News Digest
QuickRoundUp
During this period, Reaper has demonstrated its capabilities for providing reliable identification, surveillance,
reconnaissance information.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd
HAL received the “Most Efficient Navratna 2013” award
at the fifth Dalai Street Investment Journal Awards night
held in New Delhi on April 2. HAL Chairman Dr R.K. Tyagi
received the award from the jury. HAL has notched-up the
highest ever turnover of `15,180 crore for the FY 2013-14
surpassing the previous year’s figure of `14,324 crore.
Israeli Defense Ministry
The Israeli Defense Ministry has announced that Israel has
launched its tenth satellite into space on March 9. The
satellite, known as Ofek 10, is one of a group of reconnaissance satellites that gather information for military
purposes. According to the IDF’s data, each satellite makes
about 800 reconnaissance orbits a year for a total of
64,000 minutes annually.
Lockheed Martin
A US Air Force crew ferried the 18th C-5M Super Galaxy to
Dover Air Force Base, from the Lockheed Martin facilities
making Dover the first base with a complete C-5M Super
Galaxy fleet. The C-5M is the only true strategic airlifter
capable of covering the entire globe in one unrefuelled
flight. A total of 52 Super Galaxy aircraft are scheduled to
be delivered to the US Air Force by 2018.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co has been awarded a
$5,45,74,234 modification to a previously awarded fixedprice-incentive-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for
production non-recurring technical assistance in support
of the F-35 Lot VII effort for the US Navy, US Air Force, and
international partner governments.
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation will build five additional
US Navy MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters, which
allow ship commanders to extend their intelligencegathering capabilities far beyond the horizon. The MQ-8C is
based on a larger helicopter airframe that provides greater
range, endurance and payload capacity over the currently
fielded MQ-8B Fire Scout variant.
Pakistan Air Force
A first batch of five F-16 fighters were added to the fleet of
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on April 27. Air Chief Marshal Tahir
Rafique Butt said that addition of new fighter aircraft would
increase the capacity of the PAF while speaking at the PAF
Base Mushaf in Sargodha where the force received its first
batch of five F-16 fighter jets from Jordan. 13 used PAF jets
were purchased from Jordan due to financial constraints.
Raytheon
The US State Department is likely to approve a possible
Foreign Military Sale to Korea for AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder
42
Réunion Island hosts Rafale for
the first time
Show Calendar
For the first time since its service
introduction, the Rafale has flown
over Réunion, a French territory in
the Western Indian Ocean. As part of a
long-range projection training mission,
the French Air Force’s Detachment 181
“Lieutenant Roland Garros” based at
Saint-Denis, the capital of La Reunion,
welcomed the flight formation from
April 22-25. The formation comprised
a C-135 tanker and two Rafale B twoseaters. The aircraft took off from Istres
at 5 a.m. on April 22, landed in midafternoon of the same day at SaintDenis, after a flight lasting 10 hours and
35 minutes for the Rafales (including 5
in-flight refuellings) and 11 hours for
the C-135 tanker. It demonstrates the
ability of French strategic air forces to
intervene anywhere. In-flight refuelling
support, provided by the C-135FR, allows combat aircraft belonging to the Air
Force and to our allies, as well as the
AWACS airborne radar aircraft, to carry
out their missions thousands of miles
from their home bases.
20–22 May
EBACE 2014
PalExpo, Geneva, Switzerland
www.ebace.aero/2014
Fully configured MC-27J Multi-Mission
Tactical Transport Aircraft completes
first flight
3–4 June
HELI UK EXPO
Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire, UK
www.heliukexpo.com
20–25 May
ILA BERLIN AIR SHOW
Berlin ExpoCenter Airport, Berlin, Germany
www.ila-berlin.de/ila2014/home/index.cfm
22–24 May
HELIRUSSIA 2014
IEC Crocus Expo, Moscow
www.helirussia.ru/en
28–29 May
China Aerospace Propulsion
Technology Summit 2014
Chengdu, China
www.galleonevents.com/CAPS2014/en/
home.html
30 May–1 June
AEROEXPO UK 2014
Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire, UK
www.aeroexpo.co.uk
12–14 June
CANNES AIRSHOW
Cannes-Mandelieu Airport-LFMD,
Cannes, France
www.cannesairshow.com
Alenia Aermacchi, in partnership with
ATK, has announced that the demonstrator of a fully configured MC-27J
multi-mission tactical transport aircraft
has completed its first flight from the
company’s Turin Test Flight Centre. The
demonstrator aircraft was modified with
an L-3 Wescam MX-15Di Electro-Optical
and Infrared Turret and is optimized for
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, and Search and Rescue missions.
Link-16 data link software and hardware
provisions will prepare the aircraft for
the ATK palletised mission system installation. The installation of both the ATK
developed modular roll-on/roll-off mission and weapon system, and a modified
side door for the GAU-23 30mm cannon
installation will be completed in May. In
June 2014, a new series of flight tests, including firing the side-mounted cannon,
will be completed.
ISSUE 5 • 2014
17–19 June
CANADIAN BUSINESS AVIATION
ASSN CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION
Edmonton International Airport,
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
www.cbaaconvention.com
19–21 June
AVIATION EXPO EUROPE
Hradec Králové Airport, Czech Republic
www.aviationexpoeu.com
23–25 June
MRO MEETINGS SOUTH EAST ASIA
MECC MANAGEMENT OFFICE