IRON EAGLE

United States and Israel close to deal on F-35 fighters

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:40:00 +0000

The United States and Israel are days away from reaching an agreement on the sale of 19 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets, which would be the first foreign military sale of the new warplane.srael would be the first foreign country to sign an agreement to buy the F-35 outside the eight international partners that have helped develop the plane.The deal has been in negotiations since September 2008, when the Pentagon first approved the sale of 25 fighters with an option for 50 more in coming years.

Pakistan seeks buyers for JF-17 Thunder jets

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:32:00 +0000

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is looking for buyers for the JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter jets it has co-produced with China.

An official told Dawn on Saturday that funds generated through the sale of the combat aircraft would be used in efforts to modernise Pakistan Air Force which was already emerging as a potent outfit with the recent induction of force multipliers.

He said that besides Turkey, some countries of the Middle East and Africa were taking keen interest in acquisition of the aircraft.

He said that two JF-17 Thunder aircraft of the PAF, manufactured at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra, had flown to the United Kingdom to participate in the forthcoming Farnborough Air Show 2010, scheduled to be held between July 19 and 25.

Read more

Seoul seeks to make own jets, choppers

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:01:00 +0000

The government yesterday said it had finalized plans to start exploratory development of home-grown fighter jets and light attack helicopters next year.

The decision marks South Korea's aspirations to indigenously develop such aircraft, instead of mostly relying on imports as it has done so far.

The plans were announced following a meeting of related ministries including the Defense Ministry, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration yesterday.

"These are part of government's hopes to bolster the country's aircraft industry to globally competitive levels by 2020," DAPA spokesman Kim Young-san said in a press briefing.

The programs also are necessary to replace the country's aging jets and helicopters.

The fighter jet project will be pursued under the name of KF-X in aim to build around 120 jets, while the helicopters would be developed under the KAH program, aiming to manufacture more than 200 units.

The projects will be based in Seoul, but technological support from leading foreign aircraft makers will be necessary, DAPA said.

For the KF-X program, about 40 percent of the funds and technology will come from overseas.

Seoul also will continue to pursue plans to introduce bigger, high-end jets and helicopters from foreign manufacturers as the government believes it would be too costly and unnecessary to try and produce the entire spectrum indigenously.

The third phase of the FX program for securing next generation fighter jets is set to commence next year with foreign bidders. Seoul also plans for acquiring Apache attack helicopters from the United States.

"The airforce will be a mix of high- and middle-end jets and helicopters, with the more sophisticated models being imported while South Korea focuses on developing the middle or lower-end models," said one military source.

Exploratory development is a process prior to the actual development to explore the feasibility of acquisition programs.

Expected to last about two years for both the KF-X and KAH programs, the process will cost 44 billion won ($38.7 million) and 19.2 billion won each.

Another 5 trillion won will be needed for the jets when actual development starts, while the choppers will need about 600 billion won. The entire process before production is actually possible is expected to take up to a decade.

The budget, however, will be the big factor for pushing through with the acquisition plans.

The National Assembly's defense committee last year did not earmark the 1.4 billion won and 3 billion won it requested for the exploratory development of the KF-X and KAH, respectively.

The funds, however, may be doled out next year now that the Ministry of Knowledge Economy is also pursuing the projects.

Vietnam orders Russian submarines, fighter jets

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:15:00 +0000

(AP)

HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam has ordered submarines and fighter jets from Russia, its former communist ally, the government announced Wednesday, in a deal reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The agreement was made Tuesday during a visit to Moscow by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Vietnam's government said on its official Web site.

Vietnam also invited Russia to help build its first nuclear power plant, the Web site said, providing no further details. Vietnam hopes to begin construction of the plant in 2014 and put it on line by 2020.

Vietnamese officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Russia's Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed Defense Ministry official as saying Russia will sell Vietnam six diesel-electric "Project 636" Varshavyanka submarines for a total of $2 billion. The submarines are also known by their NATO nickname, "Kilos."

Interfax also quoted an unidentified Russian official as saying that Vietnam would purchase 12 more Sukhoi Su-30MK2 fighter jets for $600 million, in addition to eight others it has already ordered.

Russian Defense Ministry officials could not be reached Wednesday for comment on the report.

Several Vietnamese lawmakers have recently called for the modernization of Vietnam's modest navy. The deal comes amid rising tensions between Vietnam and China over the Spratly and Paracel islands in the South China Sea.

Both Vietnam and China claim the island chains. Several other Asian countries also claim part or all of the Spratlys.

In October, Vietnam demanded China investigate alleged beatings and robbery by armed Chinese personnel of Vietnamese fishermen who sought shelter on the Paracels during a typhoon.

Malaysia Seeks China's Logistic Support For Sukhoi Fighters

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:32:00 +0000

On July 20th 2004, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that Malaysia had agreed in principle to purchase the KS-1 medium-range SAM and the FN-6 MANPAD. The precise price of the deal was not released, but according to Professor Wang Bingyan, the president of the CPMIEC, China had offered the KS-1A transaction on "flexible payment terms, including counter-trade, barter and deferred payments." (here) . Besides a military hardware transfer, the deal laid the foundation for further Sino-Malaysian defense relations. In late 2008, 16 missile launchers were delivered to Malaysia's Royal Artillery Regiment, but there was no indication what type of missiles they were.

In addition to the KS-1/FN-6 deal, Malaysia also imported a large number of Baktar-Shikans (HJ-8 ATGMs) via Pakistan in 2004 for its Royal Armoured Corps.

The small injection of the Chinese arms is unlikely to change the regional balance of power, especially with Malaysia's military dynamic with Singapore.

RMAF Seeks China's Logistic Support For Sukhoi Fighters
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=452966

By Vincent Low

BEIJING, Nov 6 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is strengthening its military air ties with China and has sought the assistance of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in maintenance and logistics support for Malaysia's fleet of Sukhoi SU-30 fighter jets.

Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) chief Jeneral Datuk Seri Rodzali Daud said Malaysia was also looking into acquiring some Chinese military ware.

"China had risen to become the superpower of the region and is advanced in its technology as well and our relationship with China is getting better and better," Jen Rodzali told Bernama Friday.

"They can help us in many areas, like for parts and maintenance of the SU-30. In fact, Malaysia is also looking into some of the Chinese military products."

The RMAF has 18 Russian made SU-30 fighter jets while China also has large numbers of Russian made fighter jets including the Sukhoi SU-30.

Jen Rodzali was among the air force chiefs from 34 countries invited for a two-day international forum starting today in conjunction with the PLA Air Force (PLAF) 60th anniversary.

He met his Chinese counterpart, General Xu Qiliang, at the PLAF headquarters on Thursday night.

Jen Rodzali said the RMAF would strengthen cooperation with the PLAF and in the past had participated in the exchange of personnel and regional security information.

At least six Malaysian military personnel were attached to China's Defence University and Staff College and China has agreed to send its first student to the Malaysia Defence College next year.

The RMAF delegation will attend a PLAF Air Show and Air Force equipment exhibition at Shahe Airfield near here on Saturday before visiting the PLAF Museum on Sunday.

The group will also visit Jining Airfield in eastern Shandong province on Monday to witness an exhibition of China-made fighter jets before returning to Kuala Lumpur.

-- BERNAMA

FTC-2000 Mountain Eagle To Indonesia?

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:05:00 +0000

While it is difficult to believe but Indonesia prefers the FTC-2000 Mountain Eagle over the proven K-8 jet trainer. If the deal is finalized, it will mark Indonesia as the first export customer of the FTC-2000.

Indonesia will purchase new trainer/light attack aircraft from Russia and China as part of an effort to revitalize its primary defense system, says newly sworn-in Air Force chief of staff Vice Marshal Imam Safaat.

He said the new jets, consisting the Yak-130 from Russia and the FTC-2000 Mountain Eagle from China, would replace the squadrons of British Hawk Mk-53 jets and American OV-10 Bronco.

The Air Force has 20 Hawk Mk-53, and eight turboprop-driven OV-10 Bronco aircraft that are around 30 years old.

“We plan to replace them in the next couple of years. We have done feasibility studies for the purchases, and will propose them to the government soon,” Imam said after the handover ceremony at Halim Perdanakusumah Air Force Base in East Jakarta. Imam replaced Marshal Subandrio.

It would be the first time Indonesia purchases warplanes from China and the second from Russia after the United States embargoed the supply of spare parts for its F-5E Tiger II and F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighters and C-130 Hercules transport planes in 1999 due to human rights abuses mainly East Timor.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman, Rear Marshal Sagom Tamboen said the reshuffle in the Air Force leadership was conducted to improve its professionalism through the regeneration of leaders.

Sagom added the new Air Force chief was assigned to boost the country’s air defense system by increasing the quality of aircraft and equipment.

“It is our mission to reduce accidents during training and operational work conducted by Air Force personnel to zero,” he said.

Iman said the military aircraft had to be replaced soon because the Air Force had used the existing planes for more than 30 years.

Imam said further that the Indonesian Military had also planned to replace the old F-5E Tiger II jets.
“We expect to replace them by 2013,” he told The Jakarta Post.

Imam declined to mention the prices of the new aircraft, saying he had not yet discussed it with the government.

“They are expensive,” he said, adding the aircraft would be purchased using foreign aid.

Indonesia bought three Sukhoi fighter jets in February this year to strengthen aerial defense following a series of deadly accidents caused by outdated military aircraft.

The country now has seven Sukhoi-type fighters, all of which were purchased from Russia through a credit scheme. Three more are expected later this year.

Indonesia purchased the seven fighter jets from Russia through the seven-year credit scheme at a total price of US$335 million, but does not have to start making payments for five years.

TNI chief Gen. Djoko Santoso said the Air Force would focus on increasing the operational quality of its basic equipment and maintenance.

“That includes the improvement of the Air Force’s radar systems and air control power,” he said.

Sagom said the Air Force would also focus on improving personnel welfare, despite its limited budget, in addition to increasing safety standards for its primary weaponry defense system.

Sagom added that 70 percent of the Air Force’s budget was geared toward the welfare of personnel. The other 30 percent was for the maintenance of equipment and spare parts.

He said the Air Force budget was expected to increase to between Rp 5 trillion ($531.6 million) and Rp 7 trillion next year, up from Rp 4 trillion this year. (nia)

Pakistan-China in $1.4 billion fighter jet deal

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:24:00 +0000

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: China has agreed to sell Pakistan at least 36 advanced fighter jets in a landmark deal worth as much as $1.4bn, Pakistani and western officials said on Tuesday.

China will supply two squadrons of J-10 fighter planes in a preliminary agreement, which could lead to further sales in future, a Pakistani official said.

The official added that Pakistan might buy “larger numbers” of the planes in the future, but denied reports that Pakistan had agreed to buy 150 jets.

Experts describe the agreement as a “landmark” in Pak-China relations.

“The agreement should not simply be seen in the narrow context of Pakistan’s relations with China,” said Abdul Qayyum, a retired Pakistani general. “There is a wider dimension. By sharing its advanced technology with Pakistan, China is ... also saying to the world that its defence capability is growing rapidly.”

China has supplied Pakistan with fighter jets for more than three decades. Experts said the sales would be evidence of China looking to expand its military power. “Countries like Iran and possibly some of the Middle Eastern countries would be keen to deal with China,” said one western official in Islamabad.

Parliament: MiG-29s to be phased out by end-2010

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:05:00 +0000

KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysian Air Force’s (RMAF) MiG-29 fighter jets will be gradually phased out and replaced by new interceptor aircraft by Dec 31 2010 due to rising operational and maintenance costs, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

He said replacement aircraft was needed due to increasing maintenence costs and that the MiG-29s were nearing their lifespan limit of 10 years. Two such aircraft had also crashed in 1998 and 2005.

Zahid said only 10 MiG-29s will be used for airspace defence and this will be reduced to six aircraft until December next year.

“The Government will save RM260mil per year in maintenance costs and these savings will be used to maintain other types of aircraft in the RMAF inventory,” he told Datuk Abd Rahman Dahlan (BN-Kota Belud).

Abd Rahman also asked why Malaysia had bought the MiG-29s.

“Malaysia bought the MiG-29s at a relatively low price, but later on the RMAF had to contend with higher expenses in spare parts replacement and maintenence work,” he added.

Zahid replied that when Malaysia bought 18 MiG-29 aircraft in 1993, the jet was considered the most capable and versatile fighter aircraft that could be obtained at the time.

He also said that each MiG-29 needed to undergo preventive and restoration work which cost RM10mil and RM7mil for engine overhaul every year after it completes a flight time of between 1,000 hours and 4,000 hours.

“The MiG-29s will be replaced by 18 Russian-made Sukhoi SU30MKM fighter jets which the Government had just acquired,” he added.

Later, at the Parliament lobby, Zahid the cost to maintain the MiGs was too high because the jets also needed to be sent to Russia for overhaul work.

Zahid said many countries have also moved towards obtaining fighter jets with multi-role combat capabilities.

“We are assessing whether to get the new jets from the United States, France, Sweden or Britain. The purchase will also depend on the country’s economic recovery,” he added.

2 F-16 Fighter Jets Collide off Coast of South Carolina

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:31:00 +0000

Two F-16 jets of the US Airforce have collided just minutes ago near the coast of South Carolina. One of the F-16 fighter planes has successfully landed at Charleston Air Force Base with severe damage while the 2nd plane is still missing along with the pilot.

Amazing that the other plane was able to go back to the base, although from what we hear the plane was pretty much ruined as could be expected.

A search is currently underway. Coast Guard News just updated that one of the planes is down in the Atlantic Ocean and there is no news of the pilot for now as rescue team are deployed near the collision spot.

The Incident occurred at approx 8:30PM and occurred 30 miles off the coast of Charleston

Currently there is an HH-65C Dolphin Helicopter, the Coast Guard Cutter, Yellowfin, and several small boats assisting with the search.

This is what's happens everyday and ever!!...

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:24:00 +0000

Keep forwarding this..Let people know what happens there.

Helping ladies across the street

Providing Childcare

Allowing them a place to rest (permanently)

Access to Health care.

Construction projects (demolition)

Senate approves $636B Pentagon bill

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:39:00 +0000

By Walter Alarkon and Roxana Tiron - 10/06/09 08:01 PM ET

The Senate on Tuesday approved a $636 billion Pentagon spending bill after defeating repeated efforts by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to slash funding for the C-17 cargo aircraft.

The bill funds military operations for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1. The legislation will now move to a conference with the House, which passed its version in July.

The bill heeds several budget recommendations made by the Obama administration on high-profile defense programs. The Senate decided not to fund additional Lockheed Martin F-22 fighter jets, and refrained from adding funds for a second engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), a supporter of the second engine, left the door open for restoring funds for the engine in conference negotiations with the House, which added funds. Additionally, the Senate, unlike the House, decided against breathing life into the now-defunct VH-71 presidential helicopter program.

McCain had attacked the C-17 as wasteful spending, targeting $2.5 billion for 10 new C-17 Boeing aircraft. The Obama administration said the additional planes were not needed.

A McCain amendment that would have stripped the money failed on a 30-68 vote. A similar motion by McCain failed last week by a 34-64 vote.McCain, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, voted against the bill.

McCain had called on the president to threaten to veto the spending bill if it included C-17 money just as he had done with a Defense authorization bill in July that included cash for F-22 fighter jets that the Pentagon said were unnecessary.

But Obama, who expended political capital and become closely involved in some fights over defense spending, did not personally threaten to veto defense bills over funding for the C-17s.

Obama had backed more investment in the military cargo planes as a presidential candidate last year, but he shifted to the other side of the debate after becoming president. His administration, in particular Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the White House Office of Management and Budget, pressed against additional congressional funding for the cargo planes and other programs they saw as wasteful. The Pentagon did not request any funding for the planes in its 2010 budget request.

McCain teamed with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) to offer a number of amendments aimed at cutting down earmarks that added up to $2.65 billion of the bill. But the Senate knocked down all of their amendments. Appropriators argued that directing spending to specific projects was Congress's privilege as branch of government equal to the executive branch.

“I welcome any constructive suggestions on how to improve the operations and efficiency in which the committee accomplishes its vital work,” said Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) in response to one amendment. "However, those suggestions should not compromise the constitutional principle that the power of the purse is invested in the Congress."

The Senate adopted an amendment sponsored by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) that would block defense contractors from forcing employees suing for sexual assault or discrimination into arbitration. The amendment was a response to employees of Halliburton and KBR who weren't able to sue their employers because they had contracts required their claims go to arbitration.

The Senate agreed on an amendment sponsored by National Guard supporters Sens. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). Their amendment prohibits the Air Force from retiring tactical aircraft until the secretary of the Air Force explains to Congress how it plans to fill the gaps that would result. National Guard supporters fear that the retirements would deplete National Guard units until they are able to receive new aircraft, in particular the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Islamabad's Closest Ally

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:42:00 +0000

A rousing military parade by the Chinese armed forces on Thursday in central Beijing to celebrate the country’s 60th anniversary may have evoked interest among regular China watchers worldwide. The event, however, also carried special significance for Pakistan.
Almost two decades after Pakistan was slapped with punitive US sanctions in 1990 under Washington’s so-called Pressler amendment, which targeted the country over suspicions about a clandestine nuclear weapons programme, Islamabad’s decision to seek closer military ties with Beijing has proven to be a well-considered strategy.
The two countries have forged close ties over the past four decades since Pakistan experienced the first round of US sanctions in the 1960s, following a major conflict with India. With China itself witnessing a period of reforms which saw it taking on the mantle of a major global power, the bilateral relationship benefited all the more.
In the military sphere, China’s progress has been of particular benefit to Pakistan given the big leap made by China in economic and technological terms. In the next month or so, the first batch of ‘Made in Pakistan’ JF-17 ‘Thunder’ fighter jets – built in cooperation with China – will formally roll out. This will come after the recent induction of the first of four frigates purchased by the Pakistan navy from China. Additionally, a Chinese-built airborne early warning system will be delivered in just over a year, while negotiations continue between the two sides on Pakistan’s plans to purchase the Chinese FC-20 – one of the most sophisticated fighter planes thus far produced by China.
A day ahead of the Beijing military parade, Pakistanis were reminded once again of China’s military support as the navy began inducting a batch of new Chinese helicopters specifically built for anti-submarine operations. This marks a new start in an area where Pakistan feels it is vulnerable. Taken together, all these developments underline China’s standing as an indispensable strategic ally for Pakistan.
While the history and present-day context of Pakistan-China defence relations is promising, there are indeed important steps which need to be taken by Pakistan to further secure its ties with China.
In recent years, much publicity has been given to Chinese concerns over activities of Uighur separatists operating out of China’s predominantly Muslim Xinjiang region, which lies alongside Pakistan’s northern border. In the past, China has quietly complained to Pakistan over Islamist militants on its side building bridges with extremists on the Pakistani side. On the positive side, Pakistan’s ruling establishment, including its military leadership, appears determined to come down hard on any groups suspected to be harming Beijing’s interests. However, it is vital that any groups on the Pakistani side which at any given point of time may have conspired to foment unrest in Xinjiang be dealt with firmly. Islamabad’s ties with Beijing are much too vital to succumb to the whims of ideologically charged groups.
At the same time, Pakistan also needs to urgently review other areas where cooperation with China can be scaled up. In recent years, China’s decision to finance the construction of Pakistan’s newest deep-sea port in Gwadar, in the southwestern Balochistan province, has laid the foundation for engineering an economic turnaround in that region. This initiative however needs to be consolidated further by developing communication infrastructure to promote trade interests. Gwadar will achieve full capacity only when China is able to use it to further its commercial interests in the Middle East.
Last but not least, relations between a cross-section of communities in the two countries – ranging from business people to students – needs to be radically improved. All these initiatives will help secure a future relationship that will not be limited only to the sharing of military hardware.
The impressive parade in Beijing provided an insight into China’s military preparedness as one of the world’s fastest emerging powers. But behind this achievement lies China’s fast-paced economic progress, an aspect of far greater relevance to Pakistan than any other area of shared interest since the two sides began looking upon each other as allies.

Russia tests fighter jets before delivery to India

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:41:00 +0000

Russia’s MiG aircraft maker said it has successfully tested four MiG-29 jets due to be delivered to India.

“During the tests Sep 28-29, the MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB fighters conducted several take offs and landings on the deck of the (Admiral Kuznetsov) aircraft carrier in the Barents Sea,” the company said Tuesday. Admiral Kuznetsov is the only aircraft carrier in the Russian Navy.

Russia and New Delhi signed a contract Jan 20, 2004, stipulating the supply of 12 single-seat MiG-29Ks and four two-seat MiG-29KUBs to India as part of a $1.5 billion deal to deliver the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, currently being retrofitted in Russia for the Indian Navy.

The aircraft were earlier inspected by Indian technical experts and also used in a five-month flight-training course for the Indian pilots. The aircraft are expected to be delivered to India in mid-October.

Meanwhile, Russia has pledged to finish the overhaul of Admiral Gorshkov by 2012 if additional $1.2 billion funding is provided by New Delhi. After modernisation, the carrier will join the Indian Navy as INS Vikramaditya, and is expected to be seaworthy for 30 years.

Warning light forces F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet to land

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:47:00 +0000

YAKIMA, Wash. — A military fighter jet made an emergency landing at the Yakima airport Thursday night after a cockpit warning light activated, city firefighters say.

The plane — an F/A-18, known as the Hornet — landed safely about 9:30 p.m. as airport fire crews stood by, Battalion Chief Abel Castilleja said.

A repair crew from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island started checking out the plane this morning. The warning light may have been related to the cooling system, officials said.

Castilleja said the plane was flying out of Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.

The base is hosting air combat training this month with units from across the United States and Canada.

The Hornet is typically flown by the Navy and Marine Corps.

Black Sea Crisis Deepens As Threat To Iran Grows

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:53:00 +0000

Tensions are mounting in the Black Sea with the threat of another conflict between U.S. and NATO client state Georgia and Russia as Washington is manifesting plans for possible military strikes against Iran in both word and deed.

Referring to Georgia having recently impounded several vessels off the Black Sea coast of Abkhazia, reportedly 23 in total this year, the New York Times wrote on September 9 that “Rising tensions between Russia and Georgia over shipping rights to a breakaway Georgian region have opened a potential new theater for conflict between the countries, a little more than a year after they went to war.” [1]

Abkhazian President Sergei Bagapsh ordered his nation’s navy to respond to Georgia’s forceful seizure of civilian ships in neutral waters, calling such actions what they are – piracy – by confronting and if need be sinking Georgian navy and coast guard vessels. The Georgian and navy and coast guard are trained by the United States and NATO.

The spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry addressed the dangers inherent in Georgia’s latest provocations by warning “They risk aggravating the military and political situation in the region and could result in serious armed incidents.” [2]

On September 15 Russia announced that its “border guards will detain all vessels that violate Abkhazia’s maritime border….” [3]

Russia would be not only entitled but obligated to provide such assistance to neighboring Abkhazia as “Under mutual assistance treaties signed last November, Russia pledged to help Abkhazia and South Ossetia protect their borders, and the signatories granted each other the right to set up military bases in their respective territories.” [4]

In attempting to enforce a naval blockade – the International Criminal Court plans to include blockades against coasts and ports in its list of acts of war this year [5] – against Abkhazia, the current Georgian regime of Mikheil Saakashvili is fully aware that Russia is compelled by treaty and national interests alike to respond. Having been roundly defeated in its last skirmish with Russia, the five-day war in August of last year, Tbilisi would never risk actions like its current ones without a guarantee of backing from the U.S. and NATO.

Days after last year’s war ended then U.S. Senator and now Vice President Joseph Biden flew into the Georgian capital to pledge $1 billion in assistance to the nation, making Georgia the third largest recipient of American foreign aid after Egypt and Israel.

U.S. and NATO warships poured into the Black Sea in August of 2008 and American ships visited the Georgia port cities of Batumi and Poti to deliver what Washington described as civilian aid but which Russian sources suspected contained replacements for military equipment lost in the conflict.

Less than a month after the war ended NATO sent a delegation to Georgia to “evaluate damage to military infrastructure following a five-day war between Moscow and Tbilisi….” [6]

In December a meeting of NATO foreign ministers agreed upon a special Annual National Program for Georgia and in the same month Washington announced the creation of the United States-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership.

In the past week a top-level delegation of NATO defense and logistics experts visited Georgia on September 9 “to promote the development of the Georgian Armed Forces” [7] and on September 14 high-ranking officials of the U.S. George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies arrived at the headquarters of the Georgian Ministry of Defense “to review issues of interdepartmental coordination in the course of security sector management and national security revision.” [8]

The ongoing military integration of Georgia and neighboring Azerbaijan, which also borders Iran – Washington’s Georgetown University is holding a conference on Strategic Partnership between U.S. and Azerbaijan: Bilateral and Regional Criteria on September 18 – by the Pentagon and NATO is integrally connected with general military plans in the Black Sea and the Caucasus regions as a whole and, even more ominously, with joint war plans against Iran.

As early as January of 2007 reports on that score surfaced in Bulgarian and Romanian news sources. Novinite (Sofia News Agency) reported that the Pentagon “could be using its two air force bases in Bulgaria and one on Romania’s Black Sea coast to launch an attack on Iran….” [9]

The bases are the Bezmer and Graf Ignitievo airbases in Bulgaria and the Mihail Kogalniceanu counterpart near the Romanian city of Constanza on the Black Sea.

The Pentagon has seven new bases altogether in Bulgaria and Romania and in addition to stationing warplanes – F-15s, F-16s and A-10 Thunderbolts – has 3,000-5,000 troops deployed in the two nations at any given time, and Washington established its Joint Task Force-East (JTF-East) permanent headquarters at the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase in Romania.

A U.S. government website provides these details about Joint Task Force-East:

“All U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force training operations in Romania and Bulgaria will fall under the command of JTF–East, which in turn is under the command of USEUCOM [United States European Command]. Physically located in Romania and Bulgaria, JTF East will include a small permanent headquarters (in Romania) consisting of approximately 100-300 personnel who will oversee rotations of U.S. Army brigade-sized units and U.S. Air Force Weapons Training Deployments (WTD). Access to Romanian and Bulgarian air and ground training facilities will provide JTF-East forces the opportunity to train and interact with military forces throughout the entire 92-country USEUCOM area of responsibility. U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) and U.S Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) are actively involved in establishing JTF-East.” [10]

The four military bases in Romania and three in Bulgaria that the Pentagon and NATO have gained indefinite access to since the two nations were incorporated into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2004 allow for full spectrum operations: Infantry deployments in the area and downrange to Afghanistan and Iraq, runways for bombers and fighter jets, docking facilities for American and NATO warships including Aegis class interceptor missile vessels, training grounds for Western special forces and for foreign armed forces being integrated into NATO.

Added to bases and troops provided by Turkey and Georgia – and in the future Ukraine – the Bulgarian and Romanian sites are an integral component of plans by the U.S. and its allies to transform the Black Sea into NATO territory with only the Russian coastline not controlled by the Alliance. And that of newly independent Abkhazia, which makes control of that country so vital.

Last week the Romanian defense ministry announced the intention to acquire between 48 and 54 new generation fighter jets – American F-16s and F-35s have been mentioned – as part of “a new strategy for buying multi-role aircraft, which means to first buy aircraft to make the transition to fifth generation equipment, over the coming 10-12 years.” [11]

With the recent change in government in the former Soviet republic of Moldova – the aftermath of this April’s violent “Twitter Revolution” – the new parliamentary speaker, Mihai Ghimpu, has openly spoken of the nation merging with, which is to say being absorbed by, neighboring Romania. Transdniester [the Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic] broke away from Moldova in 1990 exactly because of the threat of being pulled into Romania and fighting ensued which cost the lives of some 1,500 persons.

Romania is now a member of NATO and should civil war erupt in Moldova and/or fighting flare up between Moldova and Transdniester and Romania sends troops – all but a certainty – NATO can activate its Article 5 military clause to intervene. There are 1,200 Russian peacekeepers in Transdniester.

Transdniester’s neighbor to its east is Ukraine, linked with Moldova through the U.S.-concocted GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova) bloc, which has been collaborating in enforcing a land blockade against Transdniester. Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko, whose poll ratings are currently in the low single digits, is hellbent on dragging his nation into NATO against overwhelming domestic opposition and can be counted on to attack Transdniester from the eastern end if a conflict breaks out.

A Moldovan news source last week quoted an opposition leader issuing this dire warning:

“Moldova’s ethnic minorities are categorically against unification with Romania.

“If we, those who are not ethnic Moldovans, will have to defend Moldova’s
statehood, then we will find powerful allies outside Moldova, including in Russia. Along with it, Ukraine, Turkey and Bulgaria would be involved in this fighting. Last year we all witnessed how Russia defended the interests of its nationals in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Why does somebody believe that in case of a civil war in Moldova Russia will simply watch how its nationals are dying? Our task is to prevent such developments.” [12]

Indeed, the entire Black Sea and Caucasus regions could go up in flames if Western proxies in GUAM attack any of the so-called frozen conflict nations – Abkhazia and South Ossetia by Georgia, Nagorno Karabakh by Azerbaijan and Transdniester by Moldova and Ukraine. A likely possibility is that all four would be attacked simultaneously and in unison.

An opportunity for that happening would be a concentrated attack on Iran, which borders Azerbaijan and Armenia. The latter, being the protector of Nagorno Karabakh, would immediately become a belligerent if Azerbaijan began military hostilities against Karabakh.

On September 15 news stories revealed that the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, DC, founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell, had released a report which in part stated, “If biting sanctions do not persuade the Islamic Republic to demonstrate sincerity in negotiations and give up its enrichment activities, the White House will have to begin serious consideration of the option of a U.S.-led military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.” [13]

The report was authored by Charles Robb, a former Democratic senator from
Virginia, Daniel Coats, former Republican senator from Indiana, and retired General Charles Wald, a former deputy commander of the U.S. European Command.

Iran is to be given 60 days to in essence abandon its civilian nuclear power program and if it doesn’t capitulate the Obama administration should “prepare overtly for any military option” which would include “deploying an additional aircraft carrier battle group to the waters off Iran and conducting joint exercises with U.S. allies.” [14]

The main Iranian nuclear reactor is being constructed at Bushehr and would be a main target of any U.S. and Israeli bombing and missile attacks. As of 2006 there were 3,700 Russian experts and technicians – and their families – living in the environs of the facility.

It has been assumed for the past eight years that a military attack on Iran would be launched by the United States from aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf and by long-range Israeli bombers flying over Iraq and Turkey.

During that period the U.S. and its NATO allies have also acquired access to airbases in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan (in Baluchistan, bordering Iran), Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in addition to those they already have in Turkey.

Washington and Brussels have also expanded their military presence into Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania on the Black Sea and into Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea bordering northeastern Iran.

Plans for massive military aggression against Iran, then, might include air and missile strikes from locations much nearer the nation than previously suspected.

The American Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced plans last week to supply Turkey, the only NATO member state bordering Iran, with almost $8 billion dollars worth of theater interceptor missiles, of the upgraded and longer-range PAC-3 (Patriot Advance Capability-3) model. The project includes delivering almost 300 Patriots for deployment at twelve command posts inside Turkey.

In June the Turkish government confirmed that NATO AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) planes would be deployed in its Konya province.

The last time AWACS and Patriot missiles were sent to Turkey was in late 2002 and early 2003 in preparation for the invasion of Iraq.

On September 15 the newspaper of the U.S. armed forces, Stars and Stripes, ran an article titled “U.S., Israeli forces to test missile defense while Iran simmers,” which included these details on the biannual Juniper Cobra war games:

“Some 1,000 U.S. European Command troops will soon deploy to Israel for a large-scale missile defense exercise with Israeli forces.

“This year’s Juniper Cobra comes at a time of continued concern about Iran’s nuclear program, which will be the subject of talks in October.

“The U.S. troops, from all four branches of service, will work alongside an equal number of Israel Defense Force personnel, taking part in computer-simulated war games….Juniper Cobra will test a variety of air and missile defense technology during next month’s exercise, including the U.S.-controlled X-Band.” [15]

The same feature documented that this month’s exercise is the culmination of months of buildup.

“In April, about 100 Europe-based personnel took part in a missile defense exercise that for the first time incorporated a U.S.-owned radar system, which was deployed to the country in October 2008. The U.S. X-Band radar is intended to give Israel early warning in the event of a missile launch from Iran.

“For nearly a year, a mix of troops and U.S. Defense Department contractors have been managing the day-to-day operation of the X-Band, which is situated at Nevatim air base in the Negev Desert.” [16]

The same publication revealed two days earlier that the Pentagon conducted a large-scale counterinsurgency exercise with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade last week in Germany, “the largest such exercise ever held by the U.S. military outside of the United States….” [17] The two units are scheduled for deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively, but could be diverted to Iran, which has borders with both nations, should need arise.

What the role of Black Sea NATO states and clients could be in a multinational, multi-vectored assault on Iran was indicated in the aftermath of last year’s Georgian-Russian war.

At a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels a year ago, Russian ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin “said that Russian intelligence had obtained information indicating that the Georgian military infrastructure could be used for logistical support of U.S. troops if they launched an attack on Iran.” [18]

Rogozin was further quoted as saying, “What NATO is doing now in Georgia is restoring its ability to monitor its airspace, in other words restoring the whole locator system and an anti-missile defence system which were destroyed by Russian artillery.

“[The restoration of surveillance systems and airbases in Georgia is being] done for logistic support of some air operations either of the Alliance as a whole or of the United States in particular in this region. The swift reconstruction of the airfields and all the systems proves that some air operation is being planned against another country which is located not far from Georgia….” [19]

Early last October Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security
Council “described the U.S. and NATO policy of increasing their military presence in Eastern Europe as seeking strategic military superiority over Russia.

“The official added that the United States would need allies in the region if the country decided to attack Iran.” [20]

Patrushev stated, “If it decides to carry out missile and bomb attacks
against Iran, the US will need loyal allies. And if Georgia is involved in this war, this will pose additional threats to Russia’s national security.” [21]

Later last October an Azerbaijani website reported that 100 Iranian Air Force jets were exercising near the nation’s border and that “military sources from the United States reported that territories in Azerbaijan and in Georgia may be used for attacking Iran….” [22]

Writing in The Hindu the same month Indian journalist Atul Aneja wrote of the effects of the Georgian-Russian war of the preceding August and offered this information:

“Russia’s military assertion in Georgia and a show of strength in parts of West Asia [Middle East], combined with domestic political and economic preoccupations in Washington, appear to have forestalled the chances of an immediate strike against Iran.

“Following Russia’s movement into South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev acknowledged that Moscow was aware that serious plans to attack Iran had been laid out. ‘We know that certain players are planning an attack against Iran. But we oppose any unilateral step and [a] military solution to the nuclear crisis.’

“Russia seized control of two airfields in Georgia from where air strikes against Iran were being planned. The Russian forces also apparently recovered weapons and Israeli spy drones that would have been useful for the surveillance of possible Iranian targets.” [23]

The same newspaper, in quoting Dmitry Rogozin asserting that Russian military intelligence had captured documents proving Washington had launched “active military preparations on Georgia’s territory” for air strikes against Iran, added information on Israeli involvement:

“Israel had supplied Georgia with sophisticated Hermes 450 UAV spy drones, multiple rocket launchers and other military equipment that Georgia, as well as modernised Georgia’s Soviet-made tanks that were used in the attack against South Ossetia. Israeli instructors had also helped train Georgia troops.” [24]

Rather than viewing the wars of the past decade – against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq – and the concomitant expansion of U.S. and NATO military presence inside all three countries and in several others on their peripheries as an unrelated series of events, the trend must be seen for what it is: A consistent and calculated strategy of employing each successive war zone as a launching pad for new aggression.

The Pentagon has major military bases in Kosovo, in Afghanistan and in Iraq that it never intends to abandon. The U.S. and its NATO allies have bases in Bulgaria, Romania, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, Bahrain (where the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet is headquartered) and other nations in the vicinity of the last ten years’ wars which can be used for the next ten – or twenty or thirty – years’ conflicts.

by Rick Rozoff

IAF weighs cutting Joint Strike Fighters order from 25 to 20

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:56:00 +0000

The Defense Ministry has told the Pentagon that the Israeli Air Force may only purchase 20 Joint Strike Fighters - and not 25 as planned - if the price of the aircraft is significantly higher than $100 million, defense officials said this week.

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Photo: Courtesy

SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region | World

In a Letter of Request (LOR) which the Defense Ministry submitted in July, Israel asked the Pentagon to purchase 25 JSF F-35 stealth fighter jets, but officials said Tuesday that the target date of the beginning of 2010 for a contract would likely not be met.

Also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the F-35 will be one of the most-advanced fighter jets in the world and will, according to the IAF, significantly boost Israel's deterrence in the Middle East. The JSF is manufactured by Lockheed Martin.

Earlier this week, Defense Ministry Dir.-Gen. Pinchas Buhris met with heads of all the major Israeli defense industries and promised that he would continue working with the Americans in an effort to receive approval to integrate as much Israeli technology in the plane as possible.

One official who attended the meeting that discussions were held on the possibility that Israel will demand that 50 percent of the electronic technology on the plane be made here. In another move aimed at lowering the price of the aircraft, Israel has also told the Pentagon that it would consider downsizing its initial order if the price increased dramatically.

In the negotiations with the Pentagon, Israeli demands have focused on three issues - the integration of Israeli-made electronic warfare systems into the plane, the integration of Israeli communication systems and the ability to independently maintain the plane in the event of a technical or structural problem.

In an interview with Defense News earlier this summer, Buhris said: "We understand and appreciate American sensitivities and have adjusted our expectations of this aircraft accordingly. But the gap is still large, the price is still too high. It's unreasonable to expect us to compromise on critical operational needs."

The Israeli Air Force had initially hoped to sign a Letter of Agreement (LOA) in the coming months, but officials said that until the differences were resolved and a price was determined the contract would be postponed. If that happens, the arrival of the aircraft - initially slated for 2014 - would also be pushed off.

U.S. May Withdraw F-16 Fighter Jets From Misawa, Kyodo Reports

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. may withdraw about 40 F-16 fighters from Japan’s Misawa Air Base in Aomori prefecture beginning this year as part of a review of its defense strategy, Kyodo News reported.

The U.S. also told Japan in April it may remove some of the more than 50 F-15 fighters at its Kadena Air Base in Okinawa prefecture, Kyodo News reported, citing unidentified people.

The U.S. will discuss the proposed changes with the new government led by the Democratic Party of Japan, according to the report published today in the Japan Times.

Committee agrees to open door to possible F-22 exports

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 22:28:00 +0000

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted unanimously Thursday to approve an fiscal 2010 Defense spending bill that would allow the Defense Department to develop an export version of the radar-evading F-22 Raptor fighter jet.

While the committee bill, if enacted, would not repeal a decade-old law prohibiting foreign sales of the stealthy fighter, it would mark a significant step forward in opening up the Lockheed Martin Corp. jet to U.S. allies just as the plane's domestic production lines are winding down.

"It's a good next step," a Senate aide said of the F-22 provision in the $636.3 billion spending bill.

For years, lawmakers in both chambers have thwarted any effort to sell the F-22 overseas, arguing that exporting the advanced technologies in the fighter jet would pose a significant security risk. But proponents of exporting the plane argue that selling an export model of the F-22, stripped of secret U.S. technologies, would eliminate that risk.

House lawmakers approved a floor amendment to the fiscal 2007 Defense appropriations bill that would lift the ban. But export opponents in the House and Senate eliminated that provision during conference negotiations on the bill.

The Senate's language in the fiscal 2010 bill will likely meet stiff resistance from House appropriators -- especially Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., author of the 1998 ban on F-22 exports -- who continue to be concerned about the security implications of selling the F-22 abroad.

While the Senate bill maintains the export ban, it says the Defense Department "may conduct or participate in studies, research, design and other activities to define and develop an export version of the F-22A." The committee report accompanying the bill encourages the Air Force to use F-22 research and development funds to begin work on an export version of the fighter.

The House bill, which was approved in July, continues the ban and does not open the door to developing an exportable version of the fighter.

But the political landscape could be shifting a bit as domestic production of the F-22 comes to an end -- a development the program's supporters in Congress fear will lead to thousands of aerospace jobs lost in dozens of states.

Both the House and Senate already have approved versions of the fiscal 2010 defense authorization bill with language demanding the Pentagon report to Congress on the costs of developing an exportable version of the F-22 and any potential strategic implications.

Japan is considered the most likely customer for the F-22, particularly as North Korea continues its ballistic missile testing. South Korea, Australia and Israel have also have expressed interest in buying the plane despite a price tag that could top $150 million a jet.

The Senate is expected to take up the $636.3 billion Defense appropriations bill later this month.

Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., said Thursday that his goal is to wrap up conference negotiations with the House and send the bill to the president's desk by Oct. 1, the start of the next fiscal year.

Sarkozy to Brazil with fighter jet bid looming

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:54:00 +0000

PARIS — French President Nicolas Sarkozy left Sunday for Brazil with hopes of persuading officials there to choose French-made fighter jets in a hot competition with U.S. and Swedish rivals.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva invited Sarkozy to begin his two-day trip with dinner Sunday evening and as a special guest Monday to Brazil’s independence day celebrations, in which French Foreign Legion troops are to take part.

But the focus of Sarkozy’s visit — just weeks before the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh on Sept. 24-25 — was expected to be on economic issues, including industrial contracts up for grabs in Brazil’s promising market.

France wants first to step up defense ties, while boosting civilian sector trade over the longer term, an official with the French presidential palace said Friday.

Though no major trade deals were expected this week, France would back Dassault Aviation’s bid for the contract to build 36 fighter planes for Brazil’s air force, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of palace rules.

The deal would be key for Dassault, which has not yet had a foreign buyer for its Rafale.

The Rafale is one of three planes in competition for the Brazilian contract, along with Chicago-based Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornet and Saab’s Gripen NG.

Brazil’s air force has not given a price tag for the 36 jets, which it hopes to have delivered by 2014. But the private Agencia Estado news service said it could be between $2.2 billion and $2.5 billion. The total number of jets ordered could also increase up to 100.

Brazil is looking to modernize its air force and replace its current Mirage 2000, F-5M and A-1M fleet — though another priority is to achieve technology transfer and have some plane components produced at home.

“These talks are on the right track. We have a relationship of confidence,” Silva said in an interview broadcast Sunday on TV5 Monde television, referring to France. He said he would meet with the national defense chief and discuss the issue in coming days.

“For us, the purchase of this fighter plane has a sacred component for Brazil: technology transfer, and the possibility to produce some of this plane in Brazil,” he said in comments translated from Portuguese into French. A network spokesman said the interview was recorded Thursday.

French daily Le Monde, which participated in the interview, quoted the Brazilian leader as suggesting the French bid had a “comparative advantage” over those of its rivals.

“The country that will be best placed to meet our conditions will have the best chance — and you know which country that I’m talking about,” Silva was quoted in the paper’s Sunday-Monday edition as saying while reportedly smiling.

The Swedish-built Gripen is in service with the Swedish, Czech, Hungarian and South African air forces. Washington backs Boeing’s bid.

Brazil’s Senate on Thursday sealed a $8.7 billion (euro6.1 billion) arms and technology transfer deal signed in December in which France will help Brazil build 50 helicopters and Latin America’s first nuclear-propelled submarine.

Sarkozy, with a half-dozen government ministers in tow, will also press France’s case for contracts in aerospace and transportation — notably over a planned high-speed train line between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

The two leaders have put an emphasis on warm personal chemistry and France’s status as the only European Union member with a border with Brazil: French Guiana sits north of South America’s largest country.

Under Sarkozy, France also has backed efforts for Brazil to obtain a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.

Both countries have also shared grief over the loss in June of Air France Flight 447, with 228 people on board. The Airbus A330 disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean during a Rio de Janiero-to-Paris flight.

First lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy will not take part in the 21-hour trip — the French president’s fourth bilateral meeting with Silva this year. France’s first couple reportedly vacationed at a beach resort in northeastern Brazil late last year.

Australia's only Sabre flies again

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:58:00 +0000

By Penny McLintock

Posted Fri Sep 4, 2009 1:49pm AEST
Updated Fri Sep 4, 2009 2:04pm AEST

Fully restored: the Sabre A94-983 will make its first public flight in 16 years this weekend. (Phil Frawley)

The Sabre flew the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) into the jet fighter age yet there is only one still flying in the world.

Now fully restored, the RAAF's Sabre A94-983 will take to the air tomorrow for its first public appearance in 16 years.

It will join other historic aircraft in flying displays at the Temora Aviation Museum in south-west New South Wales.

The museum's Peter Pring-Shambler says it took three and a half years to restore the rare aircraft under an agreement with the RAAF.

"The decision was made that we would take over the looking after of the aeroplane, put it back in the air and operate it on behalf of the RAAF," he said.

"It's never been done before so we were leading the way, pioneering this and it's worked quite well."

Built in Australia in 1957 by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, the A94-983 was based on a United States design, modified to include a more powerful Rolls Royce Avon engine.

"It saw service then [with the RAAF] until 1969-1970," Mr Pring-Shambler said.

"A few of the aircraft ... including this aircraft ... were transferred to the Royal Malaysian Air Force in 1970.

"Then in about 1977 the then chief of the Malaysian Air Force gifted this particular aeroplane back to the RAAF."

Between 1982 and 1993 the Sabre flew at air shows around Australia. It then sat at the RAAF Museum at Victoria's Point Cook until it was moved to the Temora Aviation Museum in 2005.

Mr Pring-Shambler says nearly 10,000 Sabre fighters were built worldwide but few remain.

"This is the only Australian-built one, so it is pretty rare," he said.

"And there's probably only a handful - six or seven - Sabres flying worldwide."

Temora air show

The Sabre is not the only plane that will be turning heads at Temora this weekend.

"The RAAF's bringing F/A-18 Hornets we've got a P40 Kittyhawk, we've got our Spitfires flying," Mr Pring-Shambler said.

Around 5,000 visitors are expected to watch the flying displays over the two days.

Mr Pring-Shambler says he hopes visitors will not only enjoy the shows but also gain a better understanding of Australia's military history.

"To try and get a feel for what maybe some of our forefathers did in the world wars and get an appreciation of what they may have sacrificed for our great country," he said.

"That's what we try to achieve every flying weekend, is to make sure everybody goes away with that feeling."

India begins $10.4 bln fighter jet trials

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:08:00 +0000

NEW DELHI, Aug 21 (Reuters) - India started field trials to buy 126 fighter jets this week, defence officials said on Friday, moving forward on a $10.4 billion deal to modernise the air force.

Boeing's (BA.N) F/A-18 Super Hornet, France's Dassault Rafale, Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N) F-16, Russia's MiG-35, Sweden's Saab (SAABb.ST) JAS-39 Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon, produced by a consortium of European companies, are in the race for the contract, one of the biggest in play.

"The trials have begun in full swing and it will take a year to complete it in different places and weather conditions," Nung Sanglemba Ao, a defence ministry official, told Reuters.

This week, two pilots are flying Boeing's Super Hornets in the southern city of Bangalore to test the planes' manoeuvrability and effectiveness, defence officials said.

The aircraft will be tested in extreme cold conditions in the Himalayas and the hot and humid deserts of Rajasthan, an air force spokesman said.

India is one of the world's biggest arms importers, and its government plans to spend more than $30 billion over the next five years to upgrade its largely Soviet-era arsenal to counter potential threats from Pakistan and China.

Lockheed last year sold six C-130J military transport planes to India for about $1.1 billion, while Boeing has already sealed a $2.1 billion deal to sell eight maritime patrol aircraft

DARPA Jet Engine Program Aims to Meet Military's Need for Speed

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:27:00 +0000

In this file photo, an SR-71 lands at Beale Air Force Base, Calif. During it's years of service, it set speed records with it's ability to fly more than three times the speed of sound. Now, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is striving to build an engine that will propel a hypersonic jet more than four times the speed of sound. (U.S. Air Force photo.)

Focus on Defense:

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2009 -- The F-22 Raptor and F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets are fast, screaming through the air at twice the speed of sound. But the SR-71 Blackbird was faster, flying Mach 3 until mechanical problems and exorbitant operating costs forced it out of service in the late 1990s.

Now, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency scientists are striving to build an engine that will propel a hypersonic jet at Mach 4 and faster, while also bringing new efficiencies to ships and ground vehicles.

DARPA's Vulcan program kicked off this spring and aims to create the supersonic capability needed to engage targets or perform reconnaissance missions when time is of the essence, according to Thomas Bussing, a DARPA program manager.

"Most of our aircraft are subsonic airplanes, so it takes them a long time to get where they need to be," Mr. Bussing said. "If you could travel beyond Mach 4, you could get there in potentially one-fourth the time it would take to get there with a conventional aircraft."

Increased airspeed will translate into more timely battlefield awareness for ground troops and an improved strike capability that takes out enemy forces before they can attack, Mr. Bussing said.

Until now, the science required to provide this level of capability eluded engineers and scientists alike.

The Vulcan is being developed as the first propulsion system to combine a full-scale, off-the-shelf turbine like those used in F-22 and F/A-18 fighter jets with a revolutionary new constant volume combustion, or CVC, engine. The dual-mode engine will basically consist of a constricted tube that compresses air as it combusts fuel.

"The CVC is really a paradigm shift in the way you burn fuel and air," Mr. Bussing explained. "Instead of burning fuel like you do in an automobile engine in a slow-burning process, the idea is to use a shock wave so you essentially get instantaneous combustion. If you can do that, it is a more efficient cycle, and you can extract more useful work."

These enhancements are expected to be able to accelerate the aircraft from zero to Mach 4-plus in a matter of minutes, Mr. Bussing said. The turbine will generate the initial low-speed propulsion, with the CVC engine kicking in at supersonic speeds.

But the technology being developed promises other benefits, too, he said. It will make ships' propulsion and power engines, as well as ground-based power generators, more efficient. Other applications include using shockwave technology to cut through the ash that builds up on coal power plant heat exchangers, boosting efficiency by 2 to 5 percent.

Those same shockwaves have other military applications, such as nonlethal weapons and psychological operations tools. Channeled through a series of tubes, for example, the waves will emit ear-shattering blasts. Fired at exactly the right sequence, they can create an amplitude and pulse that makes an intended target's stomach turn nauseous.

"It's a noise generator that is very powerful," Mr. Bussing said. "If used correctly, you can generate a very effective nonlethal response."

The Vulcan will have application in production processes, too, he said. The waves it generates can accelerate particles to the extremely high speeds needed to create carbide, oxide or nitrite coatings.

"There is a whole series of products and techniques this concept enables," Mr. Bussing said. "This technology has a broad range of potential applications."

But for initial development, DARPA is focusing on applying the new technology in a multiple-mach jet engine capable of supporting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and strike missions.

Getting to this point took 15 years of rigorous testing, and Mr. Bussing estimated it will take another four to five years to complete the four-phased development program.

The first phase wraps up late next month with a review of the four competing contractors' conceptual designs. The next phase will test each component, then demonstrate how they operate together through experimental tests, some conducted in wind tunnels. Phase 3 will be a full-scale demonstration, which Mr. Bussing called the most important step in the program that proves out the technology.

The fourth phase will culminate with a test combining a full-scale version of the new CVC engine and turbine, to demonstrate how they operate from zero to Mach 2, then on to Mach 4. Bussing said the hope is to reach that point within five years.

DARPA, the Defense Department's super-high-tech, super-advanced research agency, is the only defense organization that could have taken on such an ambitious project involving such new, unproven technologies, Mr. Bussing said.

"This is a very high-risk technology, but one that promises very high payoff," he said. "So this is the right place for an organization like DARPA to be working in."

But achieving the Vulcan's promise will represent a major milestone, even by DARPA standards, Mr. Bussing said.

"There are many DARPA hard problems to make this work: the way in which air is processed in these engines, the way the detonation event is created, the way the various components pieces are all coupled together," he said. "So it is technically very challenging. There is a lot of fundamental physics and technology that has to be worked out, but we have a high degree of confidence we can make this technology work."

(Report by Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service.)

Golden Hawk lands in Thunder Bay

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:51:00 +0000

By Jeff Labine, tbnewswatch
Dan Dempsey sits in the cockpit of the Golden Hawk F-86 at the Confederation College Aviation Centre of Excellence hangar on Saturday.

By Jeff Labine, tbnewswatch

A retired fighter jet is back in the air for a cross-country celebration of Canadian aviation.

The Royal Canadian Air Force Golden Hawk Canadair F-86 Sabre fighter jet landed at Thunder Bay International Airport on Sunday. The arrival of the fighter is in celebration of the 100th anniversary of powered flight in Canada.

Dan Dempsey is one of the five people who will fly the jet across Canada. He was taxied into the Confederation College Aviation Centre of Excellence hangar. Dempsey said it is an awesome feeling piloting the fighter.

"There is hardly a way to describe it," said Dempsey. "The F-86 is such a classic fighter. It is a (jet) that any fighter pilot would love to fly. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be able to fly a Golden Hawk. For me it is a special treat."

Dempsey is a retired Lieutenant Colonel who spent 26 years in the Canadian Forces as a fighter pilot. He did two tours with the Snowbirds and commanded the team in 1989 and 1990. He then went into the airline industry flying commercial jets for more than 15 years.

Dempsey said he was with the project since the beginning. He got a call from the operations manager of Vintage Wings Canada about what he thought about restoring a F-86. Dempsey said it was a fantastic idea.

The one Dempsey flew into Thunder Bay was first built in 1954. The fighter jet’s first mission was going over to Europe in the 1950’s. It was sold and owned by American interests from 1972 to 2007 until Vintage Wings purchased it. It was grounded for one year to go through restorations. One of the changes that needed to be made was the ejection seat. Dempsey said the whole project is estimated to cost $1.8 million.

"This airplane is very special because it had a very important historical role in Canada. Not only because it was Canadian built but it was with the RCAF for a long, long time."

The F-86 was in service from roughly 1950 to 1968, said Dempsey. The jet was painted in the Golden Hawk colour scheme. The Golden Hawks were the grandfathers of the Snowbirds that did aerobatics maneuvers since 1959, said Dempsey.

"They were really the first major aerobatics team for Canada that gave us an international statues that we now enjoy with the Snowbirds. I grew up watching the Golden Hawks. I joined the airforce because of the Golden Hawks."

Jim Milne, president of the Northwestern Ontario Aviation Heritage Centre, said the F-86 fighter jets were mostly active during the Korean War and the Cold War.

"Canada had one squadron over there (in Korea)," said Milne. "(They) were our frontline fighter at that time. It was not the first jet aircraft but it was the first one to really perform. It is a very easy aircraft to fly. Pilots enjoy them and they are a dream to fly."

The current frontline jet fighter for Canada is the F-18. Milne said it is being refurbished and brought to a higher standard. However, just like the F-86, the F-18 has a expiration date as more advanced aircraft are being developed, said Milne.

Russian pilot dies after fighters collide near Moscow

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:25:00 +0000

MOSCOW — One pilot died and another broke his spine after two fighter jets collided during aerobatics practice near Moscow ahead of the annual air show, officials said Sunday.

Two of the three crew members on board the two Sukhoi Su-27 fighters managed to eject from the planes before they collided in the accident, which is expected to cast a shadow over the country's annual air show.

"The pilots have ejected. Two of the pilots are in satisfactory condition, one pilot has died," Russian air force spokesman Vladimir Drik said on Russian television.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has expressed condolences to the family of the dead pilot, Igor Tkachenko, a highly-trained professional and commander of the country's celebrated Russian Knights aerobatic team, his office said.

The pilots had been practising aerobatics for a display at the Moscow air show, due to open Tuesday, that Moscow is keen to turn into a leading international commercial aviation event.

The annual event, also designed to showcase Russia's aerial military prowess, has in the past been attended by top military officers and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

One of the two Soviet-era fighters involved in the practices crashed on a residential building in the countryside near Moscow and five people on the ground were injured, some suffering burns, according to the Ria-Novosti news agency.

One woman received severe burns covering 80 percent of her body, it added, while NTV television reported that two people had been rushed to intensive care.

One of the two pilots who survived had broken his back in the accident, Ria-Novosti said.

"He got caught up in the trees as a result of the fall. The pilot has been hospitalised," the agency cited a police official as saying.

A witness to the crash said on Russian television that a husband and wife had managed to escape when the jet fell on their brand-new house.

"The jet began falling on them. They saw it and ran for their lives. They got caught up in a fire wave," she told NTV television.

"The woman has been immediately found. Her husband ended up in shock. He wandered away somewhere."

The air show's organisers said the show would open as scheduled, news agencies reported.

Putin said he was "deeply shocked" by the tragedy.

"The death of a pilot of such a high standard is an irreparable loss for Russian and international aviation," Putin said in a telegram to the pilot's parents.

Drik, the Russian air force spokesman, said a commission had been set up to investigate the accident.

A source close to the inquiry told the Interfax news agency that it would look at several causes for the crash, ranging "from a collision with a bird to pilot error".

The two black boxes had been found, Interfax said.

Anatoly Kvochur, a top test pilot, said on Russian television the Su-27 was a reliable model, but acknowledged that the Russian fighter jets might have seen better days.

"The jets have been worn out," he said in televised comments. "There have not been new arrivals in a long time."

In a separate accident, a Yak-52 trainer aircraft crashed in central Russia, killing two pilots on board, an emergency situations ministry spokeswoman said Sunday.

The Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:18:00 +0000

(AFP) - The Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet performs its flying display in June 2009 at the 48th international Paris Air Show. French, Swedish and US defense companies pursuing a four-billion-dollar deal to replace Brazil’s aging fleet of fighter jets are stepping up lobbying efforts ahead of a decision expected within the next couple of months