By Air Force News Agency on Thursday, June 20th, 2013 Indications are that the F-35 joint strike fighter program — the costliest aviation program in Defense Department history — is heading in the right direction, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics told a Senate panel here June 19. Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee this morning, Frank Kendall said the F-35 would be the premier strike aircraft for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. “The department’s and my focus was at the efforts to manipulate costs at the program, and to reach a more... Read More »

By RIA Novosti on Thursday, June 20th, 2013 Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) are testing a remote-controlled mine-clearance vehicle designed to let Yars mobile ballistic missile launchers travel safely through minefields, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. “The vehicle will allow the components of the missile system to breach minefields in addition to reduce the specter of individually-placed explosive devices,” the ministry quoted RVSN engineering service head, Col. Dmitry Yevmenenko as saying. The new vehicle will use advanced microwave emitters in addition to traditional mine-clearing devices to detect and eliminate mines along the patrol routes utilized by Yars launchers. The... Read More »

By Thales on Friday, June 21st, 2013 The first A400M Full Flight Simulator (FFS) designed and built by Thales for Airbus Military received European Aviation Safety Agency’s qualification for training at the 7 June at Airbus Military International Training Centre in Seville. This qualification is a key enabling milestone that permits Airbus Military to begin to coach A400M flight crews for his or her complex missions in a secure environment. The Full Flight Simulator utilises aircraft hardware and software that represents the initial configuration of the A400M aircraft cockpit and simulates the floor and flight operations of the aircraft in... Read More »

By Army News Service on Thursday, June 20th, 2013 Saber Strike 2013 concluded June 13 as training locations in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia held closing ceremonies to commemorate two weeks of establishment exercises inside the Baltics. “The exercise was an extreme success,” said Col. Frederick Jessen, U.S. Army Europe’s contingency-command post officer responsible. “We partnered with numerous nations improving our partner capacity and skill to command and control, enhancing our overall interoperability.” Hosted this year by Lithuania, and now in its third year of execution, Saber Strike involved approximately 2,000 military personnel from 14 nations including: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czech... Read More »

By Air Force News Agency on Thursday, June 20th, 2013 The Air Force released details of the service’s plan to completely integrate women into previously closed career fields June 18. The implementation plan was recently submitted to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel for review. More than 99 percent of Air Force positions are currently already open to female Airmen. On the contrary, 2013 marks the 20 th anniversary of the dep. of Defense allowing women to function combat pilots. The Air Force plans to open the rest seven career fields — all tied to big operations — by Jan. 1,... Read More »