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    Base’s newest B-52 squadron to deploy
    Fates
    By Fates,
      MINOT AIR FORCE BASE More than 200 airmen and two B-52 bombers from Minot Air Force Base's newest B-52 squadron will deploy next week for Guam, said base officials.   This will be the first deployment for the 69th Bomb Squadron, which was reactivated at the Minot base Sept. 4, 2009.   Historically, it is the first time the 69th will deploy to Andersen AFB, Guam, since the Vietnam War. The 69th is a distinguished unit that also had deployments of its bombers during World War II.   Led by Lt. Col. Michael Cordoza, the 69th is the second and newest B-52 squadron at Minot AFB. The other B-52 squadron at Minot AFB is the 23rd Bomb Squadron, which currently is on a deployment in Guam.   FULL ARTICLE

    F-111s to light up Ipswich carols
    Fates
    By Fates,
      FORGET Riverfire – the upcoming Ipswich Mayor's Christmas Carols by Candlelight will feature the final F-111 dump-and-burn.   The RAAF Base Amberley-based jets are set to be decommissioned next month and their replacements, the F/A-18F Super Hornet, cannot perform the crowd-pleasing stunt. Wing Commander Micka Gray, Commanding Officer No 6 Squadron, said a dump-and-burn would be performed at the carols event as a thank-you to the Ipswich community. He said the city had always supported the jets and all RAAF Base Amberley personnel.   “It's a good way for the Ipswich community to see the F-111s for the last time,” Wing Commander Gray said. “We just want to thank the people of Ipswich for their ongoing support for the F-111.”   >>>Full Story<<<

    Black Sheep Squadron marks double anniversary
    Fates
    By Fates,
      When Cpl. Austin McGee climbed into the cockpit of the vintage F4U Corsair parked on the flightline outside the squadron's hangar, he said he couldn't be more proud to be a part of the “most famous squadron” in the Marine Corps.   “I wanted to see what it was for the people who came before me,” said McGee, an avionics technician from Vilonia, Ark., stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. “It isn't very often that you get to step back into the past with a piece of history such as this.”   Not only were the 280 Marines from VMA-214 celebrating their squadron's 68th anniversary Tuesday, they were also commemorating the 100th anniversary of naval aviation. Although the actual centennial isn't until January 2011, the first big event marking the anniversary will be the March 27 Yuma Air Show, which is held at the air station.   >>Full Story<<

    MiG 27 crashes near Jodhpur, pilot safe
    Fates
    By Fates,
      Jodhpur: A MiG-27 fighter plane of the IAF on Wednesday crashed near Jodhpur in Rajasthan shortly after take off for a routine sortie, but the pilot bailed out safely.   The crash occurred at 1320 hrs, 15 minutes after the aircraft took off from Jodhpur air base. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant A Patni, who is safe, had reported trouble in the aircraft, a defence official said, adding there is no damage on the ground.   >>FULL ARTICLE<<

    Painted warbirds will celebrate 100 years of naval aviation
    Fates
    By Fates,
      "The S-3 parked recently in a hangar at Jacksonville Naval Air Station looked like it just returned from the 1942 Battle of Midway. Very odd, given that the Viking is a two-engine jet that served as a sub hunter, tanker and much more during its 33-year career beginning in 1975. But the plane's newly applied retro paint job was actually meant to evoke the epic sea battle that turned the World War II Pacific campaign in America's favor.   "We were going for a Midway effect," said Don Lockwood, a Navy employee helping return three S-3Bs, including the newly painted one, to operational status. While the aircraft will serve a West Coast test squadron, its paint scheme will serve another purpose: to celebrate the 100th anniversary of U.S. naval aviation in 2011."   >>Full Story<<

    Hard bargain on US pacts
    Erik
    By Erik,
    Telegraphindia -- SUJAN DUTTA   New Delhi, Oct. 20: New Delhi has decided to play hardball on military pacts with the Pentagon after expectations were raised that the pending agreements may be signed during the visit of Barack Obama in about two weeks from now. “We are in consultation with the armed forces about the benefits and utility of these (agreements),” defence secretary Pradip Kumar said here, in a rare public admission of the military’s discomfort over US proposals to sign a Logistics Supply Agreement (LSA) and a Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA). The discordant note was struck after reports that the US was lining up a $2-billion security aid package for Pakistan. Last month, during his visit to Washington, the defence minister had raised the issue with US secretary of defence Robert Gates. A.K. Antony also emphasised that India suspected Pakistan was using US military aid to reinforce its conventional war-fighting capabilities against India. The LSA will allow US warships, military aircraft and personnel to access Indian military bases for refuelling, rest and recuperation, and turnover on a reciprocal basis. It would allow the US to replenish its military platforms on a barter basis, meaning that the US would allow similar access and facilities to the Indian armed forces. The CISMOA is designed to ensure that equipment transferred to the Indian armed forces are encrypted, secure and compatible with US military systems. A highly placed defence source said a view that had emerged from the armed forces during consultations was that signing such agreements would “bind” India to US military equipment. The Pentagon argues that the signing of the agreements would facilitate the transfer of high-tech platforms and keep India-US military relations robust. The statement today — that the armed forces were being consulted to verify if the pacts would be beneficial — is a step back from the position that India was studying the agreements. Draft agreements have been pending with the cabinet committee on security (CCS) for three years now after they were vetted by the armed forces headquarters. Negotiations over such agreements can be protracted. It took three years for Washington and New Delhi to agree to a standard text on the End User Verification Agreement (EUVA) — through which the Pentagon judges if a military system is being used by a buyer for the purpose for which it was meant — that was signed last year. The expectations on clinching the agreements rose because of the high-profile visit by Obama. It is exceptional for a US President to visit India within the first two years of his first term in office — that demonstrates the priority the White House gives to India. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also the first state guest of the Obama administration last year. The US was also expecting the agreements to be signed along with announcements of two major arms deals. The Indian Air Force has decided to buy 10 C-17 Globemaster-III heavy airlifters in a deal that could be worth $4.4 billion. A second deal — for up to 300 M-777 ultra light howitzers – under the Pentagon’s direct Foreign Military Sales programme is in the works but an announcement is unlikely because the Indian army has not yet finished evaluating the guns. The guns are for deployment in high-altitude border positions on the Chinese frontier. The Indian Air Force that had earlier contracted the C-130J Hercules from the US is getting the medium-lift aircraft minus some of the equipment that the Pentagon says could have been made available if the agreements were signed. But topping the US’ priority in all these deals is the mega-competition to sell 126 (possibly 200) medium, multi-role combat aircraft that could cost as much as $12 billion. Two US-origin aircraft, Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Super Viper (Fighting Falcon) are in the running. The US has got a boost after a technical committee determined the GE-414 engine as the best option for India’s indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft programme. The GE-414 also powers the Super Hornet, as it does the Swedish-origin Gripen NG. (The other aircraft in the competition are the MiG 35 of Russia, Dassault’s Rafale of France and a European consortium’s Eurofighter Typhoon). Each of the countries is leveraging their diplomatic muscle to win the contract. Since the civilian nuclear agreement, Washington believes its claim is the strongest. Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik had said the air force had submitted its technical evaluation report and a selection was likely by 2010. The report is now with the government that will make a choice not only on financial but also on diplomatic and political considerations. Telegraph India  

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