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F-22 and F-15E mishaps: two accidents, one cause. And not even drones are pilot’s error-free

December 20, 2011, 3:24 pm
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The U.S. Air Force has recently made available two Accident Investigation Board (AIB) reports about mishaps that have become somehow famous in the last year or so. Until the U.S. Air Force released the investigation report about the mishap involving the F-15E Strike Eagle “Bolar 34″ lost over Libya on Mar. 21, 2011, during Operation Odyssey [...]
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The thrills and chills of helicopter mountain flying. In Afghanistan and everywhere.

December 21, 2011, 7:20 am
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Under suspiction as the root cause of many air-deprivation events suffered by U.S. Air Force pilots flying the much troubled F-22 Raptor, hypoxia is also one of issues helicopter pilots have to face in mountain flying. Working at high altitudes, often at maximum power, with the risk of being targeted with a deadly RPG, chopper [...]
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Wanna know where the new Chinese aircraft carrier will be in the next few days? Here it is. A website gives you the coordinates.

December 21, 2011, 10:00 am
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This time you don’t need a satellite to get a glimpse of the Varyag in the Yellow Sea. If you wish to know where the refurbished Chinese aircraft carrier will be until Dec. 29, you can simply visit this Chinese website that has just published the coordinates of the points that limit the area of [...]
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Size, position and orientation of the captured U.S. stealth drone in Iran: an architect’s analysis

December 23, 2011, 9:15 am
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Many speculations and very few known facts surround the mysterious capture of the U.S. stealthy RQ-170 Sentinel drone in Iran. While the U.S. claim that the robot was lost as a consequence of a technical failure occurred during a spy mission from Afghanistan (the version that, backed by some local accounts, I consider now the [...]
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Typhoons over the Negev: the Italian Air Force and the Israeli Air Force in Exercise “Desert Dusk”

December 24, 2011, 10:34 am
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Updated Dec. 25 10.30 GMT From Dec. 5 to 15, Tornado ECR of the 50° Stormo and Eurofighter F-2000A Typhoon of the 4° and 36° Stormo of the Italian Air Force deployed to Uvda airbase, in Israel, for the Exercise “Desert Dusk”, a small-scale joint exercise with the Israeli Air Force involving 25 planes. During [...]
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Iran’s new (amateur) surveillance drone unveiled

December 26, 2011, 3:47 pm
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Updated Dec. 27 10.00 GMT Since Dec. 4, I’ve been constantly monitoring Iranian media for pictures, news releases or statements about the U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel drone captured by Iran. Even if the news of the once stealthy American drone are slightly fading, on Dec. 26, the Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA, published the images of [...]
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Top military aviation stories of 2011: drones up and downs, stealth projects exposed and Libya’s 7-month-long war.

December 28, 2011, 8:38 am
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Update, Dec. 28 21.35 GMT A quick look at the main events and news I’ve covered on this blog during 2011 helped me to identify the topics that can be used to characterize the year that is coming to an end. Before I start, please let me spend a few words about this blog. Articles [...]
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“U.S. supercarrier detected by an Iranian spyplane near the Strait of Hormuz”. Trivial as that could be the last thing that plane will ever detect.

December 29, 2011, 6:30 am
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According to the news reported by the Iranian news agency IRNA, an Iranian warplane involved in the Velayat-90 exercise has identified a U.S. flattop near the Strait of Hormuz. “This shows that the Iranian Navy keeps a close eye on the movements of all ultra-regional forces in the region and checks their activities,” said the [...]
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U.S. Fifth Fleet vs Iran Navy update: American supercarrier monitored with…binoculars.

December 29, 2011, 11:06 am
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Here’s an update to my previous post titled “U.S. supercarrier detected by an Iranian spyplane near the Strait of Hormuz”. Trivial as that could be the last thing that plane will ever detect. Russia Today has published the alleged video taken by an Iranian maritime surveillance plane of a U.S. supercarrier near the Strait of Hormuz. [...]
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Landing a Rafale an aircraft carrier. At night. A video shows why a night trap is the scariest and most demanding kind of flying.

January 2, 2012, 2:23 pm
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Ever wondered how’s landing a jet on an aircraft carrier at night? This French Navy Rafale’s HUD (Head Up Display) video gives a hint. Barely visible at the beginning of the footage (a very little light) is the (pitching) deck, filled with planes, people and an “island”. Alongside the Eurofighter Typhoon, the French “omnirole” combat [...]
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Once in a while a genuine video from Iran: Iranian Air Force F-5 nose-gear-up landing

January 2, 2012, 4:06 pm
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In the last few weeks, beginning with the saga of the captured US stealthy RQ-170 drone and ending with the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, with the alleged video of the U.S. aircraft carrier Stennis taken from an Iranian Fokker 27, I’ve often discussed about the authenticity of the footage released by the Iranian [...]
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Never seen before pictures: Iran’s (blue-colored) Sayyad-2 anti-aircraft missile exposed

January 4, 2012, 8:55 am
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Since a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel drone was captured in Iran on Dec. 4, 2011, I’ve been a frequent visitor of Iranian news agencies, State TV and newspapers websites. This semi-official sources have provided an interesting variety of images and videos about Iran’s military. Not only the famous photographs of the “Beast of Kandahar” and the [...]
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F-35 targeted in potential military cuts. If Italy quits, will the stealth plane ever be affordable?

January 5, 2012, 5:47 pm
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With a new set of austerity measures aimed at saving up to $25 billion to balance the budget by 2013 (and avoid a catastrophic default that would put the entire Euro-zone at risk) just approved, Italy could be soon compelled to review many of its future defense projects. Even if the new Defense Minister, Adm. [...]
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A Sukhoi Su-27. At Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.

January 6, 2012, 3:19 pm
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Look at the following image Lazygranch.com has found on Imageshack.us. Taken by Ethan Miller/Getty Images on Apr. 16, 2009, the photograph depicts an MQ-1B Predator at Creech Air Force Base, in Nevada, taxing with a Sukhoi Su-27 in the background. Actually, the Russian plane (whose shape seems to be a mix of a Su-27 and [...]
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“F-35C unable to land aboard aircraft carriers” report says. U.S. Navy and Royal Navy have something to be worried about.

January 9, 2012, 6:50 am
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As highlighted by an interesting article published on F-16.net, among all the other flaws listed in the JSF Concurrency Quick Look Review dated 29 November 2011 (an official document recently leaked), there is one issue that might have a significant impact on American and British naval aviation’s future plane. According to the leaked report, the [...]
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KC-130J: a tactical gas station in the sky. Serving fighters, bombers, choppers. And maybe even F-35s sometime in the future.

January 12, 2012, 6:00 am
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On Jan. 10, I had the opportunity to take part to a refueling mission of a KC-130J of the 46^ Aerobrigata (Air Brigade) of the Italian Air Force involving several combat planes. The tanker version of the Super Hercules launched from Pisa to refuel its receivers in a reserved airspace located above the Adriatic Sea, [...]
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From Greece with love: Russia’s aircraft carrier flight ops in the Mediterranean sea

January 12, 2012, 10:30 am
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If the Chinese aircraft carrier Varyag, serving as a testbed for the development China’s future naval aviation, is far from being a factor, Russia’s flagship Admiral Kuznetsov, a “heavy aircraft-carrying missile cruiser”, equipped with an air wing of Sukhoi Su-33s and a dozen long-range anti-ship missiles already plays a role in regional crisis. Indeed, although [...]
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“The Eurofighter Typhoon will be the Indian Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft” Pakistani blog says. RUMINT, HUMINT or speculation?

January 13, 2012, 9:31 am
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Above image: an Italian two seat Typhoon refuels from a KC-130J Although an Indian Air Force spokeperson has quickly denied the news, according to a Pakistani blog “Grande Strategy”, Eurofighter has won the Indian MMRCA tender, worth 10-15 billion USD for +126 combat planes. “Grande Strategy sources are suggesting that the Eurofighter Typhoon may in [...]
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Cruise ship aground at Isola del Giglio: the role played by rescue helicopters

January 16, 2012, 12:12 pm
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Update Jan. 16 21:37 GMT On Jan. 13, at around 21.45 LT, the Costa Concordia luxury cruise ship, ran aground on rocks off the Isola del Giglio Island. As a consequence of the impact, the ship began listing until it lying on its starboard side resulting in the death of six of 4,234 people on [...]
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Iran to return the captured stealthy RQ-170 Sentinel drone to the U.S. As a scale model.

January 17, 2012, 7:20 am
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Around $4: this is the expected price of the 1:80 reproduction of the stealthy RQ-170 drone captured on Dec. 4, that a group of Iranian youths has decided to produce and market at their own expense. Iranian Radio Payam gave the news that the toy will be showcased on Feb. 1, in a special ceremony [...]
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