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India Opens Major Western Naval Base Near Karwar
Latest updates: Phase IIA expansion finally heading for approval; Background. Karwar, India: The Site Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee opened the first phase of India’s giant western naval base INS...
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Britain’s A330 Voyager FSTA: An Aerial Tanker Program – With a Difference
FSTA Concept(click to view full) Back in 2005, Great Britain was considering a public-private partnership to buy, equip, and operate the RAF’s future aerial tanker fleet. The RAF would fly the 14...
View ArticleRapid Fire July 2, 2012: Base Realignment and… Construction
The Government Accountability Office updated its cost estimates of the last round of US base realignments and closures (BRAC 2005) and concluded that net savings came at less than 28% of the $35.6B...
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Ascent’s Long-Term UKMFTS Contract for Military Flight Training
Hawk LIFT(click to view full) Back in October 2006, an $840 million contract for BAE’s Hawk LIFT trainers aimed to provide advanced jet training for both Royal Air Force and Royal Navy pilots, as part...
View ArticleRapid Fire Oct. 26, 2012: Russian Aircraft Acquisition Plans
Russia intends to renew a significant part of its air force through the modernization or procurement of new aircraft over the coming years. Dmitry Gorenburg (based on a VPK article in Russian)....
View ArticleRapid Fire Nov. 6, 2012: UK Middle East Sales Tour
British Prime Minister David Cameron is visiting the Middle East where he is supporting arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Oman. The Telegraph. Bob King, president of the United Auto Workers...
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Aerospace, Excelled: The USA’s Arnold Engineering Development Center
AEDC at work: X-29(click to view full) The Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC), named for U.S. Air Force pioneer Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold, bills itself as “The World’s Premier Flight...
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Australia’s Troubled E-737 “Wedgetail” AWACS Program
E-737 Wedgetail over New South Wales(click to view full) The island continent of Australia faces a number of unique security challenges that stem from its geography. The continent may be separated...
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Oman’s Air Force Upgrades: From Jaguars to F-16s & Eurofighters
RAFO F-16Cs w. CFTs(click to view full) Oman is located on the eastern Arabian peninsula next to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and across from Persia. It remains a very strategic country, controlling the...
View ArticleRapid Fire Jan 4, 2013: US Navy Revises INSURV Process
The US Navy is increasing the frequency of its Inspection and Survey (INSURV) program: inspections will occur every 30 months instead of 5 years. They want reports to reflect a more granular...
View ArticleRapid Fire Jan. 17, 2013: Airbus Military 2012 Sales, Deliveries
Airbus Military delivered 29 aircraft in 2012 – 20 light and medium military transport, 4 P-3 conversions, and 5 A330 MRTTs – and received orders for 32 planes: 28 C295s and 4 CN235s. The backlog...
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UAE Looking to Become a Regional C2 Leader
Saab S340-AEW(click to view full) The 21st century has seen a quiet transformation of the UAE’s armed forces. Advanced AWACS airborne early warning planes and air and missile defense systems are just...
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LAS in, LAS out: Counter-Insurgency Planes for the USA and its Allies
Winner(click to view full) The USA needs a plane that can provide effective precision close air support and JTAC training, and costs about $1,000 per flight hour to operate – instead of the $15,000+...
View ArticleRapid Fire March 8, 2013: A Budget Too Far
The President Budget for FY14 may be delayed further to early April, in order to let Senate Democrats and the White House get in sync, according to the NYT. In the meantime Senate Appropriations...
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Submarines for Indonesia
KRI Cakra(click to view larger) Indonesia sites astride one of the world’s most critical submarine chokepoints. A large share of global trade must pass through the critical Straits of Malacca, and the...
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[NDIA] Joint Logistics Panelists Agree to Shed Weight
DoD logistics post-sequester: a self-assessment Ed. note: we continue our coverage of last week’s NDIA’s National Logistics Forum. Lt. Gen. Brooks L. Bash, Director for Logistics at the Joint Staff,...
View ArticleRapid Fire June 24, 2013: Taliban Flag Games
The office opened just days ago by the Taliban in Qatar to start peace negotiations used several signs of a nation state, including floating the flag they used when they held power in Afghanistan....
View ArticleRapid Fire June 28, 2013: Half a Sequester Straightjacket Would Look Like Relief
Sean O’Keefe, head of EADS North America and the NDIA trade association, urges the US government to at least grant the Pentagon flexibility within sequestration-level budgets. Latest from the US GAO:...
View ArticleRapid Fire July 3, 2013: Philippines to Buy Italian Frigates
The Philippines is to buy 2 Maestrale-class frigates from Italy, confirming reports from last year, and following President Benigno Aquino III’s vows to modernize the country’s air force. India’s...
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Up to $2B to Maintain & Upgrade USA’s E-4B NAOC Fleet
E-4B NAOC(click to view full) In December 2005, the U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a contract as Product Support Integrator (PSI) for the USAF’s E-4 National Airborne Operations Center fleet. These...
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