilot Jon Beesley tested the aircraft’s handling qualities, engine functionality, landing gear operation and basic subsystem performance.
BF-3 joins two other F-35Bs and one F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft currently undergoing active flight test. The first CTOL F-35, AA-1, is now preparing for live-fire testing. The F-35 program continues to accelerate the time from flight line arrival to first flight.
BF-3 was built and instrumented to conduct flight sciences test work and will be used primarily to evaluate vehicle systems and expand the aircraft’s aerodynamic and structural-loads envelope. It will deploy later this year to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., where it will carry and release most of the weapons the F-35B will employ in combat.
BF-3 and all other Lightning II aircraft will be supported by the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System and monitored by the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment Operations Center in Fort Worth. F-35 sustainment is based upon the principles of Performance-Based Logistics, involving extensive partnering agreements between government and industry. The F-35 team has developed an advanced sustainment system capability with designed-in sustainability that will reduce overall life-cycle costs and ensure mission readiness.
The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations, advanced sustainment, and lower operational and support costs. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Two separate, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development: the Pratt & Whitney F135 and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team F136.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/03/337998/singapore-2010-boeing-postpones-canted-tails-for-f-15-silent.html


Defence
DATE:03/02/10
SOURCE:Flight International

SINGAPORE 2010: Boeing postpones canted tails for F-15 Silent Eagle
By Stephen Trimble


Boeing has eliminated the distinctive canted tails from the early prototype and production configuration of the proposed stealthy Silent Eagle version of the F-15.
The F-15SE flight-test prototype will incorporate radar absorbent materials and the conformal fuel tanks modified into weapons bays, says Mark Bass, Boeing F-15 programme vice-president.



The canted tail design, highlighted during Boeing's F-15SE unveiling last March in St Louis, Missouri has been abandoned until later stages of the programme, he says.
Meanwhile, the programme is launching weapons firing tests later this year. An F-15 with the modified internal weapons bay will launch a Raytheon AIM-9 or AIM-120 missile in July or August, Bass says.
Boeing has also confirmed that the F-15SE will be first formally offered to the South Korean government, which is expected to launch a competition for a fighter contract in early 2011. Seoul also is considering the Lockheed Martin F-35.
Boeing has proposed the F-15SE as a concept to give the fighter a "first-day-of-war" configuration, with the ability to penetrate protected airspace undetected. The F-15SE also includes an advanced digital electronic warfare system made by BAE Systems, and the Raytheon APG-63 active electronically scanned array radar.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/05/338114/air-france-concorde-to-taxi-again-under-own-power.html

Aircraft

DATE:05/02/10
SOURCE:Flight International

Air France Concorde to taxi again under own power
By David Kaminski-Morrow


One of the BAC-Aerospatiale Concorde aircraft formerly operated by Air France is to undergo a restoration programme to enable it to taxi under its own engine power.

The supersonic jet - aircraft 213, registered F-BTSD - is an exhibit of the French aerospace museum Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace, located at Le Bourget outside Paris.

Museum director Gerard Feldzer tells Flight International that it is supporting a restoration effort in order to provide spectators with an annual taxiing demonstration.
He says that the museum will work with an association of Air France technicians who used to work on the Concorde fleet before the carrier retired the type in 2003.

"We're working to maintain Concorde, that it stays alive," Feldzer says.
Technicians will inspect the aircraft's engines and systems. "It will take about one year to repair the fuel tanks and the hydraulics," he says. "It's a big challenge."
But he expects the cost of the effort to be relatively small. While some 10,000 man-hours of labour will be needed, he says, it will be undertaken primarily by volunteers.

Once the technical work has been carried out, the aircraft's engine systems will be tested initially without fuelling the aircraft. If these tests are satisfactory, the jet will be fuelled and the aircraft rolled out under its own power.

Each Concorde aircraft was fitted with four Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 engines. Feldzer says that the engineers will attempt to repair all four powerplants, but that only two will probably be used for the taxiing demonstration.

"I hope we will be able to do this once a year," he adds, but stresses that the aircraft is not being returned to an airworthy condition.
Concorde 'Sierra Delta', which performed its first flight in 1978, was presented to the museum by Air France on 14 June 2003.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/04/338025/singapore-2010-lockheed-says-f-35s-will-replace-usaf.html

Defence
DATE:04/02/10

SOURCE:Flight International

SINGAPORE 2010: Lockheed says F-35s will replace USAF F-15s
By Stephen Trimble

Lockheed Martin has added all variants of the Boeing F-15 to an internal analysis of US Air Force platforms the company believes will be replaced by the F-35A Lightning II.
Lockheed now predicts the F-35A will replace the F-15C/D air superiority fighter and the F-15E Strike Eagle.
The USAF officially lists the F-35's conventional takeoff and landing variant as a ground-attack fighter complementing the air superiority mission, replacing only the Lockheed F-16 and the A-10.
The speculative and unofficial addition of the F-15C/D and F-15E fleets allows Lockheed to claim the USAF's requirement to buy 1,763 F-35As over the next 20 years remains intact despite recent policy changes.
Lockheed provided the analysis to Flight International in response to questions about the potential impact of the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), which proposes to slash the USAF's theatre strike wing-equivalents to 10 to 11 wings.
The reduction potentially devastates the USAF's demand for 1,763 F-35As. If the USAF maintains a 72-aircraft wing structure, only 720 to 792 combat-coded fighters are needed to perform the F-35's primary mission.
That role is currently performed by a mix of F-16s, A-10s and F-15Es. Lockheed's analysis assumes the mission would be performed exclusively by F-35s within 25 years.
"All the A-10s and F-15Es would reach their life during the USAF buy of F-35s (~2035) with no other tactical strike platform to replace their full capability other than F-35s", Lockheed's analysis says.
Lockheed also makes a second major assumption. The analysis assumes the QDR plan to operate six air superiority wing-equivalents will include two wings of F-22s and four wings of F-35As. Lockheed acknowledges the F-22 fleet is actually limited to 1-2/3 wings. The four wings of F-35As would replace the F-15C/Ds, according to Lockheed.
If the F-35A gains the new mission, the USAF requirement would rise to between 14 and 15 wings, totalling between 1,008 and 1,080 combat coded jets. Lockheed also estimates a need for another 593 to 636 jets required for training, test, depot and attrition reserve. The final number for the F-35A requirement ranges between 1,601 and 1,715 fighters, a total that Lockheed concludes is "in the noise" compared to the programme estimate of 1,763.
Steve O'Bryan, Lockheed vice president for business development, supported Lockheed's analysis, saying a single F-35 provides the capability of six F-15s in air-to-air simulations. Although the F-35's projected top speed of M1.6 falls short of the F-15's M2.5 maximum, O'Bryan says, the F-35's higher level of stealth offsets the F-15's speed advantage in calculations of overall survivability.
The F-35's prowess in the air superiority role has been debated, with one controversial Rand analysis in 2008 concluding the jet "can't turn, can't climb and can't run" fast enough to survive dogfights. According to industry sources, an unnamed senior USAF officer said last year, "JSF is not an air dominance platform and we understand that."

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/04/338049/updated-brazil-plays-down-reports-of-rafale-announcement.html

Defence
DATE:04/02/10
SOURCE:Flight International

Brazil plays down reports of Rafale announcement

Brazil's defence ministry has denied suggestions that it will soon make an announcement confirming the selection of Dassault's Rafale to meet its air force's 36-aircraft F-X2 fighter requirement.
Sources in Brasilia had suggested that a final decision was made by Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and defence minister Nelson Jobim following meetings held with Dassault and French government representatives on 30 January, but the defence ministry on 4 February issued a denial.
Jobim says the air force command filed its final evaluation report on 6 January, and that the defence ministry is continuing its analysis of “the political, strategic and financial aspects” of the respective offers.
This process “will also take under consideration other items of information submitted by the participating governments and the bidding contenders,” he says. “As soon as the process is finished, the defence ministry will submit its conclusions to the president.”
The Brazilian Senate’s Defence and Foreign Relations Committee has asked Jobim to clarify and provide further information regarding the F-X2 programme, while Boeing and Saab are understood to have asked to submit new proposals on their respective F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Gripen NG designs in the light of Dassault’s last-minute negotiations.
Local reports on 4 February had suggested that the meetings with French officials had led to a substantial cost reduction, and claimed the package's value had been cut from $8.2 billion to around $6.2 billion. Price negotiations have been seen as the major obstacle to a Rafale victory since da Silva prematurely announced the type's selection with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy last September.

Da Silva and Jobim's oft-stated preference stems in part from their desire to further a strategic partnership agreed with France last year, and to the perceived difficulties with acquiring US-manufactured equipment. The latter concern was evidenced in 2006, when Washington vetoed the planned sale of Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano turboprop trainers to Venezuela. This bolstered fears that the US government could impose future restrictions should the Super Hornet or Gripen NG be selected.
If approved, a deal with France will lead to the delivery of 28 single-seat Rafale Cs and eight B-model trainers built to Dassault's F3 production standard, plus armaments including MBDA MICA IR/EM and Magic II air-to-air missiles, and Sagem AASM precision-guided bombs.
The Rafale's wings would also likely be manufactured in Brazil, along with modules for its Thales RBE2 active electronically scanned array radar.
Dassault has not commented on the matter, while the Brazilian air force says it "has not been officially notified of any decision".
But confirmation of a deal could spark considerable controversy during a presidential election year, and especially because the air force's year-long evaluation of the candidates placed the Gripen NG first and the Rafale last.
A $6.2 billion price tag would also make the Rafale package around 40% more expensive than Saab's final offer, and industry sources say France has offered a far lower technology transfer yield and fewer new jobs than Sweden or the USA.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/06/338128/picture-atr-72-600-makes-low-key-show-debut-in-morocco.html

** PICTURE IN LINK **

Aircraft
DATE:06/02/10

SOURCE:Flight International

ATR 72-600 makes low-key show debut in Morocco
By Victoria Moores

ATR's new -600 series turboprop made its air show debut at the AeroExpo in Marrakech, Morocco, on 27 January.
The test airframe, an ATR 72-600 registered F-WWEY, was on static display at the event, surrounded by military aircraft.
This somewhat muted first appearance is linked with Royal Air Maroc Express' having ordered six of the new variant - four ATR 72-600s and two 42-600s - along with options for a further two 72-600s.
ATR's test aircraft has accumulated 40 flight hours to date and the ATR 72-600 is expected to be certified by the end of 2010.

Original Steyr

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1064

** PICTURES IN LINK **

EVERETT, Wash., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) completed taxi tests on the first 747-8 Freighter today. With Chief Pilot Mark Feuerstein at the controls, the airplane reached a top speed of approximately 90 knots (103.5 mph, 166.6 kph).

"The airplane performed well," said Mo Yahyavi, 747 program vice president and general manager, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Based on early indications, the airplane is ready to fly."

This was the last functional test planned before first flight. The first flight of the 747-8 Freighter is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 8.

Original Steyr

**PICTURES AND VIDEO IN THE LINK**

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/08/338138/pictures.html

Aircraft

DATE:08/02/10
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com

Boeing's 747-8F lifts off on maiden flight By [EMAIL=""]Jon Ostrower[/EMAIL]

After a roughly 2.5h weather delay, Boeing's first 747-8F, the largest western-built commercial freighter, has lifted off on its maiden sortie.
The aircraft - designated RC501 - lifted off from runway 34L at 12:39PST from Boeing's Everett, Washington, facility at Paine Field.
Powered by General Electric GEnx-2B engines, the aircraft took to the sky under the control of 747 chief project pilot Mark Feuerstein and test engineer Tom Immrich. The event kicks off a year-long 1,600hr programme of flights for the new 747, whose test regime will also include 2,100hr of ground work.
Initial airworthiness and flutter trials will be conducted at Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington, 230km east of Seattle. Following the early round of tests, RC501 will be joined by RC521 and RC522 in Palmdale, California, where the flight-test operation will be based.

The first flight comes more than a year after the December 2008 date originally planned by Boeing. Closure of the 747-400 line, resource starvation, a machinist strike and late design changes added up to a delay of just over a year to the new freighter.

Boeing's 747-8F features a new super-critical wing, expanded use of advanced composites, new engines, an updated flight deck, and lateral fly-by-wire controls of its ailerons and spoilers as well as 16% more cargo volume over its processor, the 747-400ERF. It has a 442,000kg (975,000lb) maximum take-off weight and a range of 8,135km (4,390nm).

RC501 is expected to land back at Paine Field after a three- to five-hour test flight over Washington state.
Luxembourg-based Cargolux is to take delivery of the first 747-8F, currently in production, in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Both Boeing and Airbus will spend 2010 flight-testing new freighters at a time when the market for air freight has fallen sharply due to the global recession. Airbus' A330-200F, which made its debut at the Singapore Air Show last week, is due for delivery in June or July to Etihad Crystal Cargo.
The slowing demand for large cargo aircraft forced Boeing to absorb a $360 million charge last year as it was forced to maintain production at a lower-than-planned rate of 1.5 aircraft per month, in addition to a $640 million charge from higher production costs.
Boeing holds orders for 108 747-8s including 76 freighters and 32 'Intercontinental' passenger aircraft, a type due to enter service in late 2011.
The 747-8F, at 76.3m (250ft), is the longest commercial aircraft ever built by Boeing and the world's second-longest after the six-engined Antonov An-225 at 84m.
First flight of the 747-8F comes one day ahead of the 41st anniversary of the maiden flight of the 747-100, from the same runway, on 9 Feb 1969. Boeing has inscribed the initials 'JW' - those of the 747-100's pilot, Jack Waddell - on the nose-gear as a tribute.

Original Steyr

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2010/020810_LM_K-MAX.html

PICTURE: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/ms2/images/K-MAX_hover.jpg

Team K-MAX Demonstrates Successful Unmanned Helicopter Cargo Resupply to U.S. Marine Corps
DUGWAY, UT, February 8th, 2010 -- Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT] and Kaman Aerospace Corporation, a subsidiary of Kaman Corporation [NASDAQ GS: KAMN] have successfully demonstrated to the U.S. Marine Corps the capability of the Unmanned K-MAX® helicopter to resupply troops by unmanned helicopter at forward operating bases in Afghanistan.

During a series of flights last week in subfreezing temperatures at the U.S. Army’s Dugway Proving Ground, UT, the Unmanned K-MAX demonstrated autonomous and remote control flight over both line-of-sight and satellite-based beyond line-of-sight data link.
“We met or exceeded the requirements within the scheduled three-day timeframe of the demonstration,” said Dan Spoor, Aviation Systems vice president at Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems & Sensors facility in Owego, NY. “The system performed a rigorous set of cargo resupply scenarios as programmed, allowing the ground-based operator to monitor progress, and make adjustments to aircraft positioning only when requested by the Marine Corps for demonstration purposes.”
Performance attributes demonstrated included hovering at 12,000 ft. with a 1,500-pound sling load; delivering 3,000 pounds of cargo well within the six-hour required timeframe to a forward operating base (two 150 nm round-trip flights); remotely controlling flight and a precision load delivery by a ground-based operator in both day and night conditions; and uploading a new mission plan to the aircraft’s mission management system during flight.


As an optional demonstration, Team K-MAX showcased the Unmanned K-MAX helicopter’s four-hook carousel, which enables multi-load deliveries in a single flight. Lifting a total cargo of 3,450 pounds, the aircraft flew to three pre-programmed delivery coordinates, autonomously releasing a sling load at each location. At the customer’s request, the fourth load delivery was performed under manual control by the ground operator.
“The Unmanned System performed operationally representative cargo resupply scenarios, and each time the system delivered as promised,” said Sal Bordonaro, President, Kaman Helicopters, a division of Kaman Aerospace Corporation. “This capability gives the Marine Corps a proven unmanned power lifter to bring vital cargo to troops on the battlefield without the need for ground vehicles and manned helicopters.”
Team K-MAX has flown the Unmanned K-MAX nearly 400 hours in unmanned mode since 2007. The demonstration fulfilled an $860,000 U.S. Marine Corps contract awarded to K-MAX manufacturer Kaman Aerospace in August 2009.

A manned version of K-MAX has accumulated more than 250,000 flight hours, conducting repetitive lift operations for the construction and logging industries worldwide.
Kaman Corporation, founded in 1945 by aviation pioneer Charles H. Kaman, and headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut conducts business in the aerospace and industrial distribution markets. The company produces and/or markets widely used proprietary aircraft bearings and components; complex metallic and composite aerostructures for commercial, military and general aviation fixed and rotary wing aircraft; safing and arming solutions for missile and bomb systems for the U.S. and allied militaries; subcontract helicopter work; and support for the company’s SH-2G Super Seasprite maritime helicopters and K-MAX medium-to-heavy lift helicopters. The company is also a leading distributor of industrial parts, and operates nearly 200 customer service centers and five distribution centers across North America.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/09/338187/ba-777-crash-quick-flap-retraction-avoided-ils-collision.html

Aircraft
DATE:09/02/10
SOURCE:Air Transport Intelligence news

BA 777 crash: Quick flap retraction avoided ILS collision
By David Kaminski-Morrow


Investigators believe the British Airways Boeing 777-200ER which crashed at London Heathrow would have struck the ground earlier, potentially colliding with the instrument landing system antenna, had the pilot not partially retracted the flaps on approach.

The final report into the accident shows that the aircraft's flaps were at 30° before ice flushed through the fuel lines choked off the fuel flow to both engines.

As the aircraft descended to a height of about 240ft, the captain retracted the flaps to 25°. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch concludes that this enabled the aircraft to glide an extra 50m (160ft) before touching down.

"The action of reducing the flap setting was prompt and resulted in a reduction of the aerodynamic drag, with a minimal effect on the aircraft stall speed," it states.

If the twin-jet's flaps had remained at 30°, the AAIB adds, it would have cleared the Heathrow perimeter fence but landed before the ILS antenna, probably resulting in a collision.

"The effects of contact with the ILS antenna are unknown but such contact would probably have led to more substantial structural damage to the aircraft," it says.

Flight BA038 came to rest at the threshold of runway 27L after arriving from Beijing on 17 January 2008. While the aircraft was badly damaged, all of the passengers and crew members on board survived.

Original Steyr

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Police+scour+cold+cases+after+colonel+arrest+killings/2539198/story.html

Police scour cold cases after colonel's arrest







By Gary Dimmock, Jorge Barrera, Juliet O'Neill, Ken Meaney and Meghan Hurley , Ottawa CitizenFebruary 9, 2010

OTTAWA — Police detectives across Canada will be digging into cold cases of slain and missing women to see whether the shocking arrest Sunday of a Canadian air force colonel could provide the answer to other unsolved crimes.
In a case that seems like the stuff of movies, the commanding officer of one of Canada's largest bases, Col. Russell Williams, was led shackled into a courthouse in Belleville Monday afternoon.

Williams, 46, the commander of 8 Wing Trenton, was arrested in connection with the deaths of Jessica Lloyd, 27, and Cpl. Marie-France Comeau, 38. Their disappearances in the fall and winter had struck fear into local residents.
Williams, who has a residence in Tweed, northeast of Belleville, as well as a home he shares with his wife in Ottawa, was also charged with two counts of forcible confinement and two counts of break and enter and sexual assault relating to two home invasions.
The sex assault and murder cases against Williams started as four separate files -- two killings and two sex assaults -- but detectives linked them.
Monday, clad in a blue jumpsuit, Williams looked down for the most part, but when prompted, glanced up at the judge and said his name. His face, according to people in the courtroom, was expressionless.
Lloyd, of Belleville, worked at Tri-Board Student Transportation Services in Napanee. She was reported missing Jan. 29 after she didn't show up for work. She last communicated with a family friend on Jan. 28 at 10:36 p.m. through text messaging. Her body was found Monday in a secluded area near Tweed.

Comeau, 38, was found dead in her home in nearby Brighton on Nov. 25. She was a military flight attendant based in Trenton.
Police aren't saying much about what led them to Williams, except there was a canvass of an area highway to check vehicle tracks and that pointed them to the officer.
The detectives working on the homicide and sex assault cases against Williams are now reviewing the cold cases at every military post -- including Canada's secret base in the Middle East -- where he has served during his 23-year career.
One of those cases is the unsolved 2001 murder of Kathleen MacVicar at CFB Trenton. MacVicar, a 19-year-old from Glace Bay, N.S., was staying with relatives on the base and working at a call centre in Belleville when she was found murdered on the base in June 2001. She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed.

Her mother, Colleen MacVicar, said Monday night that she had been phoned by an OPP officer earlier in the day and told that they were examining the case in light of the charges against Williams. While they told her there were no obvious similarities between the cases he has been charged with and Kathleen's murder, further investigation would be done.
"They are still looking for Kathleen's killer and they are keeping her in mind," MacVicar said, adding the call made her feel sick to her stomach and "anxious to know if we can find a face to put to Kathleen's killer or not."
In Ottawa Monday, on the Westboro street where Williams and his wife own a house, neighbour Michael Gennis said he first learned his neighbour was in trouble on Sunday night.
Two unmarked police cars were parked in front of Williams' home on Edison Avenue. Two OPP cruisers were also on guard in a parking lot that backs onto the rear of the house.
Williams' wife followed police into her garage Sunday night and left the home a short time later.
"It looked like she was given 10 minutes to get her act together and get out," Gennis said.

Plainclothes officers were going in and out of the house on Sunday night, Gennis said. He said a few of the men who entered were dressed in black and "looked like undertakers."
On Monday night, an OPP vehicle sat in the couple's driveway beside a BMW. Neighbours, who stood on the street looking at the house, said the couple also had a sport utility vehicle that is no longer at their house.
Gennis said Williams and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Harriman, moved into the newly built home at the end of December. Gennis moved in a short time before the couple and came to know them. The neighbours had their homes constructed by the same builder.

Harriman is the associate executive director of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
"She is one of our most beloved staff," said spokeswoman Eileen Melnick-McCarthy. "She is taking an extended leave to focus on family matters and we continue to support her."
The two have no children, said Larry Jones, a neighbour in Tweed, adding that Williams kept to himself. He said in the five years they were neighbours, they had probably spoken only 20 times.
Bonnie Jones said she sometimes took them cucumbers from her garden, but they didn't interact much. "They were city folks who kept to themselves," she said.

According to Larry Jones, police at one point considered him (Jones) a suspect in the home invasions, which he said occurred at two nearby homes.
"(You) wouldn't believe the rumours around town ... Wife getting calls, 'How does it feel to live with a murderer?'" he said.
Larry Jones said he was detained for questioning and believes he was under police surveillance for weeks.
"I told them they were barking up the wrong tree," he said. "They wasted weeks ... never questioned (Williams) ... because he's untouchable."
Williams was remanded into custody following the brief appearance and is expected to be back in court in Belleville on Feb. 18 at 9 a.m.



Chronology of Events
- Monday, Feb. 8., 2010
Police discover the body of missing Belleville, Ont., woman Jessica Lloyd off Carry Road, in the Municipality of Tweed, Ont.
- Sunday, Feb. 7.
Ontario Provincial Police and the Belleville police arrested Col. Russell Williams, 46, wing commander of CFB Trenton. Williams is charged with first-degree murder of Jessica Lloyd and first-degree murder of Marie-France Comeau. He also faces two counts of forcible confinement, and two each of break and enter and sexual assault.
- Thursday, Feb. 4
Police say Williams came to their attention as a result of information gathered during a roadside canvass on Highway 37.
- Thursday, Jan. 28
The last time Jessica Lloyd, 27, was seen alive.
- Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009
Marie-France Comeau, 38, was found dead in her Brighton, Ont. residence.
- September 2009
There were two separate home invasions in the Tweed area in which two women were the victims of sexual assault.


- With files from Zev Singer and Global News


© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/10/338192/european-defence-agency-to-fund-uav-integration-demonstration.html

Defence

DATE:10/02/10
SOURCE:Flight International

European Defence Agency to fund UAV integration demonstration
By Rob Coppinger


In 2011 a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned air vehicle could be controlled via satellite over western Europe in a proposed demonstration that will help set standards for the 2015 introduction of military and civil UAVs in non-segregated airspace.

The demonstration will involve flying over more than one country and use a secure command and control link to switch between ground control stations and satellites that will be EADS Astrium-operated spacecraft.
The work is part of the European Defence Agency's (EDA) roadmap, agreed in 2007, to realise UAV integration into non-segregated airspace by 2015.

The exact details of the demonstration, such as the UAV type used and nations overflown, will be determined by two concurrent six-month feasibility studies worth a combined €800,000 ($1 million). The contracts were awarded last week by the EDA and the European Space Agency.
The EDA says: "The vision is to have an initial operating capability by 2015. The contracts are another example of EDA and ESA co-operation".
The EDA's €400,000 contract has been awarded to a consortium led by EADS Astrium. Its consortium includes its sister company EADS Defence and Security and UK company Qinetiq. ESA has awarded its contract to another team.

Another part of the EDA's roadmap is a 2013 sense and avoid demonstration project costing €53 million, and international agreement for radio frequency allocation. The EDA wants UAV-dedicated frequencies agreed at the 2012 World Radio Congress.
The EDA's parent body, the European Union, has already funded a €1.5 million study into radio frequency allocation for UAVs.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/09/338214/usaf-issues-kc-x-update-ignores-northrop-demands.html

Defence
DATE:09/02/10
SOURCE:Flight International

USAF issues KC-X update, ignores Northrop demands
By Stephen Trimble


The US Air Force has issued a "presoliciation notice" for the KC-X tanker contract that suggests at least two of the three changes demanded by the Northrop Grumman/EADS North America team will not be incorporated in the final request for proposals (RFP).
The notice released on 8 February on the Federal Business Opportunities web site precedes the publication of the final RFP, which the notice says will not occur before 23 February.

The USAF plans to award a fixed-price contract for the four-year development phase, the notice says.
Northrop and EADS executives have demanded that the USAF adopt a traditional "cost-plus" contract policy for KC-X, arguing the fixed-price plan makes the contractor assume all of the risk of schedule delays and cost overruns.

For its part, Boeing supports the USAF's fixed-price approach for the KC-X development phase. "Even though it's [a] firm-fixed-price [strategy], I believe there is shared risk," says Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Military Aircraft, speaking on 3 February at the Singapore Airshow.

The notice also appears to indicate that the performance requirements for the KC-X aircraft will be based on the existing KC-135R. For example, the USAF calls for a fuel offload capability "at least as good as the KC-135R".
The USAF's decision to make the KC-135R the baseline for its desired performance for the KC-X tanker has raised concerns for the Northrop/EADS team, which is proposing the KC-45 (formerly known as KC-30). The tanker version of the Airbus A330-200 airliner is significantly larger than the Boeing KC-767, which is one of the aircraft Boeing could propose. Both aircraft are larger than the KC-135R.
How the final RFP will address the Northrop-led team's third major concern is left unclear by the presolicitation notice. Northrop executives have criticized the draft RFP for evaluation criteria heavily focused on price, calling the strategy a "race to the bottom".

The presolicitation notice says the contract will be awarded on a "best value" basis, in which price can be balanced against performance and risk.
Northrop is not backing off of its threat to withdraw from the competition.
"Northrop Grumman feels that the draft RFP, as structured, fails the test of true competition and, without a responsive set of changes, is not an RFP to which Northrop Grumman can respond," the company says in a statement.

Boeing referred questions about its response to the presolicitation notice to a statement posted on its tanker blog on 9 February.
"We must offer and deliver an American designed and built combat-ready tanker at the lowest cost to the taxpayer," Boeing says. "And in 15 days, Boeing will do just that."

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/11/338325/air-algerie-secures-quick-delivery-of-new-atr-72s.html

Air Algerie secures quick delivery of new ATR 72s

Aircraft
DATE:11/02/10
SOURCE:Air Transport Intelligence news

Air Algerie secures quick delivery of new ATR 72s
By David Kaminski-Morrow


Air Algerie has taken quick delivery of the first ATR 72-500 in a batch of four ordered last year.
ATR disclosed the agreement only in December, but the first 66-seat turboprop has been handed over today at an event in Toulouse.

Air Algerie already operates eight of the type. The other three on order, which will take the fleet to 12, will be introduced this year.
The carrier is to install a new flight simulator and ATR is to lend assistance to the project.

Air Algerie president Abdelwahid Bouabdallah says the aircraft will enable it to add density to its domestic network and open routes to "still isolated" areas.

Original Steyr

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1075

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Feb. 12, 2010

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], industry teammates and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency on Feb. 11 successfully demonstrated the speed, precision and breakthrough potential of directed-energy weapons when the Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB) engaged and destroyed a boosting ballistic missile.

This experiment marks the first time a laser weapon has engaged and destroyed an in-flight ballistic missile, and the first time that any system has accomplished it in the missile's boost phase of flight. ALTB has the highest-energy laser ever fired from an aircraft, and is the most powerful mobile laser device in the world.

"The Airborne Laser Testbed team has made history with this experiment," said Greg Hyslop, vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems.

"Through its hard work and technical ingenuity, the government-industry team has produced a breakthrough with incredible potential. We look forward to conducting additional research and development to explore what this unique directed-energy system can do."
During the experiment, the aircraft, a modified Boeing 747-400F, took off from Edwards Air Force Base and focused its high-energy laser at the missile target during its boost phase as the aircraft flew over the Western Sea Range off the coast of California.

"We've been saying for some time that the Airborne Laser Testbed would be a pathfinder for directed energy and would expand options for policymakers and warfighters," said Michael Rinn, Boeing vice president and ALTB program director.

"With this successful experiment, the Airborne Laser Testbed has blazed a path for a new generation of high-energy, ultra-precision weaponry. ALTB technology and future directed-energy platforms will transform how the United States defends itself and its friends and allies. Having the capability to precisely project force, in a measured way, at the speed of light, will save lives."

MDA officially recognized directed energy's warfare-changing potential last March, when it awarded its Technology Pioneer Award to three Boeing Airborne Laser Testbed engineers and three of their government and industry teammates for advancing key ALTB technologies.

Boeing is the prime contractor for the Airborne Laser Testbed, which is designed to provide unprecedented speed-of-light capability to intercept all classes of ballistic missiles in their boost phase of flight.

Northrop Grumman designed and built ALTB's high-energy laser, and Lockheed Martin developed the beam control/fire control system. Boeing provided the aircraft, the battle management system and overall systems integration and testing.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/12/338304/uk-outlines-defence-review-issues.html

Defence
DATE:12/02/10
SOURCE:Flight International

UK outlines defence review issues
By Craig Hoyle

The UK Ministry of Defence has repeated its past message that tough choices must be made about future equipment acquisition, but again provided few specifics. Its position is published in a Green Paper outlining the issues to be addressed in a future Strategic Defence Review process.

Released on 3 February, the document - entitled Adaptability and Partnership: Issues for the Strategic Defence Review - is intended to prompt discussion as to the future balance and mission of the UK armed forces, says defence secretary Bob Ainsworth. "What we're trying to do is pose the questions, and start a debate."

Declining to provide details on possible Labour party initiatives, Ainsworth points out that the Green Paper was drafted with the input of specialists from across the political spectrum and from academia. "We need to challenge any rigidities that we have in the system to make sure that our methods are adaptable enough to support our armed forces," he says.

Pressed on the likelihood that the SDR will lead to a reduction in spending, he counters: "We need to rebalance our budget to better match our resources. But that doesn't mean cuts."
Ainsworth notes: "Right now Afghanistan is necessarily our main effort." Operations in the country will be supported using £3.5 billion ($5.5 billion) from Treasury funds this year, and this is expected to rise to £5 billion in 2011, he says.

Ainsworth confirms that the Labour party has no intention of reviewing its plans to renew the UK's Trident-based independent nuclear deterrent, or to cancel contracts linked to the construction of the Royal Navy's two Future Aircraft Carriers. "We are already cutting steel [on the carriers] - that to some degree closes our options," he adds.

Asked whether the UK will maintain its commitment to the delayed Airbus Military A400M transport, Ainsworth told Flight International: "Our industrial skills base is important to the future well-being of the armed forces. We have got to get that balance right."

This message reflects a section of the report that acknowledges the importance of international partnerships in developing military equipment. "There are operational, industrial and economic benefits from working with other countries on acquisition," it says. "However, such acquisition involves risks, constraints, and potentially costs."

The UK government and MoD also want to increase co-operation with their international allies. This process could allow its armed forces to increase specialisation in some areas of activity. A new defence review should also be conducted every parliament, the report suggests.

The MoD also published a parallel paper The Defence Strategy for Acquisition Reform, which outlines its intention to further improve the efficiency of its procurement practices.

Original Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/11/338273/german-army-ch-53ga-prototype-flies.html

**PICTURE IN THE LINK**


Defence
DATE:11/02/10
SOURCE:Flight International

German army CH-53GA prototype flies
By Craig Hoyle

Eurocopter has performed the first flight of a prototype Sikorsky CH-53GA transport helicopter for the German army.

Performed at the manufacturer's Donauwörth facility on 10 February, the event came three years after the award of an upgrade deal that will extend operations of the type from 6,000 to 10,000 flight hours, or until 2030.

The CH-53GA, which features new flight control, avionics, communication and navigation equipment, plus long-range auxiliary fuel tanks and replacement self-protection systems, is eventually expected to be used to support German forces serving in Afghanistan.

Eurocopter says production work to modify the army's current CH-53Gs will start in Donauwörth in 2011, with "the first helicopters made available to the German army before the end of 2011". Modification work under the 40-aircraft project will conclude during 2013, it adds.

Flightglobal's HeliCAS database says the German army has an active fleet of 91 CH-53G/GS helicopters, with these having been delivered between 1968 and 1973.

ian_m

http://www.livemint.com/2010/02/10000542/Air-India-to-consider-Dublin-f.html

New Delhi: India and Ireland are likely to expand their air services pact to allow their flag carriers—Air India and Aer Lingus, respectively—to start flying to the two countries, said a civil aviation ministry official familiar with the development.

The move comes as Air India is set to consider Ireland’s Dublin airport as a potential new hub in Europe for its one-stop flights between India and the US, he said.

Air India, run by National Aviation Co. of India Ltd, has been scouting for an airport in Europe that’s cheaper to operate than its current hub in Frankfurt, Germany.

The airline’s chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav and senior civil aviation ministry officials will inspect the airport in the Irish capital this fortnight, the ministry official said.

The airports at Copenhagen, Denmark and Vienna, Austria are also likely hubs. But Dublin offers an advantage as the only European airport where passengers can clear immigration for the US, and avoid long queues at congested airports such as New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Another ministry official said it was too early to take a decision on moving to a new hub in Europe, given that Air India is fighting for a government bailout to remain afloat.

Questions sent by email to Dublin Airport Authority Plc., which manages Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports in Ireland, remained unanswered.

A London-based aviation analyst said the facility of US immigration clearance was drawing even European airlines to Dublin.

“British Airways(BA) recently started an all-business A318 service from London City Airport to New York JFK with a fuel stop in Dublin on the outbound only,” he said.

“BA has added the benefit of pre-clearing US immigration in a dedicated queue, so the stop actually doesn’t delay passengers, particularly non-US passport holders, as it can take up to an hour to clear immigration in JFK,” the analyst said. He too didn’t want to be named.

Besides Ireland’s Dublin and Shannon airports, only some Canadian and Caribbean airports offer US immigration clearance outside US territory.

The analyst, however, said Air India needs to look at its options carefully “as there is no India-Ireland traffic”.

Though airports like Frankfurt charge a higher fee, they attract more business class fliers, which can partly offset the costs for a carrier, he added.

“It would be better to stop/hub in Manchester or Birmingham (both in the UK), where there are sizeable Indian communities,” he said. “The catchment area of these cities is also much larger.”