AVIATION FANS

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va.: Representatives from the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Japan and many more partner nations, recently participated in the annual Empire Challenge 10 here and at locations worldwide simultaneously July...

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MARIETTA, Ga.: Lockheed Martin Corp. has received a $111.4 million contract modification from the U.S. Air Force for sustainment of the F-22 Raptor fleet, resulting in a contract value of $709 million. This modification is for the 2010 Follow-On Agile Sustainment for the Raptor (FASTeR) sustainment...

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DENVER: The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence awarded Lockheed Martin a $5.1 million contract for additional Desert Hawk III unmanned aircraft vehicles. Desert Hawk III's improved payloads maximize target detection and recognition by providing 360-degree -- daytime and nighttime -- coverage in a...

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KENT, WA: LaserMotive, an independent R&D company specializing in laser power beaming and winner of the 2009 NASA-sponsored Power Beaming Challenge, has announced that it will be showcasing a demonstration model of a laser-powered remote controlled helicopter at the AUVSI Unmanned Systems...

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MADRID: The US Coast Guard has ordered three additional Airbus Military CN235s through EADS-North America, which is the prime contractor for EADS military and defence products sold into the United States. The US Coast Guard, which holds options for up to six more aircraft over the next four years,...

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BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan: As Air Force operations in support of flood relief operations in Pakistan resumed, aircrew and support personnel from the 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia prepared to forward deploy to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, to...

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A Swiss plan to spend billions on fighter jets has stirred up debate. As the country looks to trim public spending, with security threats at a minimum, one question is increasingly being asked: Why? As Switzerland is making a number of budget cuts, many people expected defense to be a natural...

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WASHINGTON: The Air Force surgeon general has issued a memo alerting all Airmen about safety concerns regarding electronic cigarettes, a new type of nicotine product. Also known as "e-cigs," electronic cigarettes are battery-operated devices that look like conventional cigarettes. The e-cig...

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DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz.: In late July and early August, members of the 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron participated in Empire Challenge 10, a live intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance interoperability demonstration. The annual endeavor, sponsored by the undersecretary of...

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Israel is moving ahead with plans to purchase nearly $3 billion in advanced stealth fighter jets from the United States aerospace firm, Lockheed Martin. The purchase would come as Israel considers options including a preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. Israeli defense officials say the...

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At a ceremony at Saab’s factory in Linköping today, Saab unveiled the Thai integrated air defence system for its Thai customer. The ceremony was held to celebrate the contract between Sweden and Thailand. Many prominent guests attended the event including Commander in Chief, ACM Itthaporn Subhawong...

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AARHUS, Denmark: Defense and Security company Saab has awarded Terma a 55 MDKK contract for the development and production of an upgrade of the Reconnaissance Pod System for the Swedish Air Force Gripen fighter aircraft. Terma will deliver software and components for the upgrade to secure full day...

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WASHINGTON: A new system being developed to give helicopter crews a “heads up” when they’re being attacked, as well as the shooter’s location, is slated to ship to Afghanistan in October to see how it stands up under combat conditions. The Helicopter Alert and Threat Termination system, being...

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MARIETTA, Ga.: Lockheed Martin has signed a contract with the Sultanate of Oman for two additional C-130J Super Hercules. Oman ordered its first C-130J in July 2009, for delivery in 2012. The two additional aircraft will be delivered in late 2013 and early 2014. The first aircraft is of the...

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KALLAX AIR BASE, Sweden: Members of the 555th Fighter Squadron and 31st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron spent two weeks conducting air-to-air and air-to-ground exercises with members of the Swedish air force at Norrbotten Wing here. Over the course of two weeks, members of the U.S. Air Force worked...

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Jerusalem: Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday approved the purchase of a fleet of US-built F-35 strike fighters in a move set to ramp up the capabilities of the Israeli Air Force. The minister "approved in principle" a recommendation by the military to purchase the F-35 or Joint Strike...

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SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C.: The concept is like something out of a movie -- the ability to find a target from a jet cockpit with the naked eye and lock onto it simply by fixing your gaze upon it. This science fiction concept has become a reality at the 336th Fighter Squadron. The 4th...

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SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany: The 480th Fighter Squadron was activated as the 52nd Fighter Wing's newest F-16 Fighting Falcon squadron as of 13 Aug. at 1:48 p.m. The new squadron comes after the Combat Air Forces Restructuring plan transitioned 21 F-16s assigned to the 22nd and 23rd fighter...

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MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho: More than 150 Airmen and 12 F-22 Raptors from the 43rd Fighter Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., arrived here July 31 in support of the Air Force's first Exercise Global Gem joint training. Members of the 389th and 43rd Fighter Squadrons will continue...

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The radical F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is set to become the future of air combat according to the RAF test pilot putting the groundbreaking aircraft through its paces. Report by Neale Adams. As the UK public got its first glimpse of the RAF's stunning Harrier replacement at Farnborough,...

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