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British Harrier pilot diverted bomb mid-flight to save civilians A British Harrier pilot managed to abort a bomb attack in mid-flight, steering a smart bomb away from its intended Taleban target after a group of civilians strayed into the target area, footage released by the Ministry of Defence showed today. The footage, which was shot from the camera on the jet last year but has been only now declassified, shows that the bomb had already been launched when its target, a Taleban commander in a vehicle, stopped next to a group of civilians. The RAF pilot then made the snap...

England, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- British aviation regulators say the investigation into the accidental takeoff of a vintage Cold War bomber is closed.

A leading Italian neo-fascist with a nine-year conviction for conspiracy after the bombing of Bologna train station in 1980 has taken a seat in the European Parliament. Roberto Fiore, 49, came to Britain in the wake of the bombing, which left 85 people dead and over 200 wounded. The attack was carried out by the Nucleus of Armed Revolutionaries, a far-Right terrorist group. Although Mr Fiore, a member of the Third Position cell, was not directly involved in the execution of the bombing, he was convicted for conspiring to carry out an armed attack. He lived in the UK for...

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. That's what Winston Churchill said of those whose bravery saved the free world while he served as the British prime minister during World War II. On Saturday, some of those few were remembered at a "Royal Air Force Day" ceremony at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium, 3624 N. 74th E. Ave. During World War II — and even for several months before the United States entered the conflict — thousands of young British men streamed into Oklahoma to receive the...

Oldest WWI veteran dies aged 113 Henry Allingham was the last surviving founding member of the RAF Henry Allingham, the world's oldest man and one of the last surviving World War I servicemen, has died at the age of 113, his care home has said. Mr Allingham served with the Royal Naval Air Service in WWI, later transferring to the Royal Air Force at the time of its creation. Bosses at his Brighton care home said everybody was "saddened by Henry's loss and our sympathy goes to his family". Last month, Mr Allingham, born in 1896, became the world's oldest...

Britain unlikely to meet Eurofighter commitment - MoD LONDON, June 11 (Reuters) - Britain is unlikely to buy all of the remaining 48 Eurofighter Typhoon jets it has signed up for, a source at the Ministry of Defence confirmed on Thursday. The contract was originally conceived 25 years ago and involves Germany, Spain, Italy and Britain building more than 600 of the high-performance combat jets. Last month, Britain recommitted to the contract, despite cost concerns, but said the final number of aircraft it would buy in the third tranche was still under negotiation [ID:nLE901359]. On Wednesday Germany's Defence Ministry said...

RAF chief predicts controversial takeover of Royal Naval air power The head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, has sparked a major turf war within the armed forces after questioning the future of the Royal Navy's jet aircraft. By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent Published: 8:30AM BST 07 Jun 2009 The Chief of the Air Staff told The Sunday Telegraph that rationalisation in the armed forces would lead to the RAF running all combat jet operations. The move would effectively neuter the Royal Navy's maritime air force, the Fleet Air Arm, leaving the service with just a small...

In the year that sees the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War, a previously untold story has emerged of how, through a "miracle" chemical breakthrough, Spitfire and Hurricane fighters gained the edge over German fighters to win the Battle of Britain. An American scientist and author has claimed that the famed pair of war-winning aeroplanes gained superior altitude, manoeuvrability and rate of climb by a revolutionary high-octane fuel supplied to Britain by the USA just in time for the battle. Books, documentaries, and movies have chronicled the brilliant contribution of UK designers and engineers behind the...

Sensitive data files stolen from an RAF base detailed the extra marital affairs, drug taking and use of prostitutes by senior officers, it has been disclosed. The unencrypted data was stored on three computer hard drives that went missing from RAF Innsworth, Gloucestershire, last September. Up to 500 senior staff have been warned by the MoD about the possible consequences to them and their families, amid concerns they could be targets for blackmail. The RAF disclosed the loss of the hard drives two weeks after they went missing, revealing only that the bank details and home addresses of 50,000 servicemen...

RAF'S BLUNDER AND LIGHTNING Neil Chandler THE £9billion supersonic jump jet seen as the future of the RAF and Royal Navy will not fly properly in hot weather, say experts. British forces are still flying over hotspots Iraq and Afghanistan – and are expected to be involved in the latter conflict for decades. But early versions of the showpiece F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter are “very limited” in the heat. The new plane will replace the Harrier jump jet and also fly from the new £3.8billion aircraft carriers HMS Prince Of Wales and Queen Elizabeth. In America, F-35s are...

Celebrations are taking place to mark the 40th anniversary of the first UK test flight by Concorde, from Filton to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. On the 9 April 1969, the plane flew for 22 minutes over the Bristol Channel, then landed at the airbase. The luxury supersonic plane was retired by British Airways in 2003 because of a drop in demand for flights.

AF Colonel Cleared of Promoting Religion April 02, 2009 Stars and Stripes|by Steve Mraz An Air Force colonel has been cleared in an investigation into whether an e-mail she sent to her airmen violated the military’s stance of religious neutrality. Col. Kimberly Toney, commander of the 501st Combat Support Wing at RAF Alconbury, sent an e-mail on Jan. 16 referring airmen to an "inspirational" video on a Roman Catholic Web site. The video featured the life of Nick Vujicic, who was born without arms or legs. In the video, Vujicic says he finds his "greatest joy in this life is...

Harriers - 40 years old and still jumping 07:01 GMT, March 18, 2009 Few aircraft can be described as truly iconic, fewer still remain in service over long periods, but this year the British-designed Harrier celebrates its 40th birthday, having spent the past five years as a mainstay on operations in Afghanistan. And the Harrier really is unique - no other jet in service has its Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) capability where pilots can land on shortened runways, carrier decks or on landing pads in the middle of a forest. Developed during the Cold War, the Harrier has continually...

RAF MILDENHALL, England — An Air Force colonel is being criticized for improperly referring airmen under her command to a far-right religious Web site. Col. Kimberly K. Toney sent a e-mail Jan. 16 to the 501st Combat Support Wing inviting airmen to enjoy a linked video highlighting an inspirational individual on 4marks.com, a Roman Catholic Web site. The video featured Nick Vujicic, a 25-year-old who was born without arms or legs. According to the video’s introduction, Vujicic finds his "greatest joy in this life is to introduce Jesus to those he meets and tell them of his (Jesus’) great desire...

Harrier dispute between Navy and RAF chiefs sees Army 'marriage counsellor' called in The Defence Secretary John Hutton has been forced to call in an Army general to act as a “marriage counsellor” to resolve a bitter dispute between the heads of the Royal Navy and RAF over the future of the Harrier jump jet. By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent Last Updated: 1:32PM GMT 04 Feb 2009 Harrier jump jet, Air Marshal Torpy suggested that the Ministry of Defence could save £1 billion if the Harrier was phased out of service. Photo: PA The relationship between the First Sea Lord,...

PRINCE William's military deployment to the Falkland Islands has reignited the row over the archipelago's sovereignty. "This circumstance only serves to once again highlight Britain's ongoing military presence in land and sea areas that are part of the Argentine Republic's national territories," an aide to Foreign Minister Jorge Taina said today. Argentina claims ownership of the islands it calls the Malvinas. Prince William will be sent to the Falklands by the Royal Air Force to serve as a search and rescue pilot for a period of three months, Britain's Daily Telegraph reports. He completes his 18-month RAF course later this...

Pilots have apparently fired upon the unidentified objects without success since the 1980s, according to Nick Pope, who used to run the Ministry of Defence's UFO project. "There was a faction in the MoD who said 'We want to shoot down a UFO and that will resolve the issue one way or another'," he told The Sun. "We know of cases where the order has been given to shoot down - with little effect to the UFO." Mr Pope claimed that the RAF only attempted to engage when the mysterious objects were perceived to be a threat. He said: "In...

The RAF is trying to take over the Royal Navy’s historic Fleet Air Arm and assume control of all army helicopters in a plan to cut more than £1 billion from the defence budget. The navy clashed with the air force at a meeting of senior officials last week. Its admirals are furious about a campaign, waged under the slogan “one nation, one air force” which would see the Fleet Air Arm scrapped in 2013, a few months before its centenary. Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, chief of the air staff, is proposing to scrap all 75 Harrier jump...

Baader-Meinhof is flashy and violent, but the glamour hides Germany's odd history of leftist anti-semitism Jean-Luc Godard said that all you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun. If so, The Baader-Meinhof Complex, released on 14th November, is some movie. The Red Army Faction (RAF) was essentially a collection of women alongside the charismatic Andreas Baader. The gang so glorified violence that it used a Heckler & Koch machine gun, against the background of a red star, as a logo. Automatic weapons fire, most of it from women, is the film's central motif. Based on Stefan...

Christian Klar, now 56, will walk out of jail after 26 years on January 3 after a court ruling. The decision comes despite earlier demands that he make an apology for his murderous crimes still not being met. Klar is portrayed in 'The Baader-Meinhof Complex' which is currently playing in British cinemas. The movie documents the crimes of the urban terrorists before they took the name RAF and it has been heavily criticised in Germany, particularly by the families of victims, for portraying him and his cohorts as 'cool' and their methods justified. Klar has shown no repentance for...

A wave of public support for the Armed Forces has swelled recruitment and contributions to military charities such as the Poppy Appeal. The number of men and women seeking to join the Army, Royal Navy and RAF rose by about 12 per cent even as British Forces continued to suffer casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq. Thousands of people are attending parades to welcome military personnel home and parish ceremonies to pay their respects to servicemen and women killed in battle. In the 12 months to the end of June, 17,860 men and women joined the Services – 2,250 more than...

'Night after night they climbed into their cramped and freezing aircraft to strike at Germany's cities and factories. And each time they flew, the odds of them surviving the night-fighters and flak grew longer and longer. Yet the sacrifice and seemingly inexhaustible bravery of the young men of Bomber Command has gone almost unrecognised for 60 years. Even Churchill snubbed them, though they faced some of the worst losses of any branch of the British military. However, it emerged that the heroes of Bomber Command are at last to be recognised with their own memorial. Campaigners have won the struggle...

Crammed together in their unwieldy aircraft and utterly dependent on one another, the bomber crews of the Second World War forged friendships that often only death could break. Which is why Pilot Officer Reg Wilson never forgot the night more than 60 years ago when he lost two friends in the night skies over Germany. As he entered his old age - the memories of his youth perhaps more powerful than ever - Mr Wilson began a quest to find their remains. Yesterday he told how at last he had succeeded in finding one of those friends, flight engineer Sergeant...

World War II tunnel digger John Fancy whose actions inspired the film the Great Escape, has died. Just nine months after the beginning of hostilities in the WWII, the young and dashing RAF observer was shot down. His Blenheim bomber had just successfully hit its target in the Ardennes when he came under heavy fire from German anti-aircraft positions on 14 May 1940. Within moments the aircraft had ditched.

    Stealthy ... Brit Jon with B2 bomber        Exclusive   RAF pilot is one hell of a guy     By JOHN KAY Published: Today     AN RAF Top Gun known as “Killers” has been recruited to fly the world’s deadliest aircraft for the elite US Grim Reapers squadron.   13th bomb squadron ... badge of the elite Grim Reapers  Squadron Leader Jon Killerby pilots the £1billion state-of-the-art Stealth Spirit B2 bomber. The former Tornado ace, 34, is based with the 13th Bomb Squadron in Missouri, US. His flying overalls sport the squadron’s badge...

Wednesday morning, August 27, between 11 am and 1:30 pm EST or 9 am and 11:30 am mountain time, I'll be chairing a New America Foundation/Middle East Task Force event in Denver at the Colorado History Museum. The keynotes are Senator JOHN KERRY (D-MA), Obama National Security Adviser GREG CRAIG, Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School Dean ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER, former Congressman and Obama Adviser MEL LEVINE, former German Foreign Minister JOSCHKA FISCHER, and Aspen Institute President (and former CNN Chairman and CEO and TIME Managing Editor) Walter Isaacson. Our panel will be former Israeli negotiator and New America Foundation Senior Fellow...

If YouTube proved the natural home of anyone who happened to find himself in simultaneous possession of a camera phone, some Mentos, and a can of Diet Coke, then the not-yet-two-year-old LiveLeak.com is digging a foxhole for itself. It's become a meeting place for those who blow stuff up and those who like to watch it explode. Troops in the field in Iraq and Afghanistan are the most valued content providers on LiveLeak. The site's unsqueamish emphasis on raw video - it does have some rules, not that you would notice - makes it a destination spot for short...

Aircraft carriers: plane sailing Britain is paying a high price, but not too high If diplomacy is the continuation of war by other means, and if the art of diplomacy is to speak softly and carry a big stick, then no stick comes much bigger, or looks more intimidating, than a 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier. Except maybe two 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers. The tricky part of the equation is that big sticks do not come cheap. The Government has signed a contract for two 65,000-tonne supercarriers for the Royal Navy. As big sticks go, these are the second-biggest of their kind. Only...

Formal approval has been granted for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual personnel in HM Armed Forces to march in No.1 uniform (RN/RAF) No. 2 uniform (Army)through Central London on 5th July 2008, as part of the annual Gay Pride event. Whilst the Royal Navy has marched in uniform in previous years, Army and RAF personnel will also be marching in uniform for the first time this year. A large number of personnel have already committed to attend. Personnel will be considered to be on-duty for the uniformed element of the event. RAF personnel who wish to attend in uniform are...

UK declares Eurofighter Typhoon ready for multirole use By Craig Hoyle The UK Royal Air Force has formally cleared some of its Eurofighter Typhoons as ready to perform air-to-surface operations, following the 1 July declaration of the type's multirole employment date. Achieved through a so-called "austere capability" upgrade to some of the RAF's Tranche 1 Typhoons, the ground-attack mission will be performed using 455kg (1,000lb) Raytheon Paveway II laser- and Enhanced Paveway II laser/GPS-guided bombs (test release pictured below) and the Rafael Litening III targeting pod. The modifications were successfully demonstrated during 11 Sqn's participation in a recent Green Flag...

A police helicopter crew has spotted what is described as an unusual aircraft in the Vale of Glamorgan. The helicopter was above St Athan - home to a RAF base and close to Cardiff International Airport - but could not capture any images before the object vanished over the Bristol Channel. South Wales Police says the helicopter did not give chase and describes the three man crew as very experienced. The sighting on 7 June has now been reported for investigation. A South Wales Police spokesperson said: "The crew are very experienced and responded in a professional manner in relation...

'POP star Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees has boosted the Sunday Express Honour The Bomber Boys crusade by organising a fund-raising concert next month. Thousands of readers have already backed our demands for a memorial to the forgotten heroes of RAF Bomber Command. Now Robin, who strongly believes the Second World War veterans have been poorly treated by successive governments, has stepped in with plans for a concert that will help fund the mem­orial in London – the first to commem­orate the 55,000 who died. Robin has never performed solo in Britain before, and his decision to do so...

RAF pilot refuses US order to trim moustache By Lucy Cockcroft Last updated: 6:29 AM BST 13/06/2008 An RAF pilot has been ordered to trim his handlebar moustache by an American General who took offence at its length, but the British serviceman was not prepared to lose his whiskers without a fight. The British airman, who sports a handlebar moustache in the proud tradition of the RAF, refused to comply when his superior officer in Afghanistan took offence at his facial hair. Showing a bravado akin to that of Biggles, he fought back, eventually convincing the general that his generous...

The RAF has used an unmanned drone to kill a Taliban leader for the first time, the Mail has learned. Two 'pilots', controlling the robot via satellite from an airbase outside Las Vegas, spotted a target thousands of miles away in southern Afghanistan. They ordered the £10million Reaper drone to carry out an airstrike. Sources at the Ministry of Defence said the strike, which took place in the last ten days, killed a 'high value' Taliban target, but officials would not confirm the insurgent's identity. The attack marks a symbolic watershed in Britain's use of military airpower. Many in the...

Pictured: Lancaster bomber in dramatic flypast to mark 65th anniversary of Dambusters raidLast updated at 18:49pm on 16th May 2008  It is one of the most stirring images of the Second World War - a Lancaster bomber coming in terrifyingly low over a huge dam.  Today, the last surviving pilot of the epic Dambusters operation was present to witness a spectacular re-enactment as one of the bombers flew again above the Derwent Valley dam in Derbyshire to mark the 65th anniversary of the raid. Scroll down for more...Bombs away: The world's only flying Lancaster makes a low pass over...

A Royal Air Force top gun crash-landed a new $136.3 million Typhoon fighter — apparently after forgetting to put the wheels down during a training exercise in California. The state-of-the-art jet was badly damaged as it skidded along a runway on its belly at 130 mph. "Everything points to the pilot forgetting to lower the wheels, which does happen from time to time," an RAF insider said.

Prince William has made a secret visit to meet British troops in Afghanistan. The prince, 25, who has been awarded his RAF pilot's wings, flew a military transport plane for part of the journey from the UK to Kandahar. He spent three hours with UK service personnel at the airfield on Monday before returning to the UK. A Clarence House spokesman said the Prince of Wales and the Queen had given their permission for the confidential trip, which he declared a "success". The prince flew in a C-17 Globemaster plane which left RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire, on Sunday and...

Wing Commander Paddy Barthropp, who died on April 16 aged 87, was one of the RAF’s most ebullient and colourful characters; he fought in the Battle of Britain, escaped twice from prisoner-of-war camps and later became a test pilot and a winning jockey in Hong Kong.Aged 19 Barthropp joined No 602 Squadron to fly Spitfires from an airfield on the south coast. His first day of action was September 15 1940, the climax of the Battle, when he was airborne four times. In his excitement he managed to fire off all his ammunition during each engagement and readily acknowledged that...

Two servicemen from the RAF Regiment were killed in a roadside blast in southern Afghanistan, according to the Ministry of Defence. The pair died during the explosion in Kandahar Province on Sunday 13 April at 1848 local time, the MoD said. Two other service personnel were injured in the incident, which took place during a routine patrol 1.2 miles (2km) west of Kandahar Airfield. Next of kin of all those involved have been notified. The deaths bring the number of UK service personnel killed in Afghanistan to 93.

My son has returned from Iraq after 4 month tour of duty with the RAF, He told me while there, that he spent a week with the American camp at Balad. Please pass on my thanks to all Servicemen and women at this site for the hospitality shown to a young Brit, while on duty , as them in a foreign land defending freedom..........

AN RAF squadron leader yesterday told of her amazing transformation – from a man to a woman. Helicopter flying ace Sue Jones, 40, began her career as one of Our Boys. He was also a married dad-of-two. But all the time she knew she should really be a woman. Finally she had a heart-to-heart with her wife and six years ago had a £40,000 sex change. All along, she has had the full support of the RAF. Sue has since married again – as a bride instead of a groom. She said of her husband: “He is as straight as...

Gordon Brown led calls for Britain's armed forces to wear their uniforms in public with pride yesterday as RAF commanders faced a backlash for 'running for cover' in the face of public abuse. MPs, community leaders and Forces rank and file condemned the decision to bar personnel at RAF Wittering from wearing their uniforms in nearby Peterborough, following haranguing and harassment from locals. Military chiefs were accused of being too scared of causing offence to small minorities and urged to face the abuse down with a high-profile parade through the town. Mr Brown said: "All our armed forces should be...

The heroism of a Royal Air Force Regiment patrol that stubbornly refused to submit during an ambush by Iraqi insurgents near Basra has been recognised with a number of personnel honoured in the Operational Honours and Awards List published today, Friday 7 March 2008. When 1 Squadron RAF Regiment came under a hail of gunfire that lasted 90 minutes, despite withering firepower from more than a dozen rooftop locations, the Regiment gunners fought their way out carrying a shot comrade and another who had been mortally wounded. Leading Aircraftman Martin Beard died during the battle in August 2007 as he...

Via JWF, first came Birmingham, then came Harrod’s, and now third time’s a charm. Totally, completely, utterly unrelated to today’s Times Square bombing, I’m sure. RAF personnel have been ordered not to wear their uniforms in public after incidents of verbal abuse on the streets… The verbal attacks had come from a “cross-section” of the community, he added, and were believed to be linked to the RAF’s current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.He stressed that the decision to prohibit uniforms in the city was a local one made by station commander Group Captain Atherton after she took advice from RAF...

RAF personnel have been ordered not to wear their uniforms in public after incidents of verbal abuse on the streets. Troops at RAF Wittering in Peterborough have been told to keep a low profile after taking advice from RAF police. The move - which has come to light after a Birmingham man was jailed for planning to kidnap and behead a British Army soldier - was described as a "sad day for the city" by mayor Marion Todd. She said: "I honestly think it's despicable. "It's a sad day for the city and for the country when the RAF can't...

A British airman has died following a rocket attack on a military base in Basra, southern Iraq. The serviceman, attached to the Royal Air Force's 903 Expeditionary Air Wing, was killed in the attack at about 2130 local time (1830 GMT) on Friday. The serviceman's family has been informed, said the Ministry of Defence. The death takes the number of UK troops killed in Iraq to 175. The last fatality was a member of 1st Battalion The Scots Guards, killed in December. British troops transferred control of Basra province to the Iraqi authorities later the same month, four and a...

An RAF fast jet pilot has traded his Tornado GR4 aircraft for an F15 after taking up an exchange appointment with the United States Air Force (USAF). RAF Lossiemouth's Flight Lieutenant Chris Ball is now deployed in southern Afghanistan as the US military target Taliban strongholds in the mountainous region along the Afghan/Pakistan border. Working alongside pilots from 336 Fighter Squadron F15, Flt Lt Ball is flying night operations out of the former Soviet airbase at Bagram, north of Kabul, helping to police the notorious border with Pakistan. The former RAF Lossiemouth XV (R) Squadron pilot and his US navigator...

The voices were detected during top secret spy-in-the-sky surveillance missions over lawless Helmand province. The revelation proves that growing numbers of British-born Muslims are moving to Afghanistan to fight along side the Taliban. The conversations were overheard and recorded recently by RAF radio operator linguists on board Nimrod planes in the region, it was revealed yesterday. The Taliban spoke mainly in Afghan Persian or Pashto — but occasionally lapsed into their home language. Senior RAF sources said that at those points they spoke in “plain English” with distinctive “Bradford and West Bromwich accents”. A source said: “The mission specialists could...

RAF forced to borrow planes Michael Smith THE RAF is being forced to borrow American spy planes and paint roundels on them to replace its fleet of Nimrod R1 signals intelligence aircraft. The crews of the US Rivet Joint spy planes masquerading as RAF aircraft will not even be totally British with US personnel expected to take control on some missions. The move, forced by a Ministry of Defence (MoD) cash crisis that rules out the money for a replacement aircraft for the Nimrod R1, has provoked outrage among RAF air crew who say it will mean a major loss...

January 22, 2008 RAF scrambled as Russia tests nuclear-capable missiles (RAF/MoD Crown Copyright/PA Wire) A Russian Bear-H bomber Tony Halpin in Moscow RAF fighters scrambled to track Russian long-range bombers joining a naval task force today as Moscow practised strike tactics off the coast of France and Spain and test-launched nuclear-capable missiles. The fleet of Russian warships, supported by fighter jets and the bombers, engaged in Russia’s biggest naval exercises since the end of the Cold War. The war games close to two Nato member states were the most forceful reminder to date of President Putin’s determination to flex Russia’s...