REPORT IN

My current place is actually around 50kmish from the famed RAAF F-111 airbase. They had museum operating there but did not visit yet as I do not have car there...

Last year they had whole Super hornet formation flight pass which apparently only happend once in many few years when they get themselve new plane.



This post has been edited by minizian: Dec 4 2012, 10:10 PM

vietnam being spending like crazy.

Army pilots stage mutiny over chopper fears
By Ian McPhedran | 5 December 2012 Wednesday | 11:23AM

Tiger chopper pilots stage mutiny over safety fears
Mutiny follows aircrew being hit with cockpit fumes
Defence denies mutiny, says it has support of crew

DOZENS of Army pilots have conducted a mini-mutiny by going on "strike'' and refusing to fly new Tiger attack helicopters after aircrew were hit by cockpit fumes for the third time this year.

The latest emergency occurred at the Cultana military training area in South Australia on November 4 after earlier incidents in March and July. The fleet was not grounded after the third incident.

"The crew applied the standard procedure for smoke or fumes in the cockpit and landed safely at El Alamein Airfield,'' Defence told News Limited.

Pilots were angered by the decision not to suspend flying and aircrew from the Darwin-based 1st Aviation Regiment voted against flying, effectively a mutiny, until all safety concerns were addressed.

The emergency was isolated to the air conditioning unit of a single European built and Brisbane assembled Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH).

Tiger flying was "suspended'' in March and July this year due to cockpit fumes and since 2007 the aircraft has recorded 24 "fume incidents'' which is on a par with other military aircraft.

Defence refused to acknowledge that pilots had actually refused to fly and put the lack of flying down to "a prolonged period in the field and absence from home''.

It did acknowledge aircrew concerns and said a lull in activity was not unusual during "maintenance reset and administration catch-up on return to the unit''.

"Steps being taken by the Chain of Command to address 1st Aviation Regiment aircrew concerns have the full support of the aircrew,'' Defence said.

The army is still flying its Tiger training aircraft at Oakey in southern Queensland and other nations including Germany and France, that chalked up 4000 Tiger hours in Afghanistan, continue to operate the machines.

The Army's 22 Tigers (16 in Darwin) were built by European giant EADS and its subsidiary Eurocopter and assembled in Brisbane by Australian Aerospace at a cost of $2 billion.

A well-placed source said many military pilots were shocked that army pilots were allowed to vote not to fly effectively defying senior officers who judged the aircraft safe to operate.

"Usually you have to fight to stop military pilots from flying,'' a source said.

Defence confirmed that the 1st Aviation Regiment fleet had not flown since the incident at Cultana Training Area on November 4.

"There has been no scheduled operational flying of the ARH aircraft by the 1st Aviation Regiment in Darwin since the fumes incident at Cultana,'' it said.

During the emergency, the two-person crew of the tandem Tiger Helicopter had to open small weather windows inside the cramped cockpit as they conducted a sideslip manoeuvre to rapidly circulate air and dissipate the acrid fumes.

In the second incident in July, the window was jammed shut after not being checked during pre-flight inspections so the crew was forced to take the risky step of blowing the canopy off to ventilate the cockpit.

The source of the fumes in the first two incidents has been identified as a faulty capacitor in older models of a power module in the aircraft's multi-function display system.

It is understood a dud air conditioning unit was responsible for the Cultana event and it was isolated to a single aircraft - number 05 off the production line.

According to whistleblowers, safety concerns have prompted several pilots to commence discharge procedures.

In the past year, 22 helicopter pilots have left the army including two from the 1st Aviation Regiment.

Last September, the officer in command of the 1st Aviation Regiment's 162 Reconnaissance Squadron, Major Hayden Archibald, told News Limited that he would love to go to Afghanistan with the Tigers.

The Army was criticised during the inquiry into the death in Afghanistan of pilot Lieutenant Marcus Case where air force investigators highlighted examples of Army's inability to meet operational airworthiness regulations.

Unlike the Navy and RAAF the Army's operational airworthiness authority is non-pilot anmd Forces Commander Major General Mick Slater.

EUROCOPTER ARH "AUSSIE'' TIGER HELICOPTER

* Armed reconnaissance attack helicopter built from 80 per cent carbon fibre

* Two-person crew in tandem configuration equipped with helmet mounted sights

* Hellfire anti-armour missiles, 70mm rockets, 30mm cannon, armoured cabin

* Integrated laser sensors

* Cost about $70 million


http://www.news.com.au/business/worklife/a...r-1226530364627

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Dec 5 2012, 09:45 PM

This post has been edited by yinchet: Dec 6 2012, 02:29 PM

pictures are in!



more here:
http://mymil.forums2u.com/t19p525-eurocopt...725-tudm#148180

This post has been edited by atreyuangel: Dec 7 2012, 04:32 PM

Vought ASM-135 ASAT

Rafale charm offensive with Indian news crew.

VIDEO: NDTV's Vishnu Som Flies In The Rafale
8 December 2012 Saturday

http://livefist.blogspot.sg/2012/12/video-..._medium=twitter

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Dec 8 2012, 05:36 PM

Statement On Apache Win In Indian Parliament
10 December 2012 Monday

After formally announcing the CH-47F Chinook's victory in the Indian Air Force's heavy copter competition last week in Parliament, the Indian defence minister has now officially confirmed Boeing's AH-64D Apache Block III win as well. Here's the full statement in Parliament today:

Indian Air Force (IAF) is procuring Chinook Ch-47F heavy-lift helicopters and AH-64D Block-III Apache helicopters from Boeing Company of USA. In the two separate proposals initiated by Indian Air Force (IAF) for procurement of 15 Heavy Lift Helicopters and 22 Attack Helicopters, M/s Boeing of United States of America (USA) with Chinook CH-47F(I) and 'Apache' AH-64D respectively, has emerged as the L1 Vendor. The Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) cost for 15 Heavy Lift Helicopters and 22 Attack Helicopters is Rs.2468.41 Crores and Rs.3094.98 Crores respectively. However, final cost of the Contracts would depend upon outcome of the Contract negotiation with the L1 Vendor.

http://livefist.blogspot.sg/2012/12/statem..._medium=twitter

baru mau reporting in...

wow India is going full speed in lots of high profile procurement.

uncle zim banyak perlahan.
dah lama buka thread baru karang baru nak reporting in.

India used to have only Pakistan to fear, now added with the growing strength of the PRC's military might. India did go to war with PRC in the 1960s or 1970s..

uncle ada kursus la for 4 days at PD last week, then work, dating then go to Bkt Jalil last nite..

I know that.
btw their own HAL heli tak boleh guna kah?

dunno lar, heard its doing OK, not like their indigenous MBT program, last2 kena buy T-90 jugak

too much songlap in their mbt program. until government scare to throw money in.

pity la, got potential in their MBT program, nama mender ek, Arjun kan?

Vietnam also slowly building up their military forces, due to PRC's influences. When we do joint-military exercise lak with Vietnam?

want join exercise with vietnam not that easy 1 especially Navy exercise.
nak jaga hati banyak orang.

pity, better if ASEAN nations have stronger military co-operation with each other...