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Putin Pledges 400 ICBMs for Russia in Ten Years Russia’s armed forces will receive over 400 modern intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), more than 100 military spacecraft and over 2,300 new tanks within the next ten years, Prime Minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin said. Earlier media voiced fears that by 2020, Russia’ ICBM arsenal could reduce by more than half as over 400 missiles would go beyond their maximum service life without timely replacement. “Within the next decade, the armed forces will receive more than 400 modern ground- and sea-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, eight ballistic missile submarines, about 20 general...

The US Air Force has confirmed its latest budget proposal delays fielding a replacement for the Northrop T-38 Talon advanced jet trainer by three years. The Fiscal 2013 budget proposal unveiled on 13 February postpones the initial operational capability for the T-X programme from FY2017 to FY2020, according to the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). Contract award is also delayed one year to FY2016, the AETC said. The command remains committed to replacing the T-38s, which entered service 51 years ago. "They're reaching the end of their lifecyle," the AETC said. The T-38Cs are also unable to perform certain...

New version of the fighter gets radar improvements and more The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon has been around for over three decades and so far there have been nearly 4,500 delivered. The F-16 will continue for many years to come and Lockheed Martin has today unveiled a new version called F-16V. The new version of the fighter jet was unveiled at the Singapore Airshow and has new feature enhancements to make the aircraft more formidable. The F-16 V gets new active electronically scanned array radar (AESA), an upgraded mission computer and architecture, along with improvements inside the cockpit. Lockheed...

IMI Explores an Air-launched Derivative of the Extra Rocket Israel Military Industries (IMI) is exploring a new air launched application of the 300mm Extra guided ballistic surface launched rocket, enabling air forces to perform autonomous, precision standoff attack, at extended ranges, well outside the effective protected range of even the most advanced air defense systems. The Extra rocket was developed by IMI and IAI MLM division as a surface launched guided rocket, capable of attacking fixed or relocatable targets from distances of 160 km, using an aerodynamically guided, roll stabilized rocket. EXTRA - Extended range Rocket System. Photo: IMI The...

SINGAPORE: Raytheon offers improved air-launched anti-ship weapons By: Greg Waldron Singapore Raytheon sees an opportunity to upgrade Asia Pacific's air forces with advanced versions of its AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) and AGM-65 Maverick missile, mainly for use in the anti-surface warfare. At the Singapore Airshow, it promoted both an extended range version of JSOW, the JSOW-ER, and the laser-guided version of the Maverick. The company noted an evolving naval threat environment, two features of which are better defensive capabilities on large surface combatants and a greater small boat threat. It said the long-range JSOW-ER can help address the first...

Russia Must Build Two Variants of 5G Fighter - Rogozin Russian aircraft manufacturers must develop at least two competitive prototypes of a fifth-generation fighter jet, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday. “Two variants of the future fighter jet must be developed to encourage competition,” Rogozin said at a meeting with Russian lawmakers. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the future fighter must possess all technical characteristics of a fifth-generation fighter, including elements of stealth technology, supersonic cruising speed, highly-integrated avionics, electronics and fire-control systems. The existing T-50 prototype, developed under the program PAK FA (Future Aviation System for...

Israel to buy Italy's M-346 jet trainer for $1b S. Korea threatens to cancel deals because Israel did not choose its T-50 Golden Eagle. The Ministry of Defense has decided to buy the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 jet trainer for the Israel Air Force, rather than South Korea's T-50 Golden Eagle, jointly developed by Korean Aerospace Industries Ltd. (KAI) and Lockheed Martin Company (NYSE: LMT). The ministry notified the companies of its decision, after the Air Force decided that it preferred the M-346 on the grounds that its performance was better than the T-50. The deal is worth around $1 billion....

Report: France, Britain to build unmanned fighter jet Paris - French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron are to unveil plans to develop an unmanned European fighter jet at a summit in Paris on Friday, Les Echos financial newspaper reported. The paper on Thursday quoted unnamed sources as saying the two governments aimed to build a 'prototype of an unmanned stealth aircraft by 2020.' 'This is clearly bilateral cooperation for the post-Rafale and post-Eurofighter (era),' the paper quoted a source as saying. The Rafale fighter jet is produced by France's Dassault Aviation. Eurofighter - a consortium of...

PARIS --- While many observers cite technology transfer, prices and performance as being major factors in India’s selection of the Rafale as its next-generation fighter, reality is very different even if these factors obviously did play a significant role. In the same way that it is true that Rafale lost several competitions through no fault of its own, it must be recognized that its victory in India was also won, to a great extent, through no fault of its own. The real reason for its victory is political, and the long memory of Indian politicians was a major contributing factor....

NATO will buy U.S.-made reconnaissance drones and equipment for more than €1 billion ($1.3 billion) after the war in Libya highlighted shortcomings in its surveillance and targeting capabilities. An alliance official said Wednesday the total included five of Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Global Hawks, ground control stations, analysis equipment, and training for operators. He spoke on condition of anonymity following NATO rules. The official said the order, which coincides with sharp defense cuts across the alliance, is expected to be signed in spring. Deliveries will take place between 2015 and 2017. He said 13 NATO nations will band together to buy...

New Fighter Acquisition Uncertainty Revving Up F-15 Prospects Recent orders for F-15 fighters from Saudi Arabia are securing the future for the Boeing F-15 production line at least until the year 2018. Beside the Saudi mega deal, South Korea has an ongoing tender for the third phase of the FX, while the US Air Force is looking into possible upgrades to keep its F-15C/Es at least through the decade. The USAF is expected to begin evaluating life extensions for the Eagle soon. Such programs could address avionics, radar and survivability enhancements. Boeing is offering an advanced cockpit configuration for future...

US naval forces in the Gulf and the Arabian Sea have over 320 Tomahawk missiles, capable of hitting any target in Iran, Interfax reports. The US Fifth Fleet has two groups of aircraft carriers headed by aircraft carriers Abraham Lincoln and Carl Vinson. The US naval forces in the region include two aircraft carriers, two cruisers with 26 cruise missiles each, four destroyers with 8-56 missiles each, two Annapolis submarines with 12 missiles and the Georgia with 154 Tomahawks. Another aircraft group will arrive, headed by the aircraft carrier Enterprise, a missile cruiser and three destroyers. The total number of...

Russia, Vietnam to Jointly Manufacture Anti-Ship Missiles 16:45 15/02/2012MOSCOW, February 15 (RIA Novosti) – Russia and Vietnam are planning to start in 2012 joint production of a modified anti-ship missile, head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Mikhail Dmitriyev said on Wednesday. “We are planning to build facilities in Vietnam for the production of a version of the Russian Uran [SS-N-25 Switchblade] missile in a project that is similar to joint Russian-Indian production of the BrahMos missile,” Dmitriyev said. The Uran subsonic anti-ship missile can be launched from helicopters, surface ships and coastal defense batteries. It has a range...

UPDATE 1-Italy cuts F-35 fighter orders by 30 pct ROME, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Italy will cut its order for Lockheed Martin Corp's radar-evading F-35 fighter planes by more than 30 percent as part of Prime Minister Mario Monti's battle against state spending, Defence Minister Giampaolo Di Paola said on Wednesday. Italy plans to buy 90 warplanes instead of the 131 it agreed to purchase a decade ago, Di Paola said in testimony to the joint Senate and Chamber of Deputies defence committees. 'It's a significant reduction that is coherent with our need to reduce spending,' he said. The reduction...

Delays in U.S. and international orders for Lockheed Martin Corp's new F-35 fighter jet will increase its total cost, Lockheed and U.S. officials said on Tuesday, as Italy announced a cut in spending on the warplane. On Monday, the Pentagon confirmed plans to put off orders for 179 F-35s over the next five years to save $15.1 billion and allow more time for testing, a third restructuring in recent years. U.S. officials insist they have not changed their plans to develop and buy 2,443 jets at a cost of $382 billion over the next few decades. Continued schedule delays and...

F-16V, New Avatar Of F-16 Fighter, Unveiled At The Singapore Air Show Lockheed Martin today announced the F-16V Fighting Falcon, the latest version of the world’s most successful fighter aircraft, at the Singapore Air Show 2012. The aircraft comes fitted with an active electronically scanning array(AESA) radar, an upgraded mission computer and cockpit improvements which will significantly enhances the operational capability of the aircraft. The aircraft will be offered to existing as well as potential customers looking for an avanced fourth generation fighter, said George Standridge, Lockheed Martin Vice President of business development. The F16V is a natural step in...

Raytheon Restarts Production of Laser-Guided Maverick for US Air Force, Navy (Source: Raytheon Company; issued February 13, 2012) SINGAPORE --- After more than two decades, Raytheon Company has formally restarted production of the laser-guided Maverick missile, with the first weapon expected to be delivered to the U.S. Air Force in late 2012. Production began following a rigorous U.S. Air Force and Navy Developmental Testing/Operational Testing program that culminated in a production contract in late 2011. "The combat-proven laser Maverick has demonstrated its effectiveness against frigate size ships, small moving boats, tanks, fortified personnel and fast moving maneuvering vehicles in excess...

USAF cancels AMRAAM replacement By: Zach Rosenberg Washington DC The US Air Force has cancelled the next generation missile (NGM) meant to replace both the anti-air AIM-120 AMRAAM and the anti-radiation AGM-88 HARM, both mainstays of the USA and its international allies. The NGM programme, also formerly known as the joint dual-role air dominance missile and projected to cost up to $15 billion, was cancelled "for affordability reasons", according to Gen Edward Bolton, USAF chief budget officer. The contest was eagerly anticipated by major aerospace companies, including Aerojet, Alliant Techsystems, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. Following the 13...

A Strategic Challenge In China’s New Tactical Fighter Exports by Richard Fisher, Jr. Published on February 7th, 2012 REPORTS As part of its campaign to build global strategic influence China is offering increasingly sophisticated weapons exports that it uses to reinforce important political and economic relationships. China is no longer a last resort supplier of cheap but obsolete weapons for isolated regimes; it can now offer a full range of weapons that are increasingly competitive with Western systems in capability and very competitive in terms of price. This increase in both capability and value is creating new weapons sales opportunities...

Russia Grounds Su-24 Bomber Fleet after Urals Crash Russia has postponed indefinitely all flights of Su-24 Fencer tactical bombers after one of them crashed in Russia’s Urals, a source in the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The Su-24 combat aircraft crashed in the woods of the Kurgan region during a routine flight on Monday. Both pilots ejected safely. “The Air Force commander has cancelled all flights of this type of aircraft until the cause of the crash is established,” the source said but did not specify how long it could take. Monday’s crash was the third of a Su-24 in...

The 10-week investigation into the downing of a CIA drone in Iran is raising questions as to whether the malfunctions inadvertently may have handed the Iranians not only the aircraft but its data. Based on the review, a former intelligence official told Fox News that investigators think one of the drone's three major "data streams" began sending back bad information to its U.S.-based operator. A leading question is whether the bad data caused the drone's operator to inadvertently land the aircraft. But it also raises the possibility that the faulty data stream could have prevented the drone from dumping the...

Cutaway & technical description: How Boeing developed the F-15 Silent Eagle By: Stephen Trimble Washington DC The first major evolution of the F-15 Eagle occurred in the late 1970s, when the US Air Force started looking for a replacement for the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark. McDonnell Douglas and Hughes teamed up to convert an F-15B two-seater - designed under the "not-a-pound-for-air-to-ground" philosophy - into the world's most effective strike aircraft. They bulked up the F-15B's internal structure by about 2,720kg (6,000lb), allowing designers to boost maximum take-off weight by 20% to more than 36,400kg, and the back-seat was converted into...

The Rafale's long flight to India The selection of Dassault?s Rafale as India?s new MMRCA fighter was only the latest step in the Air Force?s long and painstaking process to pick itself a winner Ajai Shukla / February 11, 2012, 0:03 IST Long after the streets emptied that chilly winter evening in December 1981, lights were burning on the fifth floor of Vayu Bhavan in the elite Operations Branch of the Indian Air Force. Worrying the brightest thinkers of IAF was a brash new arrival in the subcontinental skies. The US had just announced the sale of 40 F-16 fighters...

Brazil "very likely" to choose French fighter jet: sources SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil is "very likely" to choose France's Rafale fighter jet to refurbish its air force, government sources say, a decision that would award one of the emerging-market world's most coveted defense contracts to a jet whose future was in doubt only two weeks ago. President Dilma Rousseff and her top advisers believe that Dassault Aviation's (AVMD.PA) bid to sell at least 36 Rafales offers the best terms among the three finalists, the sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The other two bidders are Boeing's (BA.N) F-18...

Italy seems certain to scale back its major investment in Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, heightening uncertainty over the troubled stealth jet's future. Defence Minister Giampaolo Di Paola has said repeatedly since January that the country's originally planned order of the 131 supersonic warplanes by 2018 was being "reviewed" because military spending cuts were necessary as part of Prime Minister Mario Monti's austerity plan to shore up public accounts. General Claudio Debertolis, secretary general of the Defence Ministry and the country's armaments chief, confirmed to lawmakers on Tuesday that cuts were expected. "There will be a revision of...

After a decades-long streak of troubled weapon acquisitions, the Air Force is looking to get off on the right foot as it seeks to buy a new intercontinental stealth bomber. The Pentagon’s new budget proposal gives the Air Force the green light to begin designing a new bomber with a target date for starting production in the mid-2020s. The goal is to acquire up to 100 new aircraft at a cost of about $55 billion. But skeptics already are casting doubts on the plan. They consistently point to the B-2 batwing stealth bomber as a cautionary tale. The Pentagon spent...

The Department of Defense is reviewing the Air Force's investigation into a deadly F-22 jet crash that claimed the life of fighter pilot Capt. Jeff Haney -- a crash that the Air Force blamed on Haney, despite a malfunction that caused his oxygen system to shut off mid-flight. Launched by the Pentagon's Inspector General, the assessment aims to make sure the Air Force adhered to proper procedures during their investigation of the 2010 crash in the Alaskan wilderness and "will also verify that [the Air Force's] conclusions are supported by evidence of record consistent with standards of proof," according to...

Aussies’ modest proposal: Sell us F-22s, mate For F-35 proponents, every sunrise brings new reasons for unease about the future of the program. It regularly gets bad headlines in the U.S. The Brits now say they’ll wait until 2015 before committing to buy any more jets. And as we’ve talked about before, there are rumblings Down Under that suggest the Australians may be losing their patience. But proponents in the U.S. and Australia can take heart about one thing — these are the guys they’re up against: Some of the most vehement critics of Australia’s involvement in the Joint Strike...

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress Feb. 2 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Poland of F-16 support and munitions, as well as associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $447 million. The Government of Poland has requested a possible sale of 93 AIM-9X-2 SIDEWINDER Block II Tactical Missiles, 4 CATM-9X-2 Captive Air Training Missiles, 65 AIM-120C-7 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, 42 GBU-49 Enhanced PAVEWAY II 500 lb Bombs, 200 GBU-54 (2000 lb) Laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) Bombs, 642 BLU-111 (500 lb) General Purpose Bombs, 127 MK-82 (500 lb) General...

<p>SYDNEY – Qantas Airways Ltd. (QAN.AU) said Wednesday it has taken one of its Airbus A380 superjumbos out of service after cracks were discovered in its wings.</p>

THE stealth qualities of the futuristic F-35 Joint Strike Fighter on order for the Royal Australian Air Force are overrated and the plane's combat performance greatly exaggerated, a defence lobby group has claimed. The complaints by Air Power Australia, longtime critics of the $16 billion JSF acquisition, were made last night before a public hearing of parliament's defence sub-committee. Latest-generation Russian fighters such as the Sukhoi T-50 would easily defeat the F-35 in air-to-air combat, Air Power's Peter Goon said, referring to recent modelling tests by his organisation. "The aircraft we are planning to buy is carrying over 2000 pounds...

The night before the 1986 explosion, Boisjoly and four others argued that joints in the shuttle's boosters couldn't withstand a cold-weather launch.

Did Chinese cyber spying cause the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s cost spikes and production delays? That’s the question Pentagon budget officials are asking according to Aviation Week. Chinese spies apparently hacked into secure conference calls and listened to meetings discussing the classified technologies aboard the jets. In particular, China may have stolen info about the F-35’s secure communications and antenna systems; leading to costly software rewrites and other redesigns to compromised parts of the plane. The worst part, this problem isn’t just limited to the F-35, though the program’s size and the fact that it’s information systems were apparently designed...

[Exclusive] F-35 may fail to meet key requirements By Lee Tae-hoon The United States Air Force (USAF) variant of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 will likely fail to meet two of the Korean Air Force’s key requirements — the ability to carry weapons externally and fly at Mach 1.6 (1,930 kilometers per hour) or faster, an industry insider said Tuesday. He pointed out that the Korean military has clearly outlined the two key features as compulsory requirements in its request for proposal (RFP) released Jan. 30. “The maximum speed of the F-35 Lightning II, which is still under development, is Mach 1.6,...

Britain won't decide on F-35 fighter numbers till 2015 LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has deferred to 2015 a firm commitment on how many Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets it will buy, adding to uncertainties over the multinational program which has recently been questioned in the U.S. Congress. "We will not make final decisions on the overall number of aircraft we will order before the next planned Strategic Defence Review (in 2015)," a Ministry of Defence MoD spokeswoman said on Tuesday, adding an initial order would be placed next year. The F-35 project ranks as the most expensive...

Chinese J-10 Fighter Unit Makes Maiden Flight with Live Ammunition in Tibet 15:38 GMT, February 2, 2012 On January 31, 2012, at a military airport of the Air Force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Tibet, an aviation regiment stationed in Tibet equipped with J-10 fighters launched the year 2012’s first training of two-fighter confrontation with live ammunition. At 10:10, with the ear-piercing roaring sound, two J-10 fighters soared to the sky like arrows from the bow. At 12:30, two fighters that had just finished the training landed on the tarmac. Peng Lizhong, head of the second fighter...

Italy wants to build first Turkish fighter jet plane ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News Italy has presented a proposal to Turkey in creating the country’s first fighter jet including technology transfer and establish local production, Italian Ambassador to Turkey Gianpaolo Scarente said. İpek Yezdaniipek.yezdani@hurriyet.com.tr Italy has given a proposal to Turkey to build the first Turkish national fighter jet in the country, according to Italian Ambassador to Turkey Gianpaolo Scarante. “There is a proposal for a project. We would like to participate in a very important program to create a national fighter for Turkey. It is in the phase of...

Turbulence ahead with Indian jet deal The Indians, stormed “senior government sources,” had gone for the “Asda option instead of Waitrose”. By preferring the French Rafale jet rather than the British-built Typhoon, they rejected, according to the Prime Minister, a “superb aircraft with far better capabilities”. How dare they, asked MPs, snub Britain, which had given them £1.2 billion in aid? One newspaper even blamed the decision on the Gandhi family. The truth about Britain’s “failure” to land the £6.3 billion Indian military jet deal — and the thousands of jobs it will sustain - is different. The game is...

Raytheon 'networked weapon' clears testing hurdle The U.S. Navy has completed developmental testing of Tucson-based Raytheon Missile System's Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) C-1. The conclusion of developmental testing keeps the program on track to reach initial operating capability in 2013, Cmdr. Samuel Hanaki of the U.S. Navy's Precision Strike Weapons program office said in a news release by Raytheon. However, Raytheon has been producing the JSOW C-1 since 2009 under a simultaneous development and production plan. The JSOW C-1, which Raytheon calls "the world's first networked weapon," is the latest version of the unpowered glide bomb. With a range of...

Fighter deals intensify global aerial arms race * Lockheed buoyed by Japan, Dassault by India * Boeing, partners in Eurofighter also looking for wins * Opportunities eyed elsewhere in Asia, Middle East * Hunger for deals comes as Western defense budgets trimmed By Rhys Jones and Tim Hepher Feb 3 (Reuters) - Big decisions on warplane purchases by Japan and India have intensified competition in the multi-billion-dollar global market, with Western defense firms scrambling for orders in Asia and the Middle East as their home-country budgets shrivel. Growing international unease over China's military build-up and ongoing tensions between Iran and...

U.S. plans $2.8 billion upgrade of F-16 fighter 7:14pm EST By Jim Wolf WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force said Thursday it plans a $2.8 billion upgrade of about 350 of its aging F-16 multi-role fighter planes to help offset slower purchases of the next-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The work, running into the 2020s, will extend the service life of select F-16 airframes. Other upgrades include advanced radar, sensors, cockpit display, electronic warfare and communications capabilities, the service said. "We have worked through the implications of the delays in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program," Air Force Secretary...

Turkey aims to increase ballistic missile ranges ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News Missiles with a range of 2,500 kilometers are a realistic target according to Professor Yücel Altınbaşak, head of Turkey’s State Scientific Research Institute. However, analysts remain uncertain as to Turkey’s capacity or need to achieve this goal Turkey aims to build ballistic missiles with a range of 2,500 kilometers within the next two years, Turkish officials have said, but analysts remain uncertain as to whether the country needs, or can even achieve, such a capability. Professor Yücel Altınbaşak, head of Turkey’s State Scientific Research Institute (TÜBİTAK), recently told...

Misinformation and Legal Wrangling Delaying Mission-Critical A-29 Super Tucano for American Warfighters in Afghanistan SPARKS, Nev., Feb. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), the winner of the U.S. Air Force Light Air Support (LAS) competition, today issued a point-by-point rebuttal of misinformation being spread by the disqualified contender for the contract. The LAS contract provides aircraft, training and support for the U.S. government's partner building efforts in Afghanistan and other nations. The aircraft is urgently needed to support aerial reconnaissance and light air operations in Afghanistan, as well as to develop the organic capability needed to complete the...

While President Obama's supporters hailed his withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq as the end of the war in the middle east, behind the scenes the Pentagon has been quietly massing troops and armaments on two islands located just south of the Strait of Hormuz, and within easy striking distance of Iran. In addition to some 50,000 U.S. troops currently in the region waiting for orders (apparently they won't be home by this past Christmas as was originally promised), Nobel Peace Prize winner President Barack Obama is deploying an additional 50,000 soldiers to be ready for 'any contingency' by March:...

Reports indicate the 107th squadron will be eliminated Government officials at all levels received a shock this week when it was reported that the fighter squadron that flies A-10 aircraft out of Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township may be eliminated under the new, downsized Pentagon budget. If the reduction receives congressional approval, it would apparently end the Air National Guard’s 107th Fighter Squadron, which consists of 630 military personnel, 250 of whom are full-time airmen. Most are pilots and maintenance mechanics. The proposed Defense Department budget for fiscal year 2013, which sets the stage for a decade-long...

Russia to Modernize 30 Tu-22M3 Bombers by 2020 Sergey Piatakov About 30 Tu-22M3 strategic bombers from Russia's Long Range Aviation fleet will be modernized by 2020, Russian Air Force spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said on Tuesday. "We plan to upgrade about 30 strategic bombers to the M3M standard,” Drik said. Tu-22M3 (NATO reporting name Backfire-C) is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic bomber that Russia uses mainly to patrol the skies over its southern borders, Central Asia and the Black Sea region. The Tu-22M3 has a flight range of 6,800 km (4,300 miles) and can carry a 24,000 kg (52,910 lb)...

World’s biggest French kiss - IAF picks Rafale for deal that can reshape Europe’s defence industry SUJAN DUTTA New Delhi, Jan. 31: A flying French kiss is in the air. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation’s Rafale fighter jet is best suited for it. The Rafale bid was less than the price quoted by four-nation European consortium EADS Cassidian’s Eurofighter Typhoon. In a race that has lasted five years and tantalised not only India’s military establishment but also first-world countries and half-a-dozen of the globe’s largest companies, the sleek twin-engined Rafale with its ergonomic...

A scroll on the home page of the Times of India says that the French Rafale has beaten the Eurofighter for the 126 (and prolly many more) plane MMRCA deal.

Congressional caucus is determined to save F-35 WASHINGTON -- For all its high-tech stealth and record cost, the F-35 joint strike fighter embodies the droll military motto "hurry up and wait." Conceived in the heady post-Cold War 1990s, the futuristic fifth-generation jet fighter was to be a technological marvel built in a rush and paid for with "peace dividend" dollars. But now the fighter is billions over budget and years behind schedule. With the Pentagon facing $1 trillion in possible cuts, the F-35's high cost makes it a prime target. But thanks in part to campaign contributions from its main...

U.S. should let Taiwan buy F-16 fighter jet Vice President Joe Biden is in Fort Worth today for two private fundraising events for President Barack Obama's re-election campaign. Given that Tarrant County ranks second only to Orange County, Calif., for its deep-red Republican hue, there probably wasn't a need to book the convention center. That's not to say this slice of Texas is devoid of elected Democrats. State Sen. Wendy Davis and state Reps. Marc Veasey and Lon Burnam have all garnered a headline now and then for their work in Austin. Of course, Veasey hopes to have an opportunity...