S-76D™ Helicopter Enters into Service with Japan Coast Guard for Search and Rescue Operations

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announced today that the S-76D™ helicopter has entered into search and rescue (SAR) operations with the Japan Coast Guard. Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

Sikorsky executives recently attended a ceremony with representatives from Mitsubishi Corporation and the Japan Coast Guard in which the aircraft entered into service.

The aircraft was delivered to Mitsubishi in July 2014 and became the first S-76D helicopter configured for search and rescue to be delivered as well as the first S-76D aircraft to enter service in Japan. Sikorsky and Mitsubishi have thus far contracted for 11 S-76D helicopters to be used for SAR missions by the Japan Coast Guard.

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Finmeccanica - Selex ES awarded two new Grifo radar contracts

Finmeccanica – Selex ES has been awarded two important new contracts for the company’s Grifo radar system. In each case, the Grifo radar system was selected for its proven high performance and flexible architecture. The radar can be installed in a large range of combat aircraft and integrates easily with modern avionics suites.

The Grifo family of airborne fire control radars are multimode and operate in the X-band. They offer a broad suite of field proven air-to-air, air-to-surface and navigation modes, high resolution SAR and ISAR.

Grifo represents an important commercial success for Finmeccanica - Selex ES at the international level. Over 450 of the radar systems have been sold so far and the radar equips six international Air Forces.

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Is Turkey withdrawing from NATO?

Last week, the news fell like a bombshell. Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz declared at the Turkish parliament that Turkey’s new defense missile system, to be purchased most probably from China, would not be integrated with NATO’s system. This kicked off a hot discussion on whether Turkey is changing its strategic affiliation and might ultimately withdraw from NATO.

The long-range missiles have been on top of Turkey’s agenda for a long while. In September 2013, Ankara declared that it had awarded its missile defense system tender to a Chinese firm - after which NATO, and the U.S. in particular, raised concerns and gave a sharp reaction.

This was not only because this Chinese firm is included in the U.S.’s sanction list, but also because the Chinese missiles could not be integrated with NATO’s defense system.

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Thales, ASELSAN continue missile system development

A new precision strike missile system will continue to be developed under a new cooperative contract between Thales and ASELSAN of Turkey.

The missile system under development incorporates Thales's lightweight multi-role missiles, or LMM, and a missile launcher system by ASELSAN.

"The cooperation between the two companies was initiated in 2010 and first stage firings of an integrated Missile Launcher System and LMM were demonstrated in 2014," Thales said in an announcement from a defense airshow in the United Arab Emirates.

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Lockheed, Sikorsky venture awarded $2.0 billion helicopter support deal

The U.S. Navy has awarded a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp and Sikorsky Helicopter a contract worth $2 billion to service the Navy's H-60 helicopters through Jan. 31, 2020, the Pentagon announced on Friday.

The fixed-price contract covers "performance-based logistics" on 1,710 assemblies and components, and covers the repair, modification, overhaul and replacement of hardware for the Navy's fleet of H-60 helicopters.

The contact was awarded to Marine Helicopter Support Co, a joint venture of Lockheed and Sikorsky, is a unit of United Technologies Corp.

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Pentagon Launches Electronic Warfare Study: Growler Line At Stake

The Pentagon has launched a wide-ranging study of electronic warfare, looking across the services at major platforms such as the EA-18G Growler and the F-35’s three versions.

“We are doing right now in the Department of Defense a study that looks at all electronic attack[:] what is the situation in electromagnetic warfare across the spectrum in our maneuver,” Adm. Jonathan Greenert told the House Appropriations defense subcommittee yesterday.

That study that goes far beyond any individual weapons system to examine America’s entire capability to control the electromagnetic spectrum, on which our networks, sensors, and precision weapons all depend.

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Construction of new Italian Navy frigate begins

The first steel sheeting for a new Italian Navy FREMM frigate has been conducted at a shipyard of Fincantieri near Genoa, the company reports.

The cutting marks the build phase of the multi-mission vessel, the eighth being constructed in the multinational FREMM program.

A total of 10 FREMM frigates are being built in Italy, with Orizzonte Sistemi Navali as the prime contractor.

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Lanka decides to consult China

Sri Lanka will not make any decision on Chinese projects it is reviewing until it consults China, Sri Lanka’s foreign minister said on Friday, pledging that his new government would welcome Chinese investors, the Reuters news agency reported.

President Maithripala Sirisena has unnerved China with his re-examination of certain projects that China has invested in, including a $1.5 billion “port city” project in Colombo.

India, which lost out to China in infrastructure development on the Indian Ocean island, was in particular worried about the security threat posed by Chinese ownership of land, aggravated by the docking of Chinese submarines in Colombo last year.

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Navy submarines: first time Canadian fleet is operational

Canada's Navy is marking what it calls a milestone for its controversy-plagued submarine program.

For the first time since Canada's four Victoria-class subs were purchased almost two decades ago, the navy says the fleet is now "operational", meaning three of the subs are able to conduct naval operations.

Two of the subs, HMCS Victoria and HMCS Chicoutimi will be in the water off Esquimalt, B.C. this week, while HMCS Windsor is currently operating out of Halifax.

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China’s Air Force Sets Up in High Schools to Train Teen Top Guns

China’s air force is offering pilot training to high school students in its latest attempt to attract young and qualified recruits needed to upgrade the People’s Liberation Army.

Flight training will be provided for about 1,000 successful applicants, age 14 to 16, in selected high schools, according to a statement jointly issued by the ministries of education, public security and the PLA general political department on Thursday. The training will start later this year.

The student pilot training program is the most recent in a slew of initiatives the Chinese air force has taken to induct young talent to build an “integrated air and space capability” and to forge greater balance among the PLA’s land, sea and air branches, as urged by President Xi Jinping.

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Exelis to develop and supply pneumatic missile eject launchers for Saab Aeronautics

Exelis has signed a business agreement with Saab Aeronautics to develop, supply and support Pneumatic Missile Eject Launcher pylons (PMEL) for use on Saab’s next generation Gripen E multirole fighter aircraft.

The PMEL will enable powered ejection of Meteor and AMRAAM (AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) from the fuselage underside.

The agreement is long-term, covering the entire operational life of the Gripen E and includes follow-on and upgrades to the system.

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Pakistan Inducts China-Built Eagle AWACS Into Air Force

Pakistan air force on Thursday inducted the advanced China-built Karakoram Eagle AWACS aircraft, capable of detecting hostile aerial and sea surface targets far before ground-based radars regardless of their height.

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said the new aircraft were inducted into its premier No 4 Squadron at ceremony held at an operational PAF base in Karachi.

"With the addition of AWACS, Pakistan air defence is now able to look deeper in enemy territory, be it land or sea," the air force said.

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US sends spy plane to patrol West Philippine Sea

The United States has begun flying its most advanced surveillance aircraft, the P-8A Poseidon, out of the Philippines for patrols over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), the US Navy said on Thursday, acknowledging the flights for the first time.

The United States, the Philippines' oldest and closest ally, has promised to share "real time" information on what is happening in Philippine waters as China steps up its activities in the South China Sea.

China claims most of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims.

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Russia’s Bear: The old-fashioned plane still thriving

The Tupolev Tu-95 first thundered over Soviet parades in the mid-1950s. Why does this giant, propeller-driven bomber still make headlines nearly 60 years later? Stephen Dowling investigates.

It first rumbled into the skies back in the early 1950s, an aerial giant that epitomised Soviet military might. Even its codename – ‘Bear’ – underlined its great size and strength.

When the Tupolev Tu-95 first appeared in front of Western observers in 1956, it did so amid a revolutionary surge in aviation design; the decade after the end of World War II saw jet technology become ascendant. Yet the Bear had propeller-driven engines, which even then seemed archaic.

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Navy's New Maritime Strategy Includes More Destroyers to Pacific

U.S. Navy leaders' plans to forward deploy two more destroyers to Japan and base another attack submarine in Guam appear to be part of a new maritime strategy expected to be released by the Navy next month.

While most of the details of the new strategy for the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard will not yet be discussed by Navy officials, the effort does include a new examination of the sea-services' ability to forward deploy and project power in global hotspots such as the Pacific theater and Middle East.

"The sea services have updated the maritime strategy in response to changes in the global security environment, new strategic guidance and a changed fiscal environment," said Lt. Timothy Hawkins, a Navy spokesman, told Military.com.

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Japan's defense capability should not be underestimated: expert

Japanese military expert Kazuhiko Inoue said that Japan's self defense force is capable of taking on China's People's Liberation Army even without the assistance of the United States, Tokyo's Sapio Magazine reports.

Inoue said that the ability of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force to resist a potential PLA invasion should not be underestimated.

He also questioned whether China's warships, designed based on technologies purchased from Russia, Ukraine, Israel are really that reliable compared to their Japanese counterparts.

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Nato defence spending falls despite promises to reverse cuts

Despite the Ukraine crisis and increasing tensions with Russia, most Nato members are doing little to reverse the decline in their defence spending.

The promises and rhetoric that they will meet the threat is not matched by reality.

New research by Ian Kearns and Denitsa Raynova of the European Leadership Network (ELN) found that six countries, including two of the biggest defence spenders in Europe, the UK and Germany, will cut defence expenditure in 2015.

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Why the New Bomber is a Good Investment

Should the bomber go the way of the battleship? That is what T.X. Hammes recently suggested here at War on the Rocks (“Rethinking Deep Strike in the 21st Century”).

Hammes urged policymakers to abandon the U.S. Air Force’s Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B) program. Recalling procurement debacles like the B-2 and F-35 programs, Hammes argued that policymakers and planners should avoid the risk of another such acquisition fiasco and instead give standoff missiles and the emerging technology of autonomous drones a chance.

Hammes compared the Air Force’s effort to field another manned bomber with the Navy’s attempt after World War I to hold on to the battleship, only to see that increasingly costly platform surpassed by a new technology, swarms of aircraft.

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Gibraltar's vital role for the US Navy's operations is underlined

Gibraltar plays a ‘vital’ role for the US Navy’s submarine operations at a time of increased Russian naval activity, a US think tank said. The Heritage Foundation made the statement in its Index of US Military Strength 2015, a wide-ranging annual research project that assesses the ability of the United States Armed Forces.

The document notes that the US Navy keeps a number of submarines in the European region and that these contribute to the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capacities of EURCOM, the US military’s Germany-based European Command.

Some of these submarines ‘frequently’ dock at the Z Berth in the naval base at Gibraltar, the Heritage Foundation said. “The US cannot dock nuclear powered submarines in Spain making access to Gibraltar’s Z berths vital,” the report added.

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Ghannatha vessels delivered

Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) has announced the completion of the Ghannatha Phase II programme after delivery of all 24 vessels to the UAE Navy.

Built to a design developed by partner Swede Ship Marine (Stand C-015), the Ghannatha-class boats are high-speed, aluminiumbuilt multi-role combat vessels.

Powered by two MTU diesels driving twin Rolls-Royce FF 600 waterjets, the design is capable of speeds up to 45kts.

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Russian Fighter Jets Kick Off Air Missile Drills Above Barents Sea

Russia's Central Military District's MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor aircraft are conducting military drills over the Barents Sea, testing responses to air missile strikes, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.

"The flight-tactical exercise with the crews of MiG-31 fighter-interceptors was launched in the Perm Region at the Sokol Airbase. In the coming days, two squads of aircraft will be redeployed to the Monchegorsk airport (Murmansk Region), making a flight distance of 1,500 kilometers (932 miles).

The flights to intercept 'enemy' missiles and aircraft will take place from there," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

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NATO Commander Breedlove: Imported Russian Missiles Have Turned Crimea into a Black Sea ‘Power Projection’ Platform

Since Russia has taken control of the Crimean region of Ukraine, it has moved a significant number of anti-air and anti-surface missile systems onto the peninsula that could hit targets in most of the Black Sea region, the supreme commander of NATO and U.S. European Command (EUCOM) told reporters in a Wednesday afternoon briefing.

“What we have seen is that Crimea has been transformed in some fairly significant ways as far as weapon systems in the Crimea,” said Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove.

“These weapon systems — from air defense systems that reach nearly half of the Black Sea to surface attack systems that reach almost all of the Black Sea area — have made the platform of Crimea a great platform for power projection into this area.”

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Fatal crash in Malatya raises questions over capability of fighters

A debate has begun on the safety of an ageing type of fighter jet used by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) after two Turkish RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft crashed, killing all four pilots, during an a training exercise in the province of Malatya on Tuesday.

According to a statement issued by the TSK, contact was lost with the RF-4E Phantom reconnaissance aircraft soon after they took off from the Malatya air base for planned night training on Tuesday evening. "Search operations were started immediately.

At 20:45 the wreckage of our two planes was discovered and unfortunately four pilots have been martyred," said the statement. The planes crashed in the Ekinciler area of Malatya's Akcadag district. No reason was given for the crash.

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Peru Defense Ministry, US Southern Command seek to deepen bilateral ties

Peru’s Defense Ministry and US Southern Command representatives are looking to strengthen bilateral relations and promote respect for human rights in the Peruvian armed forces as they attend a seminar held in Lima, Peru.

The Human Rights Initiative (HRI) Strategic Process Assessment Seminar, which opened on Tuesday and ends today, is a regional program supported by the Southern Command that allows participating soldiers of the hemisphere to create their own scheme for institutionalizing respect for human rights.

Peru participated in the hemispheric seminars from 1997-2002 to develop the Consensus Document and officially joined the HRI in 2010, making a formal commitment to implement HRI within its armed forces.

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New fighter jet appears ready for PLA

China's air force will soon commission the J-10B fighter jet, the most advanced military aircraft the country has ever developed on its own, information released by military observers show.

Several pictures showing 14 of the planes lined up outside an unidentified aircraft factory have been circulating on military websites. Experts said their gray paint scheme indicates that they will soon be delivered to the People's Liberation Army air force.

Though no one has claimed ownership of the pictures, they are believed to have been taken by Chinese aviation enthusiasts in late December or early January.

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Iran's navy attacks replica U.S. aircraft carrier

A replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier was damaged Wednesday by Iran's Revolutionary Guard during military drills in the Persian Gulf's Strait of Hormuz.

The full-scale replica was the target of an attack by cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and rockets fired from Revolutionary Guard speedboats.

The naval exercises were staged in the strategic strait through which one-fifth of the world's oil supply travels.

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USN highlights Fire Scout pairing with Romeo helicopters

The US Navy is so impressed with the maturity and capability of Northrop Grumman’s Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that the Naval Air Systems Command program manager is keen to share lessons learned with the Royal Australian Navy.

Captain Jeff Dodge says that, given the RAN intends to use the MH-60R Seahawk Romeo combat helicopter in a similar way to the USN, utilising the experience gained through operating Fire Scout alongside manned helicopters could help Australia gain a better understanding of a potential future capability.

“We’re very happy with the Fire Scout so we’re looking for the opportunity to share what we’ve learned so far about operating unmanned air systems off cruisers, destroyers and frigates,” Capt Dodge said.

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Norway to restructure military in response to Russian 'aggression'

Norway’s defence minister has said her country’s armed forces will be restructured so they can respond faster to what she called increased Russian aggression.

Ine Eriksen Soreide said that Russia had recently re-opened military bases in its far north that had been shut down after the cold war, and that there had also been an increase in flights by Russian warplanes close to Norwegian airspace.

“We have seen in the first couple of months of this year a certain increase compared to the same period last year and ... an increased complexity. We see they fly longer, they fly with more different kinds of airplanes and their patterns are different than they used to be,” Soreide told the Guardian during a visit to London.

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Wary of China, India and Japan set to forge aircraft deal

India is getting set to acquire the massive ShinMaywa US-2i amphibious aircraft from Japan as part of their expanding bilateral strategic partnership, with both nations wary of China's assertive behaviour in the Asia-Pacific region.

The defence acquisitions council (DAC), chaired by Manohar Parrikar, on Saturday will take up the proposal to "empower" the joint working group (JWG) to negotiate the purchase of at least 12 US-2i aircraft for the Navy for around $1.3 billion.

"It will be like an AON (acceptance of necessity) that the Navy requires 12 US-2i as of now, and the commercial negotiations for them can begin. The Coast Guard, in turn, may require five such planes," said a defence ministry source.

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Spending soars. Yet, India's military in crisis

The defence budget of India—the world’s largest arms importer—has more than doubled over the past decade from Rs 80,500 crore to Rs 229,000 crore for the financial year 2014-15.

Yet, the defence forces are critically short of arms, and men and women at arms.

The army, navy and air force are short of officers by 17% (7,989), 17% (1,499) and 3% (357) respectively, according to latest data tabled in the Lok Sabha. Consider the arms deficits in the three services:

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Trident question comes to the surface

The loch at Faslane is very calm on a beautiful spring-like day, seagulls wheel above the jetty and its short, white radar tower. Beneath the still waters, I presume, lurks some of Britain's ageing nuclear deterrent.

The future of Trident may not be much of an issue in the election, but it will be one of the most important, and expensive, decisions the new government makes.

And it could be a vital issue in any negotiations if there is a hung Parliament.

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Thales predicts rebound after DCNS losses hit 2014 profit

France's Thales posted lower full-year profit on Thursday after cost overruns on military submarines at its DCNS naval subsidiary but predicted a return to profitability this year as the unit rights itself.

Europe's largest defence electronics group said operating profit fell 3 percent to 985 million euros ($1.12 billion) after problems on the Barracuda nuclear submarine programme pushed the contribution from its 35 percent stake in shipyard DCNS sharply into the red.

Excluding DCNS, operating income rose 13 percent to 1.102 billion euros, as sales rose 2 percent to 12.974 billion, while net attributable income fell 12 percent to 565 million.

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Navy will consider accelerating Virginia-class sub enhancement

Navy officials have said they will consider moving up the date for the start of a new Virginia-class submarine program that would allow the boats to carry more firepower.

About 20 Virginia-class submarines, built jointly by Electric Boat in Groton and Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, would have their hulls lengthened by about 70 feet to accommodate the so-called Virginia Payload Module, allowing the subs to carry 28 more Tomahawk cruise missiles than the Virginia class subs under construction now.

Right now the Navy has planned construction of the first Virginia Payload Module for 2019. The new design is needed to provide more undersea strike capability as the Navy prepares to retire Ohio-class guided missile submarines in the mid-2020s.

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Submarine selection process a disaster in the making

The process to select our new submarines announced on Friday by the Defence Minister is completely inadequate. If it sticks to it, the government will choose our new submarines without having nearly enough information to make the decision properly.

And it will be setting up our biggest defence procurement disaster ever. That is because the three contenders – Japan, Germany and France – have been given only 10 months to design the boat, decide how and where to build it, and come up with a price.

These are all immensely complex tasks, and 10 months is simply not long enough to take them beyond the back-of-the-envelope stage, and provide answers on which the government can rely.

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China submarines outnumber U.S. fleet: U.S. admiral

China is building some "fairly amazing submarines" and now has more diesel- and nuclear-powered vessels than the United States, a top U.S. Navy admiral told U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday, although he said their quality was inferior.

Vice Admiral Joseph Mulloy, deputy chief of naval operations for capabilities and resources, told the House Armed Services Committee's seapower subcommittee that China was also expanding the geographic areas of operation for its submarines, and their length of deployment.

For instance, China had carried out three deployments in the Indian Ocean, and had kept vessels out at sea for 95 days, Mulloy said.

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Elbit Systems unveils helicopter flight vision system

Elbit Systems Ltd. is to introduce its Helicopter ClearVision, the rotary-wing version of its unique ClearVision Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS) for commercial aircraft, at Heli-Expo 2015 next week in Orlando, Florida. The new solution answers the growing worldwide trend for increased helicopter safety and enhanced situational awareness.

This cutting-edge system has already been demonstrated successfully in flights on-board various types of helicopter platforms, making it a world leading system in the commercial helicopter market.

Pilots who have flight tested the system attested to its significant contribution to flight safety and to its maturity. The pilots also expressed their desire to fly the system in their routine missions.

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Boeing, Royal Australian Air Force Test Extended Range Weapon

The Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munition Extended Range (JDAM ER) demonstrated significant range increase while maintaining its expected accuracy during flight testing conducted by Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

The testing centered on a new wing kit that, when used in conjunction with the weapon’s guidance kit, increases the bomb’s range from approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) to more than 45 miles (72 kilometers), as shown during tests above the Woomera Test Range in Australia.

“The JDAM ER wing kit takes advantage of the conventional JDAM aircraft interface and Small Diameter Bomb glide technology,” said Beth Kluba, vice president, Boeing Weapons and Missile Systems. “This keeps integration, development and sustainment costs low while bringing customers the range increase needed to neutralize current and future threats.”

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‘Spy cables’ reveal SA missile shock

Israel obtained stolen anti-tank missile plans from South Africa, and Pretoria asked for their return, the TV network Al Jazeera has reported, quoting a secret document from the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad.

This is one of several hundred classified documents leaked to it from several national spy agencies, including South Africa’s State Security Agency (SSA), the network says.

On Monday it began publishing stories based on these documents, some of which it also posted on its website, after deleting names of spies and other sensitive information which could cause harm to individuals.

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Defense Ministry admits September missile test failed

Defense Ministry officials confirmed Tuesday that a high profile September 2014 trial run of the Arrow 2 missile interceptor failed to hit its target, ending speculation by military analysts amid foreign reports detailing the botched test.

RThough it did successfully acquire and track its target, the anti-ballistic missile missed its mark, falling into the Mediterranean sea 300 kilometers from Israel’s shores.

The misfire left Defense Ministry officials stumped for weeks, but according to Israeli news site Ynet, the problem was “fixed” following extensive work.

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Army orders 84 advanced helicopters over the last month worth a total of $1.1 billion

The past month has seen the U.S. military on a buying spree for advanced helicopters designed for a wide range of tasks from reconnaissance to attack.

Since late January U.S. Army aviation authorities have announced orders for 84 helicopters worth about $1.1 billion.

The three separate orders are for 35 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters for the U.S. Army; eight AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters for the government of Indonesia; and 41 UH-72A Lakota light helicopters for the U.S. Army.

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F-35 procurement troubles may hurt military's relations with allies

The widening fallout from a botched program to replace Canada's aging CF-18 fighter jets may be damaging the military's relationships with its international allies.

A defence briefing note says hundreds of arrangements the military has with allies to share facilities and services are being called into question, and must be reviewed as if they were formal supply contracts.

The arrangements now are subject to a time-consuming procurement process that is tying the department in knots and leaving the military sometimes unable to commit to joint operations internationally.

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French Defense Minister Discusses Rafale Deal With Indian Counterpart

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian met with his Indian counterpart Tuesday as his country looks to close a multibillion-dollar deal to supply fighter jets to India.

An official at India’s Defense Ministry told The Wall Street Journal that Mr. Le Drian, who arrived in India on Monday, and Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar met for about an hour and that the deal to supply 126 multirole Rafale fighter jets figured in their discussions.

Less than a week ago, Mr. Parrikar said an Indian team negotiating with Rafale maker Dassault Aviation S.A. was expected to submit its report toward the end of this month or early next, signaling the government may be close to making a final decision on the deal.

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Firms see drone sales in Gulf surging after U.S. eases export policy

U.S. drone makers are expecting a surge in sales of military and civilian drones to Gulf states after the State Department eased export rules last week, industry executives said on Tuesday.

U.S. aerospace and arms companies have been pressing the U.S. government for years to ease restrictions on foreign sales of unmanned aerial vehicles - UAVs or drones - arguing that other countries such as Israel are overtaking them.

Critics argue that drone strikes kill too many civilians and violate sovereignty.

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AVALON: RAAF upbeat on Wedgetail reliability

The Royal Australian Air Force says recent operational experience operating the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft has established the platform's effectiveness.

Speaking to media, RAAF Wg Cdr Paul Carpenter says that receipt of Initial Operational Capability in December 2012 marked a key milestone in the type's service history.

"IOC was very significant, because it put us on the hook for taskings," says Carpenter.

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Lockheed F-35 heads for the ski jump in next key round of tests

Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will start "ski-jump testing" at a Maryland air base this week, while another B-model jet wraps up six months of tests at temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius) to as high as 120 F (49 C).

Two UK pilots will test the ability of the new warplane to take off from upward-sloping ski-jump ramps used on aircraft carriers like those operated by Britain and Italy. The ramps launch the jets forward and upward, reducing the thrust needed.

Sylvia Pierson, spokeswoman for the Pentagon's F-35 program office, said two British pilots, one from BAE Systems Plc and the other from the British Royal Navy, would use the first UK F-35B jet to complete the testing through late May.

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The Navy says it needs more tactical and strike aircraft on aircraft carriers

The U.S. Navy remains committed to its plans to buy the carrier-based variant of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet and declare it ready for initial combat use by 2018, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michelle Howard said on Tuesday.

Howard said there was no doubt the Navy would need tactical and strike aircraft based on aircraft carriers, and it was counting on the F-35 Lightning II to carry out that mission.

Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert said earlier this month that the next fighter after the F-35 would likely rely less on speed and stealth than current aircraft, saying "stealth may be overrated."

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Missile Defense System Performs Successful Flight Test

The Missile Defense Agency and sailors aboard the USS Carney, USS Gonzalez, and USS Barry successfully completed a flight test involving the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense weapon system, according to a Defense Department news release.

At approximately 2:30 a.m. EST today, three short-range ballistic missile targets were launched nearly simultaneously from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, the release said.

Two Aegis BMD destroyers acquired and tracked the targets.

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China's Submarine Hunting Plane Has A Giant Stinger

China is making serious efforts to correct its longstanding deficiency in aerial Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), introducing the Shaanxi Y-8Q (also designated as the Y-8GX6) aircraft painted in the blue-gray People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF) colors into operation.

Previously, two Y-8Q prototypes had been flying for the past several years as part of a rigorous testing and training regimen. Until this month, China's only long-range aerial ASW capability came from three Harbin SH-5 seaplanes, which are nearly thirty years old.

The Y-8Q is designed to overcome Chinese ASW deficiencies that would cripple Chinese naval and civilian maritime activity in war.

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Delivery of first Scorpene submarine delayed: Government to Rajya Sabha

Government has revised the delivery schedule of the first Scorpene submarine, which was originally to be inducted in December 2012, mainly due to the difficulties in procuring material from foreign vendors by Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL), Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, in his written reply to a question, said the shipyard has undertaken augmentation of the manpower, infrastructure and industrial means in a phased manner to meet the production target and the the production capabilities have also been augmented.

"The original schedule of delivery of the first submarine was December 2012, which has since been revised. The difficulties faced by the M/s MDL during the course of procurement of materials from foreign vendors had mainly let to the delay," Parrikar told the House.

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Russia to build Barguzin rail-mobile missile systems

Russia's new rail-mobile missile system will be called "Barguzin." The new system will expand the line of existing missile systems of Russia and strengthen the defensive capability of our country. Missiles for the Barguzin complex will be built on the basis of the Yars ICBM.

First rail-mobile missile systems

It is hard to say, whose idea it was originally to put an artillery gun on a railway platform. However, it is well known that such weapons were used in the years of the American Civil War in 1861-1865. Later, the British used armored trains in Sudan and in the Anglo-Boer War.

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