Azerbaijan mulls helping Israel with Iran attack

Reuters quotes local sources with knowledge of Azerbaijan's military policy that say Azeri authorities explored with Israel how their air bases, spy drones could help Israel in Iran strike.

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Robotic tuna is built by Homeland Security

No question about it, they're very good at what they do. But they don't take well to orders, especially those to carry out inspection work in oily or dangerous environments, or in any kind of harsh environment, for that matter. Still, they're one of the fastest and most maneuverable creatures on the planet, having extraordinary abilities at both high and low speeds due to their streamlined bodies and a finely tuned muscular/sensory/control system.
This impressive creature is the humble tuna fish.

The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S and T) is funding the development of an unmanned underwater vehicle designed to resemble a tuna, called the BIOSwimmer.

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Gaddafi was killed by French secret serviceman on orders of Nicolas Sarkozy

A French secret serviceman acting on the express orders of Nicolas Sarkozy is suspected of murdering Colonel Gaddaf


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Europe tipped to spend $14B on drones

Europe is being tipped to spend nearly $14 billion over the next 10 years on research and development of unmanned aerial systems and their procurement.

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Philippines sends more troops to guard disputed islands

The Philippines has deployed 800 more Marines and opened a new headquarters to guard its interests in the disputed Spratlys islands, which China also claims, a senior military official said Sunday.

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India’s SSBN 'Arihant' Shows Itself

It is not entirely clear, but a new satellite image might be showing part of India’s first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, the Arihant.

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IAF to unveil radar plane, choppers

India will showcase its latest Air Force acquisitions -- an indigenous airborne radar plane and a Russian-origin cargo helicopter -- at this year's Air Force Day parade that marks its 80th anniversary, a week from now.

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HMS Illustrious heading to Med for war games

Aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious will leave Portsmouth on Monday for a major show of strength in the Mediterranean.

Seven navy helicopters will land on the 22,000-tonne warship early in the morning before she sets sail at 1.30pm.

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WWII parachute mine found in Helford River is detonated

A Royal Navy bomb disposal team have safely detonated a large World War II mine a mile off the coast of Falmouth.

The German device, 6ft (1.8m) by 3ft (91cm), which contained more than 700kg (1,540lb) of explosives, was towed out to sea from the Helford River.

About 50 boats gathered along a safety cordon a mile from the centre of the detonation site to watch.

Bomb disposal officer, Sid Lawrence said the bomb was "very, very powerful and very big".

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Two U.S. aircraft carriers converge around Spartlys

Two of the U.S. Navy's global force aircraft carrier strike groups (CSGs) are currently conducting operations in the vital Asia-Pacific region.

Ships of the forward-deployed George Washington CSG, to include the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, the guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG 63) and the guided missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85); coupled with the ships of the John C. Stennis CSG, to include the Bremerton, Wash.-based aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), its embarked CVW 9, and the San Diego-based guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53); are currently patrolling the Western Pacific. They are providing a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the United States and its allies and partners.

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Air Force Insiders Foresaw F-22 Woes

Years before F-22 pilots began getting dizzy in the cockpit, before one struggled to breathe as he tried to pull out of a fatal crash, before two more went on television to say the plane was so unsafe they refused to fly it, a small circle of U.S. Air Force experts knew something was wrong with the prized stealth fighter jet.

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U.S. intelligence now says Benghazi attack "deliberate and organized"

The top U.S. intelligence authority issued an unusual public statement on Friday declaring it now believed the September 11 attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya, was a "deliberate and organized terrorist attack."

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Navy Announces Research Vessel to be Named in Honor of Neil Armstrong

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today that the first Armstrong-class Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (AGOR) ship will be named Neil Armstrong.

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US Navy: 4 missile cruisers to remain in service

Four Aegis missile cruisers scheduled to end their active careers in March will instead be kept in service, the Navy said Wednesday.

The ships — the Cowpens, Anzio, Vicksburg and Port Royal — were to be decommissioned as part of a budget drawdown.

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AFRICOM, Mauritania discuss Mali intervention

U.S. Africa command head Gen. Carter Ham met with Mauritania’s president and an official says the two are discussing a possible military intervention, likely West African-led, in north Mali against al-Qaida-linked group members and their allies.

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Obama: China can’t own wind farms near US Navy base

Citing national security risks, President Barack Obama on Friday blocked a Chinese company from owning four wind farm projects in northern Oregon near a Navy base where the U.S. military flies unmanned drones and electronic-warfare planes on training missions.

It was the first time in 22 years that a U.S. president has blocked such a foreign business deal.

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China's aircraft carrier may use upgraded version of J-11 fighters

China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, is over 300 meters long and over 70 meters wide. The distance from the keel to the top of the mainmast is over 60 meters. There are 10 decks below the main deck, and nine levels of island-style superstructures above the main deck, making the aircraft carrier look like a 20-story building. The Liaoning has a normal displacement of more than 50,000 tons.

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Alert over ageing RAAF Hornets as structural fatigue hits fleet

The Royal Australian Air Force has been warned to scale back the use of its ageing fleet of F/A-18 "classic" Hornet fighters to avert structural fatigue concerns.

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Fire destroys brand new North Sea Boats 63m Stealth Fast Missile Patrol Vessel

A fire destroyed the Indonesian Navy's KRI Klewang-625 at the naval port in Banyuwangi, East Java on Friday just weeks after its official launch ceremony. The Fast Missile Patrol Vessel (FMPV) was officialy launched on Friday 31st August, 2012 at PT Lundin’s shipyard facility in Banyuwangi, East Java.

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Syria rebels struggle in fresh Aleppo assault

There has been heavy fighting in Syria's biggest city of Aleppo, with state media saying rebels have suffered big losses in their latest assault.


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Libyan Chinook to make appearance at Malta Air Show

A Libyan air force Chinook helicopter will make a rare appearance at the Malta Air Show this weekend.

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Indian to mount indigenous AESA on LCA MK 2

Sources say India plans to mount an indigenous AESA radar on its on the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark-2.

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Romania To Buy 12 Second-Hand F-16 Jet Fighter Aircraft From Portugal

Romania plans to procure 12 used F-16 jet fighter aircraft from Portugal in a five year contract worth $600 million.

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Eglin F-35 Fleet At 20 And Growing

The 20th Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II was delivered today to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., to support F-35 pilot and maintainer training taking place on the Emerald Coast. BF-15.

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Yemen To Get UAVs From The U.S.

Amid a series of controversial U.S. air strikes against high-level Al-Qaeda officials in the Arabian Peninsula, and renewed military cooperation with Yemen, officials in Sanaa are now expecting to get a supply of weaponry from the Pentagon, including four of their own UAVs.

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33rd FW flies 300th F-35 sortie

The US Air Force's 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, Florida, is continuing to make progress spooling up the jet's training pipeline.

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China’s about to find out how hard it is to run an aircraft carrier

China Shipbuilding Industry Corp. essentially had to start from scratch on the carrier. Fabricating a carrier hull is not easy, but a modern shipbuilding industry like China's, with yards capable of building supertankers, liquefied natural gas tankers, and large bulk carriers, can bend the requisite steel.

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RNLAF Disbands F-16 Squadron

The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) has disbanded 311 Squadron, leaving it with only four F-16 squadrons.

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Skidmarks on China’s aircraft carrier?

The pictures the Chinese government has leaked out from the commissioning ceremony for the the Liaoning aircraft carrier leaves plenty to be determined, namely the origin of those skidmarks. The Chinese have supposedly not yet completed development of their carrier jet, the J-15.

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China Flies US-Designed VTOL UAV

China has completed the first fully autonomous flights of a new vertical take-off and landing tactical unmanned aircraft (VTUAV), the SVU-200.

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Panetta Downplays Conflict With Lockheed Over F-35 Buy

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has taken a more measured view of the ongoing negotiations between the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin for a batch of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

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Korea Decision on Attack Helicopters Nearing

he U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on Sept. 25 two potential attack helicopter sales to South Korea.

The first, worth $2.6 billion, is for 36 AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopters.

Prime contractors will be Bell-Textron Corporation and General Electric.

The second, worth $3.6 billion, is for 36 AH-64D Apache Longbow Block III attack helicopters. Prime contractors will be Boeing, Lockheed Martin and General Electric.

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Canada could host F-35 multinational weapon school

Cold Lake could host a F-35 multinational weapon school if Canada proceeds with buying the F-35, industry sources say.

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South Korean test pilots visit F-15, F-35 plants

South Korean test pilots are visiting Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 plant in Fort Worth, Texas, this week after a similar trip this month to Boeing Co's F-15 plant in St. Louis amid signs that Seoul will delay a decision in its $7 billion-plus fighter competition until early 2013.

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India Inducts Latest SU-30 MKI Variant

SU-30 MKI aircraft was inducted into Western Air Command in a formal ceremony at Air Force Station Halwara on 25 Sep 12.

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Eurocopter Delivers the First EC145 to the Bolivian Air Force

Eurocopter delivered the first of two EC145s to the Bolivian Air Force last August.


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China denies reports of second aircraft carrier

China has dismissed reports that it will launch a second aircraft carrier later this year, as it recognises the challenges involved with fixed-wing flight operations at sea.

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RAAF F/A-18A/B use could extend beyond 2020

An Australian government audit warns that delays in the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme could keep the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) Boeing F/A-18A/B Hornet aircraft in service beyond 2020.

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Russia to field Kh-101 cruise missile next yearL

Russia's air force will accept the Raduga Kh-101 cruise missile into service in 2013, a service official has told.

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España retrasa la entrega de 15 Eurofighter hasta 2015 y trabaja en la venta a terceros de material de las Fuerzas Armadas

Los aparatos deberían haber sido incorporados al Ejército del Aire español entre este año y 2014. Tras el acuerdo de Defensa con el consorcio europeo fabricante y previo pago de la deuda acumulada gracias al crédito extraordinario aprobado recientemente en Consejo de Ministros, los 15 Eurofighter serán recibidos en 2015.

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Argentina, Venezuela to build trainer jet

Argentina and Venezuela will collaborate to build a trainer jet for deployment in member countries of the Union of South American States, officials said. Unasur became operational in 2011 after more than two years of preparations and aims to become a defense and economic pact.

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Israel postpones Arrow-3 flight test

The crucial first test-firing of Israel's Arrow-3 interceptor missile, designed to destroy ballistic weapons, reportedly has been postponed despite efforts to boost the Jewish state's missile defenses amid threats of pre-emptive strikes.

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Air Force seeks afterlife for F-15s

The U.S. Air Force is pushing to more than double the life of its stalwart F-15 Eagles with a series of upgrades.


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HMS Edinburgh embarks on final voyage

Type 42 destroyer HMS Edinburgh left Portsmouth today, Monday 24 September, on her final deployment, to conduct routine operations across the Atlantic.

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Royal Navy without AEW&C capability from 2016 to 2020

The Royal Navy will lose its airborne early warning capability after the current fleet of Sea King Mk7 helicopters retires in 2016.

It will not have that ability until 2020 when radar-equipped Merlins take over.

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Malaysia considering an offer to lease Gripens

RMAF chief Tan Sri Rodzali Daud said he has not ruled out the Gripen from the MRCA contest and is considering an offer from Sweden to lease up to 18 jets.

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X-37B ready for space flight next month

The first X-37B is ready to head back to space from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station next month.

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Brazil delays fighter decision till mid-2013

Brazil has again delayed a decision to buy new fighters. A decision will not be reached until mid-2013.

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Mexico seeking two C-130Js

The U.S. Congress has been notified by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency on a potential sale of two C-130Js to Mexico.

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Indian Air Force inducts first Su-30MKI squadron near border with Pakistan

The first Su-30MKI unit for the Indian Air Force’s Western Air Command, 220 Squadron, stood up at Halwara air base in Punjab on Sept. 25.

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Russia to Base MiG-31 Interceptors in Arctic

A Russian MiG-31 squadron will deploy at the Rogachyovo Arctic base on the island of Novaya Zemlya to defend against any attack coming from the north.

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Interview with captain of first China Navy carrier "Liaoning"

US Navy to add sensor fusion to Super Hornet fleet

The US Navy has embarked upon an incremental programme to add sensor fusion capabilities to its fleet of Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, the first of which began operational testing this July.

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USA issues FMS documents for South Korean AH-1Z, AH-64D bids

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sales (FMS) deal related to South Korea's AHX competition for 36 attack helicopters.

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China takes leap in naval aviation with aircraft carrier

Chinese naval aviation took an important step on 25 September, with the delivery of the first aircraft carrier to the People's Liberation Army Navy, although fixed-wing aircraft flight tests have yet to commence.

Formerly the Soviet carrier Varyag, the short take-off but arrested recovery (STOBAR) warship was officially named Liaoning, according to a story by Chinese state news agency Xinhua posted on the Chinese defence ministry website.

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Alenia delivers sections for first Tranche 3 Eurofighter

Alenia Aermacchi has shipped the rear fuselage and left wing for the first Tranche 3A example of the Eurofighter combat aircraft to industrial partner BAE Systems' Warton final assembly site in Lancashire, the UK.

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Indonesia requests $1.4bn Apache purchase

Indonesia's armed forces modernisation effort could include a $1.4 billion order for eight Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters, the USA has announced.

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Israeli air force re-engining Hermes 450 fleet

An effort is being made to decrease the noise emitted by engines used by the Israeli air force's unmanned air systems. The need stems from the heavier payloads carried by the aircraft, which demand using their engines in high power mode.

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Llega a Venezuela nuevo material Militar

Nuevo material bélico estaría llegando al Venezuela a través del puerto de Puerto Cabello. Según según se conoció, este martes salieron unos 20 vehículos de carga pesada con dicha mercancía.

Fuentes extraoficiales, precisaron que al parecer se trata de municiones, tanques, morteros, entre otros, además, trascendió que habría materia prima.

La carga, salió custodiada por efectivos militares y se dirigía hacia la empresa Cavim, ubicada en Maracay, estado Aragua.

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Bulava Tests Postponed Due to Software Glitches

Software glitches in the automated launch control system on board the Borey class strategic submarines has caused a new delay in scheduled tests of the Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)

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Free Syrian Army rebel leaders move from Turkey to Syria

The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) has moved its leadership for the first time from Turkey to parts of Syria that are now controlled by rebels, the group's commander-in-chief said on Saturday.

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Libya orders ‘illegitimate’ militias to disband

Libya’s president ordered all of the country’s militias to come under government authority or disband, a move that appeared aimed at harnessing popular anger against the powerful armed groups following the attack that killed the U.S. ambassador.

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Spain, U.S. strengthen security ties

Spain's top police official announced this week Madrid and the United States are working more closely to battle drug trafficking, cybercrime and terrorism.

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French Navy Rafale M test fires a live AM39 Block2 Mod2 Exocet Anti-ship missile for the first time

On September 19, 2012, a French Navy (Marine Nationale) Rafale M was launched from the nuclear powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) and fired an Exocet anti-ship missile

USAF Says F-22 Oxygen Problem is Solved

The Air Force thinks it's solved the years-long mystery of why F-22 pilots have suffered apparent hypoxia-like system's aboard the world's most advanced jet fighter.

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Boeing exploring opportunity to sell C-17 to South Africa

Giant US aerospace group Boeing is looking at whether the South African Air Force (SAAF) could be a customer for its C-17 Globemaster III large military transport plane.

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Uganda may buy 6 more Su-30s

Uganda is in talks with Russian state arms export company Rosoboronexport over an option purchase of six more Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighter jets

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Russian air base in Kyrgyzstan ready to receive bombers

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said the Russian air base in Kyrgyzstan will soon be able to accomadate strategic bombers after improvements to the base is completed in six months.
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Boeing gets contract to build 11 more P-8As

Boeing secured a $1.9 billion deal to build 11 more P-8A maritime patrol aircraft for the U.S. Navy on Friday.

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MPs concerned over Nimrod decision

MPs have voiced "serious concern" about the risk to national security caused by the Government's decision to scrap the next generation of Nimrod maritime surveillance aircraft.
The Nimrod MRA4 was cancelled in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review as ministers attempted to fill a £38 billion black hole in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) budget. The project, designed to replace the Nimrod MR2, was already years late and hundreds of millions of pounds over budget.


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Arrow 3 Test Postponed due to Unknown Problem

The next trial of the Arrow 3, Israel's main future anti-missile defense weapons system, has been postponed for an unexplained reason, according to a report in the US weekly Space News quoted by Globes.

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Lockheed Closer To Tailhook Design Fix For F-35C

Lockheed Martin officials are creeping closer to a solution to problems with the tailhook design for the U.S. Navy F-35C.

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Royal Netherlands Navy tests NH90 helicopter and Holland class OPV in bad weather

Royal Netherlands Navy crews of the NH90 helicopter and HNLMS Holland Offshore Patrol Vessel conducted deck landings with winds up to Force 8 and waves up to 4 meters high last week in the North Sea.

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India to base airborne early warning system on western border

India plans to base its indigenous Airborne Early Warning & Control system on the western border

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Russian Warship Tests Missile Defense Capability

The flagship of Russia’s Northern Fleet, nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, has carried out missile defense drills during the current patrol-and-training mission in the Arctic, Izvestia newspaper said on Thursday.
Pyotr Veliky is the only Russian warship with sufficient capability to thwart massive attacks by cruise and ballistic missiles.


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