TIRANA, Albania (AP) -- An army helicopter crashed Wednesday into a lake in northern Albania, killing two pilots and injuring the other crew member on board, officials said.

Local mayor Tonin Marinaj said the helicopter crashed into Shkodra Lake near the village of Grizhe some 108 kilometers (67 miles) north of the capital, Tirana.

Albania's defense ministry said the EC145 helicopter with three crew members on board was on a training mission. Health Minister Ilir Beqja said the surviving crew member was hospitalized with a broken arm.

An official in the Shkodra region, Paulin Radovani, said divers recovered the bodies of the two slain crew members from the wreckage.

Albanian media said residents reported hearing an explosion before the helicopter crashed into the water.

The army chief of staff, Major Gen. Jeronim Bazo, called for public patience as investigators collected evidence of what caused the crash. He said the helicopter entered service only in November and was deployed primarily for search-and-rescue missions. He said the two dead pilots had "reasonable experience and were trained domestically and abroad."

Not tasked for Air Superiority right?

Saab looks to leverage industry ties in Malaysia



Jon Grevatt, Bangkok - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
10 April 2016

Saab has outlined its commitment to expand industrial alliances in Malaysia in a bid to enhance its presence in the market.

Dan Enstedt, president and CEO of Saab Asia Pacific, said in a statement on 8 April that the company's strategy in Malaysia is focused on building partnerships that can support Saab's efforts to supply the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) with a range of capabilities.

These include platforms such as the JAS 39 Gripen NG multirole fighter aircraft and systems such as electronic warfare, signature management, communications, surveillance, fire control and radars, warheads and combat management.

"Saab's focus is on building proper partnerships with national industry," said Enstedt.

[sos]

A Mil Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopter has crashed in Syria while performing a flight near the city of Homs, the Defense Ministry’s press-service reports. The ministry says the helicopter was not shot down.

“On April 12 at 01:29 msk a helicopter of Russian Air Force helicopter was involved in an accident, and two crewmen have died,” the ministry said.

Reports from the crash site indicate the helicopter didn’t come under fire, the press service added.

A rescue operation recovered the pilots’ bodies and took them to the Khmemim airbase.

“A group of aircraft accident experts is working at the crash site. The cause of the accident is being investigated,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

“Nobody shot at the aircraft. This is probably a technical failure,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The Russian president has been briefed on the incident.

YEKATERINBURG, April 10. /TASS/. The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry’s main department for the Chelyabinsk region has confirmed the death of two people in the crash of a Yakovlev Yak-52 trainer plane in the region, the ministry’s press service reported on Sunday.

"Two people have been killed in the Yak-52 crash. One of them was the aircraft pilot, and the passenger’s identity is being verified. The reasons for the Yak-52 crash are so far unknown. The plane was grossly damaged," the ministry said.

Representatives of the military investigation department of the Central Military District of Russia have gone to the crash scene.

The Inspectorate for Emergency Situations launched the red intervention plan on Thursday evening in Constanta as a military aircraft with passengers on board requested emergency landing on Mihail Kogalniceanu International Airport, digi24.ro reports.

Constanta ISUJ chief, Colonel Daniel Petrov, said the airport has alarmed the emergency service around 7:22 p.m. in connection with an incident, an aircraft with passengers on board facing technical problems had called for emergency landing.

It was a C-17 military aircraft, belonging to the US Air Force, coming from Iraq, with 39 people on board, heading for Rammstein military base in Germany, adevarul.ro reports. The pilot noticed smoke in the cabin and requested emergency landing. The closest venue was Mihail Kogalniceanu International Airport in Constanta.

NORFOLK, Va. – The Navy and Coast Guard have ended the search and rescue mission for a missing Sailor assigned to the USS Carter Hall.

The Sailor was reported missing Saturday afternoon while the ship was conducting routine training operations in support of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group Composite Training Unit Exercise off the coast of Cape Hatteras.

The search was 72-hours and covered more than 22,388 square nautical miles.

“It is with a deep sense of sadness that we suspend the search for our fellow shipmate,” said Rear Adm. Bruce Lindsey, commander, Carrier Strike Group Four, who led the search efforts. “Our sincere condolences are with the Sailor’s family, who have requested privacy following their tragic loss.”

Officials are investigating the incident.

The USS Carter Hall is home ported at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek – Fort Story in Virginia Beach.

The Taliban destroyed an Afghan National Army helicopter as it landed on a remote Army base in the northeastern province of Kunar late last month. The Afghan government previously claimed the helicopter was damaged in an “emergency landing,” but the Taliban recorded the attack on video.

The dramatic video was produced by Al Emera, an official propaganda outlet of the Taliban, and released today by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Muhajid.

The Taliban claimed the helicopter, an Mi-8 Hip transport, was destroyed by an IED, or improvised explosive device, as it landed on a hilltop outpost in the Nari district in Kunar on March 24. According to the Taliban, 21 Afghan Army “commandos” were killed in the attack. The number of Afghan soldiers killed in the blast has not been confirmed.

The video is narrated by Taliban fighters who recorded the attack. As helicopter landed at the small base, several soldiers were close by watching the aircraft land. Within 30 seconds after landing, a massive blast toppled the aircraft, and completely destroyed it. There is little chance anyone onboard survived the blast. The fate of the soldiers who were watching the landing is unknown. The blast was likely caused by a bomb that was placed underneath the aircraft, as the explosion appeared to originate from under the helicopter.

The placement of the IED, which was on the helicopter landing pad inside the base, would indicate security is extremely weak on the outpost, or the Taliban placed soldiers inside who planted the bomb. Additionally, the Taliban team that recorded the video and likely detonated the bomb was close to the base, indicating that Afghan troops are not patrolling the perimeter.

Two fighter jets made an emergency landing Thursday morning at Tulsa International Airport.

FOX23's SkyView network captured one plane landing, sparks flying from the tail end.

Airport officials confirmed the planes reported mechanical issues, prompting the landings.

One plane landed well and could taxi off the runway. The other had to use cable arresting systems to come to a complete stop. Crews towed that one away.

Some flights were delayed until the jet could be moved.

A full-scale emergency has been declared at Stornoway Airport in Scotland after a military aircraft struck a bird.

Fire, ambulance, police, coastguard and lifeboat crews attended the scene after the alarm was raised on Saturday afternoon.

The military aircraft, with three people on board, was able to land safely shortly after at the airport on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.

One of Nato's largest military exercises, Exercise Joint Warrior, that involves numerous warships, aircraft, marines and troops, is currently taking place in the region.

The accident occurred at tuesday in Kurusu Isabel, 15 km from the department of Concepción.
The aircraft had tried made an emergency landing on a football field, but it impacted the field. Both occupants died in the accident.

The victims were identified as Santos Martinez and Andrea Guzman. Santos Martinez was an aviation instructor and Andrea Guzman was a student pilot.

The T-35 Enaer aircraft functioned as trainer plane.

Malaysia signed LOI for 20 units Nexter Caesar 155mm SPH.
http://www.miltechmag.com/2016/04/dsa-2016...-malaysian.html

At least one person was killed and five other people were injured when a Chilean army helicopter crashed on Wednesday in the Andes near the border with Argentina, military spokesmen said.

The accident occurred around 9:20 a.m. near the Portillo Winter Center and the Libertadores border crossing, located about 160 kilometers (99 miles) northeast of Santiago.

Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists reportedly captured a Syrian government pilot after he parachuted from his falling plane near Damascus, according to reports citing jihadist media.

The pilot was reportedly found alive after landing, IS-affiliated Amaq news agency claimed, according to Reuters.

A video posted by militants allegedly shows the burning MiG-23 Flogger fighter-bomber lying in the desert. Amid the wreckage, a two-starred Syrian government flag is reportedly visible.

IS fighters were reportedly seen picking up parts of the wreckage around the crash site, which is in an area said to be controlled by the terror group.

The authenticity of the video could not be verified.

The critically injured son of Army Commander-in-Chief Major General Abdul Razzaq Al-Nazhuri died today when the helicopter bringing him to Labraq for a Jordan flight, exploded on landing at the airport this  evening.

Mohammed Abdul Razzaq Al-Nazhuri was killed this evening along with the pilot of the Mil-17 helicopter, army spokesman Amed Al-Mismari told the Libya Herald.

The 22 year-old Mohammed had been seriously injured  yesterday in a car smash on the road between Marj and Tobruk in which a brother and a cousin were also hurt. Mohammed sustained serious pelvic injuries and was taken to Marj hospital. This afternoon he was transferred by helicopter to Labraq to be flown on to Jordan for specialist treatment.

It is not clear why the helicopter exploded on landing. A nurse and three other people on the flight were injured in the crash and are now in hospital. The identity of the other survivors is not clear but it is not believed that the general was on the flight.

Mohammed is the second of General Nazhuri’s sons to die. His 35 year-old son Ramzi was killed fighting in Benghazi in May 2014.

edit: nice pics of TLDM, is that a 4-barrel ASW mortar I see on the 2nd pic?

A Norwegian fighter jet on a training exercise jet mistakenly machine-gunned a control tower with three officers inside, who survived unhurt, the military said on Sunday.

Two F-16s were taking part in a mock attack on the uninhabited island of Tarva off Norway's west coast when one of them opened fire with its M61 Vulcan cannon, which is capable of firing up to 100 rounds a second.

"An investigation has been opened," Captain Brynjar Stordal, a spokesman for the Norwegian military, told AFP news.

A hail of bullets hit the tower in the incident, which happened on the night of April 12, but the officers inside were not injured.

In a similar incident in 2009, F-16s fired in error on the same tower, with at least one round piercing the structure, but again no-one was injured.

A military helicopter crashed into a reservoir in Myanmar during a training exercise Tuesday and both pilots were rescued by fishermen,
the armed forces newspaper reported.

The Myawaddy newspaper said on its Facebook page that the Bell helicopter crashed into the reservoir after taking off from Meiktila airport in central Myanmar.

Meiktila is about 510 kilometers (315 miles) north of Yangon, the country’s main city. Myawaddy said both pilots received minor injuries.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

A Mil Mi-24P ground attack helicopter of the Belarusian Air Force was forced to make a crash landing just outside the airport in Gomel region.

The incident occured on Monday of April 25th, at about 16:00 hours.

No one was injured in the incident.

An investigation board is working to determine the cause of the crash.

According to Irna news agency the plane developed a technical failure and crashed into a mountain side near Kajan village, approximately 60 miles east of their base.

The two seat jet trainer took off at 09:15 (local) from Isfahan TFB8 for a training gunnery flight at Anarak range. Both crew ejected safely.

KHARTOUM - A Sudanese military plane crashed on Saturday in the state of North Kordofan, killing all five crew members on board, the army said.

The Soviet-era Antonov 26, usually used in operations against rebels, crashed while landing at the airport in El Obied, the capital of North Kordofan, an army statement said.

"The aircraft has been destroyed and all five crew members martyred," it said. Three army officers and two soldiers were on board.

The army said the crash was caused by "technical problems".

The air force fleet of Russian-made planes and helicopters has suffered a number of losses in recent years, with the military frequently blaming technical problems.