NORAD downplays Russian bomber interception   CBC News -- Wednesday, August 25, 2010 | 8:23 PM ET   NORAD is downplaying an incident on Tuesday that saw two CF-18s shadow a pair of Russian military aircraft as they flew within 56 kilometres of Canadian soil. In a statement Wednesday, NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defence Command, said the CF-18s "intercepted and visually identified" two TU-95 Bear bombers that entered the Canadian Air Defence Identification Zone.   "At no tim

Upgraded Surveillance Aircraft Arrive in Afghanistan   Defence Talk — By UK Ministry of Defence on August 25, 2010 at 5:51 am   Upgraded Desert Hawks - hand-launched, remote-controlled surveillance aircraft which can record video footage day and night, sending it directly to troops on the ground - arrived in Afghanistan this weekend.   The latest version of the Desert Hawk has been bought as part of a £3m Urgent Operational Requirement to provide a further boost to the surveillan

Saudi pilot killed as Eurofighter crashes in Spain   Flight Global -- 24/08/10 by Niall O’Keeffe   A Eurofighter aircraft has crashed at Spain's Morón air base with one fatality, the Spanish ministry of defence has confirmed. The combat aircraft, which was on a regular training flight, crashed into the ground "moments after take-off" from the base near Seville, according to the ministry's statement.   It was being piloted under dual control by a lieutenant colonel from the Saudi Arabia

Mexico buys drones, may use for marijuana search   REUTERS --MEXICO CITY | Tue Aug 24, 2010 6:08pm EDT   Mexico has purchased Israeli-made unmanned drone aircraft, the government said, which may be used for spotting remote drug fields as officials fight powerful cartels. Mexico's defense ministry said it bought an unspecified number of Hermes 450 drones last year from Israel's Elbit Systems Ltd for $23.25 million, according to a filing seen by Reuters on Tuesday.   The defen

Chilean Air Force Seeks To Buy Six Embraer Military Jets   The Wall Street Journal - 8/25/2010   SAO PAULO (Dow Jones)--Chile's Air Force is considering the acquisition of six KC-390 military cargo jets from Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer (ERJ, EMBR3.BR), the company said Tuesday in a statement. In addition, the company said that Chile's Defense Ministry plans to help Embraer to develop the KC-390. Embraer is developing the KC-390 tactical transport for the Brazilian Air Force

Are you interested in participating at CombatACE?   CombatACE -- 22 August 2010 by Erik Thompson   We are currently looking for a few good people who are interested in participating as news staff editors to help us out with creating, referencing, and posting our daily news.   I'm aware there are many more relevant and interesting topics we should report on not to mention the interest of our own content which is why we are looking for participants. If you share the passion and interest in r

West Point ranked high in Forbes picks for best colleges   Defense Talk — By Agence France-Presse on August 20, 2010 at 2:05 am   WEST POINT, N.Y.: A report released Aug. 11 by Forbes ranked the U.S. Military Academy at West Point fourth in the country in their annual ranking of America's Best Colleges.   "West Point is again honored and pleased to be selected as one of America's top five best colleges. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our exceptional cadets,