News Archive

April 2006


30 April 2006 Turkey to buy 50 SLAM-ER missiles for its F-16 aircraft
The Pentagon notified the US Congress of a planned sale to the Turkish Air Force of 50 AGM-84K air-to-ground SLAM-ER missile systems, a deal worth around $162 million....
30 April 2006 Pratt & Whitney awarded first production contract for F-35 engines
Pratt & Whitney has been awarded the first production contract for F135 engines to power the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. The contract, valued at $23 million, is for long lead-time hardware for six engines supporting the first five production F-35 aircraft covering Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP)....
28 April 2006 EDO and Terma to develop smart-weapon ejector rack for the F-16
Today, EDO Corp said it entered into teaming agreement with Terma A/S to jointly develop an Enhanced Smart Triple Ejector Rack (ESTER) to be used on under-wing F-16 weapons stores. ...
28 April 2006 Tyndall receives F-22 maintenance trainer
An F-22A Raptor touched down at Tyndall April 19 on its final flight. The aircraft will now be the new ground instructional trainer, solely dedicated as the airframe for aircraft maintenance technical school students. ...
25 April 2006 Pilot trapped in F-22 cockpit after canopy failure
A pilot was trapped in an F-22 cockpit for five hours on April 10th after the canopy failed to open. Several attempts to open the canopy failed, and ultimately the canopy was cut by fire department personnel....
24 April 2006 Pratt & Whitney F135 program reaches 5,000 SDD test hours
Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine program has achieved more than 5,000 hours of System Development and Demonstration (SDD) ground testing and is on schedule to support the first flight of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) this fall....
24 April 2006 Turkey offers Indonesia F-16 jetfighter maintenance
Turkey on Monday offered Indonesia assistance for the maintenance of F-16 jetfighters in an effort to enhance defense ties between the two countries. ...
22 April 2006 Nellis F-16 Aggressors deploy north for first Alaska Red Flag
Nine F-16s and approximately 100 Airmen from the 64th Aggressor Squadron left Nellis April 18 for the first-ever Red Flag-Alaska exercise, formerly known as Cope Thunder....
22 April 2006 Two F-16s from Buckley AFB scrambled to escort suspect airliner
A passenger who claimed to have a bomb aboard a United Airlines flight was subdued by passengers as the California-bound plane was diverted to Denver International Airport. Two F-16 fighter jets from Buckley Air Force Base scrambled to escort the plane....
22 April 2006 Sniper achieves initial operational capability with NY ANG
Lockheed Martin and the Air National Guard (ANG) F-16 fighter-jet equipped 174th Fighter Wing in Syracuse, NY, celebrated the Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of Lockheed Martin's Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) last week....
21 April 2006 F-22 Raptors to bring more sonic booms to New Mexico
US Air Force officials at Holloman Air Force Base recently held a public forum regarding possible changes in the use of the airspace in the area if F-22 Raptor fighter jets are based there as planned. ...
21 April 2006 F-22 CTF tests AIM-120D noise and vibration
The F-22 Combined Test Force here achieved another first when a Raptor flew with an AIM-120D missile in its weapons bay to test the effect of noise and vibration on the missile on April 14....
21 April 2006 Lockheed Martin delivers 4,300th F-16
Lockheed Martin announced it has achieved a significant production milestone with the delivery of its 4,300th F-16 aircraft yesterday. This aircraft will be in service for Oman....
20 April 2006 Jordan acquires 8 Dutch and 14 Belgian F-16 MLUs
Jordan signed a letter of Intent (LoI) for the acquisition of 22 F-16 MLUs, the Belgian Ministry of Defence announced today. The deal is for 8 Dutch and 14 Belgian F-16 MLUs....
18 April 2006 Team tests pod at 'LITENING' speed
The 416th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards AFB, working together with the 85th Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron from Eglin AFB, and the 422nd Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron from Nellis AFB, began accelerated testing of a LITENING AT targeting pod on March 17. ...
17 April 2006 JSF team finishes F-35 structural testing early
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter team successfully completed structural-coupling testing five days ahead of schedule on the first F-35, and moved on to the next scheduled series of ground tests. The F-35's first flight is planned for this fall....
17 April 2006 C-130J with Rolls Royce Engines Pass One Million Flight Hours
The powerplant for the Lockheed Martin C 130J Super Hercules transport fleet, the Rolls-Royce AE2100D3 engine, has achieved the milestone of one million flight hours....
14 April 2006 Air war strategy over Iraq - An F-16 pilot recounts
Aerial strategy practiced by coalition pilots during Operation Iraqi Freedom hinged on knocking out pertinent enemy targets while preserving vital Iraqi infrastructure as well as citizens' lives, an F-16 pilot who flew combat missions over Iraq early in the war recounts....
14 April 2006 4th FS keeps an eye on the sky in Iraq
Despite the rigors of military operations in Iraq, including multiple attacks from insurgents, the 4th Fighter Squadron has proven it is more than ready to accomplish its mission at Balad Air Base, Iraq....
13 April 2006 USAF studies environmental impact of F-22 Raptors at Holloman AFB
The days of the F-117 Nighthawk are numbered with retirement looming around the corner for the black jets. ...
13 April 2006 Pakistan's cabinet approves F-16 purchase
Pakistan's cabinet last night gave approval to the country's air force to begin negotiations for the acquisition of up to 77 F-16 jet fighters from the US....
12 April 2006 Air Force still looking for submerged Shaw F-16 wreckage
Recovery efforts are continuing for the F-16 that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean last Wednesday night off the coast of Myrtle Beach. A Navy sonar ship out of Georgetown is trying to locate the site of the jet. ...
12 April 2006 Tire failure caused F-16 damage
A tire failure caused an F-16C aircraft to depart the runway upon landing at Balad Air Base, Iraq, Oct. 9, 2005, according to an aircraft accident investigation report released April 12....
11 April 2006 U.S. Air Force takes first steps toward F-35 production
The U.S. Department of Defense announced that it has approved the first step towards Low Rate Initial Production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter....
11 April 2006 Luke F-16 crashes - fourth USAF F-16 crash in four weeks
An F-16C from Luke Air Force Base crashed today at 09.55h local time. The pilot safely ejected right after flames were seen at the rear end of the jet. This is the fourth USAF F-16 crash in as many weeks. ...
10 April 2006 U.S. Department of Defense approves multi-year F-22 deal, still waiting on Congress
Chief Pentagon weapons buyer Ken Krieg approved a proposal on Thursday to enter into a multi-year contract with Lockheed Martin to purchase F-22 fighter jets. Mr. Krieg's approval allows the U.S. Air Force to request proposals related to the contract....
10 April 2006 Fighting Falcon pilot earns Jabara Award
Capt. John Vargas, a 1996 graduate of the Air Force Academy, has won the 2006 Colonel James Jabara Award, presented annually by the Air Force for excellence in airmanship. ...
10 April 2006 F-22 Raptor visits first civilian air show
The U.S. Air Force's newest jet fighter, the F-22A Raptor, visited its first civilian air show this past weekend. Visitors at Sun 'n Fun in Lakeland, FL were thrilled to see the F-22 both in the air and on the ground....
06 April 2006 Turkey orders JSOW missiles for its F-16s
Turkey has ordered a batch of Raytheon's Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), the first international sale of the air-launched missile booked by the U.S. defense contractor....
06 April 2006 Shaw pilot broke legs and wrist after ejecting
The fighter pilot rescued off the South Carolina coast after ejecting from his F-16 suffered broken legs, facial cuts and a broken wrist, Coast Guard rescuers said Today....
06 April 2006 F-22 visits Hill for modifications
The excitement was intense Friday as the first of many F-22 Raptors arrived at Hill Air Force base for some minor modifications. ...
06 April 2006 F-16 engine assembled in Poland shows technical defects
Technical defects have been found in one of the first seven engines for F-16 fighter jets to be assembled by Polish aircraft maker Rzeszów, according to the Polish Press Agency on Wednesday. ...
05 April 2006 F-16C goes down off South Carolina Coast
At around 17.40 hours while on a two ship training mission over the Atlantic, 30 miles off the coast of South Carolina, an F-16 went down. The other pilot in the flight saw the ejection and a parachute open but it was not untill 19.35 hours that the pilot was rescued by the US Coast Guard....
05 April 2006 Great Britain optimistic about F-35 technology transfer
According to published sources, British Defense Secretary John Reid has indicated that Great Britain and the United States should be to work out an agreement on the transfer of certain classified information about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter....
04 April 2006 U.S. Air Force looks for multi year deal on F-22
The U.S. Air Force is looking to save money on future F-22A Raptor purchases by going with a three year buy instead of a yearly purchase....
03 April 2006 Belgian Air Force buys eight Sniper XR targeting pods
Under an agreement with Lockheed Martin, the Belgian ministry of defence signed an agreement for the purchase of 8 Pantera targeting pods to boost up the existing supply of 8 Lantirn pods already in use with the Belgian Air Component....