Canada entertains Australian Hornet buy to fill interim role
07 September, 2017 SOURCE: FlightGlobal.com BY: Leigh Giangreco Washington DC
Canada could acquire used Boeing F/A-18A/B Hornets from Australia to replace a fleet of aging CF-18s, a move that would both satisfy its interim fleet needs and dodge a need to acquire new aircraft on a temporary basis.
Canada is exploring several options to supplement its CF-18 fleet until it finds a permanent fighter replacement, Canadian defence minister Harjit Sajjan’s office says in a statement this week.
“This option requires discussions with other F-18 users,” Sajjan says. “In light of Australia recently notifying all allies about their intent to dispose of their F-18 fleet, Canada visited them to inquire about the state of their equipment and spare parts.”
Silicon Valley-style software approach comes to F-35, F-22
07 September, 2017 SOURCE: FlightGlobal.com BY: Stephen Trimble Washington DC
US military and defence industry officials are close to adopting Silicon Valley-style software development and refresh processes for military aircraft, starting with billion-dollar upgrade programmes for the Lockheed Martin F-35 and F-22.
F-35 software planning has entered a “strategic pause” until JPO staffers present a new software development plan for consideration by top Pentagon officials in late October, says F-35 programme executive Vice Adm Mat Winter, speaking at the Defense News Conference on 6 September.
The goal of the new strategy is to circumvent the US military’s costly and time-consuming process that delivers new software in cumbersome blocks, with development cycles often measured in years and frequently delayed. Instead, the new approach breaks new capabilities into smaller increments of software code, allowing developers to deliver some applications months or years faster.
News photo reveals new Northrop stealth design concept
06 September, 2017 SOURCE: FlightGlobal.com BY: Stephen Trimble Washington DC
Northrop Grumman confirms that a previously unpublicised design concept for an apparently stealthy aircraft was revealed in a photograph as part of a Los Angeles Times newspaper article about a top company executive.
The model appears in the background of a photograph published on 1 September showing Chris Hernandez, vice-president of research, technology and engineering for the Aerospace Systems sector, in his office, which is decorated with multiple models of many of Northrop’s most advanced aircraft, including the B-2, Proteus and the RQ-4.
In the upper-right of the photograph, a model atop a bookcase appears similar in some ways to the cranked-kite shape of the unmanned X-47B, but seems to have a significantly longer fuselage and extended outer wing sections.
Malaysian Navy deploys patrol vessel to new Middle Rocks naval base
Malaysia deployed the first ship to a new maritime base it had opened in Middle Rocks near Pedra Branca, an outlying island now under the jurisdiction of neighboring Singapore but which Kuala Lumpur still believes is part of its territory. The development was read as just the latest move that Malaysia has taken to reinforce its seriousness in preserving the country’s sovereignty.
August 1, Malaysia had publicly unveiled the new Abu Bakar Maritime Base, built on the Malaysian-owned Middle Rocks – which consists of two clusters of rocks and lies just one kilometer away from Predra Branca. The facility, which comprises two buildings around 316.6 meters apart, including a jetty, a lighthouse, and a helicopter landing pad, was billed as part of an effort to safeguard Malaysia’s sovereignty and conducting marine scientific research.
The arrival of KD Perdana, a 47-meter long fast-attack craft that can carry a crew of up to 30 and was first commissioned over four decades ago, was confirmed by Malaysia’s navy chief Admiral Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin, who issued a congratulatory message to the crew over Twitter.
2 A-10s Crash in Nevada, Pilots Eject, Air Force Says
QUOTE
A pair of A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft crashed Wednesday night in Nevada, but both pilots safely ejected, the Air Force said.
The A-10C jets, known as Warthogs, from the 57th Wing were on a routine training mission when they went down around 8 p.m. at the Nevada Test and Training Range, according to a release from the service.
"Both pilots ejected safely and are being evaluated at the Mike O'Callaghan Military Medical Center at Nellis," the release states.
It wasn't immediately clear whether or how the planes collided; the cause of the crash is under investigation.
Correction the KAPLAN MT prototype by PT Pindad will be displayed this October during TNI Anniversary and not in October 2018 as mentioned from this article.
QUOTE
Turkish-Indonesian Tank Project Prototype in Finishing Stage
Our Bureau
12:52 PM, September 8, 2017
The proptotype of a Turkish-Indonesian project to manufacture the KAPLAN battle tank in Indonesia will be displayed at the Army Day military parade in Indonesia in October 2018.
Turkish armored-vehicle manufacturer FNSS and Indonesian PT Pindad have been working on producing the KAPLAN tank in Indonesia following an agreement in 2015 and work on the prototype is in the finishing stages, Anadulu agency reported Friday.
Defense officials from Turkey and Indonesia recently discussed the progress of a cooperation agreement, including an ongoing project to produce a medium-weight battle tank, Indonesian sources said Friday as quoted by Turkey’s Anadolu Agency.
Director General of Defense Potential for Indonesia Sutrimo Sumarlan was quoted as saying by Anadolu Agency, “this is the sixth annual Defense Industry Cooperation Meeting where we evaluated the progress of mutually beneficial agreements. We also exchanged information and introduced products created by each country’s defense industry.”
In addition to the KAPLAN tank project, “Turkey has offered design and technology cooperation for type-214 submarines,” said Sumarlan.
Sumarlan further stated that Ankara had discussed with Jakarta the joint production of medium-altitude long endurance (MALE) unmanned aircraft.
FDI is welcomed in Russia, but they are not "badly needed". The al-Jazeera western propagandist couldn't help himself of course, and he could soon be out of job if the Wahhabi coalition gets what it wants.
Airbus Helicopters bids to break into Philippines military helicopter market
Jon Grevatt - IHS Jane's Defence Industry 06 September 2017
An Airbus Helicopters H145M operated by the German military. Source: Airbus Helicopters/Christian D. Keller
Key Points
* Airbus Helicopters has positioned its H145M platform to meet a Philippine Air Force requirement for attack helicopters * The company dominates the country’s civilian helicopter market but military sales have so far been limited
Airbus Helicopters is looking to break into the Philippines’ military market with its H145M light-utility/attack platform, Fabrice Rochereau, the company’s head of sales for Southeast Asia, has disclosed to Jane’s .
The company has positioned the H145M to meet a Philippine Air Force (PAF) requirement for a fleet of night-capable attack helicopters. Future opportunities for the platform may also emerge in the Philippine Navy (PN) and Philippines Coast Guard (PCG).
Rochereau explained that the PAF programme represents a major opportunity for the company to penetrate the Philippines’ military market after years of dominating the country’s civilian/paramilitary rotary-wing sectors.
Air Force Pilot Dead After 'Classified' Crash At Test Site In Nevada
QUOTE
A U.S. Air Force pilot flying an aircraft died last week after a crash at the Nevada Test and Training Range, according to Military.com. Very few details about the incident have been released as the military says information about the incident is classified.
Lt. Col. Eric Schultz, 44, a father of five children, crashed around 6 p.m. local time on Sept. 5 at the range, which is around 100 miles north of Nellis Air Force Base, itself just outside of Las Vegas. Schultz was on a training mission.
An Air Force press release, coming three days after the incident, was brief:
Lt Col Eric Schultz died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident. Our immediate concern is for the family of Lt Col Schultz.
The cause of the crash is currently under investigation. Additional information concerning the accident will be released as it becomes available.
Aviation Week reported Monday that it appeared to be a foreign aircraft involved in the Air Force’s secretive Red Hat unit, a unit that appears to be similar to the now-defunct 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron, which tested and flew Soviet aircraft in Nevada to deepen tactical knowledge.
Military Thread V25 
Sep 8 2017, 02:47 PM, updated 8y ago
Quote
0.0333sec
1.12
6 queries
GZIP Disabled