A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) KC-30A multirole tanker/transport (MRTT) has used its air-to-air refuelling boom for the first time on operations during a coalition mission above Iraq, the RAAF disclosed on 27 October.
The boom was used the previous week to refuel an RAAF E-7A Wedgetail
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RAAF KC-30A uses refuelling boom for first time on operations
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Israel developing wheeled APC
The Israeli Ministry of Defense (MoD) and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are developing an 8 x 8 wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC), army sources confirmed on 26 October.
Dubbed Eitan, the new APC is being developed by engineers from the IDF's Armament Corps - Tank Development Authority in
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Indian Navy helicopter shortfall adversely affecting operations
The Indian Navy (IN) faces a shortfall of more than 250 helicopters, adversely affecting its operational efficiency, senior officials have said.
Efforts to procure replacement platforms through imports and indigenous joint venture (JV) programmes with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) remain
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Danish F-16 crashes into North Sea
A Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) Lockheed Martin F-16AM fighter aircraft crashed into the North Sea on 27 October.
The pilot safely ejected and was rescued by an RDAF search-and-rescue helicopter.
According to media reports the aircraft suffered a landing gear failure that eventually prompted the
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Cayuse Warriors come to the fore with Afghan Air Force
The MD Helicopters MD 530F Cayuse Warrior light attack helicopter has supplanted the Mil Mi-35 helicopter gunship as the Afghan Air Force's (AAF's) primary close air support platform.
At the beginning of this fighting season the AAF had five operational Mi-35s, but now only one is still flying,
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Analysis: How LRS-B fits into wider nuclear modernisation efforts
The US Air Force (USAF) announced on 27 October that it had selected Northrop Grumman to build its new fleet of Long-Range Strike Bombers (LRS-Bs), which could possibly include about 100 aircraft.
ANALYSIS
This is major news and - if all goes well - a potential windfall for Northrop Grumman,
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USAF chooses Northrop Grumman to build new strategic bomber
Key Points
The USAF has selected Northrop Grumman to build its new fleet of LRS-Bs
The Pentagon is planning to spend USD511 million per aircraft in 2010 dollars, according to independent estimates
The US Air Force (USAF) has chosen Northrop Grumman to build its new fleet of Long-Range Strike
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US Army JLENS aerostat cuts loose from mooring
A US Army Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) aerostat came untethered from its mooring at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
US fighter aircraft tracked the wayward aerostat above Pennsylvania. As of about 1600 Eastern Daylight Time, it had been secured
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USAF general interested in reducing Predator, Reaper crews to one operator
Key Points
The USAF could further address its UAV operator shortfall by reducing crew size for MQ-1s and MQ-9s to one, according to a senior USAF official
Currently, the aircraft are operated by a pilot and a sensor operator
The US Air Force (USAF) could further address its unmanned aerial
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Turkey gifts T-37 trainers to Pakistan
Turkey will donate 34 of its Cessna T-37 trainers to the Pakistan Air Force, Pakistani defence ministry officials said on 28 October.
A formal agreement relating to the 34 T-37s was signed on 28 October by retired Lieutenant General Muhammad Alam Khattak, Pakistan's secretary of the ministry of
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Russia lays down first of two new Arctic support ships
Russia's Vostochnaya Verf shipyard in Vladivostok laid down the first of two new arctic multi-purpose support vessels for the Russian Navy on 27 October.
The Project 03182 vessels are designed to act as small tankers, replenishment and support vessels for Russian warships working in the arctic
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Georgia no closer to NATO membership despite rhetoric
Georgian officials continue to turn up the volume on joining NATO, but the 28 NATO countries remain far from unanimous in supporting its membership bid.
"We all need to remember that, compared to other small countries that previously joined the alliance, our country works under direct
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Expeditionary Warfare 2015: USN, USCG ships and helicopters needed in SOUTHCOM, says chief
The commander responsible for military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean told IHS Jane's on 28 October that the addition of a US Navy (USN) or US Coast Guard (USCG) vessel with an embarked helicopter would help him tackle a greater percentage of narcotics traffickers on the high seas.
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Expeditionary Warfare 2015: SOUTHCOM general calls for US forces to stay forward and engaged
The head of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has warned against reducing the US armed forces' global footprint and bringing too many assets and personnel home, emphasising that expeditionary forces in particular must continue to deploy forward around the world.
"I believe we're very definitely
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Expeditionary Warfare 2015: Design of new US amphibious dock landing ship is progressing
Preliminary design efforts are moving ahead on the US Navy's (USN's) amphibious dock landing ship (LXR) replacement, the deputy programme manager said on 28 October.
Set to replace the USN's Whidbey Island- and Harpers Ferry-class (LSD 41/49) ships, the LXR is to be based upon a derivative of the
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Aviastar nears completion of Russia's new Il-78M-90A tanker
Russia's new Il-78M-90A air-to-air refuelling (AAR) aircraft is nearing completion, images released by United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) indicate.
The prototype, also known as the Il-478, was shown having its wing and fuselage joined at the Aviastar SP plant in Ulyanovsk. The aircraft is an
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ANDSF clearing operation in Kunduz province continues, while district in Takhar province falls to Taliban
The Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) claimed to have completely retaken the district of Dasht-i Archi in Kunduz province on 28 October, although this is contested by the Taliban and other sources. Meanwhile, the district of Darqad in neighbouring Takhar province fell to the
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AESA radar fit was 'instrumental' in the IAF's decision to acquire 100 LCA Mk1As
The recent decision to equip India's locally designed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) with an Israeli active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar was "instrumental" in the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) recent decision to acquire 100 of the fighters from 2018 onwards, official sources
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Yemeni pilots carry out airstrikes with AT-802 turboprops
Yemeni pilots are now flying IOMAX AT-802 light strike aircraft out of Al-Anad Air Base in the south of the country, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) revealed on 28 October.
The UAE's official WAM news agency reported that the country's military is currently putting several Yemeni pilots through
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USAF requests 'missionised' commercial aircraft
The US Department of Defense (DoD) has issued a capability request for information (CRfI) for at least 10 missionised commercial aircraft to be fielded from 2020.
The CRfI, which was posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website on 26 October, states that the US Air Force (USAF) is exploring
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