BUFF

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7266853.stm

By Steve Stone The Virginian-Pilot © February 28, 2008 NORFOLK A Navy E-2C “Hawkeye” aircraft, which was making an emergency landing on a single engine, came down just off a runway this evening. No one was reported hurt in the aircraft or on the ground. The aircraft, based at the Norfolk Naval Station, attempted its landing about 6 p.m. at Chambers Field, the Navy said. It "was making a single-engine, emergency landing when it landed short of the runway, collapsing the nose gear," said Lt. Cmdr. Dave Nunnally, an Atlantic Fleet Naval Air Force spokesman. Damage to the aircraft, which is assigned to the Tigertails of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 125, is being assessed. The cause of the incident is under investigation.

By Roxana Tiron Posted: 02/27/08 07:14 PM [ET] Top Air Force leaders are pressing to extend the production of Lockheed Martin’s C-130J aircraft beyond an expected closure in 2010. The appeal comes as Air Force acquisition officials are still negotiating an offer the defense contractor made last October to sell the military an additional 120 C-130Js under a suggested multi-year contract worth more than $6 billion. “We must maintain and extend the existing production lines,” Gen. Michael Moseley, the Air Force chief of staff, and Michael Wynne, the secretary of the Air Force said in a prepared statement to the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. “This aircraft represents America’s best technology and capability.” Separately, Wynne told reporters at the hearing that the Air Force is “trying to make sure we have a need” for the number of C-130Js proposed by Lockheed Martin. The request was part of a broader budget justification presented by the Air Force that was met with some skepticism from lawmakers, who say the top officials are asking for items that are beyond the Pentagon’s initial budget request. Lawmakers focused most of the hearing on other high-priced requests, such as the C-17 cargo aircraft, the F-22 Raptor fighter jet and personnel costs. The C-130J is not the only program that the Air Force and supporters in Congress want to see extended beyond its imminent closure, setting up an increased lobbying push this year to secure money for all the programs. Among other aircraft on the Air Force’s wish list are Boeing’s C-17 cargo aircraft and Lockheed’s F-22 Raptor fighter jet. But the Air Force faced criticism from House lawmakers on Wednesday for submitting almost $19 billion in unfunded requests to Congress, above the 2009 budget. Every year, military services submit a list of priorities to Congress that did not receive the appropriate funding through the president’s budget. The Air Force’s unfunded requests are double the size of the rest of the military. Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.), a senior member of the Armed Services panel and a strong supporter of the C-17, criticized the administration for not funding the program in fiscal 2009 but leaving the Air Force to ask for more aircraft in the unfunded requirements list, knowing that strong congressional support would allocate funding for more C-17s. More C-17s are also likely to be included in the upcoming supplemental spending bills. She called the practice “a nasty little habit the administration has gotten into.” Tauscher said that if Congress is able to fund just a few C-17s in the defense bills, there aren’t the same cost savings as with a larger quantity. No C-17s are funded as part of the fiscal 2009 budget request. The Air Force is asking for 15 C-17s in its unfunded requirements list, with a $3.9 billion price tag. By the same token, the Air Force is asking for $576 million to buy eight C-130Js. The Air Force, which also buys the C-130 aircraft for the Marine Corps, requested funding for six Air Force planes and two Marine Corps versions as well as procurement money to buy parts in advance for 14 Air Force planes and two Marine Corps planes. As The Hill first reported in October, Lockheed’s offer assumes the Air Force and Marine Corps would buy 24 airplanes a year for five years. International customers would purchase an additional six airplanes a year, under Lockheed’s plan. Lockheed currently builds about 12 C-130Js a year at a cost close to $60 million per plane for Air Force and Marine Corps versions. Adjusted for inflation and prior to contract negotiations, Lockheed’s proposal would cost $58.9 million to $63.7 million for three versions of the plane between 2011 and 2015. Moseley considered the offer “an attractive opportunity.” But the Air Force and Lockheed Martin have also been pushing for more F-22 Raptors, whose production is slated to end after 2011. The Pentagon has only green-lighted funding for a total of 183 fighters, but the Air Force maintains it needs 381. Gordon England, Deputy Secretary of Defense, said that four F-22s would be included in the 2009 war supplemental request. In its unfunded wish list, the Air Force requested $600 million for four Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighter jets. While the Air Force’s fight to receive more money for its multibillion-dollar weapons system is well-known among lawmakers, Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), the committee’s chairman, criticized the Air Force for playing with its personnel funding requests. The Air Force has been undergoing some serious cuts in the number of its personnel. In the 2009 budget request, the service asked for funding for 316,000 personnel. Currently the Air Force has about 328,000. But in its unfunded request list the Air Force decided to ask for funding for another 18,000 people, which would bring the number of Air Force personnel to 334,000. Skelton, visibly irked by the Air Force’s request, asked Wynne whether he wanted to stick by the actual budget request or the unfunded list, which would add about 6,000 people over the current number. “You can’t have it both ways,” Skelton said. “Tell us what you want right now.” Wynne replied that his personal opinion was that the Air Force would prefer to “hedge our bets” at 330,000 personnel. He explained that some of the missions the Air Force thought it would reduce in fact have increased over the years, such as joint tactical air controllers and joint logistics liaisons, for example.

A Japan Ground Self Defense Force CH-47J Chinook is loaded onto a C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane Feb. 23 at Yokota Air Base, Japan. The demonstration was conducted the during the Pacific Global Air Mobility Seminar held Feb. 22 and 23. The CH-47J is assigned to the 1st Helicopter Brigade at JGSDF Camp Kisarazu in Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture, and the C-17 is assigned to the 535th Airlift Squadron at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. (U.S. Air Force photo/Osakabe Yasuo) http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/pho...F-0938O-106.jpg by Master Sgt. Julie Briggs 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs 2/27/2008 - YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (AFPN) -- American Airmen and Japan Ground Self Defense Force members loaded a Japanese CH-47J Chinook onto a C-17 Globemaster III Feb. 23 at Yokota Air Base The demonstration took place the last morning of the Pacific Global Air Mobility Seminar held Feb. 22 and 23 and attended by representatives from Japan, Australia and the United States. "We thought it very significant," said Kiyoshi Serizawa, the director of the Defense Policy Bureau's Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation Division of the Japan Ministry of Defense. "It confirmed the option to lift our CH-47 not only by sealift but with airlift." Moving CH-47Js via strategic airlift expands Japan's capability to move the helicopters quickly during humanitarian relief operations. "The key to any disaster relief or humanitarian aid operations is to get the assets on the ground in the shortest possible time," said Royal Australian Air Force Group Capt. Tim Innes, the officer commanding No. 84 Wing and director of the Air Mobility Control Center. The ability to load a CH-47J on a C-17 gives an overall improvement for the three nations -- Australia, Japan and the U.S. -- to respond to any disaster, Group Captain Innes said. "We each have our strengths and capabilities and we're hoping to balance those off," Group Captain Innes said. "For instance, the Japanese are limited in their transportation options and Australia is limited in rotary wing assets. Both of those are vital in natural disasters. By coming together and cooperating, we can provide a better service for response to those national disasters." During tsunami relief efforts a couple of years ago, Japan looked into moving the CH-47s by strategic airlift, said Lt. Col. Leonard Kosinski, who is assigned to the U.S. Joint Staff's Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate as a political-military planner and the country director for Japan. "There wasn't enough time to coordinate and we really didn't have the capability, so eventually Japan had to move them by ship, which took approximately 10 days," Colonel Kosinski said. "That's not enough response time for those kinds of disasters." By using strategic airlift, the helicopters can arrive within 12 hours and be operational within 18 to 24 hours, said David Meyer of the U.S. Transportation Command's en route infrastructure branch. "For search and rescue, where time is of the essence, this is critical." Once in place, the CH-47J is used to transport goods to remote areas, said Japan Maritime Self Defense Force Capt. Tatsuhiko Takashima, head of the Joint Staff's Defense and International Policy Planning Division, Japan Ministry of Defense. The size of the CH-47J and communicating with the Japan ground self defense force members who helped load the helicopter proved challenging, but they got through it, said Staff Sgt. Ryan Boehm, assigned to the 535th Airlift Squadron from Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. "It definitely brings us a lot closer doing joint operations like this with the Japanese and the Australians," Sergeant Boehm said. Sergeant Boehm and two other C-17 loadmasters oversaw the 35-minute loading process under the watchful eyes of about 65 Japan Ground Self Defense Force members from the 1st Helicopter Brigade at JGSDF Camp Kisarazu in Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture. Earlier in the week they had prepared their unit's helicopter for loading, which included removing the wings and rotors. The CH-47J is larger than an American Chinook by about 6 to 8 inches on each side and about 5 to 6 inches on the top, Sergeant Boehm said. Once loaded, moving around the CH-47J meant turning sideways to squeeze by the Chinook's fuel tanks. "We're getting to work with different countries and what we're doing has global impact," said Capt. Brian Moritz, a 535th ALS C-17 pilot. "It's a great thing to be a part of."

By Rebecca Christie 27 February 2008 Half a century after the introduction of steam-driven catapults, the US Navy (USN) aircraft carrier community is entering an era that trades steam and hydraulics for advanced electronic circuitry. Construction of the first in a new line of carriers, Gerald R Ford (CVN 78), is due to begin in 2008 and the USD10.5 billion ship will use electricity instead of steam for launching combat aircraft, cooking meals and heating sailors' living quarters. Its nuclear reactors will produce more electricity than any other warship, powering a maintenance revolution as well as one of the navy's 'floating cities'. The CVN 78-class carriers - the fruit of the CVN 21 design and development programme - will have powerful new radar, upgraded landing systems and larger flight decks than their Nimitz-class predecessors. The ship's company plus air wing will number a relatively meagre 4,660 personnel, between 1,000 and 1,200 fewer than the total required in the older carriers. Many technological advances contribute to the manpower efficiency gain. For example, radars in the new ship will not need to rotate, dramatically reducing wear and tear; and the USN says its new electromagnetic launch system can be operated by about 90 sailors, compared to the 120 needed for steam-driven catapults. Pilots on take-off may reap the most noticeable benefits as the new catapult will push them smoothly aloft, in contrast to the steam-driven jolt of the existing carriers. "Going through a catapult launch is akin to getting launched on a roller coaster," says Louis Uffer, manager of the USN's Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) programme. "You wouldn't want to be jerked right out of your seat. You want to get nice and gently thrown on your roller-coaster ride. EMALS is going to do the same thing for the naval aviators who get to launch off aircraft carriers. This is going to be the start of whatever their thrill ride is, whatever mission they go on." Thrill rides are an everyday occurrence for the carrier fleet, the centrepiece of the USN's fighting force. Each flat-top can accommodate more than 75 aircraft, with a lineup that typically includes four F/A-18 strike interdictor squadrons, a squadron of S-3B reconnaissance aircraft, a squadron of E-2C command-and-control aircraft and a helicopter squadron. Future plans will see the embarkation of unmanned aerial vehicles; in August 2007 it was announced that Northrop Grumman had won a USD635.9 million Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstrator (UCAS-D) contract from US Naval Air Systems Command, after the company's X-47B drone was selected (ahead of Boeing's X-45) as the developmental testbed for the navy's first carrier-launched unmanned strike aircraft. Also, the F/A-18s will be joined by a carrier version of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), which will bring stealth and state-of-the-art electronics to maritime aviators. The USN plans a mix of the two supersonic combat aircraft, so that it can take advantage of the F-35's new capabilities without replacing its entire inventory and sucking funds from other programmes. All these aircraft give the carriers their enormous combat power, including the potential to deliver nuclear weapons if needed. They also represent a shift in the navy's use of carriers and sea-based aircraft since their introduction in the early 20th century. "At the end of World War II we had 99 carriers," says Vice Admiral David Architzel, one of the USN's senior acquisition officials. "Today's carriers are tremendously more capable. We measure things today not by number of aircraft per target but number of targets per aircraft."

the argument of course then goes that you need fewer to do the same job (& it's a shrinking AF anyway) ... The UAE just officially ordered Airbus tankers this week, not that that will have any influenc on the USAF decision.

welcome :yes: You need to PM an admin as we mere Mods don't have the power (of Greyskull).

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=25986&hl=

I guess that you can start with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UH-72_Lakota

not every ejection in real life is successful you know ...

actually back in the beginning there were several Star Wars fighters etc. shown by modders being used in game but afaik none of them was ever publicly released.

I'm pretty sure that I've been tasked with armed recon in a WoV campaign before but it's been a while since I played it so I'm not 100%.

prefer myself

TK always brings his older games upto the same game engine level as the new via free patches. What you are paying for with a new game are new terrain, new models, new campaigns/missions etc. & the continuing development of the game engine.

Is that something that you would want, sir? If we did it would you buy 1 today?

sustained Mach 1.0+ in level flight without burner - I'm not sure if it also includes the ability to achieve Mach1 + without burner in the first place (which the old EE Lightning could do back in 1959).

Damn, that's sad

26-02-2008 Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is considering buying six US-made F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighters to increase its air force`s combat readiness, Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said. "We are considering a US offer to sell six F-16 jet fighters with payments to be made in four to five years` time," Juwono said after accompanying visiting US Defense Secretary Robert Gates at a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the State Palace here Monday. Juwono said the country would buy the six F-16 jet fighters under a multi-years financing scheme agreed upon by the Finance Ministry and the House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission I for information, defense and foreign affairs. "We are also still considering whether the payments will be made through the FMF and FMS mechanisms. This will all depend on the DPR because this year the government is focusing the state budget on improving the people`s welfare," he said. He said the planned purchase of the six F-16 jet fighters would not affect the government`s commitment to procuring Russian-made military armament systems. "Each (arm producing) country has its own advantages and disadvantages. Our difficulty to buy US-made armaments lies with the bureaucracy while our difficulty to buy Russian-made rests with the payments," he said. Meanwhile, Rear Marshal Soenaryo, commander of the Indonesian Air Force`s material maintenance division, said the country still has 10 F-16 jet fighters six of which were still airworthy. "The ten are of A/B types. We will increase their capacity to make them equal to the latest variants of Block 52 of C/D multi role F-16 Fighting Falcons, particularly their avionic systems," he said.(*)

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=p7hpVH1IAQM&feature=bz303

probably the fish .... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SxO5jWzk7Uw

http://www.gripen.com/en/MediaRelations/Pu...hureArchive.htm

http://www.gripen.com/en/MediaRelations/Ne...080215_ETPS.htm

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/...past-stunt.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7262380.stm

DATE:25/02/08 SOURCE:Flightglobal.com Sukhoi Su-35-1 makes first flight By Vladimir Karnozov Sukhoi's Su-35-1 single-seat multirole fighter made its first flight from Zhukovsky, near Moscow, on 18 February. Completion of two more aircraft is due later this year. Deliveries are scheduled from 2010-11, with the Russian air force having placed an initial order for a customised version dubbed the Su-27SM2. Launched in 2003, the Su-35-1 features a Tikhomirov NIIP Irbis radar with a detection range of 400km (216nm), a reshaped wing and two NPO Saturn Item 117S engines with vectored thrust and supercruise capability. The airframe is designed for 6,000 flight hours or a 30-year service life