By Sagem on Wednesday, June 19th, 2013 PARIS AIR SHOW: Between June 10 and 13, Sagem (Safran) finished a brand new series of flight tests of its Patroller drone system in multi-sensor, multi-mission configuration, incorporating an airborne communications intelligence (COMINT) system. Designed for military missions, the COMINT system was integrated by Sagem in an underwing pod. It provides interception and positioning functions, together with technical analysis of V/UHF communications, including for frequency-hopping transmitters. This series of 7 test flights validated the Patroller drone’s ability to simply integrate a COMINT type electronic warfare system in a pod, complementing the Euroflir 410... Read More »

By Air Force News Agency on Wednesday, June 19th, 2013 The Air Force inactivated the 81st Fighter Squadron June 18, here, in support of force-shaping procedures around the service. The squadron employed the A-10 Thunderbolt II, and the closure signals the tip of A-10 operations in Europe. “For 71 years, the lads and ladies of this fine squadron have ensured America’s security,” said Col. David Lyons, the 52nd Operations Group commander. “The 81st Fighter Squadron piloted some of the most iconic and legendary aircraft the realm has ever seen. It leaves me with one thought — that whatever … was... Read More »

By Army News Service on Thursday, June 20th, 2013 The Army is incorporating a brand new sensor capability into its Apache helicopters. The Apache Sensors Product Office has accepted delivery of the recent Modernized Day Sensor Assembly Laser Rangefinder Designator, or LRFD, the primary section of be fielded inside the Modernized Day Sensor Assembly. The laser represents increased capability to the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor, often called the “eyes of the Apache.” “This laser kit, what we call M-DSA phase one, is an investment by the military and this system Executive Office for Aviation, and we’re... Read More »

By Agence France-Presse on Monday, June 17th, 2013 Three top European defence firms called Sunday on governments to launch a program to fabricate drones that European countries are currently having to purchase from Israel or the U.S.. France’s Dassault Aviation, European aerospace giant EADS and Italy’s Finmeccanica argued this sort of joint program would “support the aptitude needs of European military while optimizing the difficult budgetary situation through pooling of study and development funding”. They said in a press release they were prepared to interact at the creation of a ecu MALE (medium-altitude, long-endurance) drone, which permits surveillance of vast... Read More »

By Agence France-Presse on Friday, June 21st, 2013 The US military has destroyed greater than 77,000 metric lots of military equipment — including mine-resistant troop transport vehicles — because it prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan in late 2014, the Washington Post reported Thursday. More than $7 billion worth of military equipment isn’t any longer needed, or will be too expensive to ship back to america, and far of it’s being shredded and sold locally as scrap metal, the Post reported, citing US military officials. Donating the gear to the Afghan government is hard thanks to complicated bureaucratic rules, plus US... Read More »