Free Republic

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...

Note: The following text is a quote: Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, November 23, 2009 Arms Dealer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Supply U.S. Fighter Jet Engines to Iran Jacques Monsieur, a Belgian national and resident of France suspected of international arms dealing for decades, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama to conspiracy to illegally export F-5 fighter jet engines and parts from the Untied States to Iran. Monsieur along with Dara Fotouhi, aka Dara Fatouhi, an Iranian national currently living in France, was charged in a...

A Belgian national and resident of France, suspected of international arms dealing for decades, was arrested on charges alleging that he conspired to illegally export F-5 fighter jet engines and parts from the United States to Iran, the U.S. Justice Department stated. Jacques Monsieur was arraigned Wednesday in a U.S. federal court in Mobile, Alabama. Monsieur, 56, and co-defendant Dara Fotouhi, 54, an Iranian national currently living in France, were indicted with conspiracy, money laundering, smuggling, as well as violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Note: The following text is a quote: International Arms Dealer Arrested for Conspiracy to Supply U.S. Fighter Jet Engines to Iran Jacques Monsieur, a Belgian national and resident of France suspected of international arms dealing for decades, has been arrested on charges alleging that he conspired to illegally export F-5 fighter jet engines and parts from the United States to Iran. Monsieur is scheduled to have his arraignment today in federal court in Mobile, Alabama. A six-count indictment returned on Aug. 27, 2009, in the Southern District of Alabama charging Monsieur, 56, and co-defendant Dara Fotouhi, aka Dara Fatouhi, 54,...

Iranian fighter jet crashes in southwest 7/7/2008 TEHRAN - An Iranian US-made F5 fighter jet crashed in the southwestern Khuzestan province, the official IRNA agency reported on Monday. The accident took place at 10:00 am local time (0530 GMT) at the Omideh military base. No details were given on casualties or the circumstances of the incident. The Iranian air force has been hit hard by the US embargo on selling spare parts and new jets to Iran, which means the country must work intensely to find spare parts to keep its fleet in the air. Many of Iran's planes are...

FALLON, Nev. — A pilot was missing after two U.S. Navy jets flying a routine training mission collided Friday over northern Nevada's high desert about 50 miles east of the Fallon Naval Air Station. Two pilots safely ejected from an F-5 Tiger and were rescued, but the pilot of an F/A-18C Hornet was missing, said Zip Upham, public affairs officer for the base. The two aircraft collided about noon Friday near the town of Middlegate, some 110 miles east of Reno, Upham said. The cause of the crash was under investigation, he said. The pilots in the two-seater F-5 Tiger...

Today marks ten years since a massive, devastating tornado struck the town of Jarrell in northern Williamson County. Twenty-seven people died on May 27, 1997 when the F-5 twister tore through a subdivision in this tiny town of 1,300 residents. Twelve of those killed were children. The Jarrell tornado was one of twenty-four twisters to hit Central Texas that day. Residents had adequate warning, but most who died in the worst-hit neighborhoods did not have underground storm shelters. Experts say that for those that sought refuge in their homes, even in an interior room, the monster tornado was simply "an...

Taiwan may sell F-5E fighter jets overseas - report Fri Mar 16, 2007 12:26 PM IST TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan is considering selling off more than 40 mothballed F-5E fighter jets, with interested buyers including the Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala and Chile, a Taiwan newspaper said on Friday. The Liberty Times said all these countries had expressed interest in purchasing the jets, originally supplied to Taiwan by the United States for defence against a Chinese attack, and the Defence Ministry was currently evaluating the sale. The ministry declined to comment on the report. Any final decision would have to be approved...

Iran unveiled its first locally manufactured fighter plane Wednesday during large-scale military exercises, state-run television reported. The report said the bomber Saegheh is similar to the American F-18 fighter plane, but "more powerful." It also said the plane was "designed, optimized and improved by Iranian experts." State TV said the Iranian air force had commissioned the Saegheh plane after many test flights in the past year. Television footage showed the airplane taking off and launching two rockets. The plane had a small cockpit and only one pilot. "Saegheh is capable of launching both rockets and bombs," the report said. General...

Beginning this weekend, aircraft buffs will be able to stroll up to and touch about half dozen historic aircraft at the city's newest public facility, the Heritage Airpark. The airpark, at 25th Street East and Avenue P, is a memorial to the aircraft designed, built and tested at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 since the facility was established in 1951. The airpark is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays beginning Jan. 17. A formal ceremony marking the opening of the facility will be held in March, noted Mayor Jim Ledford. Meanwhile, volunteers will continue to prepare...