October 2015 Air Force Military Aviation Defence Industry News
 
 

Venezuela will upgrade its fleet of Su-30Mk2 fighter aircraft

Venezuela will upgrade its fleet of Su-30Mk2 fighter aircraft
 
Venezuela will upgrade its fleet of Su 30Mk2 fighter aircraft 640 001
Venezuela will allocate $480 million to upgrade its Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets, the country's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said. Last month, Maduro announced that Venezuela would purchase at least 12 Sukhoi fighter jets from Russia, said russian media on Friday, Oct. 30, 2015.
 

Airbus Helicopters signed MoU with LOM PRAHA eyeing the Czech multipurpose helicopter tender

Airbus Helicopters signed MoU with LOM PRAHA eyeing the Czech multipurpose helicopter tender
 
Airbus Helicopters signed MoU with LOM PRAHA eyeing the Czech multipurpose helicopter tender 640 001
Airbus Helicopters signed a Memorandum of Understanding with LOM PRAHA s.p. for a future cooperation in the field of helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul. The agreement is in the frame of the Czech Republic’s MoD tender for new multipurpose helicopters, as the country is looking to replace its legacy Mi-8/-17/-24.
 

US State Department approved a $70mn FMS to Turkey for Joint Direct Attack Munitions

US State Department approved a $70mn FMS toTurkey for Joint Direct Attack Munitions
 
US State Department approved a 70mn FMS with Turkey for Joint Direct Attack Munitions 640 001
The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Turkey for Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $70 million, the US Defense and Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015.
 

Taiwan has grounded its AH-64E Apache attack helicopters

Taiwan has grounded its AH-64E Apache attack helicopters
 
Taiwan has grounded its AH 64E Apache attack helicopters 640 001
Taiwan has grounded its fleet of 29 Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters, as a result of corrosion, according to a Taipei Times report. Major General Huang Kuo-ming, who is the commander of the Army Aviation Special Forces Command, said that after a preliminary assessment they found extensive oxidation in the metal components of the tail rotor gearbox.
 

New task force planned by South Korea to take charge of KF-X fighter development program

New task force planned by South Korea to take charge of KF-X fighter development program
 
South Korea s KF X indigenous to be managed by a new organization by year end 640 001
South Korea plans to launch a new project team which will take charge of the faltering fighter jet development program before the end of this year, an official from the country's Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday. "For the success of the KF-X project, which is invested with huge funds and spawned technology development controversy, the project team will be established under the wing of the head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration," the official said.
 

QinetiQ to evaluate upgrade to RAF Chinook Automatic Flight Control System

QinetiQ to evaluate upgrade to RAF Chinook Automatic Flight Control System
 
QinetiQ to evaluate upgrade to RAF Chinook Automatic Flight Control System 640 001
QinetiQ has been awarded a GPB5.2 million (USD 8mn) contract from the British Ministry of Defence in order to evaluate the possibility of an upgrade to the CH-47 Chinook’s Automatic Flight Control System. The evaluation is part of the MoD’s requirement to upgrade the Chinook Mk3 and Mk4/4A by integrating the JULIUS Cockpit Display System / Mission Avionic System and a Digital Automatic Flight Control System (DAFCS).
 

Turkey officially gifts 34 T-37 trainer aircraft to Pakistan

Turkey officially gifts 34 T-37 trainer aircraft to Pakistan
 
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Government of Turkey announced to provide Pakistan 34 T-37 training and light attack training aircraft and its spare parts on a free basis. According to Dawn News, Pakistan and Turkey signed a landmark defence cooperation agreement Wednesday under which Turkey will provide Pakistan with 34 T-37 training and light attack training aircraft and its spare parts on a gratis basis.
 

USAF grants Lockheed a $76mn contract for Paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb kits

USAF grants Lockheed a $76mn contract for Paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb kits
 
USAF grants Lockheed a 76mn contract for Paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb kits 640 001
Lockheed Martin received a $76 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for follow-on production of Paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) kits. The contract represents the majority share of fiscal year 2015 funding, as well as 100 percent of available funding for Foreign Military Sales. Deliveries will begin in the second quarter of 2016 and include the guidance and tail assemblies for GBU-10 and GBU-12 LGBs.
 

USAF received two more MC-130J Commando II aircraft

USAF received two more MC-130J Commando II aircraft
 
USAF received two more MC 130J Commando II aircraft 640 001
The United States Air Force has recently received two more MC-130J Commando II aircraft from Lockheed Martin. The aircraft will replace the older MC-130E/P Combat Talon. Of the two aircraft one will be operated from the Kadena Air Base in Japan and the other from the RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom.
 

US plans to deliver four light ISR planes to Jordan for border surveillance missions

US plans to deliver four light ISR planes to Jordan for border surveillance missions
 
US plans to send four ISR planes to Jordan for border patrolling missions 640 001
US plans to deliver four small ISR aircraft to the Royal Jordanian Armed Forces, the USAF announced in a "Justification and Approval document" on Oct. 21, 2015. According to this J&A document, the four aircraft are now heading to a new home with the RJAF. The 645th Aeronautical Systems Group and defense contractor L-3 Communications are to fit powerful cameras and other gear onto four heavily modified AT-802 crop-dusters originally purchased for Yemen.
 

Sikorsky's CH-53K Stallion helicopter prototype successfully performed first test flight

Sikorsky's CH-53K Stallion helicopter prototype successfully performed first test flight
 
Sikorsky CH 53K Stallion helicopter prototype successfully performed first test flight 640 001
Sikorsky Aircraft yesterday announced the successful first flight of the U.S. Marine Corps’ CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter prototype, known as Engineering Development Model-1 (EDM-1). The 30-minute flight signals the beginning of a 2,000-hour flight test program using four test aircraft.
 

Sukhoi handed over new batch of Su-34 frontline bombers to the Russian Air Force

Sukhoi handed over new batch of Su-34 frontline bombers to the Russian Air Force
 
Sukhoi handed over new batch of su 34 frontline bombers to the Russian Air Force 640 001
The Sukhoi Company handed over another batch of Su-34 frontline bombers to the Russian Air and Space Forces according to the 2015 State Defense Order, the Russian aircraft manufacturer announced Wednesday Oct. 28. The aircraft took off from the V.P.Chkalov Novosibirsk Aircraft Plant’s airfield and headed to the place of their deployment.
 

USAF awards the $80bn Long Range Strategic Bomber contract to Northrop Grumman

USAF awards the $80bn Long Range Strategic Bomber contract to Northrop Grumman
 
USAF awards the 80bn Long Range Strategic Bomber contract to Northrop Grumman 640 001
Northrop Grumman has beaten out a team of Boeing and Lockheed Martin for the highly-anticipated contract to build the U.S. Air Force‘s Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) plane, US Defense Department officials announced Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015. The bomber is slated to be ready for initial combat use by 2025.
 

First KC-46 out of Boeing to conduct tests with the USAF

First KC-46 out of Boeing to conduct tests with the USAF
 
First KC-46 out of Boeing to conduct tests with USAFjpg
Boeing’s first test KC-46A aircraft has arrived at USAF’s Edwards Air Force Base where it is scheduled to carry out a series of tests in cooperation with the 418th Flight Test Squadron. These include Ground Effects and Fuel Onload Fatigue testing of the platform, which are expected to last for a period of two weeks. The platform has arrived in California, from Seattle, with a combined Boeing and USAF crew of pilots and engineers.
 

Canada to start a new fighter competition programme

Canada to start a new fighter competition programme
 
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The new Canadian government intends to start from scratch the programme for the new fighter aircraft to replace the Boeing CF-18, according to Reuters. The newly elected Liberals have decided to scrap the Lockheed Martin F-35 acquisition plans and seek a more affordable solution. A new request for proposals will be issued along with a new list of specifications that will have nothing to do with the previously submitted bids.
 

Aviastar SP unveils increased capabilities for Russia's future Il-78M-90A aerial refuelling aircraft

Aviastar SP unveils increased capabilities for Russia's future Il-78M-90A aerial refuelling aircraft
 
Aviastar SP unveils increased capabilities for Russia s future Il 78M 90A aerial refuelling aircraft 640 001
Russian new aerial refueling aircraft, Il-78M-90A, can additionally carry up to 110 tons of fuel thanks to two extra tanks, Sergei Dementyev, Aviastar-SP Company’s Director-General, reported. "The next year’s job is to send the Il-78M-90A into the air. This is the first flying prototype to undergo acceptance trials. We look forward to signing a contract based on results obtained," he noted.
 

Chinese Air Force's cadets start training on JL-9 trainer and light attack aircraft

Chinese Air Force's cadets start training on JL-9 trainer and light attack aircraft
 
Chinese Air Forc s cadets start training on JL 9 trainer and light attack aircraft 640 001
A JL-9 training plane conducted its first flight training at a training base under the Aviation University of the PLA Air Force on the morning of Oct. 18, marking the JL-9 training plane has been introduced into the pilot cadets training of the PLA Air Force (PLAAF), the Chinese MoD announced on its website on Oct. 26, 2015.
 

The USAF takes delivery of its 31st C-5M Super Galaxy strategic airlifter

The USAF takes delivery of its 31st C-5M Super Galaxy strategic airlifter
 
The USAF takes delivery of its 31st C 5M Super Galaxy strategic airlifter 640 001
Lockheed Martin delivered the 31st C-5M Super Galaxy to the U. S. Air Force on Oct. 23. A crew from the 22nd Airlift Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, Travis Air Force Base, California, ferried the aircraft from the Lockheed Martin facility here to Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York, where it will undergo internal paint restoration.
 

Japan orders three Boeing KC-46A aerial refuelling and transport aircraft

Japan orders three Boeing KC-46A aerial refuelling and transport aircraft
 
Japan orders three Boeing KC 46A aerial refuelling and transport aircraft 640 001
The Japanese government said Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, it has selected Boeing Co.'s KC-46A as country's new aerial tanker, and plans to begin adding the aircraft to the Air Self-Defense Force fleet from around fiscal 2020. Japan's Defense Ministry plans to buy three air tankers under the country's medium-term defense buildup program through fiscal 2018, which underscored the need to enhance the capability to protect remote islands.
 

China starts testing the Yuanmeng, a new type of helium stratospheric reconnaissance airship

China starts testing the Yuanmeng, a new type of helium stratospheric reconnaissance airship
 
China starts testing the Yuanmeng a new type of helium stratospheric reconnaissance airship 640 001
China began testing on a new type of helium stratospheric airship. The Yuanmeng aircraft can reach a height of 100 kilometers and conduct reconnaissance without being seen by other aircraft or rockets. China has reportedly tested a high-altitude airship (HAA) to an altitude of 20 km, local medias said.
 

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