UKRAINE, POLAND TO HOLD JOINT AIR FORCE DRILLS

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has announced plans to hold joint drills of the Ukrainian and Polish air forces. Under the plan, Ukraine’s Mikoyan MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-27 jet fighters will participate in the military exercises along with Poland’s F-16s and Mikoyan MiG-29s, the ministry said in a statement.


The Safe Sky 2014 drills are scheduled from May to July, the statement said. The drills will be focused on the tactical aspects of intercepting air targets.


The latest move comes as Russia-backed troops are concentrating in Ukraine’s Crimea. The pro-Russian forces have taken over a number of Ukrainian military facilities there to tighten their grip on the Black Sea peninsula.


Ukraine’s defense minister and former Navy chief, Igor Tenyukh, said in a television interview March 9 that during the past weeks, Russia’s Black Sea fleet has expanded its military presence in Crimea from 12,500 troops to an estimated 18,768 troops.

                                     SOURCE : http://www.dailyairforce.com/
                                 

Ukraine crisis: David Cameron warns Russia not to tighten grip on Crimea

Russia will face “further consequences” if Moscow attempts to legitimise any attempt by Crimea to break away from Ukraine, David Cameron and Angela Merkel have warned.

The Prime Minister and the German Chancellor said the proposed referendum in a week’s time on the occupied peninsula is illegal.

The pair discussed the crisis at a dinner on Sunday night during the Prime Minister’s two-day visit to Germany.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "They both agreed that the priority is to de-escalate the situation and to get Russia to engage in a contact group as swiftly as possible.

"They reiterated their view that the proposed referendum in Crimea would be illegal and that any attempt by Russia to legitimise the result would result in further consequences.

"They also agreed that we must keep working to support the Ukraine government, including identifying how the international community can help to stabilise the economic situation."

Vladimir Putin assured Mr Cameron in a phone call on Sunday that Russia wants to find a peaceful resolution to the Crimea crisis, which was sparked when armed troops wearing uniforms with no identifying insignia seized key military and administrative locations in the predominantly Russian-speaking peninsula at the end of last month.

Number 10 said Mr Putin insisted he "did want to find a diplomatic solution" and was ready to consider the setting up of a contact group to facilitate dialogue with the new government established in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, after the ousting of president Viktor Yanukovych.

Moscow, which does not recognise the interim government in Kiev, has so far ignored the threat of American and European sanctions designed to force it to pull back from Crimea.

The Duma - the lower house of the Russian Parliament - has endorsed a decision by Crimea's parliament to become a part of the Russian Federation subject to approval in next weekend's referendum.

A team of international observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has consistently been refused entry to Crimea.

William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, warned Russia could provoke a “real shooting conflict” if it sought to move beyond its positions in Crimea.

                                       SOURCE : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Ukraine crisis: What's happening? Depends on whom you ask.

Tensions are mounting as Russian troops step up their presence in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and world leaders push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating crisis.
As ideological battle lines are drawn around the world over the situation, leaders are painting vastly different pictures of the realities on the ground.
Here are some of the questions at play, with a look at how key players are weighing in:

Who's in charge of Ukraine?
How far will Putin go in Ukraine? Can bloodshed be prevented in Crimea? Crimea downplays Russian ultimatum

Russia's take: Viktor Yanukovych remains Ukraine's elected leader, and Ukraine's new government is illegitimate. Russian United Nations envoy Vitaly Churkin called it an "armed takeover by radical extremists."
Ukraine's take: Ukraine has a legitimate government and is set to have new presidential elections on May 25. "Let's give an opportunity for that to work," Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.N. Yuriy Sergeyev said.
United States' take: Yanukovych abandoned his post last month, fled the country and was then voted out of office by Ukraine's democratically elected parliament.

How many Russian troops are inside Ukraine?

Russia's take: Russia hasn't said how many troops it's sent into Ukraine.
Ukraine's take: Russia has sent military ships, helicopters and cargo planes to deploy 16,000 troops into Crimea since February 24, Sergeyev told the United Nations on Monday.
United States' take: Russian forces "have complete operational control of the Crimean peninsula," a senior U.S. administration official told CNN on Sunday, with estimates of 6,000 Russian ground and naval forces in the region

Do Russian troops have a right to be in Crimea?

Russia's take: Yes. A treaty between the neighboring nations allows Russia to have up to 25,000 troops in Crimea, Russia's U.N. envoy said Monday, adding that Yanukovych requested that Russia send military forces.
Ukraine's take: No. Russian troops amassing in Crimea and near the border with Ukraine are an "act of aggression."
United States' take: No, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing a dangerous game. The consequences of military action "could be devastating," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power said Monday.

Why is the tense standoff unfolding now?

Russia's take: Russia has said its parliament approved Putin's use of military force to protect Russian citizens in the Crimean peninsula.
Ukraine's take: There's no evidence of any threat to Russians inside Ukraine. Russia wants to annex Crimea.
United States' take: Russia is responding to its own historic sensitivities about Ukraine, Crimea and their place in Moscow's sphere of influence, a senior White House official told CNN Monday. Russia fears that Ukraine is falling under European or Western influence, the official said.



                                           SOURCE : CNN

Russian fighter jets violate Ukraine air space, troops flow into Crimea

Russian troops and military planes were flowing into Crimea on Monday in violation of accords between the two countries, Ukrainian border guards said.

Since Sunday, 10 Russian combat helicopters and eight military cargo planes have landed on the flashpoint Black Sea peninsula, the guards said in a statement, while four Russian warships have been in the port of Sevastopol since Saturday.

Kiev received no warning regarding the troop movements, even though that is required by the international laws regarding the stationing of Russia's Black Sea navy in Crimea.

Under these agreements, Ukraine should receive notice of any troop movements 72 hours in advance.

Russian fighter jets twice violated Ukraine's air space over the Black Sea during the night on Sunday, Interfax news agency quoted the defence ministry as saying on Monday. It said Ukraine's air force had scrambled a Sukhoi SU-27 interceptor aircraft and prevented any "provocative actions" but gave no further details.

Pro-Russian demonstrators occupied the first floor of the regional government building in east Ukraine's city of Donetsk on Monday. A Reuters reporter in a press centre on the fourth floor of the building said the protesters had seized the first floor but were unable to go higher because lifts were disabled and stairwell doors shut.

The 11-storey building has been flying the Russian flag, rather than the Ukrainian flag, for three days, with demonstrators carrying Russian flags staging rallies outside.

Crimea, which has housed Russian navies since the 18th century, has come under control of Russian forces and local pro-Kremlin militia, who have surrounded several Ukrainian military bases.

Ukrainian defence minister Igor Tenyukh has accused Russia of sending 6,000 additional troops into Crimea.

On Saturday, Russia's parliament gave President Vladimir Putin the green light to send troops to Ukraine, in a crisis that threatens to escalate into the worst since the Cold War.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Russia to avoid actions that might worsen the situation in crisis-hit Ukraine. "I urge the Russian Federation to refrain from any acts... that could further escalate the situation," Ban said to the press ahead of a scheduled meeting with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.

                                                               SOURCE : Hindustan times

Ukraine crisis: Russia stands firm despite rebukes, threats of sanctions

Russia showed no signs of backing down Monday even as world leaders threatened sanctions and sternly rebuked the country for sending troops into Ukraine.

At an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss the unfolding crisis, Ukraine's envoy asked for help, saying that Russia had used planes, boats and helicopters to flood the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea with 16,000 troops in the past week.

"So far, Ukrainian armed forces have exercised restraint and refrained from active resistance to the aggression, but they are in full operational readiness," Ukrainian Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev said.

As diplomats at the meeting asked Russia to withdraw its troops and called for mediation to end the crisis, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin insisted his country's aims were preserving democracy, protecting millions of Russians in Ukraine and stopping radical extremists.

He said ousted President Viktor Yanukovych remains Ukraine's elected leader and has asked Russia to send troops.

 Ex-prime minister calls on world to act How will the West respond to Ukraine? NATO calls emergency meeting on Ukraine Obama to Russia: 'There will be costs'

The Russian envoy read a letter from Yanukovych at the U.N. meeting, describing Ukraine as a country "on the brink of civil war," plagued by "chaos and anarchy."

"People are being persecuted for language and political reasons," the letter said. "So in this regard, I would call on the President of Russia, Mr. Putin, asking him to use the armed forces of the Russian Federation to establish legitimacy, peace, law and order, stability and defending the people of Ukraine."

U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said Russia's claims about the situation in Ukraine are untrue and warned that sending military forces "could be devastating."

Yanukovych, she said, abandoned his post last month and was then voted out of office by Ukraine's democratically elected parliament

.

"Russian military action is not a human rights protection mission," Power said. "It is a violation of international law."

Earlier Monday, global stocks slipped on fears things could get worse, and diplomats grasped for a way to stop the situation from escalating.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague called the situation Europe's most serious crisis of the still-young 21st century.

And U.S. President Barack Obama said the United States is examining a series of economic and diplomatic steps to "isolate Russia," and he called on Congress to work with his administration on an economic assistance package for Ukraine.


                                                    SOURCE : CNN

Ukraine crisis: EU gives Russia 48-hour deadline to return troops to barracks in Crimea

The European Union has condemned "acts of aggression" against Ukraine and threatened Russia with sanctions unless Russian troops are returned to their barracks in Crimea before Thursday.

During a tense, emergency meeting of European foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday East European countries, led by Poland and Lithuania, pushed hard for a strong EU commitment to take action against Russia.

In a further development last night, Poland called an emergency meeting of Nato ambassadors for Tuesday on the basis of a clause in the military Alliance allowing members to "request consultations whenever their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened".

European divisions over Russia were highlighted when Germany watered down an EU statement condemning the Russian seizure of Crimea as an "invasion" and delayed a decision on kicking Russian out of the G8 or further sanctions until an emergency summit of European leaders on Thursday.

David Lidington, the Europe minister, attended the EU meeting while William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, led crisis talks in Kiev. He expressed concern over reports that Russia was stepping up its military presence and operation.

                                          Source : www.telegraph.co.uk

UKRAINE CRISIS

Ukraine mobilized for war on Sunday and Washington threatened to isolate Russia economically after President Vladimir Putin declared he had the right to invade his neighbour in Moscow's biggest confrontation with the West since the Cold War.

"This is not a threat: this is actually the declaration of war to my country," Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said in English. Yatseniuk heads a pro-Western government that took power in the former Soviet republic when its Moscow-backed president, Viktor Yanukovich, was ousted last week.

Putin secured permission from his parliament on Saturday to use military force to protect Russian citizens in Ukraine and told US President Barack Obama he had the right to defend Russian interests and nationals, spurning Western pleas not to intervene.

Financial markets reacted to the escalating tensions when trading opened in Asia on Monday, with oil and wheat futures jumping and stock indexes falling.

Russian forces have already bloodlessly seized Crimea, an isolated Black Sea peninsula where Moscow has a naval base.

On Sunday, they surrounded several small Ukrainian military outposts there and demanded the Ukrainian troops disarm. Some refused, leading to standoffs, although no shots were fired.

As Western countries considered how to respond to the crisis, the United States said it was focused on economic, diplomatic and political measures, and made clear it was not seriously considering military action.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Kiev on Tuesday to show "strong support for Ukrainian sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and the right of the Ukrainian people to determine their own future, without outside interference or provocation", the State Department said in a statement.

The Group of Seven major industrialized nations, condemning the Russian intrusion into Ukraine, suspended preparations for the G8 summit that includes Russia and had been scheduled to take place in June in Sochi, site of the recent Winter Olympics.

Finance ministers from the G7 said they were ready to offer "strong financial backing" to Ukraine, provided the new government in Kiev agreed to pursue economic reforms sought by the International Monetary Fund.

Analysts said US economic sanctions would likely have little impact on Russia unless they were paired with strong measures by major European nations, which have deeper trade ties with Moscow and are dependent on Russian gas.

But EU officials said the European Union was unlikely to match the United States in threatening sanctions against Russia when its foreign ministers meet to discuss Ukraine on Monday, instead pushing for mediation between Moscow and Kiev.

Wheat futures spiked more than 4 percent on Monday on fears of disruption to shipments from one of the world's key exporting regions. Oil rose as much as 2 percent, while U.S. stocks futures fell 1 percent.

MORE DEMONSTRATIONS IN EASTERN UKRAINE

With Russian forces in control of majority ethnic Russian Crimea, the focus is shifting to eastern swaths of Ukraine, where most ethnic Ukrainians speak Russian as a native language.

Those areas saw more demonstrations on Sunday after violent protests on Saturday, and pro-Moscow activists hoisted flags for a second day at government buildings and called for Russia to defend them.

Russia has staged war games with 150,000 troops along the land border, but they have so far not crossed. Kiev said Russia had sent hundreds of its citizens across the border to stage the protests.

Ukraine's security council ordered the general staff to immediately put all armed forces on highest alert. But Kiev's small and under-equipped military is seen as no match for Russia's superpower might.

The defence ministry was ordered to stage a call-up of reserves, meaning theoretically all men up to 40 in a country with universal male conscription, although Ukraine would struggle to find extra guns or uniforms for many of them.

Kerry condemned Russia for what he called an "incredible act of aggression" and brandished the threat of economic sanctions.

"You just don't, in the 21st century, behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on a completely trumped-up pretext," Kerry told the CBS programme "Face the Nation".

He said Moscow still had a "right set of choices" to defuse the crisis. Otherwise, G8 countries and other nations were prepared to "to go to the hilt to isolate Russia".

"They are prepared to isolate Russia economically. The rouble is already going down. Russia has major economic challenges," he said. Kerry mentioned visa bans, asset freezes and trade isolation as possible steps.

Obama held calls with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski. The leaders expressed "grave concern" over Russia's action and stressed that "dialogue between Ukraine and Russia should start immediately, with international facilitation as appropriate", the White House said.

Ukraine's envoy to the United Nations said Kiev would ask for international military support if Russia expanded its military action in his country.

At Kiev's Independence Square, where anti-Yanukovich protesters had camped out for months, thousands demonstrated against Russian military action. Speakers delivered rousing orations and placards read: "Putin, hands off Ukraine!"

"If there is a need to protect the nation, we will go and defend the nation," said Oleh, an advertising executive cooking over an open fire at the square where he has been camped for three months. "If Putin wants to take Ukraine for himself, he will fail. We want to live freely and we will live freely."

The new government announced it had fired the head of the navy and launched a treason case against him for surrendering Ukraine's naval headquarters to Russian forces in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, where Moscow has a major naval base.

REACTION FROM THE WEST

Obama spoke to Putin for 90 minutes by telephone on Saturday after the Russian leader declared he had the right to intervene and quickly secured unanimous approval from his parliament.

The Kremlin said Putin told Obama that Russian speakers were under threat from Ukraine's new leaders, who took over after Yanukovich fled huge protests against his repression and rejection of a trade deal with the European Union.

Putin reiterated that stance in a telephone call with Merkel on Sunday, the Kremlin said, adding he and Merkel agreed that Russia and Germany would continue consultations to seek the "normalisation" of the situation.

But in a sign of concern among Russian liberals, members of Putin's own human rights council urged him on Sunday not to invade Ukraine, saying threats faced by Russians there were not severe enough to justify sending in troops.

Ukraine, which says it has no intention of threatening Russian speakers, has appealed for help to NATO, as well as to Britain and the United States as co-signatories with Russia to a 1994 accord guaranteeing Ukraine's security.

After an emergency meeting of NATO ambassadors in Brussels, the alliance called on Russia to bring its forces back to bases and refrain from interfering in Ukraine.

Despite expressing "grave concern", NATO did not agree on any significant measures to apply pressure on Russia, with the West struggling to come up with a forthright response that does not risk pushing the region closer to military conflict.

"We urge both parties to immediately seek a peaceful solution through bilateral dialogue, with international facilitation ... and through the dispatch of international observers under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council or the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe," NATO said in a statement.

So far, the Western response has been largely symbolic. Some countries recalled ambassadors. Britain said its ministers would stay away from the Paralympics, which begin in Sochi on Friday.

"Right now, I think we are focused on political, diplomatic and economic options," a senior US official told reporters.

"Frankly our goal is to uphold the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, not to have a military escalation," he said.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged world leaders on Sunday to work to calm the crisis and defended Russia's membership of the G8, saying it enabled the West to talk directly with Moscow.

RUSSIANS IN CRIMEA

Ukraine's military is ill-matched against its neighbour. Britain's International Institute of Strategic Studies estimates Kiev has fewer than 130,000 troops under arms, with planes barely ready to fly and few spare parts for a single submarine.

Russia, by contrast, has spent billions under Putin to upgrade and modernize the capabilities of forces that were dilapidated after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Moscow's special units are now seen as equal to the best in the world.

In Crimea, Ukraine's tiny contingent made no attempt to oppose the Russians, who bore no insignia on their uniforms but drove vehicles with Russian plates and seized government buildings, airports and other locations in the past three days.

Kiev said its troops were encircled in at least three places and pulled its coast guard vessels out of Crimean ports. Ukraine said its naval fleet's 10 ships were still in Sevastopol and remained loyal to Kiev.

Scores of Russian troops were camped outside a base of Ukrainian troops at Perevalnoye, on a road from Crimea's capital, Simferopol, towards the coast.

A representative of the base commander said troops on both sides had reached agreement so no blood would be shed.

"We are ready to protect the grounds and our military equipment," Valery Boiko told Reuters television. "We hope for a compromise to be reached, a decision, and as the commander has said, there will be no war."

Igor Mamchev, a Ukrainian navy colonel at another small base outside Simferopol, said a truckload of Russian troops had arrived at his checkpoint and told his forces to lay down their arms.

"I replied that, as I am a member of the armed forces of Ukraine, under orders of the Ukrainian navy, there could be no discussion of disarmament. In case of any attempt to enter the military base, we will use all means, up to lethal force," Mamchev told Ukraine's Channel 5 TV.

A unit of Ukrainian marines was also holed up in a base in the Crimean port of Feodosia, where they refused to disarm.

Elsewhere on the occupied peninsula, the Russian troops assumed a lower profile on Sunday after the pro-Moscow Crimean leader said overnight the situation was now "normalised".

Putin's justification citing the need to protect Russian citizens was the same as he used to launch a 2008 invasion of Georgia, where Russian forces seized two breakaway regions.

In Russia, state-controlled media portray Yanukovich's removal as a coup by dangerous extremists funded by the West and there has been little sign of dissent.


                                         Source : TOI

Turkey Formally Inducts First AEW&C Aircraft

Attending a ceremony held at the 3rd Main Jet Base Command in the province of Konya to put into service the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft as part of the project entitled ‘Peace Eagle’, President Gül underscored the fact that these highly developed aircraft, which are owned by very few countries, have made not only the Turkish Air Force and the Turkish Armed Forces but also the Republic of Turkey even stronger, carrying Turkey to a very privileged position among its allies.

The President noted that “today is a special day for the Turkish Air Force, which was one of the world’s first aeronautical organizations and which is increasingly getting stronger each day on the basis of what Atatürk once said: ‘the future is in the skies’. We are a nation that was introduced to aircraft 100 years ago, that used them in World War 1 and that made planes before cars. I am very proud at observing that we have augmented our aeronautical defence capability with the contribution of the AWACS.”

“This system, like the F-16 planes, has initiated a new era in Turkish aeronautical and defense capability” reiterated the President, further stating that “these highly developed aircraft, which are owned by very few countries, have made not only the Turkish Air Force and the Turkish Armed Forces but also the Republic of Turkey even stronger, carrying Turkey to a very privileged position among its allies.”

“THESE AIRCRAFT ARE LIKE FORCE MULTIPLIERS”

Declaring the AWACS planes to be indispensable elements of modern combat technologies and of the defense doctrines of NATO, of which Turkey is one of the oldest members, President Gül added: “There is a well-known saying in our language. ‘If you want peace, you must be ready for war’. The AWACS planes are very developed aircraft which not only detect all kinds of air vehicles and missiles and eliminate the threats they could pose. They not only serve as radars but also are aircraft that have a command and control center. Therefore, they are like force multipliers and add to our strength indeed. The data that will be provided continuously 24 hours a day by the AWACS will enable us to carry out the necessary border controls and effectively help the security of Europe’s southern wing. These aircraft will both consolidate Turkey’s strength and fortify its deterrence capability.”

Recalling that similar aircraft were deployed by the coalition powers led by the US during the first Gulf War in 1991 and proved to be very useful, President Gül noted that Turkey also effectively used the AWACS and Patriots provided by its allies during the second Gulf War and said the AWACS planes were stationed at what is today the 3rd Main Jet Base Command in Konya. These AWACS aircraft have become far more sophisticated through high-tech equipment today. “We will benefit from these aircraft along with our allies when it is necessary, so it is a source of pride for Turkey to have these AWACS planes.”

The President further extended his thanks to the Prime Minister, the Chiefs of the General Staff, the Air Force Commanders, the National Defense Ministers, the Undersecretariat of the Defense Industry and other commanders all of whom he said have made efforts in this regard.

After the memoir photo of the protocol group was taken, President Gül, TBMM Speaker Cemil Çiçek, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other officials explored one of the AWACS aircraft. President Gül also closely examined the cockpit of the plane.

Read more: http://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-formally-inducts-first-aewc-aircraft-58849/#ixzz2utPGCAp5

Why is the US spending so much on the F-35 fighter

Despite incessant technical problems and delays, the US military has no plans to cancel the new F-35 fighter jet, the costliest weapons program in Pentagon history.

The Joint Strike Fighter has been touted as a technological wonder that will dominate the skies but it has suffered one setback after another, putting the project seven years behind schedule and $167 billion over budget.

As the Pentagon prepares to unveil its proposed budget for 2015, the program’s survival is not in doubt but it remains unclear how many planes will be built in the end and how many foreign partners will be willing to buy it.

Why has the F-35 program reached the point of no return?

After more than a decade since it was launched, officials insist there is no going back on the program, as the plane is supposed to form the backbone of the future fighter jet fleet.

The US Air Force and the Marine Corps have not invested in an alternative, having put all their eggs in the F-35 basket. The Navy, in theory, could bail out if it wanted and opt to buy more F-18 jets, but it is under intense pressure to keep in line.

The project has become “too big to fail,” said Gordon Adams, a professor at American University and former White House official.

The F-35 enjoys broad backing in Congress, as contractor Lockheed Martin has spread the work for the plane across 45 US states.

Foreign allies also have committed to the program, and Washington has promised to deliver a game-changing plane.

How much does it cost?

As a one-size-fits-all plane, and with US allies invited to take part, the program originally was touted as a money-saving idea.

But the program’s costs have snowballed, for an estimated 68 percent increase over its initial price tag. The Pentagon now plans to spend $391.2 billion on 2,443 aircraft, with each plane costing a staggering $160 million.

When taking into account the cost of flying and maintaining the F-35 over the course of its life, the program could surpass a trillion dollars, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Why is the F-35 touted as a “revolutionary” warplane?

The aircraft is billed as the ultimate stealth attack plane, with a design enabling it to evade radar detection.

When the F-35 confronts an adversary in the air, the enemy plane “will die before it even knows it’s even in a fight,” Air Force chief General Mark Welsh told CBS television’s “60 Minutes” show.

Equipped to fly at supersonic speeds and outfitted with elaborate software, the F-35 resembles a flying computer. Through the visor of a hi-tech helmet linked up with cameras on the plane, the pilot can see through the floor of the cockpit to the ground below — providing the pilot an unprecedented 360-degree picture.

Why is the program behind schedule and what is the effect of the delays?

The aircraft will not enter into service before 2016, ten years after its first flight.

The main cause of the delay was a decision to start building the plane before testing was finished. As a result, bugs and other technical glitches keep forcing repairs and redesign work, slowing down production.

The 24 million lines of code for the plane’s software have posed a persistent headache, and the jet has yet to attain the level of performance and reliability expected.

On Friday, the program office acknowledged to AFP that the F-35B, the short-takeoff variant for the Marine Corps, suffered cracks in its bulkheads during stress tests. As a result, the durability tests have been suspended and the plane may have to be modified.

Like other weapons programs in the past, the technical problems are driving up the cost of each plane, and that is forcing Washington to scale back the number of aircraft it will buy.

The Pentagon already has announced plans to purchase only 34 of the jets in fiscal year 2015, instead of the 42 originally planned.

What countries plan to buy the aircraft?

Apart from the United States, eight countries are taking part in the program: Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Turkey.

Israel has expressed an interest in the plane, as has Japan, South Korea and Singapore.

Some governments have ordered their first aircraft but with the cost of each plane rising, purchase plans remain tentative.

Read more: http://www.defencetalk.com/why-is-the-us-spending-so-much-on-the-f-35-fighter-58842/#ixzz2utM5ZhJ5

Modernized Day Sensor Assembly on the AH-64E Apache Attack Helicopter

Team Apache Sensors, including the U.S. Army Apache Attack Helicopter Project Management Office, the U.S. Army Aviation Flight Test Directorate and Lockheed Martin, conducted a test flight of the Apache AH-64E Modernized Day Sensor Assembly (M-DSA) during an event at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., yesterday.

The test flight demonstrated the maturity of M-DSA and the enhanced capabilities it brings to the Modernized Target Aquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS), the precision targeting and pilotage system for the AH-64D/E Apache helicopter.

“We are looking forward to the reliability and maintainability improvements that this laser will bring to the M-TADS system,” said Lt. Col. Steven Van Riper, U.S. Army Apache Sensors Product Manager. “This system will help to further reduce the burden on our aircrews, and they will be able to reap the benefits of the performance improvements.”

M-DSA increases M-TADS/PNVS designation and ranging capabilities to fully accommodate current weapons and those planned for the future. The upgraded sensor enables Apache pilots to see high-resolution, high-definition near infrared and color imagery on cockpit displays.

An additional field of view allows image blending with the M-TADS forward-looking infrared, and enables pilots to see civilian and military lighting on a single display more clearly.

M-DSA also provides a new laser pointer marker that improves coordination with ground troops and an updated multi-mode laser with eye-safe lasing capability that supports flight in urban environments and critical training exercises.

“M-DSA completes the modernization of the M-TADS/PNVS,” said Matt Hoffman, M-TADS/PNVS director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

“The new capabilities provided by M-DSA, such as color in the cockpit and an enhanced laser pointer marker, will support rapid target identification and coordination, as well as improve safety and system reliability for U.S. Army Apache aircrews.”

Lockheed Martin, the Apache Program Office and the Army Flight Test Directorate will spend the next few months validating M-DSA capabilities at Redstone Arsenal and Yuma Proving Grounds.

Fielded in 2005, the M-TADS/PNVS system provides Apache attack helicopter pilots with long-range, precision engagement and pilotage capabilities for mission success and flight safety in day, night and adverse weather missions.

Forward-looking infrared sensors provide enhanced image resolution that enable Apache aircrews to query targets and provide situational awareness in support of ground troops outside detection ranges. Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 1,200 M-TADS/PNVS systems to the U.S. Army and international customers.

Read more: http://www.defencetalk.com/test-flight-of-the-modernized-day-sensor-assembly-on-the-ah-64e-apache-attack-helicopter-58827/#ixzz2utDRjKB1

India Hopes to Put 272 Su 30MKI Fighter's Into Service By 2018

The Indian Air Force’s backlog of orders for Russia’s Su-30MKI fighters makes up 272.

The fighters are assembled by India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) that has received a license from Russia’s Sukhoi aircraft maker.

“Since India received 50 assembled planes from Russia, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited had assembled another 134 fighters in India,” a source close to the Indian company told Itar-Tass on Monday. “We hope to form 14 squadrons of Su-30MKI fighters by 2018. By this time we will have 272 such planes in service.”

After this India might enlarge its backlog of orders, if the Sukhoi/HAL fifth generation fighter project or introduction into service of India’s own light fighter Tejas were delayed, the source said.

The Iandian Air Force is expected to get its first squadron of Tejas in 2015 and the second one – in 2017. The project to build India’s Tejas fighters began in 1983. The plane made its maiden flight in January 2011.

Read more: http://www.defencetalk.com/india-hopes-to-put-272-su-30mki-fighters-into-service-by-2018-58872/#ixzz2uszRrmxC

Russian Air Force Received 12 Su-35 Fighter Jets in 2013

Russia’s Sukhoi aircraft maker delivered a total of 12 advanced Su-35 multirole fighters to the Russian air force this year, the air force commander said Wednesday.

The Russian Defense Ministry ordered 48 Su-35s in 2009. The final deliveries are due in 2015.

“We received 12 [Su-35] aircraft this year in addition to 10 delivered earlier,” Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said.

Bondarev said that under the contract with Sukhoi, the air force would receive 12 Su-35 fighter jets next year and 14 aircraft in 2015.

The Su-35s will be based at the Dzemga airbase in Russia’s Far East, he said.

The Su-35 Flanker-E is a heavily upgraded derivative of the Su-27 multirole fighter. It has been touted as "4++ generation using fifth-generation technology."

The aircraft, powered by two 117S turbofans with thrust-vectoring, features high maneuverability and the capability to engage several air targets simultaneously.

                                           SOURCE : www.dailyairforce.com

LOCKHEED SUPPORTS F-2 RESTORATION PROGRAM

The F-2 program is a joint Japan/U.S. development, production, and sustainment program. MHI is the prime contractor and Lockheed Martin is the principal U.S. subcontractor. Production began in 1996, with the first delivery in 2000.

Based on the design of the Lockheed Martin F-16 C/D Fighting Falcon, the F-2 was designed to meet the unique requirements of the JASDF. Although capable of both air-to-air and air-to-surface roles, the F-2 emphasizes the air-to-surface role because its primary mission is protection of Japan’s sea lanes.

The F-2 has a wing area that is enlarged approximately 25 percent over the F-16 wing area. The larger wing allows more internal fuel storage and two more weapon store stations than the F-16. Japan elected to fabricate the wing substructure using graphite epoxy and by applying state-of-the-art co-cured composite technology to maximize the strength while minimizing the weight. In addition to the larger wing area, the F-2 fuselage is approximately 17 inches longer than that of the F-16. The horizontal tails are also larger.

Lockheed did not disclose how many aircraft and leading edge flaps it is producing for the fleet restoration plan.


                                             SOURCE : http://www.dailyairforce.com/

MAIDEN PROTOTYPE(MiG 29)

The first prototype of the Mig-29, now on permanent display at the Central Air Force Museum in Manino Airfield 40 Kilometers east of Moscow. The prototypes nose wheels were in front of the nose intakes. It had to be moved back on production models so that it would not throw mud or dust and dirt from the runaways directly into the engines. Unlike it’s direct competitor the F-16, the MIG-29 had two engines instead of one. The soviet air force insisted on two engines as a safety factor because a number of single engined aircraft had crashed during pilot training.

On October the 6th 1977, Mig-29 prototype 901 took it’s first flight. The Mikoyan Bureau chose not to install fly by wire on the Mig-29, The MiG-29 has hydraulic controls and a SAU-451 three-axis autopilot but, unlike the Su-27. It is very agile, with excellent instantaneous and sustained turn performance, high-alpha capability, and a general resistance to spins. Some Soviet pilots found the MiG-29’s NATO reporting name, “Fulcrum”, to be a flattering description of the aircraft’s intended purpose, and it is sometimes unofficially used in Russian service.


                                         SOURCE : http://www.defenceaviation.com/