http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/aerospace/ en-us Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:10:19 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416509/posts A new-generation Tu strategic bomber will be developed by 2017, Russian aircraft maker Tupolev said on Wednesday. Company President Alexander Bobryshev told Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin the research on the new aircraft project should be completed by 2012, while production-line assembly should start in 2020 to 2025. However, Maj. Gen. Anatoly Zhikharev, commander of Russia's strategic aviation said on Tuesday a new strategic bomber, which will use stealth technology, is expected to enter service in 2025-2030 He said the stealth technology will make "the new aircraft difficult to detect by radar, although it is impossible to make airplanes of... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416509/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:10:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415607/posts Two missing US-made fighter jet engines, worth 29 million dollars and stolen from a Malaysian military airbase, have been traced to Argentina, police said Thursday. Police chief Musa Hasan said officers were checking with their counterparts in Buenos Aires to confirm if the missing engines are still in the country. "The stolen engines have been taken to Argentina," the police chief told AFP. "We have to check if the engines are still in that country." Musa told the Star newspaper that several top airforce officers, including generals, are expected to be questioned in connection with the theft. Four people, including... Space War http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415607/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 04:34:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415454/posts More than six months after government officials seized his rare vintage military aircraft, Claude Hendrickson said he is still in the dark about why the airplane was confiscated and when and if it will be returned to him. Until the 1952 airplane -- believed to be one of only a handful of Douglas AD-4N Skyraiders in the U.S. -- is released from federal custody, Hendrickson said the aircraft will slowly deteriorate because he can't maintain it. In May, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents seized the Skyraider that Hendrickson purchased from a private collector in France. Hendrickson, a business owner... The Birmingham News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415454/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:14:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415202/posts The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency has signaled its intent to consider a rash of foreign military sales to Egypt, including the transfer of anti-tank missiles. The government of Egypt has also requested anti-ship missiles, engine upgrades for its fleet of F-16 jet fighters and Fast Missile Crafts worth an estimated $1.18 billion. The proposed sale is expected to "contribute to the foreign police and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the... Space War http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415202/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 05:28:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414821/posts The U.S. Air Force appears to have halted the forthcoming competition to build C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) kits, a sign that this program could be terminating in the coming budget request for 2011. On Dec. 16, the Air Force program office overseeing the C-130 AMP program issued a statement noting that the "government is finalizing the way forward on the C-130 AMP program" and the solicitation is "cancelled." The statement adds that "the government will readdress the [issue] once a way forward for the AMP program has been determined." This is the latest chapter in the troubled $5.8 billion... Aviation Week and Space Technology http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414821/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 04:06:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414289/posts Butte-Silver Bow County will erect a permanent building in its TIFID for the testing of rocket engines. Kristen Rosa, administrator of the Tax Increment Finance Industrial District, said that the steel-sided structure could be in operation by next spring. "It will help them be able to test bigger and bigger rocket engines," Rosa said. (cut) Space Propulsion Group Inc., a Stanford University-affiliated company, visited Butte a number of times last year to test fuels used in hybrid rockets. The approximately eight-second tests were done on the smaller 11-inch models, but thanks to the new building companies will be able to... Montana Standard http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414289/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:13:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2413676/posts Sea Gripen landing on carrier (image : Scenium) Saab Touts Sea Gripen for India and Brazil Saab is responding to an Indian Navy (IN) request for information (RfI) regarding future carrier-capable fighters with a new development of the Gripen NG, dubbed the Sea Gripen. India's RfI, selectively released to bidders over recent weeks, seeks detailed information on a common aircraft design for conventional aircraft carrier operations and short take-off but arrested recovery (STOBAR) operations. Beyond the (much delayed) entry into service of the INS Vikramaditya (the rebuilt former Russian Navy vessel Admiral Gorshkov ), India has ambitious plans to build... Jane's Defence Weekly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2413676/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:00:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413614/posts FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, December 22, 2009, American Airlines Flight 331, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, overran the runway on landing at Kingston, Jamaica's Norman Manley International Airport. The flight originated out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, operated into Miami International Airport, and then operated into Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport. Preliminary reports indicate there are no critical injuries. The aircraft was carrying 148 passengers and a crew of six. "The care of our passengers and crew members is our highest priority and we will offer all the assistance necessary," said Gerard Arpey, American's Chairman... American Airlines Press Release http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413614/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:08:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413543/posts An American Airlines plane crashed and broke in two after landing at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to local reports. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Details were not immediately available, however, passengers on the plane told local media that flight 331 had just arrived from Miami in pouring rain when the accident occurred. The flight apparently originated in Washington, D.C. Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413543/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:05:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412782/posts Pakistan gets its first air-to-air refueling tanker Posted by David A. Fulghum at 12/21/2009 3:17 PM CST Here’s another Christmas present for the Pentagon. The first of four Ilyushin Il-78MP tanker/cargo aircraft was delivered to Pakistan Dec. 19. Pictured here is the aircraft during aircrew and aircraft trials in Ukraine in Oct. The aircraft were modified from surplus Ukranian aircraft stocks. Credit: Jenyk, Ukrainian Spotter's Site. Click here to see all 11 photos. Also pictured is one of a small number of Pakistani Mirages modified with an in-air refueling probe. The tanker can refuel two aircraft in the air or... Aviation Week and Space Technology http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412782/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:33:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412555/posts Boeing's X-51A WaveRider — a jet-fueled, air-breathing hypersonic rocket — is one step closer to reality. In tests over Edwards Air Force Base in California, a B-52 bomber carried the X-51A WaveRider aloft for the first time, announced manufacturer Boeing Corp. The test was a key milestone in preparation for the X-51A to light its supersonic "ramjet" engine and propel the WaverRider at hypersonic speed for about 5 minutes, before plunging into the Pacific Ocean FOX http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412555/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:12:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411038/posts Signs that the boundless growth in budget airlines of the past 10 years is coming to an end emerged today as Ryanair pulled out of talks with Boeing for an order of 200 aircraft and said it would scale back investment in planes from 2011. Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary made good on his threat last month to scrap his expansion plans if he could not agree a deal with Boeing by Christmas – and to hand the money saved to shareholders instead. Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411038/posts#comment Sat, 19 Dec 2009 10:53:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2410360/posts True, money can't buy me love, but $26 worth can buy me plenty of lead time to get out of Dodge when a Predator is on the way to blow up my tent. According to this Wall Street Journal story, Predator drones are just as wildly popular with the Iraqi bad guys as they are with the U.S. military good guys. Something tells me that the new generation of the Predator is going to have some serious upgrades. Wall Street Journal — Patrick Madrid http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2410360/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:26:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2409661/posts We can't say we've ever heard of a $26 Russian program called SkyGrabber before, but it's about to get famous real fast -- according to the Wall Street Journal, Iraqi insurgents have been regularly using the satellite-snooping software to monitor live Predator video feeds. Apparently the Predator transmits video over an unencrypted link, so there's no major hacking or security breach going on here, but it's obviously a huge issue -- and we'd say the bigger problem is that Pentagon officials have known about this flaw since the 1990s, but they didn't think insurgents would figure out how to exploit... Engadget.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2409661/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:55:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409426/posts Iraqi insurgents intercepted Predator drone communications using $26 tool, according to report Insurgents in Iraq were able to intercept video images transmitted by the US army’s unmanned spy planes using software cheaply available on the Internet, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The insurgents were not able to control the Predator drones, but military personnel told the newspaper that tactical advantages may have been compromised by the breach. It came to light when US soldiers captured a laptop belonging to insurgents, and found that it contained video images from a Predator drone. The WSJ report cites a... Information Age http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409426/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:38:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409378/posts J-10: The New Cornerstone of Sino-Pakistani Defense Cooperation Publication: China Brief Volume: 9 Issue: 25December 16, 2009 03:46 PM Age: 11 hrs By: Tarique Niazi China and Pakistan have forged a formidable partnership in high-tech defense production. This partnership is born of their ever-deepening military and strategic cooperation that is also reflective of the burgeoning capacity of China's defense industries and the budding Sino-Pakistani defense relationship. The epitome of this bilateralism is the recent revelation that the Chinese have agreed to the sale of 36 J-10B fighter jets to Pakistan (Financial Times, November 10). The J-10 aircrafts are known to... The Jamestown Foundation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409378/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:56:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409305/posts Russian Military Aircrew Numbers Tumble Alexey Komarov/Moscow Douglas Barrie/London Aircrew numbers in the Russian air force are to be cut by 40% as part of a program that will see the service adopt a revised operational-command structure by year-end. Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin, the air force chief, unveiled the far-reaching plan last summer with the aim of transforming his service into an agile force capable of dealing with more diverse types of threats. Zelin says the new structure will consist of operational commands, air force bases and aerospace defense brigades (to counter aircraft and missile threats). Existing air force and... Aviation Week and Space Technology http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409305/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:24:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408087/posts EVERETT, Wash.—Boeing Co.'s long-delayed 787 Dreamliner made its first flight on Tuesday morning under cold, cloudy skies, marking a milestone for the company's marquee commercial jetliner program that is running more than two years behind schedule. The first Dreamliner test aircraft rolled down runway 34 Left at Paine Field at 10:28 a.m. and smoothly lifted off, heading northbound. Thousands of people, including hundreds of Boeing employees, plane enthusiasts and media, gathered at the airfield, which is also the site of Boeing's wide-body jet factory, where the Dreamliners are assembled. The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408087/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:45:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2408059/posts Boeing's first 787 now on the ground at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. Engines have been warming since 9:30 and in a minute or so, it will start moving... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2408059/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:09:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407868/posts Boeing set for first flight of 787 Photo 8:13am EST By Bill Rigby SEATTLE (Reuters) - Boeing Co is set to make the first test flight of its 787 Dreamliner on Tuesday, almost two and a half years after the new, fuel-efficient plane, which is key to the company's financial future, was supposed to leave the ground. The lightweight carbon and titanium plane, promising to save airlines million of dollars in fuel and maintenance costs, has been hampered by a shortage of bolts, faulty design and a two-month strike, and it still has a long way to go before it... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407868/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:09:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2407902/posts Boeing released the first artist's conception of what it then called the 7E7 on Jan. 29, 2003. The company's board green-lighted the project that December and Japan's All Nippon Airways placed the jet's launch order on April 26, 2004, with first deliveries expected in 2008. Boeing now has orders for 840 787 Dreamliners -- a record for a new aircraft. And Tuesday's scheduled first flight is key to showing the composite jet is on track for delivery to All Nippon Airways in the fourth quarter of 2010 and other customers soon after that. That delivery date, however, depends on an... Seattle P I http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2407902/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:49:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407711/posts Eurofighter will last 30 to 40 years: German envoy K.V. Prasad NEW DELHI: Eurofighter, one of the six contenders for the multibillion-dollar tender for 126 medium multirole combat aircraft (MMRCA), offers a cutting-edge technology without the End User Monitoring clause, German ambassador Thomas Matussek has said. “It is really a next generation plane and it will be in service for the next 30 to 40 years,” he told The Hindu. “It also comes without any End User Verification, complete transfer of technology and production.” End User Monitoring, which created a political controversy earlier this year, is a requirement the United... The Hindu http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407711/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:54:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407349/posts Airbus/Northrop Threat Revealing by George Landrith Human Events, 12/04/2009 The Air Force has issued a preliminary Request for Proposal (RFP) specifying how companies can bid on the $35 billion contract to build the next fleet of air refueling tankers. A final RFP is due out soon. The two bidders reviewing the preliminary RFP are Chicago-based Boeing, and a team made up of Airbus, based in Toulouse France, and Northrop Grumman, based in Los Angeles. Boeing has proposed building a tanker on its medium-sized B-767 commercial jetliner platform, while Airbus and Northrop have proposed building a tanker on Airbus’s larger A-330... Human Events http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407349/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:26:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2407238/posts Boeing's busy day on the ground kicked off at 6:30 AM with a flight readiness review that finalized receipt of the Experimental Airworthiness Certificate from the FAA. This regulatory clearance now puts the 787, with clearance to operate Part 91 operations, the same regulatory category as aircraft like the Cessna 172. Once the Experimental Airworthiness Certificate had been obtained, the aircraft was cleared for final taxi tests. FlightBlogger http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2407238/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:55:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406952/posts Todd Crowell Japan’s Covert Moves to Save The Endangered Tomahawk To listen to disarmament specialists, the country that is raising the most serious obstacles to new moves to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in defense strategy is Japan. Japan? Is this not the nation with the famous nuclear allergy? Is it not the nation that loudly reminds everyone that it is the only country on the globe to suffer an atomic attack? Is it not the country that loudly proclaims the “Three Noes” (Never to manufacture, possess or allow nuclear weapons onto its soil)? No country is more vocal... Asia Sentinel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406952/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:41:12 GMT