A United States military helicopter crashed on operations in eastern Afghanistan on 17 December, killing six of those on board.
The helicopter came down in Zabul Province after reportedly suffering a technical malfunction to one of its engines. One person survived with injuries.
At the time of
US military helo crashes in Afghanistan
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UK Typhoons to get collision avoidance system
The United Kingdom is testing a new collision warning system (CWS) for its fleet of Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft, it was disclosed on 15 December.
Answering questions in the House of Commons, Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond said that the system will be rolled out across the fleet depending
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UK outlines latest Reaper weapon stats
The UK government has detailed the number of precision-guided munitions that the Royal Air Force (RAF) has expended from its General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles since operations over Afghanistan began in 2007.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) noted that in
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Turkish Sikorsky S-70 helicopter crashes, killing four soldiers
A Turkish Army Aviation Command Sikorsky S-70 Blackhawk helicopter crashed on 17 December, killing all four on board.
The aircraft crashed 12 km south of Gölbasi, a suburb of Turkish capital Ankara, during a training flight. An investigation into the accident has begun, the Turkish General
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Spain begins flight trials of upgraded AB212 helos
The first of seven upgraded Spanish Navy AgustaBell 212 (AB212) utility helicopters made its maiden flight on 17 December.
The flight, which took place at INAER Maintenance's prototype integration centre in Alicante, marked the beginning of flight trials for the AB212 Helicopter Life Extension
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Saab contracted to begin Gripen E serial production
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has contracted Saab to begin serial production of the JAS 39 Gripen E fighter aircraft, the company announced on 18 December.
The SEK16.4 billion (USD2.5 billion) contract will cover serial production from 2013-26 and covers the conversion of 60
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Russia to launch new space weapons company
The Russian government is to consider a plan to form a holding company that would produce weapons for the nation's Aerospace Defence Force and Strategic Missile Force.
The new structure is likely to include the federal space agency Roscosmos, air defence systems concern Almaz Antei, the Tactical
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Rand report: F-35, other joint fighter programmes do not save money
Key Points F-35 life cycle costs are higher than what they would have been if each US military service built its own fighter, according to Rand The report found that F-35 life cycle costs were high due to the increased technical complexity and risk associated with building a joint aircraft
The
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Indonesian MoD receives more CN295s and Bell helicopters
State-owned manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) delivered several aircraft to the Indonesian government on 17 December.
The Ministry of Defence received three CN295 medium transport aircraft and six NBell-412EP transport helicopters, the National Police received one NBell-412EP, and the
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Indian Coast Guard commissions first-in-class FPV
The rapid expansion of the Indian Coast Guard has continued apace with the commissioning of two more ships: the first of 20 Aadesh-class fast patrol vessels (FPVs) and the eighth and final Rajshree-class inshore patrol vessel (IPV).
The 50 m FPV, ICCS Aadesh , was officially inducted into service
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EU figures make final plea ahead of defence summit
EU officials are hopeful that political signals, however subtle, from their leaders' 19 December defence summit in Brussels will be enough to get stronger cross-border defence co-operation and industrial initiatives rolling across Europe.
However, policy analysts are sceptical and say Europe's
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DARPA awards VTOL X-Plane contracts to Sikorsky, Aurora Flight Sciences
Key Points Sikorsky and Aurora Flight Sciences have each won contracts for DARPA's VTOL X-Plane programme Boeing may have also won an award, but declined to comment until DARPA releases more information
Sikorsky and Aurora Flight Sciences have each won contracts from the Defense Advanced Research
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Aero Vodochody announces new L-169 aircraft
Czech aircraft maker Aero Vodochody is developing a modernised version of the L-159 light attack and training aircraft called the L-169, according to company management.
The new L-169 will have larger fuel tanks in the wings, giving the aircraft greater range. Other upgrades will include greater
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Brazil selects Gripen to meet FX-2 requirement
After more than 10 years of discussions, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has finally decided to purchase the Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen E multirole fighter aircraft for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) to meet the FX-2 programme.
Minister of Defence Celso Amorim and Air Force Commander Brigadier
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US aerospace advocacy group laments budget cuts despite healthy sales projections for 2014
The US Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), an advocacy group for the industry, has forecast growth in US military aircraft sales for 2014, following a decline this year.
The association expects USD57.6 billion in military aircraft sales in 2014, AIA president Marion Blakey said on 18 December.
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Ukraine, Russia agree to restart An-124 production among raft of economic agreements
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to restart production of the Antonov An-124 as part of the agreements signed between the two countries on 17 December.
The agreement also covers the resumption of production of the Ivchenko-Progress D-18T turbofan engine used by the aircraft.
According to Ukrainian
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Taiwan grounds Apaches over transmission failure risk
Taiwan has grounded six recently delivered AH-64E Apache attack helicopters due to the risk of main transmission failure, the country's Ministry of National Defence (MND) revealed on 18 December.
Defense Minister Yen Ming said the United States had told Taiwan that the malfunction was affecting US
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Saab secures Gripen E Meteor integration funding
Saab has been awarded a contract for integration of the MBDA Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) on the JAS 39 Gripen E multirole fighter, it was announced on 18 December.
"The additional order secures the implementation of integration of the weapon system Meteor for Gripen
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Peru signs for another 24 Mi-171Sh helos
Peru has finalised a contract with Russia for the procurement of a further 24 Mil Mi-17 'Hip' transport and assault helicopters, the Peruvian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 18 December.
The purchase of the Mi-171Sh-variant helicopters is accompanied by simulators, a training package in
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Pakistan appoints new head of nuclear force
Pakistan has appointed Lieutenant General Zubair Hayat to oversee its nuclear arsenal.
He replaces Lieutenant General Khalid Kidwai (rtd), who was director general of the army-run Strategic Plans Division (SPD) for over 12 years.
Gen Hayat, who was appointed on 18 December, is a widely respected
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