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    Tiger earns its stripes in Afghanistan
    Erik
    By Erik,
      The EC665 Tiger HAP (combat support) helicopter operated by the French Army's 5th Combat Helicopter Regiment, has now logged more than 1,000 flight hours in Afghanistan in less than a year.   With an availability rate of 90% in extremely harsh operating conditions, the Tiger has once again demonstrated excellent performance and operability levels for both reconnaissance missions and combat support operations for joint tactical groups (GTIA), which have been unanimous in their praise.   A key to this success has been the excellent cooperation between the French Army, the French Armament Procurement Agency (DGA), the OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armaments Co-operation) and Eurocopter, which has deployed a dedicated work structure since the beginning of the operations.   In this framework, Eurocopter has been providing the French Army with nonstop support to meet the specific operational needs of the Afghan theater and guarantee the required availability levels. A team of Eurocopter technicians is on assignment in Afghanistan to assist the mechanics of the French Army Air Corps (ALAT). In addition, a customized logistics support service has been set up to respond at any time to any request and to quickly supply any necessary spare parts.         Arabian Aerospace

    Boeing P-8A Poseidon
    Erik
    By Erik,
    Boeing P-8A Poseidon Aircraft T3 Enters Flight Test   SEATTLE, Aug. 2, 2010 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] P-8A Poseidon aircraft T3 successfully completed its first flight test in Seattle on July 29. T3 is the P-8A program's mission-system and weapon-certification aircraft.   During the two-hour and 48-minute flight from Boeing Field, Boeing and U.S. Navy test pilots performed airborne systems checks including engine accelerations and decelerations, autopilot flight modes, and auxiliary power unit and engine shutdowns and starts.   In the coming weeks, T3 will join the two P-8A test aircraft currently at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., and complete additional ground and flight tests.   "At Pax River, the Boeing and Navy team will use some of the ground test data we've gathered in Seattle for in-flight separation and delivery accuracy tests that will occur later this year," said Chris Ahsmann, P-8A chief engineer for Boeing.   T3 is one of six flight-test aircraft that are being assembled and tested as part of the U.S. Navy System Development and Demonstration contract Boeing received in 2004. Airworthiness-test aircraft T1 entered flight test in October 2009 and arrived at the Navy's Patuxent River facility in April of this year. T2, the primary mission-system test aircraft, arrived at Pax River in June.   The Navy plans to purchase 117 P-8A anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to replace its P-3 fleet. Initial operational capability is planned for 2013.   A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.           Boeing

    Canada Intercepts Bears
    Erik
    By Erik,
      Canadian aircraft intercept Russian bombers   Canadian fighter jets have scrambled to repel Russian bombers that intruded into Canadian airspace.   The Russian Tupolev-95 is a long-range bomber capable of carrying nuclear warheads.   Canadian defence minister Peter MacKay says CF-18s were sent to intercept two of the bombers that made several attempts to enter Canadian airspace.   Military officials say there was no advance warning and Mr MacKay says all such incursions will be met with a swift response.   Intelligence analysts say the frequency of these attempts has been increasing, especially as Canada and Russia are in a race to lay claim to huge sections of the Arctic seabed believed to hold vast reserves of oil and gas.   The incursions also come during the debate over whether Canada needs a new generation of high-tech military fighter jets.         ABC News

    C17 Crash in Alaska
    Erik
    By Erik,
      Four killed in Air Force plane crash in Alaska   ANCHORAGE Alaska (Reuters) - All four crew members were killed in a U.S. Air Force cargo plane that crashed in flames while practicing for an aviation show at Elmendorf Air Force Base, the Air Force said Thursday.   The C-17 Globemaster went down Wednesday evening in a wooded area near an airfield in Anchorage shortly after taking off, the military said.   The accident is believed to be the first crash of a C-17, manufactured by Boeing, since the massive jet joined the Air Force fleet in 1995 as its newest cargo plane.   "We are confirming four dead," said Lieutenant-Colonel Karen Platt, an Air Force spokeswoman.   A fireball and plume of smoke over the area were visible to nearby residents shortly after the crash. Some eyewitnesses said the plane appeared to be making a strange turn while flying low over the area just before it crashed.   Three of the dead were members of the Alaska Air National Guard, and the fourth was on active duty at Elmendorf, the base said in a statement.   The plane was assigned to the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf, a unit consisting of 6,000 Air Force personnel who fly fighter jets and other military aircraft.   The base said a board of officers would investigate the crash. The names of the dead were being withheld pending notification of next of kin, base spokesman Bob Hall said.   Lieutenant General Dana Atkins told a new conference on Wednesday the plane was "doing a practice demonstration profile" it was to perform at the annual Arctic Thunder air show this weekend when it crashed.   In light of the accident, Atkins said, the military was considering whether to go on with the aviation show, which also features precision flying demonstrations by the Navy's Blue Angels and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds.   The crash occurred during damp, cloudy weather.   Elmendorf's worst air crash was in September 1995 when several geese were sucked into the engine of an AWACS plane just after takeoff. That plane was on a training mission as well. All 24 crew members were killed.   The first C-17 squadron went into operation in 1995. The aircraft is 174 feet long, has a wingspan of nearly 170 feet and can carry up to 170,900 pounds (77,500 kg), according to the Air Force.   Aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group said Boeing has built about 200 of the planes, most of which went to the Air Force.   He said the Elmendorf accident was the only crash he knew of involving the plane since it went into service. "It's got a very good reputation," Aboulafia said.           July 30, 2010   Reuters

    F-35 Slated for AZ, FL, UT, and VT
    Erik
    By Erik,
      AZ, FL, UT, VT to get Air Force's new F-35 fighter   PHOENIX — The U.S. Air Force has chosen bases in Arizona, Florida, Utah and Vermont as homes for the military's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, prompting applause from officials banking on the pricey new combat jets to supercharge their communities' economies.   Operational missions of the single-engine jets would go to Hill Air Force Base in Utah and the Burlington Air Guard Station in Vermont, the Air Force said Thursday. For training, the Air Force recommended Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. The Air Force also announced Wednesday that 59 F-35 jets would be stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.   The announcement of these bases as "preferred alternatives" is a disappointment for seven bases passed over during this round of selections, including sites in Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida and South Carolina.   But U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was jubilant at the inclusion of Luke, located in Phoenix suburbs. Military backers there have waged a vocal campaign to win the jets, as have groups in other states where bases are trying to preserve their relevance as fleets of aging F-15 and F-16 fighters edge toward the scrap yard.   "The unparalleled capabilities inherent to Arizona — from the Barry M. Goldwater Range, to great flying weather, and strong support from state and local governments and communities — serve to provide the best environment and the finest quality of life for our military personnel training in the Air Force's next generation fighter," McCain said.   The Department of Defense said Thursday's basing decision includes 250 to 300 F-35 aircraft. According to McCain, three squadrons with dozens of aircraft would be based at Luke if the Air Force finalizes its decision.   So far, Lockheed Martin Corp. has built just a few of roughly 2,400 F-35s that the United States says it wants to buy, but the plane's cost already has more than doubled to some $113 million apiece.   Other bases under consideration included Mountain Home Air Force Base and Gowen Field in Idaho, Tucson International Airport in Arizona, Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, Jacksonville Air Guard Station in Florida, and Shaw Air Force Base and McEntire Air Guard Base in South Carolina.   Military officials said Thursday's announcement isn't cast in stone.   Kathleen Ferguson, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, said the other sites — she called them "reasonable alternatives" — will continue to be evaluated as part of environmental studies.   Maj. Gen. Stanhope Spears, the adjutant general for South Carolina, said he was disappointed with the announcement, but the McEntire base is still in the running.   "Right now, we don't have specifics on when additional candidate bases will be announced," Spears said. "We currently have the newest and most capable F-16s in the United States Air Force and will continue to be an elite fighting force."   In Idaho, officials counting on a $1 billion boost to the state's economy from up to 3,000 new personnel and 144 planes at two sites were taking heart in the military's plans to eventually buy thousands of F-35s.   "Given the number of F-35s our nation is going to be building, this isn't the end of the story," said John Revere, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. "Congressman Simpson firmly believes Gowen Field and Mountain Home remain strong contenders for future siting decisions."   Gowen got some consolation when it was named a finalist for a C-27J Spartan cargo plane operational mission, the Defense Department said. The other operational-mission finalist for the twin-engine plane is Great Falls, Mont.   The Air Force also announced Thursday that Holloman, in New Mexico, was being transitioned to an F-16 training mission, with the capacity to take on two squadrons.         Associated Press Article

    Boeing Flies F-15 Silent Eagle
    DWCAce
    By DWCAce,
      Boeing Flies F-15 Silent Eagle By: Chris Pocock AIN Defense Perspective >> July 2010 Military Aircraft The Silent Eagle testbed is a modified F-15E (the original prototype). On its first flight it demonstrated its conformal weapons bay. (Boeing)   Boeing has flown the interim version of the Silent Eagle, a company-funded effort to generate further export sales of the F-15 Strike Eagle.   The demonstrator, designated F-15E1, took off from St. Louis for an 80-minute flight, during which the doors of the new conformal weapons bay were cycled. The bay is a development of the F-15E’s existing conformal fuel tank that allows internal (and therefore more stealthy) weapons carriage. On the first test flight the Silent Eagle demonstrator contained an instrumented AIM-120 AMRAAM. The launch of one of these missiles from the F-15E1 will be soon be demonstrated on the Pacific Missile Test Range, said Boeing program director Brad Jones. Development of a definitive Silent Eagle–including AESA radar, large-screen cockpit display, digital electronic warfare system and canted tails–awaits customer funding.   Korea has “great interest” in the Silent Eagle, Jones said last month.  

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